Jordan here- my work takes me to Taipei once or twice a year, and just about every time I go I end up working straight through from touchdown to takeoff.

One of these days I plan to schedule some extra time off, take a full camera kit, and really do my best to capture Taiwanese culture.  Until then, this handful of images from one of my first visits will have to suffice.  

The giant yellow ball that you see here is actually a massive 660 ton wind damper located near the top of Taipei 101.  During typhoons and earthquakes (which are both quite frequent  in Taipei), the damper absorbs shocks and movement in the upper tower using a combination of steel cables and hydraulic shock absorbers.  A museum just a few floors above this houses a priceless collection of carved gemstone coral.