I did not travel far this week. The only real outing was to Xi Men Ding, a busy shopping district about 2.5 miles from where I live. Still, I walk around 10,000 steps every day, which works out to roughly four or five miles. Over a full week, that adds up to about 30-35 miles on foot without ever leaving Taipei.
So far on this journey, I have traveled close to 6,700 miles. Almost all of that was the flight across the Pacific, but I have also walked around 155 miles through Taipei on foot, which feels like the part that has actually helped me get to know the city.
I got around using the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) system, which is Taipei's subway and bus network. It's very clean, fast and effective. However, during rush hour the stations get super packed so be aware of that!
The most interesting place I visited this week was a temple that is coincidentally also in Xi Men Ding. It is famously the only temple in Taiwan that also enshrines Hongfa Dashi, a revered Japanese Buddhist saint, blending Taiwanese folk religion with historical Japanese Buddhist influences.
