is the Chinese version, almost a month later. We’d seen posters everywhere advertising a firework display and all night concert at the Taipei 101 building. We weren’t quite prepared for just how busy it was though. Just getting into town was a mission itself - the Metro was the most packed we’ve experienced since Moscow, and the crowds once we got there were incredible!! There were apparently 180,000 people there, and we only just got there in time!!! We’d had a beer before we left, and taken one with us, so we did manage to have a drink in our hands when the countdown (in Chinese!!) started. The fireworks were pretty spectacular, if a little short, but then the mad thing was that at least 50% of the crowd headed for the metro station as soon as the countdown finished!! The crowds were just unbelievable!! So we decided to let them die down and go for a walk around, and then get ourselves a beer. Much easier said than done however, this was when we discovered the really weird thing about Central

Taipei - they don’t seem to have any bars!! There were stalls selling every kind of food you can imagine, along with coffee and soft drinks, but no alcohol to be found anywhere!!! The Queue for McDonalds was around the block, but no-one was drinking!! So a very sober New Year it turned out to be!! The crowds for the metro just didn’t seem to go down at all, so eventually we had to just brave the crowds and eventually got back to Jerry’s at around 4am - Stone cold sober but very tired!!

New Years Day we decided to head up to Danshuei , a little town on the Estuary of the Danshuei river on the North coast. It was the last stop on the Metro from Jerry’s, and as it was Sunday there was a night market which was a pretty lively affair, but the real highlight was that we found a bar!!! So our New Year drinks were a day delayed but very pleasant on a balcony overlooking the night market and the