LaLa Taipei & Taiwanese female entrepreneurship

Lala Taipei

I would like to give a shout-out to Lala Taipei, the place we stayed at in Taipei.  It is a cross between a hostel and a B & B, or as they call it, a "Bed and Water".  Conveniently located, about $25 a night, clean beds, clean showers, common sitting and dining room, well-stocked kitchen, laundry facility, free wi-fi and loaner bicycles, in a safe, residential area, etc., all the essential amenities a traveler needs in a foreign place.   But the most interesting aspect about Lala Taipei is the fact that it is an enterprise started in late 2009 by a group female friends (which includes my sister-in-law) who pooled money together to buy a flat, remodel and furnish it, and operate it as a guest house/hostel.  They have since duplicated their business model to include a location in Flushing, New York, as well as Los Angeles, and Ginza, Japan.  They have also expanded their operation and invested in a cafe and a bookstore.  Quite a formidable group of women!  Taiwan has made great strides since I left 30 years ago. Kirk and I were both struck by the signs of vibrancy on the faces and in the gaits of people on the streets, of self-sufficiency and confidence, and the live-and-let-live attitude toward the ad hoc enterprise of making or eking out a living.  I'm not sure if I don't harbor a sense of longing for the place I left, but there is no going back to one's childhood.

Thriving

Green wall

I noticed while walking around Taipei these curious, clever installations affixed to the fences of all kinds of construction projects going on in the city.  Instead of the "pardon our dust" signs we see in construction sites here, which is nothing but a pure formality, the construction companies in Taiwan actually install live, breathing plants on their construction fences, creating a kind of green wall all around the perimeters of ugly construction sites.  They not only beautify the cityscape but also help purify the air and reduce pollution!  As the construction of tall city buildings normally takes months, if not years, these green walls provide a great service to improve the quality of life for people living in the city.  Now seems like a good time to segway into another point of difference between most U.S.metropolises and those in Taiwan.   Here people come to town to work and leave for home in the suburbs after work.  In Taiwan, the places for home and work are not so sharply segregated.  Most buildings usually consist of store fronts on the ground floor and residential flats above. And commercial buildings frequently bump against apartments and shops.  A continuous covered walkway links all the buildings in a block together, though not in a uniform manner.  The convenience of this kind of living arrangement makes an enormous difference to the character of everyday life; instead of getting in a car every time one wants to do anything, one can just walk to places to shop or to get a bite to eat, something familiar for those who are lucky enough to be able to live in cities such as New York.   


Lastly, I want to share with you a video clip I took of my sister-in-law having her face "done" in a traditional Taiwanese manner.  It is a dying art; I remember sitting at my grand mother's feet watching her face done in the same manner.  We went in search of one of the few practitioners of this art form in a crowded night market.  I'm not sure how to describe it - something like a person using threads winding around her fingers with one end bit in her teeth to pluck the unwanted hair on a woman's face.  It is also supposed to clean the pores and soften the skin.  I expect it's rather painful.  Carolina was actually in tears but the experience was worth it, according to her. In this video, you can also get a feel for how lively the night scene is in Taipei.