Sunrise in Taipei

Not that I’ve actually seen the sun in four days, but if you can’t sleep or the night stretched on a little longer than planned, few things are more enjoyable than seeing your city in its pajamas. Makes for some no-stress bicycling, too.

Making deliveries:

Kneading dough for pork buns:

Taiwan's equivalent of the White House — the Presidential Office Building — is at left.

Some guards with rifles were doing a manual-of-arms drill. When I tried to take a picture, one of them rushed at me waving his arms. I raised my hands like a Ferguson protester, my camera dangling from its wrist strap. He smiled, but I won't be trying that again.

A seven-story thermometer on Chongcing Road:

There are now 200 YouBike stations in Taipei. I got this three-speed on Zhongshan Road.

They have a Shimano Nexus hub, a dynamo hub for nighttime lighting, a basket with built-in lock and a ridiculously robust skirt guard. The bikes, made by Giant, are made for short trips, which is a good thing, because they're also made for short people. Even with the seat raised all the way, you won't get a proper fit if you're over 5 feet 9 inches.

At this moment, American visitors will have a hard time renting them because you need a credit card with an EMV smart chip or a phone with a local SIM card with which to register your EasyCard. This will change in 2016 when we catch up to the rest of the world, but for now, good luck. Most of the 7-11 clerks here speak some English, but if yours doesn't and you want an EasyCard, ask for a "yo-yo kah." They're only $100 NTD ($3 USD) and once you load them, they can be used for bus and subway travel, as well as most convenience stores and some ferries. Pretty much everywhere except on the high-speed trains.

Speaking of bikes, if yours was made since the late 1980s, there is a 90 percent chance it was manufactured here.

Taipei's massive National Concert Hall:

And the CKS memorial, devoted to the man who was president of mainland China for seven months and premier of this nation/province/administrative district/whateveryouwanttocallit for 25 years.

The only people stirring on the grounds are those with fitness in mind. Backward walking (and jogging) is popular, and the tai-chi crowd was out.

Sunday's forecast is for partial sun. Whadda concept! Color me skeptical.