Images from Taipei Metro

Instagram photos of my daily commute

Taipei, a metropolis of 6 million people, has a very large subway system, which is very fast, clean and usually the most convenient way to commute. For a whole year I've been commuting from one end of Taipei to another and spent almost two hours underground. You can imagine, that it can get very boring and tiring, especially during rush hours, when you can't get any seat and every wagon is jam packed with people. It was very hard for me to get used to this during the first months of my life in Taipei, but now I'm commuting routinely and I'm not really bothered by anything anymore (and I used to be). I know exactly where are the least crowded wagons, where is best to stand in line and how to transfer to another train the fastest. Nevertheless, I have a lot of time to kill every single day. I'm usually listening to music on my iPhone, browsing Twitter or trying to read news, but the 3G is always so unstable down there. I have no choice but to observe people, observe the happening around me. After buying the iPhone last year, I've instantly got hooked on Instagram, a photo sharing app only available for iOS devices. I simply love it, it's my favorite iPhone app which keeps me occupied while I'm wasting my life in the Taipei subway. Photos below were taken during the past ten months, they can give you a small insight about how commuting in Taipei looks like.

See Taipei metro through my iPhone lens:

Train has arrived.

Standing in line.

Lonesome commuter.

Neverending?

Pushy obasan.

Crowds near the escalator.

Girl with mask.

Thoroughfare.

No more squeezing in.

School girl.

Leggy lady.

Rushing by.

Main Station maddness.

Sexy ad.

Managing the pushers.

Butterfly hair clip.

Trying to squeeze in.

That's a big one!

Readers.

Beautiful eyes ad.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station.

Having a grip.

Escalator candidates.

Cuteness has also infested Taipei Metro.

Christmas tree in one of the stations.

This is life in Taipei! Still wanna come?

Soda man.

Ximending girls.

Fluffy boots.

Sleeping in MRT is common in the morning.

Reading newspapers, too.

Last minute makeup retouch before work.

Lady in red.

Simple pleasures of living in Taipei.

Smartphone girl.

Lost in a pool of people.

Playing games to kill time.

Fluffy boots again!

Taking a nap the unconventional way.

Models are commuting, too.

Playing with the shoe.

Elegantly stretching the tired legs.

Hair, the musical?

Up there is heaven.

Focused reader.

Girls.

Mystifying eyes ad.

Cute hat.

Twirled leg (how can she do it?).

Lovers holding hands.

Almost coming.

Love Taipei.

This is what commuting in Taipei looks like to me. What are your thoughts and observations? If you'd like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me under the handle ninoart. Browse my huge collection of photos and drop a comment from time to time.

[My TAIPEI page][All photos by MKL, 2011/12, source: Webstagram]