杜鵑花之都

THE CITY OF AZALEAS

The City of Azaleas, a unique character of typical East Asian shade with Western influences that lie atop a small island, located somewhere in the Western Pacific. We’re 100 miles off the mainland of China, where Mad Max-esque factories sit between dense jungle-covered mountains leading to hot springs and some of the finest Asian cuisine the world has to offer. Following whispers of an untouched coastline with pristine turquoise waters and empty point breaks, we set our sights on remote corners for Db journey’s annual luggage R&D trip, feat. Craig Anderson and Kaito Ohashi.

Whilst well know for its bubble tea creation and Areca nut consumption, this is also the world’s largest producer of advanced computer chips for smartphones, fighter jets and everything in between. With its own currency, dialect, airline and most importantly, two very tasty national beers it keeps itself very separate from China. We ignore the current political unrest which goes with having all of the above, and plough on.

Taipei, nicknamed The City of Azaleas after the sub-tropical flower heavily present throughout, is where we start this journey. As the night draws in, we’re guided by the notorious flashing red, blue and green lights of the roadside Betel Nut shacks. We dabble in the local produce, leading to increased heart rates, a light sweat and gentle nausea amongst the crew – Welcome to Taiwan.