Judging by the oriental style architecture in last week’s distorted image it was fairly likely that the city to be identified would be Asian. It never even occured to me that the answer, or at least a very big clue, was written on the image itself. One of the regular readers of this page informed me that the characters above the arch gave the game away.
I am not sure whether everyone’s computer will render the following characters accurately (if at all). According to Todd (@toddunctious), who lived in the Far East for some time, 自由廣場 are easy to decipher.
The first two characters are easy to read and are the same in Japanese and Chinese (meaning Freedom).... the third is hard as it only appears in Taiwanese usage. Their Chinese writing is the old system, same as 100 years ago... the Communists simplified the writing system so that characters with many strokes (sometimes 20-30) could be written with fewer strokes (5-10).
So, if you know a bit about the Chinese and Japanese writing you would know that the distorted city is in Taiwan (because of the uniquely Taiwanese character) and the place featured is Liberty or Freedom Square. It is then easy enough to confirm with a quick search that the city is…
However, if you cannot read Chinese or Japanese you could use other clues. It’s a five arch entrance which should help and it is possible to identify the building in the distance as the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial.
Of course, if like Jackie (@JackiesJourneys), you have been there it is easy enough to identify the city as Taipei, Taiwan
Congratulations to Jackie (@jackiesjourneys), Atul (@pixodentist), Todd (@toddunctious) and Tim (@timofnewbury) who identified the city as Taipei.
Seven Years Today
Seven years ago I posted the first of the Where in the World… travel quizzes. I am amazed that I still have regulars spending time trying to identify the twisted cities posted each week. It’s what keeps me posting each week.
To mark the occasion there is a small prize this week. A set of different size packing cubes – from small enough for cables and chargers to larger ones for jackets and shoes. As usual each correct answer will have one entry into a draw. The first name drawn will win the prize. The draw will take place after the competition closes at 22:00 [BST] on Wednesday 4th September 2019. Good luck.
The distorted image this week is of a well known and popular city for travellers. However, it is not one of the more iconic views that feature in guidebooks or on Instagram.
You can leave your answer in the usual way on Twitter (@lethers). Alternatively you can Direct Message me on Twitter. Please make sure that you use the hashtag #WITW364 so that I can find your reply.
