Before entering Taipei 101, an employee stops you and points a small white gun at your head. The gun has a purple disc in the muzzle that at first makes me think that she’s going to mark me with it. “I am a qwei-lo!” it will say across my forehead, and all the Taiwanese children will point at me and laugh and laugh and laugh.

This doesn’t seem to be the case, however, as after a few seconds she gives me a nod of approval and let’s me pass. As I’m sure you’ve by now figured out, she was taking my temperature (somehow). SARS is very much a reality here, and caution is high.