I’m laying the wrong way round on the day bed by the window in an effort to afford my travel buddy a modicum of privacy while showering. Our room at the W Hotel Taipei is very nice, but not designed with modesty in mind. The bathroom features beautiful wood paneling that can be left fully open into the bedroom. The paneling does fold elegantly closed, but there is still about 0.5 meters of wooden bars at one end that provide only an ever so slightly diminished view into the sink area and directly into the shower.
Semi-public nudity aside, our toilet winked at me. It’s one of those complicated Japanese contraptions that fully automates the personal relief process. When I walked into the bathroom, the toilet lid began to automatically open, which caught me off-guard, so I stepped back, and it began closing. One step forward and it jumped open again – it was as if the toilet had come alive and wanted to flirt. The seat is constantly a pleasant 30 degrees Celsius, and the machine will do almost anything (within limits) to improve your bathroom experience. It squirts, it blows, it cleans, it deodorizes, and it’s almost completely automated – the downside, however, is that a quiet slip into the bathroom is not really possible. Our quasi-open bathroom experience combined with the millennium lavatory means that anyone in the room is likely to know that you’ve snuck over to the toilet. One step through the door and the seat buzzes open. Take a seat, and it suddenly sounds like you’re a Starbucks Barista preparing the next pumpkin latte of the day.
Despite the surprising lack of designer coffees following all the noise, we’re both awake now, so we might as well head out to discover what Taipei has to offer!