Flying from the East Coast of the United States to Taiwan involves losing a day in transit. Rather than going unscented, during our layover in San Francisco, I beelined to the Hermès counter in the duty free store to try Barénia, which they were heavily promoting. It captivated me enough to spray it on my wrist and neck, making it an official wear and bringing my unique perfumes count for 2024 up to 134. Barénia is a chypre with notes of butterfly lily, miracle berry, oakwood, and patchouli… but to my nose it was a very sweet floral with a leathery base reminiscent of Galop. Miracle berry is a fruit that alters the taste buds and makes sour foods taste sweet, and it seems to have had a similar effect on my smell receptors in this perfume as well!

The main purpose of this trip over the second half of December was to visit my relatives in multiple cities in Taiwan. Secondarily, my other half and I also made it a tourist experience, with me being as much of a tour guide as possible, which was challenging as I feel so anchored from having lived there before but at the same time so disconnected as it’s been many years since I’ve been back. It was easier in Taipei as I’m less familiar with the capital, and it’s also the city where the most tourists visit.

Taipei 101 warrants its own post, in my opinion, as it has much to offer to perfumistas. It is, as the name implies, a 101-story skyscraper that held the title of world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010. It is still the tallest building in Taiwan, and holds spectacular fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve.

Locals aren’t necessarily keen to buy tickets to go up to the observatory, but as proper tourists, we went up for the first time. We didn’t buy the extra ticket to go to the very top as we’d overheard another customer asking if it was worth it and the staff member had answered that the main observatory was probably enough. The views did not disappoint.

Inside, a dedicated section showcased a selection of fragrant plants of Taiwan, with each specimen housed in a transparent cylinder with holes through which visitors could sniff. Examples included the cypresses cryptomeria and goldcrest.

Still in the ticketed area, the Taiwanese perfume brand P.Seven had a store featuring several tea-themed fragrances, including Aged Tea, which was the independent category winner at the Art and Olfaction Awards (A+OA) in 2022. It was perhaps the most nuanced of the tea collection, deep with smoky and woody overtones. I sensed that competition was fierce, because every time the sales associate handed me a blotter of something I asked to smell, she reminded me that “we are P.Seven” and that I could find more information about the brand via the QR code.

Downstairs in the luxury shopping mall portion of Taipei 101, you can find every high-end brand name you can think of—the Xinyi district is the wealthiest, poshest area of the city.

If you look up slightly from the sterile glitz and glamor of storefronts, you can see the marvel of Taipei 101 architecture from the interior.

The usual, larger niche suspects are well represented as well, with spacious boutiques for Jo Malone and the newly opened Diptyque.

The night brings a different flavor to the bamboo-inspired structure, as it glows like a beacon and projects any variation of colors and text via its LED light façades.