Taipei City Tour - Part 1

Our travel agency suggested we take a half-day tour of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. We could have easily visited these attractions on our own using public transportation if we had more time.
Our first stop was the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a tribute to the country's former President and General which opened in 1980.
The structure is 249 ft. tall and made of concrete & marble. According to Wikipedia, there are 89 steps that lead to the top representing the age of his death in 1975.
I wished I had known this beforehand so I could have counted them although our tour guide opted for us to use the elevators instead.

What is inside this structure on the first floor? It is a big hall.

Unfortunately being in a tour group, I did not have time to get a thorough look around the big hall which houses a museum and library. If you are wondering what everyone is looking at in the previous photo, there was a model of the memorial hall and its surrounding area.

After getting out of the elevator, visitors encounter a huge statue of Chiang Kai-shek.
From my understanding he is not buried here, but at a military cemetery in the northern part of the country.

Seen here is one of two soldiers who stand guard by the statue.
They kind of remind me of the Buckingham Palace Guards where tourists try to distract them to no avail.

This is the other side of the memorial with the beautifully manicured garden.

The last 3 photos are of Martyrs' Shrine, a place to honor those soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending Taiwan. Twice a year, officials hold public services on the grounds to pay their respects.

- Karen