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

Wordless Wednesday - Little Man Lamps & Mirror

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- Karen

On the 89th Floor

After getting off the elevator at the 89th floor, visitors are greeted by the Damper Baby mascot.
What is a Damper Baby? You will soon see...
Everyone wanted a picture by this mascot. I had to wait for awhile before I could get him/her alone for a photograph.

One can get a 360 degree view of the city by walking all around the observation deck. Binoculars are stationed at various locations, but most people just looked out or took photos through the UV-protected windows.

Here are two panoramic views from the 89th floor. Being over 1,200 ft. above ground, I did not really know what I was looking at especially if I am not familiar with the city. So, visitors are offered recorded audio guides that come in 8 different languages to lead them through the area.

Being such a tall building in an area known for earthquakes, typhoons, and strong winds, a damper is housed within the structure to act like a pendulum to counteract the building's movements. At 730 tons, it is the world's largest and heaviest damper and I read it can move 5 feet in any direction.
Visitors can see the damper on the 88th and 89th floors. If there had been any movement to the building, one can see that thing rock. I am glad I did not get to see such action.

I found this picture on Wikipedia of the damper's placement within the building.
You can now see why it is a unique aspect to the building and thus the "Damper Baby" is its mascot.

There is a display touting the building has the fastest elevator in the world rising at 1010 meters/minute (3300 ft/minute). In 2014, the Shanghai Tower, currently being built in China, is scheduled to eclipse its record as being the fastest at 1066 meter/minute (3500 ft/minute).

If visitors are tired of the views, they can sit at the Bigtom cafe to have a drink or dessert. This must be Big Tom.

This is a view of the interior observation deck (89th floor). It is quite spacious with chairs and gift shops.

Many visitors packed the photo area to view or purchase their souvenir photograph taken of them with the building.

- Karen

Ground Floors

The entrance to the Taipei 101 mall is packed with foodies, shoppers, and tourists throughout the day.

Foodies head to the basement level's Grand Market to satisfy their appetite in a 1,200-seat food court.
There's even a eatery named after me!

Dozens of food vendors stacked next to each other ready to sell you noodles, rice dishes, fruit drinks, desserts, and everything in-between.
We had to walk around several times to decide what we wanted. And once we decided on a vendor, we had to decide on the food.
Talk about choices!

No, I did not eat at the restaurant named after me. By the time I was hungry, the place was packed.
I instead ate this combo plate consisting of noodles, vegetables, and a soup.
All for the unbelievable price of $110 NT (approximately $3.64 USD). The food court's napkins and soup spoons bear the famous building's namesake.
Serious foodies who have more expensive taste can head to the 35th, 85th, or 86th floor for more refined dining.

Shoppers head to the upper levels to buy the latest designer fashions at high-end brand name stores.

Tourists make their way to the 5th floor to purchase tickets to the building's 89th floor indoor observatory. The tickets are $400 NT per adult and $370 NT per child ($13.24 USD and $12.25 USD, respectively).
Unfortunately, the 91st floor outdoor observatory was closed due to strong winds on the day of our visit.

Here is a long line of tourists waiting for the elevators to go northbound to the 89th floor. The line moved fairly quickly because the elevator operator really jammed as many people in there as possible. I do not know the elevator's maximum capacity, but I sure felt like a sardine during the journey. Luckily, it is the world's fastest elevator reaching the 89th floor in 37 seconds as seen in this video taken by another tourist.

- Karen

Love Theme

Walking through a busy Taipei street, we came across this interesting Love sign. Quite a few people were posing in front of it and I usually don't pass on anything that calls for a photograph.

Aside from the Love sign were a number of displays like this one.
I believe all were sponsored by the Chinatrust Bank because of its "We are family" slogan.

The exhibits were all along this one sidewalk.

Outside the Taipei 101 building is the famed Robert Indiana "Love" sculpture. I had no idea one would be here.
There are quite a few of these situated throughout the world such as New York, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Istanbul, ...etc. as listed on Wikipedia.
Have you come across one yourself?

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday - Kicking Good Time

First Wordless Wednesday of the year.
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- Karen

Late Arrival

We arrived into Taipei, Taiwan late into the evening and it was close to midnight after the 40 minute ride from the airport and checking into the hotel. I guess that's what you get for trying to look for "bargain" airfare at the last minute.
We were unfamiliar with the area around the hotel, but we found a 7-Eleven nearby that was open. 7-Elevens are everywhere in Taiwan!
But, before going in, I spotted this poster outside. Yes, I am an Angry Bird fan.
Since I do not read Chinese, I could not decipher what it said, but could guess. I sent this picture to a friend and she had it translated it for me. :)
Not much of a dinner, but we did buy some snacks to bring back to the hotel room.

All the Taiwan hotels we stayed in had an amenity of complimentary personal hygiene products for their guests. I didn't really had to unpack since we were just staying at this hotel for one night.

After only a few hours of sleep, we got up early and went to eat our complimentary breakfast that came with the hotel room stay.

We brought our luggage to our next hotel for storage, figured out the subway system, and headed over to the Taipei 101 building.
I had wanted to come here for years after seeing it on television. Back then, it was the tallest building in the world. Now it is only the 2nd tallest building in the world at 1,670 ft. (509 m) after the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.

- Karen

Happy 2012 & Trip Report

Happy New Year's to Everyone!
I can't believe how fast the year has gone by.
Wishing you health, happiness, and good fortune in 2012!

I guess the last day of the 2011 is as good as any to start my trip report.
Our vacation to Taiwan had a brief stopover at Tokyo's Narita Airport.
A giant Gundam greets us as we enter our first stop at a toy store.

What's a toy store without a full collection of Ultraman figures.

No, this is not a restaurant, but the same toy store that also sells miniature food replicas. For a 5,000 yen ($65 USD or $50 Euro) replica, eating real food is cheaper.

A nearby airport eatery offers this menu. Yep, real food is less expensive than the replica.

Without any yens in my pocket, I opted for the inflight meal on All Nippon Airlines on my way to Taipei.

- Karen

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone happy holidays from Taiwan! I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends.

This photo was taken from our hotel with a huge Christmas tree in its atrium.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday - Papa Bear

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Note: I will be on vacation in Taiwan and Hong Kong for the next few weeks. I do not know if I will have time to post.
If not, Happy Holidays to all my readers and see you in a few weeks!

- Karen

Santacon - San Francisco Style

Santacon is the only event I know where one can see a large gathering of happy Santas in one location. There had to be close to 500 Santas and holiday-related costumers converging onto the steps of San Francisco's City Hall.

It didn't take long before the rowdy crowd took over the street and blocked all traffic from passing through.

The goal of Santacon San Francisco is for the Santas to congregate and then bar-hop through the city. Not a very family-oriented event.
Once many of them have left for their drinking adventure, I was able to get onto the City Hall steps and take a picture of the remaining crowd.

- Karen

Fish Fountain

Even though these fishes are out of their element, they have plenty of water and money at the bottom of the fountain for sustenance.

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday