Howdy folks! Well, the trip to Taipei is now over and I'm sitting back in Macau trying to hurriedly type this up! I'll add commentary later as possible, but for now I believe I'll just post the pictures with the major titles and slowly add commentary/titles to the individual pictures as time allows later this week!
General Impressions of Taipei
1) People are everywhere. You cannot go to any restaurant, store, landmark, or museum without expecting to wait a minimum of thirty minutes. Trips on the street involve jostleing and pushing people. Face it. If the people in front of you are stopping to stare at store displays, the people traffic must keep going. Push them aside - no one seems to mind - and then proceed to move along.
2) Taipei seems to a degree like a large Chinatown. The architecture and road design seem more Western and if the armadas of motorcycles were removed, one would notice that yes, they drive on the right - not the wrong - side of the road.
3) This isn't really so much an impression as the reiteration of an impressive fact. The National Palace of Taiwan has a whole mountain-full of treasures, ranging from porcelain to jade, all of them magnificent. The jade piece of meat looked perfectly-cooked and succulent. The bok choy didn't look quite as delicious, although one did not doubt its value. The "lunch-box" (a friend's nickname for the ivory open-work container) made out of ivory for the emperor has semi-transparent sides and is exquisitely carved. The artist has cut tiny holes into the ivory in a general design. Overall, the lunch-box took seventy-eight years to complete - perhaps up to three generations of artists devoted their time to this piece (at least, that is what the recorded lady on my walking tour tape player told me!). I only hope the emperor did not wait to put his lunch inside. For the National Palace, no pictures are allowed inside the museum.
Beginning of the Day:
At the bright and early hours of the morning, which I enjoy but typically never get the opportunity to experience, I was picked up by a friend and we departed for Taipei, passing the Lehua night market on the way. Night market? Are you sure???
The Zoo
The first place to stop in Taipei was the zoo. Well, near the zoo anyway. Actually, we were taking the public transportation system. No, not the subway... we actually drove the car... but the cable-car system called the "Maokong Gondala". The city of Taipei actually sits in a valley surrounded by small mountains. The zoo is near the edge of the valley, and the Maokong Gondala traverses from the valley floor to near the top of some of the hills. The ride is somewhat near an hour, and if you choose the Crystal Cabin option, you can actually ride in a Gondala with a clear, acrylic floor (which we did). The day was quite cloudy, actually, so the raindrops were a challenge with the pictures - until an operable window was noticed near the top of the car. The trip was quite pleasant, with views of the city available at the distance. Below, tea farms and poultry farms could be watched. The car didn't actually traverse that far above the ground bus people with of agoraphobia (what the sign said) or acrophobia (fear of heights) are still advised to avoid these cars. The ride is quite affordable at around 50 Taiwan Dollars (for reference, 30 TWD = 1 USD) and is highly recommended.
Dinner
National Palace Museum
As mentioned previously, this museum is stuffed from the deepest basements to the highest rafters with treasures. The museum is built into the side of one of the large hills in the area. The entire "mountain" is hollow and filled with similar treasures. Images of some of the most famous jade, bronze, and other articles can be viewed online here. The displays are changed every once in a while and the artifacts replaced with items from within the mountain.
Xiao Long Bao Lunch!
Chang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Taipei 101: The Structure
Taipei 101 is an impressive structure rising 509.2 meters (1,670ft) from base to tip of spire. The building became famous for both its height as well as for the nice addition the structure makes to the Taipei skyline. From 2004 to early 2010, Taipei 101 held the record for being the tallest building in the world (upon completion last year, the Burj Khalifa officially became the world's tallest building).
Taipei 101: Bottom five floor shopping mall!
Shilin Night Market
National Taiwan University
Taoyuan International Airport
General Impressions of Taipei
1) People are everywhere. You cannot go to any restaurant, store, landmark, or museum without expecting to wait a minimum of thirty minutes. Trips on the street involve jostleing and pushing people. Face it. If the people in front of you are stopping to stare at store displays, the people traffic must keep going. Push them aside - no one seems to mind - and then proceed to move along.
2) Taipei seems to a degree like a large Chinatown. The architecture and road design seem more Western and if the armadas of motorcycles were removed, one would notice that yes, they drive on the right - not the wrong - side of the road.
3) This isn't really so much an impression as the reiteration of an impressive fact. The National Palace of Taiwan has a whole mountain-full of treasures, ranging from porcelain to jade, all of them magnificent. The jade piece of meat looked perfectly-cooked and succulent. The bok choy didn't look quite as delicious, although one did not doubt its value. The "lunch-box" (a friend's nickname for the ivory open-work container) made out of ivory for the emperor has semi-transparent sides and is exquisitely carved. The artist has cut tiny holes into the ivory in a general design. Overall, the lunch-box took seventy-eight years to complete - perhaps up to three generations of artists devoted their time to this piece (at least, that is what the recorded lady on my walking tour tape player told me!). I only hope the emperor did not wait to put his lunch inside. For the National Palace, no pictures are allowed inside the museum.
Beginning of the Day:
At the bright and early hours of the morning, which I enjoy but typically never get the opportunity to experience, I was picked up by a friend and we departed for Taipei, passing the Lehua night market on the way. Night market? Are you sure???
Lehua night market in the day... what happened to all the carts and people???
The Second Floor Cafe. A newer restaurant in the campus town of National Taiwan University, it caters to the upper-level gathering of professors or important meetings. The food is quite excellent, with Western style breakfast/brunch the specialty. The waitresses were wearing Santa hats, the interior bright and cheerful, and the atmosphere relaxing with French music playing the background.
The Zoo
The first place to stop in Taipei was the zoo. Well, near the zoo anyway. Actually, we were taking the public transportation system. No, not the subway... we actually drove the car... but the cable-car system called the "Maokong Gondala". The city of Taipei actually sits in a valley surrounded by small mountains. The zoo is near the edge of the valley, and the Maokong Gondala traverses from the valley floor to near the top of some of the hills. The ride is somewhat near an hour, and if you choose the Crystal Cabin option, you can actually ride in a Gondala with a clear, acrylic floor (which we did). The day was quite cloudy, actually, so the raindrops were a challenge with the pictures - until an operable window was noticed near the top of the car. The trip was quite pleasant, with views of the city available at the distance. Below, tea farms and poultry farms could be watched. The car didn't actually traverse that far above the ground bus people with of agoraphobia (what the sign said) or acrophobia (fear of heights) are still advised to avoid these cars. The ride is quite affordable at around 50 Taiwan Dollars (for reference, 30 TWD = 1 USD) and is highly recommended.
The Taipei Zoo
View of the carts traveling up the hill
Part of the trip travels above the forests. The plants here are quite tropical, with rubber and banana trees along with a mix of palm, coconut trees and the like. Oh, the vines are huge too, with massive leaves larger than my hand.
View of the city from the gondola.
Panda sleeping in a tree. Occasionally he'd look around and yawn, but he was pretty sedimentary (as only a panda can be). The panda inside the building was quite active, however. If you wander over the videos section of the website, you can watch him (or her, I don't know which)!
Two humped camels with their relative, the one humped camel in the background. Seems to me I recall that the one-humped camel came first, then along came a University of Illinois professor with a hankering for a ride, and then the two-humped camel appeared...
Dinner
Hotpot in the town! Very busy, with many interesting options! The dishes included: fried octopus mouth - a suction cup like appendage of the octopus - with peanuts; edible shrimp that are consumed eyes, head, legs, antennae, and shell in their entirety; numerous fish related dumplings cooked in the hotpot, other dishes that were partly vegetarian in nature (bean sprouts, etc)
National Palace Museum
As mentioned previously, this museum is stuffed from the deepest basements to the highest rafters with treasures. The museum is built into the side of one of the large hills in the area. The entire "mountain" is hollow and filled with similar treasures. Images of some of the most famous jade, bronze, and other articles can be viewed online here. The displays are changed every once in a while and the artifacts replaced with items from within the mountain.
Outside the National Palace Museum. You can see a video
partial-panoramic on the "Movie" page of the blog!
partial-panoramic on the "Movie" page of the blog!
Photos are not allowed inside the exhibition rooms
This is a man in a traditional Chinese outfit (signifying the men's room)
This is a women in a typical traditional Chinese outfit. She signifies the lady's room.
The room to change the happy babies! But wait... is that a baby or baby Shrek???
Xiao Long Bao Lunch!
This restaurant is ranked perhaps second in terms of its xialongbao... and its reputation is quite apparent! Many people were waiting in line for more than thirty minutes, and one family opted to order the food out, and eat it outside their double-parked car immediately in front of the restaurant.
Is there anything more tantalizingly delicious looking than this? On the table are four bamboo containers holding steamed xiaolongbao. With regard to the fried foods towards the lower end of the table, on the left is beef and vegetable xaio-bing roll. On the right are small turnip and pork "cakes". Chicken feet, well-cooked, is the brown dish above the fried food. To the left, is a cold bean dish that is slightly spicy. At the top of the table in a round, bamboo dish are some more dumplings called "xiao mai" (pronounced "show" as in "shower" coupled with the second word that is pronounced like "my"). Later on, bigger steamed dumplings were brought over!! To my embarrassment, I can't recall the names of the other dishes!
Side view of the CKS Memorial Hall
Front view of the same. Inside is a giant statue of CKS, and further inside is a small museum chronicling the history of the movement of the KMT government from China to Taiwan in the late 1940s. Also inside are two bullet-proof cars that were used by government officials. The volunteers inside are quite friendly and willing to share about the history of Taiwan.
National Theatre of Taiwan (also located inside the park).
Opposite to this (not shown) is a library and cultural center
Opposite to this (not shown) is a library and cultural center
The statue of Chang Kai-shek
Military Police Officer. Their positions are relieved once every hour.
Ceiling in the main area. Very impressive with much genuine woodwork
Taipei 101 is an impressive structure rising 509.2 meters (1,670ft) from base to tip of spire. The building became famous for both its height as well as for the nice addition the structure makes to the Taipei skyline. From 2004 to early 2010, Taipei 101 held the record for being the tallest building in the world (upon completion last year, the Burj Khalifa officially became the world's tallest building).
View of Taipei 101 from National Taiwan University
The building is big. It's hard to get a nice shot up close!
Lit up - with purple lights? - at night
View of Taipei from the observation floor. The outdoor observation deck was unavailable
since the annual fireworks display hardware had recently been installed for New Year's day
since the annual fireworks display hardware had recently been installed for New Year's day
Several bridges crossing a "small" river
Core Pacific City (also known as "Living Mall") is a famous shopping mall complex in the heart of Taipei. When it opened in 2001 - before Taipei 101 - the mall was touted as the first true mall open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I don't know if that is a good influence on the part of Western culture or not!
Passive tuned mass damper (TMD) near the top of the Taipei 101 tower. The entire solid steel "sphere" and its supporting cables have been spray painted gold! Since the photograph hides the scale, the diameter of the TMD is 5.5m (18ft). Structural design for tall structures are often controlled by wind - not earthquakes - and Taipei 101 is no exception! Therefore, the TMD is calibrated to the natural frequency of the structure and designed primarily to mitigate deflections due to winds and wind effects.
Dragon ( 龍 ). At and below the observation deck, many hundreds of items are for sale. Everything from those absolutely scrumptious pineapple cakes to multi-million dollar jade pieces.
Shilin Night Market
Taoyuan International Airport
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