Subway Travel

 

 

 

 

 

City Life

Subway sculptures

Pizza Hut Delivery when cars are not the norm.

Dogs do travel too.

Like I said.  Dogs travel too. 

Airplanes that fly right over the house.

Just for you Dad

 The huge train station.  You can also shop there and eat at many restaurants, which we did. 

It's All About the Food

Dad made some fabulous tasting meals while I was there.  The fish dish is always special. 

 

I also discovered a new fruit, which you only find during the summer time.  It's called lychee.  Pretty good.  

 



Chinese pudding...yum.

Chinese pudding as a liquid.  Double yum...

Pancake breakfast with red bean paste inside. 

Pringles with butter and soy sauce.  I didn't have a chance to try it, but maybe next time. 

And the most addicting thing in Taipei...bubble tea.  Sweetened tea with large tapioca beads.  Had that quite a few times.    

Taipei 101

While in Taipei, I really wanted to go over to Taipei 101.  Until recently, it was the tallest building in the world.  Now it is second tallest, but it still is the tallest green building in the world.  

 



 

 

The main tower features a series of eight segments of eight floors each. In Chinese-speaking cultures, the number eight is associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune.  The repeated segments simultaneously recall the rhythms of an Asian pagoda (a tower linking earth and sky) , a stalk of bamboo (an icon of learning and growth), and a stack of ancient Chinese money boxes (a symbol of abundance).  Whether this is all true or not, I have no idea.  But that is what is believed about the tower's design.

 

Andy and I got our picture taken.  Thankfully, they were shooting the picture up on screens on the wall while we waited in line, so I was able to take a picture and not buy it later.

 

 

Taipei 101 has the fastest elevator in the world.  In 37 seconds you go from floor 5 to floor 89.  They have a nice little replica of the building which shows the elevator ascending or descending.  It kind of takes your mind off of the instant ear popping pain.  They also have a nice ceiling in the elevator that glows like stars.      

 

 

 

The view was amazing.  City and hills.  I've been up the Empire State Building many times, but this was much better.  The only bad part is that the city is somewhat smog filled due to being in a valley surrounded by hills which is trapping everything in.  I can only imagine how much more beautiful it would be if it was completely clear.      

 

 

 

 

Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors common in the area.  And it's partly in thanks to this bad boy, a 728 steel ton pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper, the largest in the world.     



 

 

Just to give you an idea of where it is located.  

 

 

 

There is an outside observation deck a few floors up from the indoor observation deck.    



 

 In order to get to the elevator which goes down, you have to pass a mass store which sells all this coral in different designs.  It really is beautiful, but I don't know how anyone can afford any of the pieces.