I purposely waited to write my primary post about Taipei because I really had nothing to compare it to other than Hong Kong and all of your average Chinatowns that I’ve been to.  When I went to Taipei, other than my Taipei Lonely Planet Travel Guide, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I thought Taipei would be yet another large bustling Asian metropolis.  Now that I’ve been to mainland China including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai I feel I can write a little more about Taipei.

I actually got the trip to Taipei before I booked my weekend trip to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand the earlier weekend.   I didn’t realize it when I did that traveling 2 consecutive weekends is not a good idea.  The previous weekend I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Chiang Mai returning to Bangkok Monday Morning and I was scheduled to go to Taipei on Thursday which only gave me 3 days at home to catch up on this blog, tourismPICS.com amongst other things.

After I realized that traveling 2 consecutive weekends was probably not a good idea it was already too late to re-book the flight for the next weekend.  I also saw a poor weather forecast which included lots of cloudy skies and fog which makes taking good photos difficult as well.  Even though the next weekend was supposed to have better weather, I decided not to re-book and lose the few thousand baht I spent on the original tickets.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in the center of the city of Taipei

Getting to Taipei

Lucky for me Taipei is only around 3 hours away from Bangkok.  I did a few searches on major flight search engines but found nothing cheaper than what AirAsia offered.  I took the painless 3 hour flight from Suhamabhumi to Taipei International and following the Taipei Lonely Planet guide’s advice, I took a bus from the airport to the city.

The drive in from the airport to the city was pretty long.  The bus had 3 drop off points which were relatively close to the hotel I booked for the first night.  I ended up getting off the bus at the first stop and then taking a taxi to the hotel which coincidentally was named First Hotel.

Typical Brightly Lit Taipei Street

Places to Stay in Taipei

I booked a hotel for the first night only beforehand because I wanted to make sure it was in a good neighborhood, write a couple more posts for this blog and of course the hotel only had 1 night available.  Maybe it was due to the fact I tried to postpone my trip to Taipei but I found it difficult to find hotels online.  I ended up calling hotels which happened to be full, and asking them for the numbers of hotels which possibly had vacancies.  I ended up staying at the following hotels in Taipei.

Places to Stay in Taipei:  First Hotel

Places to Stay in Taipei:  Dolomanco Hotel

Things to Do in Taipei

Just all Asian cities, Taipei has all the shopping anyone could hope for.  Whether you want expensive designer handbags or cheap knock-offs, you can find it in Taipei.  Here are some of the tourism attractions I had a chance to experience in the city of Taipei.

Taipei 101

Core Pacific City

Visit Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

River Bicycle Ride

Overall Impression

I truly believe I missed out by visiting Taiwan without leaving Taipei.  Like I mentioned in the introduction, Taipei is a relatively small city and with the language barrier it was very difficult to get around in a timely manner.  Looking in the Taiwan Lonely Planet Guide I saw many very beautiful sites that I wish I went to.

I can’t speak for Chinese speaking people but I would recommend anyone going to Taiwan to spend no more than 2 days in Taipei.  Plan your trip well ahead and plan your excursions outside of Taipei and see the beautiful natural as well as historic man-made attractions that Taiwan has to offer.

View More Photos from Taipei, Taiwan at tourismPICS.com

Tourims Pics Travel Photography

As opposed to most major Asian metropolises, the streets of Taipei are pretty bike friendly.  The not-so bad traffic along with the wide streets and quality roads make bicycling in Taipei something that even tourists can take part in, feel comfortable without worrying too much.  For Americans, the cars drive on the same side of the street as America as well.

Taipei Bicycle Map (click to Enlarge)

Getting There & Rending a Bicycle

Since rivers dominate the Taipei landscape it is not hard to get to a river.  I cannot remember which exact place I was dropped off by, but around 8 or 9pm I had a taxi driver bring me to the river.   I don’t remember what exactly I told him but I got to the river via taxi.  I was dropped off at a giant gate in a neighborhood next to the Danshui River.  The neighborhood was literally littered with bike shops.  There were at least 4 or 5 bike shops within a block of the entrance to the river path which was separated from the streets with a 20 foot high wall as you can see in the photo on the top of the post.

In the particular neighborhood I was dropped off at there were some vending machines selling hot and cold beverages.  I took advantage of this as I grabbed a hot coffee and walked around looking for bike shops.  I should have known coming so late on a Sunday evening that there would be no rental places open and I was right.  Most rental places were closed before 10pm which made sense.  Anyone reading this should take note, but then again most people probably don’t look to rent a bike at 10pm on a Sunday night in a foreign country.

The Place along Danshui River I started From

Riding Bicycle along the River Bike Path

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph I made the mistake of not getting to the river in time to rent a bicycle.  I had thoughts of just calling it a night and trying to wake up in the early AM to rent a bicycle but I didn’t want to risk missing my Monday afternoon flight but I decided to hoof it.

Since I was there and armed with my Nikon D90 digital SLR and tripod I decided to walk along the path to get some shots.  I remember seeing a couple of cool bridges at one point and I saw some in the distance so I thought I could walk to them so I started walking.

I noticed the nice, 2-lane paved and marked bicycle path along with a walking/jogging path which I walked on.   As I walked I had the river to my left, bike path and 15-20 foot wall to my right.  It was a pleasant, quiet and dry evening.  I noticed high water marks from the recent typhoon on along the bike path.  Stating the obvious, I’d recommend staying away from this area during a typhoon!  The late hour I was there would have been nice for a bicycle ride as there were few bicyclists and joggers.

I just kept walking along the path until I got tired.  There were either steps going over the giant wall or entryways about every kilometer or so.  I had a chance to take a few photos of the buildings across the river with the great cloud reflections but it soon got monotonous.  There were several bridges in the distance so I decided to catch a cab once I got a couple shots of the bridge, exited the bike path and took a taxi back to the hotel.

One of the Bridges across the Danshui River

Overall Impression

I would recommend anyone who plans to visit Taipei to rent a bicycle and travel along the paths.  I have read there are over 100km of bicycle paths throughout Taipei, some even leading out of the city into wilderness areas.  I surely regret missing out on the opportunity for less physically active endeavors.

I was alone, pretty late at night and felt completely comfortable.  The only thing that spooked me was the presence of a couple stray dogs as there would really be nowhere to run if they ran after me.   I could see how some people may find the path uncomfortable at night time so if you do the same, it would be a good idea to bring a friend or 2.

More Scenery at a Pit-stop along the Danshui River Bicycle Path

When I saw the rather large description of Core Pacific City which is commonly referred to as Living Mall in the Taipei Lonely Planet Guide I put an asterisk next to it.  The Lonely Planet explained that the oddly shaped shopping mall was designed by “the Picasso of architecture” Jon Jerde a famous and highly successful American architect.  Since it was predominantly listed in the Lonely Planet and was very close to Taipei 101 I made it a priority to visit.

I was relatively excited to visit Core Pacific City until I asked the lady at the hotel front desk about it and she told me, “nobody goes there anymore.”   Her lack of interest was kind of a buzz kill as her description pretty much contradicted the author of the Lonely Planet.  This contradiction actually made me want to go there even more to see who was right.

I made sure to have the front desk lady write directions in Chinese so I could get there with minimal hassle.  After my visit to the Taipei 101 observation deck I got in a cab for the less than 10 minute ride to Core Pacific City.

Entrance to the Core

When I first arrived at Core Pacific City it was apparent that front desk lady was spot on in her assessment of Core Pacific City.   As opposed to Taipei 101 which was packed with people, Core Pacific City seemed to be deserted.  I was there at around 9pm and the mall was open 24 hours a day so I can’t speak for “prime time” hours but it seemed that there were very few people there.

The Lonely Planet author was at least right about the layout of Core Pacific City.  The bizarre layout of the mall was interesting enough to warrant a visit from a traveler.  I had a chance to snap a few photos as I browsed the overpriced shops and restaurants, some of which were closed.  As I arrived on one of the basement floors to find the food court I also found a lot more people.

The large variety of cheap food in the food court was on par with most other mall food courts I had ever been to.  I had an authentic Taiwanese noodle dish which was brought to me in a small steaming cauldron.  After I ate I really did not feel the need to explore Living Mall any further so I decided to leave.  I exited out of the opposite side I came in next to the cinema and I had a chance to snap a couple more pictures then it was back to my hotel.

24 Hour Shopping

Overall Impression

From my brief visit to Core Pacific City I would agree with the front desk lady at the hotel.  It seemed like Core Pacific City was a ‘has been’ type of attraction where Taipei 101 and New York, New York (the adjacent shopping center to Taipei 101) was now the happening shopping and tourist attraction.  I definitely do not regret going as Living Mall was pretty cool looking but the shopping and food was the type of run-of-the-mill experience you can get at any mall in your home country or anywhere else in the globe.

Saying Goodbye to the Core

The first floor observation deck was very well laid out and spacious.  They offered a free cell phone which played information when you punched in numbers.  The observation deck had sections clearly marked with a large number and when you punched that in the phone, it would play information about what you were looking at in Taipei which included buildings, mountains, tunnels and rivers.

There was no rush as everyone was allowed all the photo opportunities that the clouds permitted.  I snapped many pictures and the picture (above) which isn’t great was the best I could do through the glass and clouds.  I’m sure on a clear day photos would be better.  I managed to bring my tripod up to the observation deck which I think was not allowed because I noticed many people get theirs taken from line but I guess they didn’t see mine.  It was no use as I had to put the camera lens against the glass in a corner of the window to avoid any inside reflections.

There is a single exit on the first observation deck which leads to a staircase.  You have the option to go up or down and I chose down which lead to the giant ball which is actually a weight damper.  It is basically a counter balance which helps the building not get blown over by a typhoon or earthquake.  It was pretty cool to look at along with the little characters but I didn’t realize at the time how much it weighed.  I actually thought about pushing it to see if it would move which is pretty stupid in hindsight because it weighs 660 metric tons or 1,452,000 pounds!

To put that in perspective the mass damper weighs as much as either 7,260 people weighing 200 pounds, 907 African elephants, 10 M1A1 Abrams battle tanks or 5 blue whales of the largest animals to ever live on this earth.

1,452,000 pounds of Insurance Taipei 101 won't Fall Over

Outdoor Observation Deck

After viewing the giant ball I walked up to the 91st floor which included the outdoor observation deck.  The ticket counter warned access to the outdoor observation deck was ‘weather permitting’ and once I stepped outside I could see why.  Typhoons are prevalent in Taiwan but the day I went it was just cloudy and misty and the outdoor observation deck was in the midst of the wind blown clouds and one half was completely closed down.

I could hear a high pitched howling as the wind whipping around the corner as two security guards stood watch.  The security guard on the left had a huge jacket as he was in the middle of the wind.  I write about this because every 10 minutes the guards would switch from right to left and exchange the jacket for the guard on the cold side.  I was wearing jeans and a button up shirt and I wasn’t cold as it felt like a day in the summer in San Francisco.  I took the following little video which will give you the feel of what is like on the observation deck.

More Shopping

A recurring theme in and around Taipei 101 was shopping.  I’m not the biggest shopper and didn’t see anything that interested me but it still looked like they were simply trying to make back the close to 2 billion US dollars which the building cost.  Before getting in the elevator to return to the bottom, there is a shopping area with art, jewelery and some fashion.  There is also little cafe which I got a hot milk tea with pearls which was delicious.

Souvenir Shopping on 91st floor of Taipei 101

Overall Impression

Being a fan of skyscrapers and photography Taipei 101 was everything I could ask for.  Getting up the the observation deck was a small headache but once there it was a pleasurable experience.  Once up on the observation deck there was no hurry or time limit which allowed me to go at my own pace taking photographs, listening/reading about the history of the building and the city of Taipei and of course waiting for the clouds to clear so I could get a decent picture.

Besides all the things that you would expect in huge tourist attraction like this skyscraper there are a few surprises which I will let you find out for yourself if you make it to Taipei 101 in the Taiwan capital.   I would recommend Taipei 101 for anyone who spends even a day in Taipei and would probably head back there if there is a next time to take a chance that I’d get better weather to take better photos.

Taipei 101 History Movie (New Years Fireworks) before Going Back Down

Taipei 101 was designed specifically to be the tallest building in the world.  In a few months from now it will be trumped by almost 1,000 feet by Dubai’s extremely ridiculous 160 floor ‘Burj’ officially in a month (January 2010) but when I went it was still considered officially the “tallest building in the world.”

I didn’t know much about Taipei before I went but I figured it to be similar to the large Asian cities I’ve been to such as Bangkok, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong but it seemed very different.   I don’t know if it was just because Taipei 101 was so tall or ont but it seemed like Taipei only had 2 buildings over 50 stories, one being 101 and the other being on the other side of the city.

I thought it was a cool way to bring tourists into the city but an expat I talked to on the plane likened Taipei 101 to a giant unnecessary phallus of Taipei.  I was just on a weekend trip so the only thing I cared about was to see it, take a few pictures of it and from the top floor with my Nikon D90.

Getting Close: Walking to Cloud Shrouded Taipei 101 on Xinyi Road

Getting Taipei 101

You may be surprised to know that even though Taipei 101 is probably the city and country’s biggest tourist attraction, many taxi drivers still didn’t understand me when I asked them to take me there.  Like I said in the excerpt for this post, Taipei 101 sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the Taipei skyline so pointing may be the best way to tell a cab driver to take you there.

Luckily for me, there was no need to bust through the language barrier to find Taipei 101 or even use any form of public transit.  I got lucky because it is on the same street (Xinyi Road) and is comfortable walking distance from the very likable hotel I was staying Dolamanco Hotel.

The straight walk from the hotel to Taipei 101 passed by numerous bakeries and I stopped at a street stand to get a couple random buns.  I tried to order pork buns but of course I was not understood and they just gave me a bunch of various item filled buns.  Needless to say the hot steamy snacks were nice on a misty Taiwan day.  I bought a timer remote for my camera in Taipei’s ‘Camera District’ earlier in the day and I had a chance to take my first time lapse sequence (below) which in hindsight I should have done the math and took more pictures, but I still got a pretty cool 10 seconds nonetheless.

Shopping

Upon entering Taipei 101 from the ground floor all you can do is shop and it’s not cheap.  You will find every high end store you can think of from Emporio Armani to Gucci to Prada.  You will also find Diesel, Calvin Klein, Nike and less expensive options but NOTHING in Taipei 101 would be considered bargain shopping.

On the bottom floor there is a food court which looked pretty good.  I say looked pretty good because I skipped it and went straight to the bakery.  There is a bakery which you will see as soon as you go down the escalator from the Nike store which I found everything I ate and drank to be delicious and fairly priced.  Since I didn’t want to overpay for stuff I didn’t need, after filling up on delicious baked goods and freshly brewed coffee I decided to make my way to the observation deck.

Looking up to Tower from inside Shopping Area

Line Wait and Fastest Elevator in the World

Taipei 101 boasts the fastest elevator in the world which gets all the way from the 5th to the 89th floor observation deck in only 39 seconds.  The elevator was very cool with space graphics and sound effects as well as a graphic readout of the speed which whizzed to the top very quick which was nice as I was stuffed in there like a sardine.

Before I could get up to the fastest elevator in the world I had to get through what maybe was the rudest line in the world.  They told me as I purchased the ticket which cost 400 TWD  ($13 USD) that there was a 30 minute wait which wasn’t bad until I got in line.  As I stood patiently in line at least 2 dozen people rudely pushed past me, or went under the barricade to get in front of me.  I don’t know if they were all together or something but I was getting pretty agitated.  After around 30 minutes of getting pushed around waiting in line, it was finally my turn to get up to the 89th floor observation deck.

Continue… Taipei 101 Part II