Taipei 101

A must visit if you come to Taipei.

Standing at from "Ground to highest architectural structure (spire): 509.2 metres (1,670.60 ft)," Taipei 101 is still currently the world's tallest building, at least until September 2009 when the Burj Dubai is expected to reach completion.

Getting to Taipei 101 from the MRT station is fairly easy. A free bus runs directly between the MRT station and the tower.

Taipei 101 is a strong symbol for many Taiwanese. It is a symbol of technological achievements (named one of the seven wonders of engineering by Discovery Channel), financial security (as it houses many financial institutions, including the Taiwan Stock Exchange), and world presence (it was named one of the new seven wonders of the world by Newsweek Magazine).

Taipei 101 is named for its 101 floors (although tourists can only reach the 91st floor), and its international mailing code, 101. There are 8 sections of what looks like Chinese take-out boxes. 8 is a superstitious number bringing prosperity and good luck in the Chinese culture. You may remember the Beijing Olympics started on 8/8/08.

The tower is very popular, many Taiwanese and foreigners travel from all over to visit. We visited the tower in the morning and had no wait. We came down in the afternoon to see lines were backed up to ride the elevator to the observatory level on the 89th floor. The free bus was also very crowded, but there is a ride every 20 minutes.

At the base of the tower is a upper scale-only mall. Every store in the mall is a designer brand. The mall was not very crowded, maybe because everything in the mall was too expensive. The real attraction was riding the elevator to the top. To do so costs about $450NT, about $15US.

The elevator is the world's fastest, Climbing 89 floors to the observatory level in under 40 seconds. The elevator is specially designed to reduce wind drag.

Once the elevator reaches the 89th floor, the view stepping out from the elevator immediately opens to see the entire horizon of Taipei. Looking out, you can see as far as your eye can see. Air planes take off, climb slowly, and then meet your eye line. Objects below are like a miniature scale of Taipei. Building in all directions are dwarfed.

Being on the observatory deck reminded me of the story of Icarus. Imagine yourself high above the world below, outside looking up - the sky is in arms grasp. Now, of course, Taipei 101 is not the highest point on this planet. But, it is the tallest stationary man-made point. Getting back to the story, I am not saying Taipei 101 will melt and fall to the ground, like Icarus. Simply, human ambition and ingenuity has brought us to staggering new heights, and we're bound to see more.

- Ryan

Shilin Night Market

I spent the day browsing around the shopping districts of Taipei.

Luckily, a local Taiwanese woman, Liu, is staying at the hostel and offered to come with us. She provided great insight about where to shop and how to bargain. According to Liu, as a rule of thumb, westerners will almost always pay higher prices, so negotiate and shop around! Become friendly with the sentence "tai gui le" (too expensive).

I was in search of an electronic translator. After about an hour of searching in the electronic district we found one. But we did not buy it. Liu took us to three other shops before we came back, negotiated the price, and bought it.

After playing with my new translator for about 3 hours (it did not come with an english manual... I tought about translating the manual with the translator), we met up with some other expats and headed to the night market in Shilin.

Wow. What a place. I have never experienced anything quite like the night market. The streets are crowded with thousands of people, smells (some good, others bad - stinky toufu) permeate into your nostrils, and any of the regular goods you can imagine buying are probably within walking distance, but for a fraction of the price. But, so what? By those standards, many places would resemble Shilin's night market. Probably some do. But, to me, what really made Shilin stand out were the people.


Scott, one of the other students studying here in Taipei, and I were discussing how trendy the younger people were. We usually think of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, as fashion capitals. But, when most of the goods, that is the goods that normal everyday people wear, come from Taiwan and Mainland China, these places, like Taipei, become fashion hubs.

I will probably go back to the night market for food or when I need to buy anything. Prices were very competitive and it was fun to explore the side streets and underground store fronts. Some shop owners did not allow us to take pictures, perhaps because some of their items were illegal.

Truly the night market is worth experiencing. It is definitely a tourist destination, so like I said earlier, always use "tai gui le."

First Day on the Streets

The city still bustles below my hostel room as I enter this post at 2:05am Friday morning.

The city of Taipei is a place of movement, much like many urban cities. Surprisingly, I saw perhaps 4 or 5 westerners while riding the metro today. However, English translation is all around the city. After a message is spoken over the intercom on the metro in Mandarin, an English translation is offered. English is also on signs, sometimes misspelled, but there. In this picture, for example, "Fisherman's Whart." That was a must see.

The Fisherman's Wharf is located in DanShui, the northernmost stop on the metro station. Liz, another University of Puget Sound student, and I took the bus over to the wharf. I am not sure if it was the driver or the standard, but our bus driver drove like many would guess a taxi driver to drive - swerving, narrowly dodging mopeds and scooters, taking turns at speeds normally reserved for smaller vehicles, the smell of old cigarettes - yes, it was quite an experience.

Once we arrived at the Fisherman's Wharf, safely, we headed over to these smalls shopping booths. Liz bought a pair of sunglasses while I tried these on. I think they make my head look small. Everybody at these shopping booths were trying to sell you something. Especially those sunglasses.

The wharf was a cool place. There is a large white bridge that brings you to a row of restaurants and more shopping. There were not many people around the wharf, and many of the restaurants were just starting to open for lunch. Boaters and tourists were just about the only people at the wharf.

After leaving the Wharf, we headed for lunch in downtown DanShui. The streets are lined with more scooters, big surprise, vendors selling everything for clothing and apparel to make-up and electronics. Ads jet out into the streets grabbing the attention of any who walk near. As you walk in the streets the humidity is almost unbearable, bringing water is essential. However, as you walk next to these side shops, the air conditioning cools you down, almost drawing you in.

Finally, Liz and I found a place to eat. We're not sure what we were eating, we think it was octopus soup. But nonetheless, it was "hen hao chi" (delicious). Ordering food without pictures is both hard and perhaps a little dangerous, mainly because you don't know what you're getting. Lunch was along those lines. I was not sure how to read the characters, so I asked "di yi ge shenme?" (what is number one?). She told me how to say what it was, but not what it was. So I tried it.

The place we stopped for food smelled great and had many people sitting - so we figured it must be good if the locals are eating there. The kitchen is right in front of where you eat. The meals are cooked before your eyes.

After lunch, Liz and I headed back south on the metro. I will start refering to the metro as MRT (Mass Rapid Transportation), that's what the locals call it. The MRT is emaculate. No food or drinks are allowed, along with chewing gum or smoking. If you are caught doing any of those you will be fined $3000NT, the equivalent of nearly $100US. Liz and I bought MRT cards - best single thing to do when you arrive in Taipei. The MRT is simple, you can even leave it in your wallet and just wave your wallet over the sensor. The card works on the metro and public buses. The card has $500NT credit, which lasts for a good while, a week or better, depending on how many stops and places you go. It is cheaper in the long run.

We travelled down to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. An amazing place. At 2:00pm, we made it to see the changing of the guards. Looking out from the Memorial, there is a large square that is equally as impressive as the Memorial itself. The large openness of the square allowed for a breeze to cool us off during the middle of the day, despite the high humidity.

After Chiang Kai Shek, we went to Ximen. Ximen was one stop west of the MRT main station. It is a shopping meca. Name brands fill the streets. Mainly younger people shop here. If you're looking for the current fashion, go to Ximen.

After walking around Ximen for about an hour it started to rain. Taipei is suppose to have a tropical storm today. The rains came a little early. After about a day full of adventure we went back to the hostel for shelter and a nap. Our goal was to make it to the night market in Shilin. We ended up being too tired and decided to turn in.

We'll save it for another day.


- Ryan

Upon Arrival

On Wednesday 8:30pm I landed at TPE airport in Taipei. Nearly 4 hours later, I have experienced a great deal of Taiwan.

I hailed a bus and tried to board without a ticket (with no avail). Checked in to my hostel in Taipei. Walked the streets near my hostel, dodging hundreds of scooter bikers in the process.

My hostel is on a side street, off one of the bigger roads, Song Jiang, which made finding it harder than expected. It is a small place, about 9 or so rooms. As I write this post, I am sitting around many from the USA and elsewhere. Right now, one of the guys is carrying on about martial arts - it's been going on for 30 minutes or so now...

I have been up for at least 24 hours, and am exhausted. Even still, I am excited for tomorrow's travels and a little sleepless. There are some true characters here at this hostel, it definitely gives this place an interesting personality. Unfortunately, it is not allowing me to post another picture.

Now I am going to take a shower and dry off with my Shamwow...

- Ryan

Pre-departure

My trip begins in Washington State where I begin packing and saying my goodbyes to family and friends.

So far, I am doing my best to pack light. Bringing three pairs of underwear (exofficio, worth buying for travel), three pairs of socks, nine shirts, two jackets, sandals... I could go on with my suitcase belongings, but who cares?

Really, my mind focuses on what changes and endeavors I will encounter while abroad. What will be my initial impression? Who will I meet while there?... So many questions.

Something that dawned on my conscious this past day was something a close friend/family said to me. "you'll learn the world there."

I think about this simple statement, and my response - "I hope I will find the answers."

I am not sure what answers I truly seek, and part of this blog is for self-discovery, comprehension, a journal entry of sorts.

For now, this blog is a seedling of what will soon blossom to be an exciting adventure, full of more questions and new experiences.

Feel free to send your questions or comments my way. I will do my best to find an answer or to at least weigh in my thoughts.

-Ryan