Taipei 101

Today in Taipei I went up to the top of the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101.

This pagoda-like structure is 509 meters high. That is about 5 1/2 football fields!
There are 101 floors. The observation tower is on the 89th floor (one floor higher than the Jin Mao tower in Shanghai!) The tower is build to resemble bamboo, in looks and in sturdiness. The tower will wave slightly in high wind, but there is huge ball suspended at that 88th floor that equalizes any movement. This ball will keep the tower standing even in the many earthquakes and tai phoons that Taiwan sustains every year.

From the observation tower you have a 360 degree view of Taipei. From here I can see that, indeed, Taipei does not have many tall buildings. There is a river that stretches through the western part of the city. There are some small green hills dotted with houses a stone’s throw from the tower.

The coolest part is that it takes 29 seconds for the elevator to rise those 89 floors to the observation deck! It takes the elevator at home 29 seconds just to decide where it is going!

A very impressive piece of architecture.

Taipei Eats

Today in Taipei I tried some delicious Taipei eateries. First was a small outside restaurant with tables spilling into the street that has flat wontons and seaweed in soup. SO delicious!! Across the small street is a kiosk that sells chicken bites- fried finger food with addictive seasonings that makes you pop the chicken morsels into your mouth even though it is too hot! You can order spicy or just yummy.
For a more serious meal we go to Chili House Restaurant where they have delicious but not too spicy fare. Famous for stuffed pepper, ground beef and peppers, and ma po tofu. It is all delicious, especially the water! (for some reason I was REALLY into the water at this place! Taiwan was made from volcanic activity so there is a lot of mineral water and natural springs here.)

Later, walking around the small alleys we find a man making you tiao- oil stick (basically fried dough). He rolls out the dough in a flat crescent and then, with a huge cleaver, cuts even 1” strips down the whole expanse of the 4’ crescent. He presses a crease into the top of each strip with a skewer, then puts them into a wok full of boiling oil, where they puff up to the donut like baton that we know. He is open 24 hours.

Coffee and tea places abound. It is amazing how many coffee shops there are in the small alleys that are hiding behind the main thoroughfares. We pass one tea shop dressed like an old fashioned English tea shop, all frilly with quaint porcelain and girls in pink checked frocks. The place sells only French tea! I didn't even know the French liked tea!

We also stumbled upon a small arts and crafts night fair that also had unlicensed sellers selling clothing, jewelry, etc. out of suitcases and on blankets. Just as we walked up, the lights of a cop car turned the corner. Those guys had their stuff wrapped up and off the sidewalk in second flat. There was a sudden rush and everything disappeared. It all reappeared just as rapidly when the cops passed on by.

Tomorrow we will go to Din Tai Fung, the famous Taipei eatery that has the best Shanghai dumplings xiao long bao. It is right around the corner from the chili place.

Taipei

Today in Taipei I went to a hippy wedding held in a little restaurant at the foot of Yangming Park.

Taipei is the veritable Asian city. Vertical shop signs, motor scooters mixing with cars, one skyscraper towering over a city with only a few over 10 story buildings and a lot of life in the small alleys crisscrossing the city. It feels more Chinese than Hong Kong, but it is more modern than Shanghai.
And I love the fact that it is not just a crowded bustling city of steel and glass reaching the sky.
There is a lot of Japanese influence in Taiwan and the clean mid-range bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques that crowd each other in the alleys, all housed in single or two-story shops, reminds me of a scene from Japan. But I think this is distinctly Taiwanese.

There is a huge road that goes down the center of the city, 4 lanes on each side. Big shopping centers and stores have their signs and neon lights the road. People are out walking about, riding scooters, and enjoying the evening. But step one block off this road and the area takes on a small neighborhoody feel. This is not what I was expecting from Taipei.

Granted, I have only seen this one area.