Extended Weekend in the Capital!

WEEKEND in TAIPEI: PART I (See Parts II and III too!)

We are back! A bit exhausted from a LOT of sightseeing, but it was fun!

First, the high speed train from Kaohsiung to Taipei was a delightful experience. Only in operation for about a year and a half , it has cut the time to make that trip from 6 hours to slightly over one and a half hours, a distance of roughly 200 miles,averaging 180 miles an hour. One reserves specific seats in advance for a specific train; they run frequently between Kaohsiung and Taipei, and the cost is c. $50 round trip for Seniors! They cut through both urban and rural areas; the tracks are elevated so that existing roads and waterways pass undisturbed underneath.

Our hotel was wonderfully located, very near a subway stop and only four stops from the main terminal where our high speed train ended. Again, the subways there, like here, are modern, logically laid out by colors, and offering both Mandarin and English signage. And, as seems to be the culture here, any time we got our befuddled faces on (we wore them a lot), complete strangers would come up to us and offer help!



The Eastern Star Hotel was a perfect place to stay! The rooms were very small but perfectly adequate , and the rate of under $60 a day in one of the most convenient locales could not be beat. The staff was so gracious and helpful and the hotel offered a bonus of a free shuttle each day of our stay to wherever we wanted to go in Taipei!

On our first day there, i.e., Thursday afternoon, we immediately set out for sightseeing, almost totally by subway other than our first free shuttle of each day. We visited the Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial , the Father of the Republic of China, where we saw the changing of the guards (just like in London!) and had a very nice tour by two young ladies who were majoring in English at a nearby college and were volunteers at the Museum.





We also zipped over to Taipei 101,the tallest building in the world at , duh; 101 stories high. Unfortunately, it was a rather foggy afternoon, so when we went up the elevator to the 89th floor in about 39 seconds (yes, our ears felt it!), we couldn't see much. And before one can go down, one has to pass through all sorts of shops selling everything. I felt a bit "trapped" up there.

We ended the evening with supper at Forkers! That was fun. It is a relatively new place, started by a Canadian expat who did not want to work 80 hours a week in finances any more. He was fun to talk to and the hamburgers were outstanding! I am not sure I have ever tasted one that was so good!!

On Friday, we did the culture bit. We got our free shuttle bus up north to the National Palace, an absolute treasure trove of Chinese antiquities, jade, porcelain, bronze, etc from mainland China. We signed up for the 10 am tour in English and had a wonderful guide named Michael, who made the tour really interesting and informative. We definitely will go back there when Maren comes to visit, because you cannot even come close to seeing it all.

Before leaving the Museum grounds, we decided to have lunch in the tea room on the 4th floor of the Museum. That was fun; we ended up sitting next to a very nice couple, visiting from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who had family in Taipei. We actually ran into them again that evening at the Shilin Night Market. They were once in Maine and may even come visit us sometime in Boothbay. They also have invited us to their beach house on the shore in the Outer Banks! (Jimmy and Rose)

Near the National Palace is a Museum on the Aborigines of Taiwan. As we had learned at the Kaohsiung Museum on Aboriginal Cultures, we again saw artifacts and a video on the nine aborigine groups, each with their own customs and traditions, and the ten more tribal units which are classified as the Plains people.

We also viewed the impressive gardens of ONE of the three Taipei residences of Chiang-Kai-Shek, the "man who did more to create modern Taiwan than any other."



We ended the day by trying the foods at one of the most famous night markets in the city, the Shilin Market. We asked our luncheon friends to write the Chinese characters for "oyster omelette," a food for which Taipei is known, so that we could request that for supper at the night market. We did, and we enjoyed it. The picture here shows it in the very tasty sauce.

We also saw two men playing some sort of Mah-Jongg, and we treated ourselves to "dessert on a stick!"(strawberries in a glazed outer layer).


Saturday, we toured the southeastern part of the city, visiting the architecturally gorgeous Longshan Temple, where we learned about the importance of curved roofs to reach towards the gods, and the brick Red Theater, a place for dramatic performances and also known for its architecture. It sort of reminded us of a Shakespearean Theater.

We also went to the Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial in this part of the city. It is quite simple compared to the brilliant red colors of so many temples,etc. It is white with upturned blue roof.

Then we spent a "whole bunch of money" (Ted's words) and some time at the highly recommended Chinese Handicraft Market. I liked that!! I got nice stuff!

Then we went to the 2-28 Memorial Peace Park and nearby museum. These two spots commemorate a major event in Taiwan's history, of February 28, 1947, when Formosans demonstrated against government restrictions against tobacco sales,and in the ensuing fracas, a woman selling black market cigarettes was wounded. The outcry was so enormous by thousands of protesters that the government massacred 18,000 to 20,000. Chiang Kai-Shek had a reign of terror at that time.

For dinner, we went to a guidebook recommendation of a Mid-Eastern dinner; I had moussaka and Ted, coconut curried chicken. Very good! Nice change of pace.

On Sunday, we went to the outdoor Jade Market, tucked under the elevated throughway and next to a big flower market. Just looked! (amazing, right??)

We then went to the Taipei Zoo, a favorite activity of ours in any large city! We saw an incredible array of animals, close up and active because the weather was just perfect. We even saw the Giant Pandas frolicking!! One area of particular interest was the section on animals native to Taiwan! They included Formosan wild boar, Formosan sikka deer, Formosan black bears, Eurasian otters, Formosan serows, and those d...protected Formosan macaques!! These were the SAME species that hover around and scavenge the garbage near our villa! We now know why they are protected! In a separate blog, we will simply show a sampling of the incredible numbers of photos we took in the Zoo, including some of the special Formosan ones!




We ended the day by having a rather elegant, traditional Taiwanese meal at a very nice restaurant near our hotel.

What a nice weekend.