We started out our trip with a broken leg. Sarah and I had arrived at the airport and were without our third musketeer. For this adventure, we had lost Paul but gained Ellen. She was one of Sarah's buds over in SoKo who thought Taiwan would be a great ,also cheap, place to mark off her travel list.
Sarah and I had been pampered by the luxuries in business class aboard Asiana Airways. When you board the place, you are given a vast array of newspapers and periodicals, greeted by name, and given an option of champagne or juice. Due to the ambiance and surroundings, I thought the champagne would start the trip off nicely. We were given a three course brunch and then sent on our way into the destination airport near Taipei. After waiting for a short period of time, we departed by bus to civilization. We checked into Taipei Hostel, an original name for such an original place. A friend had recommended this hostel to Sarah and I and followed through with the advice. While the environment isn't the most inviting/updated....its cheap and disease free. One of the perks about the place is that it is accustomed to foreigners who are interested in traveling around. The front desk worker is fluent in English and gives good sightseeing advice.
The top places to see in Taipei are the Taipei 101 building and the Logshan Temple. There is one subway line that runs between the two places and are about 5 stops away from one another. While many may suggest that you make an appearance at the night markets, hold off until later. Tainan is the place to go [its oldschool Taipei]
The Taipei 101 building was the worlds largest building up until the past 5 years where India took the prize. Apparently, they have been battling this for ages.
Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors common in its area of the Asia-Pacific. Planners aimed for a structure that could withstand gale winds of 60 m/s and the strongest earthquakes likely to occur in a 2,500 year cycle.The extraordinary height of Taipei 101 combined with the demands of its environment called for additional innovations. The design achieves both strength and flexibility for the tower through the use of high-performance steel construction. Thirty-six columns support Taipei 101, including eight "mega-columns" packed with 10,000-psi concrete.
Longshan Temple was built in 1738 by settlers from Fujian, China. It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers. The temple has been destroyed either in full or in part on numerous earthquakes and fires.
During World War II, on 31 May 1945 it was hit by American bombers during the Raid on Taipei, who claimed the Japanese were hiding armaments inside. The main building and the left corridor were damaged and many precious artifacts and artworks were lost in the ensuing fire.
Taipei residents have nevertheless consistently rebuilt and renovated it, and did so again after the end of the Second World War a few months later. Longshan is seen as an emblematic example of Taiwanese classical architecture, with southern Chinese influences commonly seen in older buildings.
Like most temples in Taiwan, the Temple worships a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities such as Matsu [goddess of the sea].
Can anybody point me to the nearest bed?\We crashed for the night and found it hard to sleep...we were scared to touch uncovered parts of the bed. Our sheets were a twin on a full size bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment