Day 7–Sightseeing, Underground shopping and then home….

So today i am finally on my way home! but not before a day in Taipei.
Here is a pic of the hotel i stayed at by the way! i realised i hadn't been out to take one until this morning!

 

First on my agenda for the day was a trip to the top of Taipei 101. seemed like a clear day (clear of smog that is!) so i thought i would get some great views of the city. unfortunately Taipei 101 is so tall, that even from a good distance away, you cant fit it all into a photo!



after a quick 40 odd second trip up the worlds fastest elevator (1km/min!) the view was somewhat cloudy! just goes to show how tall this place is!

and a video from outdoors. yep, thats cloud. and the whistling squeal is the wind howling through!!

Even so, it is FAIRLY HIGH!!

This is one of the wind dampers hanging in the centre of the building to stop it swaying over. you can feel movement the whole time you are up there, but this balances things so it doesn't topple over. apparently its designed to keep the place standing in an earthquake too, but i wouldn't want to test it!




After Taipei 101, i headed back to the centre of the City, to have a walk about before some shopping in the underground malls that run off the Main Train station in the subway.

this is the entry to the Presidents Palace.

and near that is the Chang Kang Shek Memorial Hall. he was some famous guy of significance in Taiwan. maybe a king or president or something, i dunno.



…where the guards are shiny and still.i was going to take a video, but there was no point, it would have just been a long still photo. the guy DID NOT BUDGE.

As with everything in Taiwan, its BIG

and the view outside

Finally some shopping in Central Taipei. most of the places outside were dodgy food places, so i headed underground to the malls. much like markets actually, except not so smelly, and they are air conditioned.



And (with a little assistance in the morning) I did work out the subway system, and got around for the whole day from one end of the city to the other for a total of about $1.50AU.


That's all folks…..

Day 5 & 6

Not a whole lot going on worth photos.

The meeting is now OVER...and i am on my way home tomorrow night, so looking forward to that!!!

just to prove that i DID actually do some work while i was here....

it occurred to me this afternoon that i have not stepped foot outside  during daylight (apart from my balcony).

Not that it would really matter for photos. Because as soon as you walk outside and turn the camera on, the lens fogs up with the humidity and heat. LOVELY….

but yesterday it was wet in the morning, which meant that the Smog lifted for a while. long enough to get a couple of clearer pictures.

This is the view from my room on a clear day!

 

and a video of it

this is a closer view of Taipei 101

 

since i havent taken any photos before, and its now mostly tidy again..here is my room

 

 

 

Below are the toilet controls. its all very well having the buttons and lights...BUT HOW DOES IT FLUSH??

 

...and a warning sign on the toilet. 

I think the top left is telling me not to let my child climb in?

and the right on maybe not to let me child siphon water out with a hose??

im really not sure!

And what about the bottom right? Maybe i should be taking the toilets temperature?

Day 4 (and a little of day 3)

(click the photos to enlarge)

 So yesterday i pretty much just worked all day and didnt really take any photos, apart from this one of the Shihlin Night Market Entrance for my second visit. really quiet compared to the first visit there.
this time i bought some really cool pants for Grace. and some pink joggers.

yesterday was just a little bit smoggy and polluted. this pic was taken from the balcony of my room,

but on a clear day, the view is much nicer!

and  this is the view from just outside the room that is my temporary office here.

Tonght we worked late again but the Taiwanese goverment had a surprise for us, and tool everyone out to the Silks Palace. its located at the National Museum of Taipei, and is considered the most exclusive restaurant in all of Taiwan. i hate to think how much it cost.
the other highlight of the night for me, was that getting there involved driving (on the bus provided) through a 3.2 km long tunnel that cut straight through the hill to the other side. very cool



before the meal, they had arranged a band, and them some traditional Taiwanese dancers (i think they were the same 4 girls!)


this is a short video of the band



and then they danced...

Dinner was 12 courses of a huge variety. but the most interesting one by far was the special Cabbage with insect.

Basically, there is a famous HUGE sculpture of a cabbage with two bugs on it, made from Jade at the Museum.
my hotel also has a scaled down version of it, and sells miniature ones as souvenirs.
it really must be the worlds most famous and worshipped cabbage!
anyway, one course of dinner was a genuine replica cabbale, complete with insects.
and yes, they really were little cooked bugs. Crunchy too!!!

i didnt take photos of every course, only the interesting ones...like dessert!

and finally a couple of dark middle of the night pics of the restaurant.

Day 2–Boring Meetings and the Shih-lin Night Markets

(Remember to Click the photos to view them larger size)

Just a boring day of meetings today. until tonight when i went to the famous (around here anyway) Shihlin Night Markets.
First though, today was Taipei’s ‘Double-10’ day. (10 Oct=10/10). it was also the 100th (or 150th i don't quite remember) Anniversary  the day. so they had fireworks galore.

they also lit up the Taipei 101 building, and the other Skyscraper around these parts, the Mitsubishi Tower.

Taipei 101 towering above the city

Hotel Entrance with Mitsubishi Skyscraper lit up i nthe backgroud

i had a wicked Buffet dinner at one of the many restaurants here. all for the grand sum of $17AUD.

fresh seafood, that the chefs cut and cook for you on the spot!

Dinner, round 1. including Yellow Sushi...

Dinner Round 2, with Bluefin Tuna Sashimi

Dessert. the spotty thing at the back is actually a fruit. they come in bright purple or white. and they are DELICIOUS. dont know what they are called though.

To get to the night markets, the hotel provides you with a little translation card to give the Taxi drivers.

in the taxi i learned a couple of VALUABLE lessons..
1) – Taxis do not have seatbelts. Not that it matters, it wouldn't make you feel any safer!
2) – the white lines on the roads hold absolutely no meaning whatsoever…nor do indicators, mirrors, or scooters!
3) – no matter how hot it is, and how tired you are, and how far it may be, JUST WALK.
seriously the taxi ride lasted 2:45. it really wasn't far. but it was scarier than any ride at Dreamworld. so i walked back to the hotel!!!!
at the market i discovered some weird and wonderful things, not least of which was this guy……he had made 20 Taiwan Dollars in his platter. which is approximately $0.65AUD. hardly worth the efforts!!!

Yes, he was missing some limbs, and the WAS blood....

The food wasn't so great either (maybe the guy in the video above just ate some?). glad i filled up on the buffet earlier and wasn't hungry! you cant even begin to image the smell. i had to hold my breath at times....

Deep fried, battered whole octopus on a stick...

as with everything in Taipei, they make 'em big!!!

Suddenly, im not so hungry....YUCK.

as you might expect, there were people, scooters and Taxis everywhere.

and in the middle of it all, i found both an English sign, and a very odd little market lane…