One of the non-negotiable places that I wanted to see in Taipei is the current world's tallest building - Taipei 101. I told the girls that I am not leaving Taiwan without seeing it. So before we did any fangirl activities, we had a short debate whether to go during the day or night. I guess the pictures tell which opinion won.
From Taipei Main Station, the building is about 10 mins away on foot. I must admit that at first sight, the Petronas Tower in Malaysia looked more impressive especially with the lights on. But this building stands above the rest in Taipei that when you go around the city, it serves as a beacon and guide to all.
The experience I had at the 86th floor viewing area was one of the most awesome I have ever had. There is a free audio tour that guides you where to look and tells you what you are looking at. Not for the acrophobic (fear of heights), the sight of Taipei in lights was surprisingly beautiful.
To get to the 86th floor, one must take a 30 second elevator ride from the 6th floor of the building. 80 floors in 30 seconds!!! And that is courtesy of what the Taiwanese claim as the fastest elevator in the world. Going down is a bit slow - yeah 37 seconds! But if they go any faster my eardrums would probably blow up into pieces so thank God for that extra 7 seconds of slowness. Hahaha!
Visitors must not miss the souvenir shop. Though the T-shirts are a bit pricey at NT$ 650 (approx. Php 910), they are of good quality and design. Plus, for some reason you won't find much t-shirts in the night markets and Ximending area. Puzzling...
And the coolest thing for me is that they have a mailing station right there where you buy a postcard and a stamp for about NT$ 6, write on your card and drop in a mailbox. There are even stamp pads that you can use that says "family", "friend", etc. So Ochie and I decided to exchange postcards and mail each other from 101.
I walked away, looking back and saying in the words of my nephew Spade - awesome, awesome!
No comments:
Post a Comment