Splendid Day in TaiBei
Yesterday I enrolled myself in a splendid day in Taipei ( which is actually pronounced Tai Bei…) I took the bus from Hsinchu, the city I live in, for a cheap fair of 100NT ~ (R20, 3USD, 1.5 GBP, 2EUR) and arrived at Taipei Main Station 1hour 15minutes later. The very convenient underground trains (MRT) allow very easy and fast transportation within the city to all major attractions in all directions. My first stop was the Sun-Yet-San memorial hall. This is a large public park and museum portraying the life of a man that is said to be the founder of modern china.
From there I strolled to Taipei 101 (2nd tallest building in the world) clearly visible from almost anywhere in the city. On the way I took a snap of a family of four also enjoying a day in the city. Speeding past the all the expensive-brand-high-class-shops I spent a few hours in a PageOne, a large and spacious bookshop that holds the largest collection of travel books that I have ever seen. It also has a good selection of books aiding those who wish to learn mandarin chinese, I would highly recommend this shop to any bookworm. My next stop was the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall dedicated to Taiwan’s one-time dictator. Unfortunately the copper statue has been removed due to some political jazz and the name has also been changed. But nonetheless I enjoyed the museum and especially the Big Bulletproof Cadillac that he owned. An artifact that really caught my eye was a microscopic carving on ivory of Dr. Sun-Yet-Sun’s will and platform for national reconstruction in a portrait of Late President Chiang.
My religious site for the day was Longshan temple that dates back to 1738. I am very proud of this snap I took of the artificial waterfall outside the temple. I entered the temple and was overwhelmed by the smell of burning incense combined with a assortment of red and cold colors on columns and carvings. A short walk from the temple I visited the Snake Alley night market where old and young trade in everything from tea, peanuts, foot massages, fruits, sweets, meats and yes, even snakes and amphibians. This most famous market was very cheerful and lively and yet not too crowded at the time I visited. (6-8 pm).
Another definite exciting site recommended for any traveller
