Taiwan, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean that lies roughly 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of southeastern China. It is approximately (395 km) long (north-south) and (145 km) across at its widest point. Taipei, in the north, is the is the Capital.
We stayed in the Centre of Taipei in a small Airbnb down an alley way. It was in a great location close to everything.
Our first stop was Bangka Lungshan Temple it is a Chinese folk religious temple in Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan. The temple was built in Taipei in 1738 by settlers from Fujian. It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers. The temple has been rebuilt on several occasions, and each time it was done by the local community. Residents rebuilt after every earthquake, flood, and fire without much help from government agencies or wealthy benefactors. To this day, locals take pride in the fact that every stone and carving was paid for by donations from the community. The temple now stands as an incredible testament to the resilience and devotion of the local people. It is a very beautiful Temple.
There are some great outdoor bars and restaurants, it was a shame it was so hot while we where there. But we managed to get out and about.
The Taipei 101 building stands at 508 meters high, Taipei 101 is the world’s tallest energy efficient building. Awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification for its design and energy efficiency, 101 is exemplary when it comes to electricity use, garbage production and water consumption. The Observation Deck is the best place to get a view of the bustling Xinyi District in Taipei, and you will take the world’s fastest elevator to the 382 meter observation deck on the 89th floor. With a 360-degree view of Taipei, you can enjoy a bird’s eye view of Taipei from above. It has an impressive 660 ton steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper, this minimizes the sway of the building during typhoon and earthquake season.
We visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The memorial hall was built in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, the first president of the Republic of China. Work on the hall began in 1976, a year after President Chiang passed away. It is said that he was a brutal dictator in China and later in Taiwan. His secret police and army killed a lot of civilians. In recent years there has been an ongoing debate over whether to continue commemorating a dictator with a grand building in the heart of the capital. How the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall should be transformed has become an important issue for Taiwanese society. It is a very nice building with very nice gardens and a lovely coffee shop.
We did a day trip that brought us to Taiwan’s northeast coast we went to the rock formations in Yehliu Geopark a landscape of honeycomb and mushroom rocks eroded by the sea. Well-known formations named for their shapes include the Queen’s Head and Dragon’s Head.
Our next stop was The Jiufen Old Street is a narrow alleyway lined up with small food stalls, tea houses, cute souvenir shops, and pottery stores and the views are great from here.
We continued on to the Shifen Waterfall which lies between Dahua Station and Shifen Station on the Pingxi Railway Line in Pingxi District, New Taipei City. Torrents of water thunder down this curtain-type fall like a white satin sheet. As the water plunges into the large, deep pool beneath, it raises mists that often enshroud the falls.
We went to Shifen Old Street, The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival takes place annually in February, and it attracts thousands of visitors from around the world. However, you can also participate in the tradition year-round at the , on this street. Coming from Australia I was concerned about bush fires so did not partake. Overall it was a very enjoyable day.
We had booked a nice hotel in Hualien County for our wedding anniversary and to spend a few days at Taroko National Park, the park is suppose to have some great hikes and the Taroko Gorge, (which the park is named after) the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. As we had booked this some time back we where disappointed to learn that the park was still closed after the earthquake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Hualien on April 3 and severely damaged some parts of the park. We saw some of the damage on our drive down to Hualien. The hotel was very pleasant and we did visit the local evening markets and a traditional aboriginal restaurant. The food was very good with a few items that did not sit well with me. But M loved it. Mu Ming Restaurant
We had a lovely time in Taipei it an interesting place.
We now travel back to Australia for my nephew wedding, to catchup with friends in Sydney, Noosa and Melbourne.