After that we went to Taipei 101. On the fifth floor is the ticket booth, entrance is 400 TWD for an adult, ca. 10 Euros/14 Dollars. It is not allowed to bring back packs with you to the 89th floor, so there are lockers provided for free. A lift whisks visitors up to the Observation Deck quickly. The ride is ear popping. Unfortunately we couldn't use the viewing platform nor had great views, because it was a little bit foggy and quite windy. There was more than enough to keep us educated and entertained during our visit. There was a photo exhibition about Taipei 101, explanations how it was built, other high buildings in the world (including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the ICC in Hong Kong and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur - we have been at all of them) and what one would see, if the views were good. Before going up to the Observation Desk a digital photograph is taken of visitors, and they can be bought on the 89th floor. It was 200 TWD per photograph, ca. 5 Euros or 7 USD. We stopped at the gift shop, selling merchandise of Taipei 101 and Taiwan overall. The Damper Babies were also available. They come in different colors (red, black, silver and gold) and have different personalities. I think they are cute.
Visiting the damper was also highly interesting. Every tall building has them to keep them stable should high winds occur, but normally they aren't visible or accessible. The damper is gold colored and massive. In my opinion this was the highlight besides learning about the tower.
There is also the highest post office and jewelry shop in the world located. We learned that jade and coral gem stone play an important role in Asia and what the difference between coral and coral gem stone is. Corals are living and don't grow very deep in the sea, up to 10 m, while coral gem stones aren't alive and can be found very deep in the sea. Corals have different colors from white to bull blood red. It can get very expensive. I saw one Buddha figure, going for around 4 million Euros or 5.8 million USD.
Part of Taipei 101 is a shopping mall. There are all luxury brands one can imaging, but also a food court with McDonalds. My better half had to try the Big Mac there. He reports back the burger tastes good. Opposite to Irish Big Macs the Taiwanese contains more beef than sauce. The apple pie was delicious and strongly cinnamon flavored, yummy. My fruit bag - in Ireland it would consist of apples and grapes - contained apples and the Americano was dark, strong and good. Unfortunately the staff doesn't speak much English, but we got what we wanted, so that's alright.
We checked out the only Sisley Boutique and Day Spa in Taiwan. The prices were higher than in Ireland, so we didn't buy anything there. The best prices we ever saw were at Seoul Incheon International Airport.
Elite Concepts is just around the corner from the Sisley shop. The name wouldn't give away what they are doing, but it's yummy, so much I can tell you. It's a restaurant/cafe. We had green tea milk, a rainbow colored fruit salad with yogurt and the chefs surprise dessert selection. It was really good. We would return at a heart beat. Another delight is the staff. They look like models and are very friendly. Fellow patrons were locals, a few couples, a mother with her small son and a few ladies groups. The English of the staff was very good and ordering no problem. Credit cards are accepted.
After being restored we left the Taipei 101, found the LOVE sculpture, and explored the block around our hotel, the Grand Hyatt Taipei (Please see review of it). There are T.G.I. Friday, several 7 Eleven and Watson's Pharmacies. Walking is easy and there are pedestrian bridges and traffic lights to cross streets. We enjoyed the bridges, because they gave perfect views into the streets and the surrounding buildings.
We loved Taipei and we are going to return at some stage, exploring more of this beautiful 24 hour city.
©2011
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