Monday, November 29, 2010

TAIPEI 101 AND MORE...


In a sea of grey, the yellow roof of the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall easily stands out.

We visited Taipei 101 today, and went right up to the 88th floor in the world's fastest elevator. It took only 37 seconds at a speed of 1010 metres per minutes. Then we climbed the steps up to the open observatory on the 91st floor. Looking at the panoramic view of the city I can say that as far as architecture goes, Taipei doesn't offer much to excite the imagination. Most buildings resemble concrete matchboxes in shades of grey or brown. None of the beautiful lines and curves that shape the skylines of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Buns, cakes and cream puffs to die for!

 Baker's Boy buns smell, look and taste 100% like our Roti Boy.

 My lunch - the biggest bowl of seafood noodles I've ever had, at NT$100 (RM10) a bowl.

At the Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station, a 3-5-minute walk from Howard Plaza Hotel where we are staying. The best way to see the city is to take the MRT or the bus - cheap, fast and direct.
 
Tourists are given a complimentary EasyCard worth NT$50 for travel on the MRT and buses.

There are few signages and notices in English. Most people here speak only Mandarin. We had a hard time asking for directions!

One place worth checking out is the Miniatures Musuem.

My granddaughters were absolutely delighted to have cakes at the Hello Kitty Sweets cafe. Can you imagine an eatery all done up in pink with Hello Kitty motiffs everywhere you look? The pretty waitresses were all decked in Hello Kitty uniforms. (That's my elder daughter in the middle.)
For starters...

Day 2 ended with a sumptious Taiwanese spread of 15 dishes, courtesy of our gracious hosts. More food pictures in the next post, specially for my food blogger buddies.

1 comment:

foodbin said...

that big bowl of seafood noodle is cheap-waiting to see the next post.