As if sensing that
this trip to Taipei would be full of sleep and rain, I decided to go where any
tourist in Taipei would probably go for a been-there-done-that photo. Taipei
101. From 2004 to 2010 it was the world’s tallest tower, until Dubai’s Burj
Khalifa snatched that title away. You know these skyscrapers, they like
outgrowing one another. In the observatory on the 89th floor there is a wall
listing the top 10 tallest towers in the world. Only two are outside Asia, both
of which are in Chicago in the United States. Four are in mainland China. One
is in Hong Kong, and then you have the Taipei 101, the Burj Khalifa, and KL’s
Petronas Twin Towers. Too bad you can’t jump off Taipei 101, neither for
leisure nor for suicide.
Without a doubt,
Taipei 101 is probably the only tower I’ve seen that got me awestruck. Well, it
was probably the same feeling when I first saw the Petronas Twin Towers. Taipei
101 is designed like a bamboo shooting up to the sky, the birth or rebirth of
something good. Because of this the design is rather unique, in that the
building seems to have husks. Now you know why AJ Hackett hasn’t set up a bungy
jumping facility here. Try to jump and you’ll possibly end up dead before you
reach your lowest point. You’ll just bump into each “division” of the building
until your limp body reaches the end of your trip down. Ouch. It would
obviously be the same if you jump to your death. You’d just end up falling on
one segment after the next instead of one big black out. Not cool.
You could choose
to get off at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial station or at Taipei City Hall. This
depends on which attraction you’d like to see first. The City Hall is right in
front of Taipei 101, which is next to the World Trade Center. They are
clustered in one place, which makes taking photo easier. The Sun Yat Sen
Memorial is just a few blocks away despite having an MRT station of its own.
A giant Sun Yat
Sen is seated at the hall by the main entrance of the memorial hall. You’d most
likely think that he’s ripping Abe Lincoln off with that pose, which was what I
also thought at first. However, after putting much thought on the topic I’ve
realized that it is just the best position for a giant statue. Make him stand
up and you’d hve to build a higher ceiling. Have him lie down and the pose
would seem rather awkward, not to mention inappropriately suggestive. So yes,
sitting down is the best way to go. Who cares whether Abe Lincoln popularized
it or not.
The memorial hall
is not that well illuminated in the evening, which explains the lack of an
exterior photograph. Sun Yat Sen, on the contrary, receives sufficient
lighting, which makes him an easy target for photographs regardless of time. He
also has a good view of the old people doing Tai Chi and the young ones doing
hip-hop around them by the landing of the steps. This perhaps is the reason why
Sun Yat Sen hasn’t marched out of the building out of boredom just yet. He gets
plenty of entertainment from where he’s seated anyway. I love the sense of
community by the way. The area seems to be a popular choice as a recreation
spot for locals.
The City Hall is
not that impressive if we talk about the architectural aspect. It is a rather
boring building and is effortlessly eclipsed by its tall neighbor. The entrance
fee to the observatory at Taipei 101 is NT$400. This provides you access to the
observatory, Damper Baby, and the viewing deck outside on the 91st floor, which
was unfortunately closed when I visited because of that attention deficient
bitch we often refer to as the “Weather”. No, Damper Baby is not a human child.
She is a huge 660-ton ball of gold which protects the building from excessive
shaking that could be brought upon by strong winds or earthquakes. She is one
of the features of the tower aside from the spectacular views of downtown
Taipei. Oops! I almost forgot that Taipei 101 still houses the world’s fastest
elevator. From the fifth floor all the way to the 89th, the elevator only needs
around 37 seconds to get you there. I recorded the ascent on cam and I can tell
you that it’s legit, having experienced it myself.
XINYI: 01 - Taipei 101
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