Taiwan, Part III

I know, I know, I'm really slow at this recap thing. But it IS Halloween weekend after all. =)

Before I get to food, (yes, everyone who knows me knows that this trip was a food trip =) I will talk about the rest of my visit.

You'd think the National Palace Museum would be empty on a rainy weekday, but I found the place packed with tour groups. Packed or not, this is a place you must visit in Taiwan. The treasures, whether they were bronzes from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) or intricate carvings from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), were all kept in pristine conditions. Unfortunately, this place doesn't allow photographing, so I can only show you the misty outside. This might sound a little sentimental, but if you'd like to understand what kind of amazing artifacts Chinese built thousands of years ago, the National Palace Museum and the Forbidden City in Beijing are two places you must see. It took me about 3 hours to walk through the 3 floor building. The admission was extremely reasonable at NT$160.

I also visited the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial and the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial are surrounded by the National Theater and Concert Hall.  Both are free to public, and located near downtown Taipei. These traditional style buildings don't quite fit in with the rest of skyscrapers of this modern city. (See that funny picture of the SYS Memorial with Taipei 101 on the roof. =) Beijing has similar issues - I wish they kept the new and the old separate. I love how Paris preserved their historical buildings, and the new additions to the city didn't intrude on the old.

I also went to most popular shopping malls like Breeze, Eslite, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi and Bella Vita. Other than the local brands, you will also find all the European designer brands here, Channel, Cartier, Tiffany's, Hermes, you name it. I'm shocked at how many Hermes, or Cartier, or whatever there are in one city! Imagine the buying power for all these stores to continue operating.

I went to Taipei 101 as well. Unfortunately, in fear of the tour groups, I made the wrong decision and didn't go up to the observation deck, thinking that the view would be better at night. However, my friend told me that it's best to look at Taipei on a clear day. *sigh* One more agenda for my next trip...

To be continued...