The Cathay Pacific flight from Mumbai to Hong Kong was full and on time. As soon as I boarded, I dozed off and didn't even wake up for the in-flight meal. A few hours later, when I woke up, I discovered to my surprise that the flight was crossing the Myanmar-Chinese border. I recognized the names of the towns from my road journey from India to St. Petersburg in 2016. I had stayed in the Myanmar border town of Lashio and crossed over to China in Ruili. What a coincidence that I should overfly the towns eight years later!
The flight from Hong Kong to Taipei was delayed by an hour due to traffic congestion - when the aircraft was pushed back after 30 minutes at the gate the pilot announced that we were eighth in queue for take-off. With every passing minute I was getting worried, because that reduced the chances of a full afternoon and evening of sightseeing in Taipei. Despite pious assurances from the cockpit, the flight arrived 40 minutes late at the gate, thanks to a marathon taxiing after landing.
The large, no-frills airport has warnings about bringing into the country prohibited items such as meat, fruits, seeds, etc. the fine for a violation ranges from 200,000 TWD to 1,000,000 TWD and deportation. The animal and plant quarantine scanning didn't take time as also the immigration, where a retinal scan and fingerprinting were done. Once that was done, prior to retrieving the baggage, I exchanged USD for TWD at 31.55, which was at a small discount to the official rate.
Once the bag arrived, I exited the customs area and made way to one of the booths selling prepaid sim cards. The 7 day, 4G Chunghwah sim cost me 500 TWD and was activated by the counter salesgirl. From there I took the long walk to the airport metro from where I bought an EasyCard for TWD 300, of which 200 would be available for use. The balance is a non-refundable deposit for the collectible MRT card. The salesgirl also told me to take the one-way airport metro ticket from her for 145 TWD, a discount of 5 TWD.
The 12th stop from the airport was at the Taipei Main Station, which is a hub for high-speed rail, commuter trains, bus station and the metro. At the Taipei Main Station, I had to walk quite a bit to get to the Blue Line that would deposit me at the station from where the hotel I had booked was just 20 meters away. Once I exited the metro station, I could not locate my hotel. I found a young lady in front of a department store and sought her assistance. She made sure that I got to the Hotel entrance, which was in a mall, without much ado. It is people like her that describe the character of the country to a first-time visitor like me.
The hotel was on the 13th floor of the mall. My booking was promptly retrieved, and I was shown into a small, but comfortable and clean room. The tariff included breakfast, but what I liked best was the location. After a shower and organizing luggage in the room I set out for doing what I could with the remainder of the afternoon and evening.
The first stop was to visit the Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall. Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese physician turned revolutionary statesman who served as the first provisional president of the Republic of China and the first leader of the Kuomintang Party. He is called the "Father of the Nation" in Taiwan and the "Forerunner of the Revolution" in China for the significant role he played in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty during the 1911 Revolution.
Sun Yet Sen is widely revered by both the Communist Party in Mainland China and the Nationalist Party in Taiwan. The memorial was completed in 1972 and is located in over 25 acres of land. The building itself occupies over 7 acres and is currently closed for a two-year renovation. The building contains displays that bring to life Sun Yet Sen's contribution to Chinese society, politics and culture.
From the Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall I walked to the Taipei 101, which is Taiwan's premier international shopping destination, featuring luxury goods, fashions, and fine dining. The Mall has brought together the finest in fashion and refined dining from around the world. The Observatory is from the 5th level onwards where one can buy the ticket for a ride up to the 89th floor. The 101st floor was also opened to public recently. Tickets are sold for a window of 30 minutes, but one can stay up on the 89th floor indefinitely though one can spend only 1 hour on the 101st floor. A sky walk is also possible with harness. I reached the observatory booking counter close to 5 pm and was told that the waiting period is more than 30 minutes, and I could not afford that. I hoped to be back the next day, if time permitted to savor the sights of the city from that commanding height. And that too, if the skies are clear.
The Chiang Kie Shek Memorial Hall was the next point of interest. The Memorial Hall encompasses a 25-hectare commemorative plaza situated within the administration region of Taipei City. It contains many elements evocative of Chinese palace design, including an elaborate central marble stairway. The architecture of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is reportedly inspired by Tiantan in Beijing.
The four sides of the structure are similar to those of the pyramids in Egypt and is white marble. The roofs are decorated with deep-blue glass as part of the reflection of blue sky and bright sun. The massive complex houses the National Concert Hall, National Theatre, Chiang Kie Shek Memorial, ponds, democracy walk, liberty square and carefully manicured gardens and a neatly maintained cobblestone plaza.
The main attraction here is the changing of guards every hour between 9 am and 5 pm. The memorial hall's gigantic doors are closed at 6 pm. When the light comes on the buildings take on a different ambience. The serenity and undisturbed environ added lustre to the surroundings.
My last stop for the day was the Ximending Night Market. By now I had become adept at using the MRT. I alighted at the Ximen station, exited via 6 and got sucked into the lovely atmosphere of the night market. Being a holiday, crowds were everywhere. The market opens at 5 pm and closes by 11 pm.
It is not necessary to shop or eat, even walking around among the hustle and bustle is in itself an experience. There are many shops that offer souvenirs, pastries and sweetmeats traditional to the country, shoes and kiosks vending delectable foods, live performances, fresh fruits and what have you. All in an atmosphere of safety and hygiene. This is what appeals to visitors too. With many streets closed off to road traffic, one could be
bindas and footloose in the night market.
I forayed into a Korean restaurant, used Google translate to seek vegetarian dishes in the menu and ordered what ostensibly was a small order. It took me a while to get through the mildly spicy noodle dish with plenty of tofu, mushrooms and greens. The broth was very tasty. After picking up some souvenirs and pastries I gravitated towards a vendor selling fruits. I bought a kilo of guava that was sweet and soft. The taste was enhanced by a special masala that the vendor liberally applied on the cut pieces.
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