EXPLORE (^) | Taip ei , Taiwa n
Malaysia Airlines operates seven times
weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE).
- The Bao'an temple is arguably Taipei's
most spectacular - The Xinyi shopping district is known as
the Manhattan of Taipei - The Maokong Gondola climbs 300
metres over the Tamsui River Basin - The Beitou Hot Spring Museum was built
in 1913 and entrance is free - Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building
until 2010 when the Burj Khalifa in Dubai
was completed - Pearl milk tea or bubble tea
of the Memorial Hall house an imposing bronze
statue of Chiang, while a slick changing of the
guard takes place every hour.
Where Man Meets Nature
While there are many Asian cities set among
natural wonders, perhaps only Taipei can claim
its own to be accessible by metro. Alight at
Xiangshan Station for Elephant Mountain, whose
leafy trunk cuts right through Xinyi financial
district. It’s a short but challenging climb to
the top. The air is loaded with humidity as well
as hundreds of swirling butterflies. For the
dedicated, there are longer hiking trails that
snake off into the jungle, looping back to the
city after several kilometres. The mountain’s
famous viewpoints become crowded at sunset,
when locals scramble up to see the fading light
gleaming on the mirrored walls of Taipei 101.
At the other end of the line is Beitou (alight
at Xinbeitou), a natural hot springs area that
became a sprawling resort town under Japanese
rule. The Beitou Museum – once the colonial
Kazan Hotel – is a wonderful introduction to the
area’s history. Many of the upstairs rooms have
been preserved in their original state, and there
is a folk-art exhibition downstairs. Walk back
along the seething river to the Thermal Valley,
where the wind whips sulphurous steam into a
roiling mass. Lately, the geothermal might of the
springs has been harnessed in glitzy spa hotels,
where each room has its own private onsen.
Change at Da’an for the Maokong Gondola,
a glass-floored cable car that ascends 300
metres over the Tamsui River Basin, finishing
in Maokong Village. Noisy street food vendors
greet you on your way out of the station but
quickly thin out into a network of winding trails,
stitching together tea plantations and cabbage
patches. In one of the region’s many teahouses,
you can try the floral Oolong for which Taiwan is
famous for and aptly named Oriental Beauty.
Bright Lights, Big City
Taipei’s famous liberalism allows its people
to honour their traditional roots while looking
towards a technology-driven future. This is most
evident in ultramodern Xinyi, Taipei’s financial
powerhouse and home to Taipei 101. At 508
metres tall, Taipei 101 is a breath-taking feat of
engineering – the pressure-controlled lift zooms
passengers up 89 floors in just 40 seconds. Once
there, you can see the damper, a 660-tonne
suspended steel sphere that steadies the
building during earthquakes and high winds.
Attached to Taipei 101 is the ATT4FUN shopping
mall, selling everything from luxury brands to
wooden handicrafts. There’s a store dedicated
to Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli;
kids wait in line to have their photo taken on
the grinning Cat-Bus, and there’s a life-sized,
snoring Totoro of My Neighbour Totoro fame.
Hanlin Tea Room, on the top floor, claims to
have invented bubble tea – its black-and-white
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