Fun things to do in Taiwan

The Maokong Gondola is next to the Zoo and is open till 9pm . We had lots of time so we decided to have a ride when the light was fading.Gondola ride is about 4.3 km long and with stations where you can get down and sight see,mainly temples .The ride passes above thick forests and the zoo.Day time it is quite green and come night the whole city adorns itself with lights lovely to watch.You can see 101 with the Dior advertisement .
being a weekday and weather reports poor there were no crowds most of the gondolas were empty.and considering the fact that this is quite cheap NTD 100 I don't know how they maintain it.
Beautiful experience always check before you go,closes for maintenance and during bad weather.

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This is a lively temple.easy to reach right opposite the MRT.You see the classical roof ,Once inside the gate you see long queues infront of each God.People of all ages praying ,chanting ,offering foodstuffs,offering paper money ,throwing dice to know their future,sitting on the steps doing nothing or taking photos.Because of the burning incenses the whole area is covered with smoke.The Gods are benevolent looking and well adorned .The ceilings and the interiors exquisite as usual.

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Let me tell you that the location of the museum is splendid.The bus from MRT lands you right in front of the museum..You climb a lot of stairs to reach a wonderful building.If you are going on weekdays there is not much crowd.The museum authorities helpful.You can start the day with coffee in the coffee shop inside.The waiters in their traditional garments but supplying english tea! quaint.
The museum and its displays from the various Chinese emporers, beautiful! We saw lots of exquisite porcelain wear, vast display ofsnuff boxes ,artistry at its best.Spent a quality 4hrs inside it .Left it only because it was 9 pm .Then loitered around the palace museum .The palace in the night is stunning.The nearby mountains beautiful.The weather was wonderful.

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A must see to enjoy the architecture.There was a massive demonstration against nuclear weapons on that day.great ambience.Protestors walked in a very orderly fashion,lasted more than 4 hrs,gave me goose bumps to see such a peaceful demonstration .

The museum is for Chinese history enthusiasts.There is a room with a life like statue of Chiang kai shek which takes you by surprise.While you are there enjoy the soldiers paying homage to Chaing Kai shek beautiful and precise.

The open air area in front is occupied by people doing dance practises ,playing band music singing so you will miss the time fly.You can sit on the stairs and watch.never a dull moment.

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We visited yang ming shan during Chinese New year.There was a flower festival going on.The queue from Jiantan bus stand itself was long and winding.Yang ming shan has various attractions : the flower festival in one area ,hot springs,temples and mountains and valleys.To get to each you have to catch a bus or taxi.Being a holiday season and the weather forcast being good the place was crowded. We visited the flower festival area first .It was so so, waited for more than an hour to catch a bus to the meadows.The bus was jampacked.That place was less crowded .spent an evening walking up the mountains and exploring side trails enjoyable experience.Decided to skip the hot springs,caught the last bus an AC minibus .They packed every body in to that small bus and I panicked. Thankfully it settled fast.I would love to visit that area but never during a chinese New year or weekend.

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I am not a great fan of animals in captivity.I thought the animals looked depressed in their unnatural habitat.But I saw a giant panda first time in my life calmly eating bamboo leaves and was thrilled. The elephants showed their backs to us so did many other animals.I would like to think of Taipei Zoo as a Botanical garden with plenty of trees and natural beauty.It is well maintained and user friendly.Closes by 5pm .Walking and seeing everything can be tiring .You can avail the shuttle train services to travel from one end to other.

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Going to Taipei and not seeing 101? no way.There are free shuttles from thebus stop in front of busvstation to and from 101.A beautiful building built to display engineering might in a country prone for earth quakes.It has a brilliant look during night seen from makong gondola .what i did not like was the neon lamp displaying the name Dior and lighting up one floor.Can be seen from far away even Makong.crass commercialisation.

Inside houses shops selling branded items.beautiful interior.

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an eighteen storied building with all amenities. from here you can catch buses to other counties.The civic building is connected to Taipei Metro station taipei civic blvd.city mall q square dept store and,zhongshan metro mall.It has all modern amenities and is very user friendly.Plenty of lockers,ATM counters ,recharge centres,ticket counters restaurants and convenience stores..