Howdy all. My trip last year had one final stop after Japan and Korea, albeit for a single day, and that was in Taipei. I had found a great deal on using my Qantas points to fly home on China Airlines, a Taiwanese airline, in Business Class, and so I needed to fly through Taipei/Taiwan to get on. I decided I might as well take a day in the city and see what it was like, so I arrived one day in the afternoon and left the next in the evening.

I had some simple digs at the Cloud Arena Hotel, and took it nice and easy in the evening after arriving. Immigration was quite slow but the airport is connected via train to the city and then I changed onto the metro, all in all that runs pretty smoothly and is also pretty cheap.

My day in Taipei would actually educate me a little on the island and its history. It’s official title is ‘Republic of China’, and when the last emperor fell back in the early 1900s a lot of the leadership in toppling the regime came from Taiwan. However a little further down the line there was obviously a political split, from those who wanted to form a communist nation and those that saw the future of China as a Republic. Whilst Taiwan stayed true to one vision, mainland China, through the cultural revolution and Mao Tse Tung, went another way. Today both Taiwan and Mainland China see both entities as the same, but remain politically divided on systems and who should rule. I’m not sure I have nutted it out 100% accurately, but that is my present understanding.

So anyways, onto the sites that I saw in Taipei, which I found to be a vibrant and buzzing city that stays up pretty late, and I was there on a Monday night into Tuesday. It’s full of tall buildings, temples and gardens, and I guess felt a little like Hong Kong in a way if I had to compare it to another city. The weather in May was humid but not too hot, mid-20s at most but I think it’s usually a bit warmer at that time of year and I may just have been there on a couple of cooler days.

Getting around is pretty easy walking, metro and Uber were the methods I used. Hotel Cloud Arena was on ZhongXioa Road, as far as I could make out a busy and important road. Loads of places to eat and a large number of convenience stores too, including Japanese stores such as Family Mart. Japan occupied Taiwan some 100 years or more ago, and you can see the influence here and there.

National Memorial Hall of Dr Sun Yat-Sen

I walked along ZhongXiao Road to get to this large memorial hall dedicated to Dr Sun Yat-Sen. Unfortunately it was closed that day but I could still walk the gardens and get photos and footage from outside.

Dr Sun Yat-Sen is an important figure in the last 100 years or so of China and Taiwan. Former President of the Republic of China he lived from 1866 to 1925. He formed the first Chinese political party in 1911, credited with over throwing the Qing Dynasty (1911) and became the first president in 1912. It is worth noting he was not Taiwanese and spent most of his life in mainland China.

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 is a tall tower that overlooks the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall and much of Taipei. It has 101 floors (this may have something to do with the name) and is 508 metres high. Which seems pretty high to me. It made a nice back drop for shots by I decided not to go up it. It looks a bit like a multi-storey pagoda and I liked the design. It costs around $19USD for an adult to go up.

Ronjin Gorgeous Time

I was looking at Google Maps when planning my day in Taipei, and I saw this curious thing marked ‘Ronjin Gorgeous Time’, and wondered what the hell it was. So I checked. It was described as a ‘tourist attraction’, and in fact it’s a small section of street next to this longish wall. The wall was once part of a prison. On the inside of the wall, it’s basically a huge vacant block today. On the other side you walk along behind these beautiful buildings, which have a distinctly Japanese feel to them. There are even a couple of Japanese gardens.

On the other side of the buildings the street is lined with these massive and beautiful banyan trees – a feature of Taipei. There are a variety of little stores too. It’s picturesque and not a bad little thing to stop and see, but it didn’t take up a lot of time.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

As if the first memorial hall wasn’t impressive enough, the one dedicated to General Chaing Kai Shek was bigger in every way, and luckily I could go inside too. It’s in a huge park that also encompasses the National Theatre and Concert Hall. Chiang Kai Shek was the president of the Republic of China up until the Cultural Revolution on Mainland China, when it was defeated and the Communist Party took control. Chiang Kai Shek then moved the government to Taiwan. This was 1949.

He remained the leader of the Republic of China until his death in 1975. The memorial hall holds art exhibitions and a museum devoted to Chiang Kai Shek. Which was kind of cool. Go to the top and there’s a memorial in there too and looking back you get a nice view.

National Theatre and Concert Halls

I didn’t get inside either, but they are in the same grounds as the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall separated by Liberty Square next to the Liberty Square Arch. They book looked like impressive buildings.

Confucian Temple

After a bit of a journey via the metro, I got off at Yuanshan Station to see the Dalongdong Baoan Temple. On my walk to it though I passed a Confucian Temple which I checked out. It was pretty big and had a number of facades and courtyard.

It was right under the flight path of aircraft landing at the nearby Songshan Airport, I mean they were super low it was quite awesome and terrifying at the same time. This is not the main Taipei Airport to be clear, that is a fair way out of town. But still a number of aircraft passed overhead super close – you could almost reach out and touch them! Almost…

Dalongdong Baoan Temple

This temple was well worth visiting in the Yuanshan area/Datong District which I think deserved deeper exploration. Interestingly it is devoted to an old Chinese folk religion, of which I know nothing. The original temple was built in 1742, the current structure dates back to 1804 and was restored in 1995 and is considered an important historical monument.

Revolutionary Martyr’s Shrine

I had to get an Uber to the Revolutionary Martyr’s Shrine as time was running out and it closed at 5pm. It has impressive grounds and was built in 1969 dedicated to all those who had died fighting for the Republic of China. I was only able to get in for a short time, it’s a fair walk to the main building where the dead are remembered.

However, there was an end of the day ceremony with soldiers marching and spinning guns and the like which made it well worth getting out there before taking an Uber back to my hotel.

It had been an impressionable day in Taipei. I won’t pretend to have a grasp on Taiwan’s history from such a short experience, but I am glad I could understand a little about the island and what is important to its people.

Thanks for joining me today on the blog! Take care wherever you are in the world – May the Journey Never End!