Our massive pizza. That is my camera case at bottom left.
After I returned from Beijing Lisa had said she had been given the next two Friday's off work (lucky for some!) so I managed to get the 15th off from my work and we booked some last minute flights to Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) with Cathay Pacific. We got up early on Friday morning and headed out the airport for the flight. Taiwan is only 2 and a half hours from Incheon and only an hour behind time, so it was quite an easy flight. Upon landing in Taipei we got a bus to near our pre-booked hotel in the centre. Our hotel was the 'Tango Nanshi' , which according to TripAdvisor, is the #1 ranked hotel in Taipei (http://www.tango-hotels.com/). For me, it certainly deserves that accolade. It was very cool, both in temperature and appearance (the former being very good, as it was 30C outside) and our room was amazing, King size bed, big TV with surround sound, a bath with spa jets and a big TV inlaid to the wall, and crazy toilet that opened and flushed automatically. Lots of gadgets...my kind of place!
Lisa has a few friends that had been to Taiwan before and they had recommended hiring a scooter, so Lisa had been in touch with an English guy called Jeremy who rents scooters to foreigners in Taipei. After we checked in it was off on the subway to meet him. He was a really nice guy, he met us with the bike (a 125cc scarlet coloured machine) and gave us a thorough tutorial on the do's and dont's of driving in Taiwan. Originally, Lisa was going to do all the driving (as she has a license, unlike me!) but after a few trial runs she didn't fancy it so I stepped up! The scooter itself was pretty easy to drive, automatic transmission, excellent acceleration and brakes, but the surroundings in which you are driving took a bit of getting used to. There are literally thousands of other scooters on the road, as well as buses, cars and people, so you have to be acutely aware of what they are all doing too. Also, in Taipei, scooters are not allowed to turn left at intersections, meaning you have to use the green man for pedestrians and then park up in a little box reserved for scooters. So every left turn has to be done in two stages. Furthermore, there are a lot of roads or lanes of roads where scooters are not allowed, so you have to be careful in that respect too. We had at least one stray into a bus lane that we shouldn't have been in, and there was a lot of pulling over to consult the map, but overall it was a thrilling experience.
After we had picked up the scooter we headed back towards the hotel via the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, an impressive blue and white building where we watched the changing of the guards. Below is a picture of the building and a link to the Facebook album.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=256992&id=777495416&l=aac862cd73
That night we headed to one of Taipei's famous night markets, though didn't buy anything, although we did have dinner nearby, which included some delicious lamb chops. I really miss lamb, you don't really get it in Korea at all.
The next day, we got up quite early and set off on the scooter to explore the Northern coast of Taiwan. We had a hard time getting out of Taipei at first, and manged to take a few dead ends before finding the correct route over the mountains, thanks to a helpful Taiwanese couple who we followed for a while, and who treated us to some fried sweet potato at a roadside cafe. We found Taiwanese people to be VERY friendly, I would say it is the most friendly nation I have been to in Asia so far. Here is a video of us riding along the mountain road. Be warned, it is loud!!!!
Once we reached the North coast the first stop was Yehliu Geopark, a outcrop of volcanic rock that due to wave action and erosion now has many strange formations on it.
We headed along the coast a bit further and stopped at a lighthouse at the northernmost point of Taiwan (the name escapes me), not quite Skerryvore but nice nonetheless.
Then along a little further to a beach where I went for a quick swim. The beach was very busy, and they weren't letting people go very far out, but the water was refreshing after being on the bike for most of the day.
The last stop on our tour was the town of Danshui, a popular spot for watching the sunset. We arrived just in time, and the sun did not disappoint.
After a quick dinner, it was back on the scooter again, only this time in the dark! Fortunately, there was a scooter lane most of the way back to Taipei, so we made it back safely, albeit very burnt and pretty tired! But we had a great day, so it was worth it.
Here is a video of a portion of the night ride back to Taipei. It's like something out of Wacky Racers!
The next day, we got up and rode to Taipei 101, currently the tallest completed skyscraper in the world (until the one in Dubai is finished). It certainly was huge, and the elevator up to the top (the fastest in the world) was amazingly quick. 5th-89th floors in under a minute. Here is a video of the display panel inside the elevator as we ascended
The views from the top were a bit hazy, but we were still able to get a good idea of the size of Taipei (about 6 million I think) and also how high up we were! After we headed back down we dropped the scooter off with Jeremy and caught the bus back to the airport for our afternoon flight back to Korea.
Looking up at Taipei 101.
Here's a couple of other photos from Lisa's camera.
The massive gold damper inside Taipei 101. It is designed to counteract wind forces on the tower (basically, the tower leans one way, it leans the other). It weighs over 600 tons!
So, that was Taiwan! I was very impressed, Taipei was a cool city, friendly people, things are pretty cheap, quite a lot to see, and flights from Korea were very cheap. I may well return before I leave this part of the world.
Talking of that, this week I have agreed a new contract extension with my bosses at GnB. I will now finish in April 2010, and my plan is to travel in South-East Asia for a month or so before flying home. Included in the extension contract is an agreement that I can go home for the Christmas/New Year period, and that I also have time off next month. Why? Because Stewartie is coming to visit! I'm so excited, it will be brilliant to see him and show him some of my life here and the sights Korea has to offer. He will arrive on 19th June and stay until the 1st of July, so that should be a good length of time to experience some of Korea I think.
And last but definitely not least, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to one of my best friends Neil Munro, who is getting married in July. He has been with his Korean girlfriend (Kyoungmi) for over a year and they seem very happy, so the wedding is planned for the 25th July in Seoul. Greg and I will be joint best men, so we have a stag doo and a speech of sorts to organise! I still can't believe it is happening, but they are so happy together I know it is the right thing for Neil to be doing.
Right, off to get ready for a wee night out with the boys.
Speak soon,
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