Advertisement
Published: November 29th 2015
Edit Blog Post
It all started at immigration. The young lady officer asking me nicely...first time to Taipei Sir? No, it's actually my second, the first time was twenty years ago. She paused, and with a huge smile, stamped my passport. Welcome back Sir! We both smiled!
Back than, I was in my first trip to Asia, back-packing my way over Asia...I had done 5 days in Cherating on Peninsula Malaysia, 3 days in Singapore and 3 days in Hong Kong. Trust me, my budget was low...and my knowledge of the reason....pretty basic! Twenty years later, I have even lived 4 years in Hong Kong and lived 6 years in Shanghai....my eyes on Taipei can only be different!
You can't claim to have visited all the main museums on earth if you have not visited the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Sadly, it takes over 10 years to visit it...and this is only my second visit. Chiang Kai-Shek retreated to Taipei after being kicked-out by Mao and the Communists from Mainland China after the World War II. With them, they also brought main collections of Ming and Qing dynasties. The brought thousands of porcelain, vases, bronzes, documents, jades
and other pieces of art. To showcase these, they were placed in the National Palace Museum. But instead of showings huge collections at once. They planned a 3 floors showcase, that you can wander nicely in a single morning or afternoon. Every 6 months, part of the showcase is rotated. Meaning that if you do want to see the full collection on offer, you have to visit twice a year, over a ten year period. Trust me, this is simply brillant idea!
What has changed compare to 20 years ago....the Mainland Chinese have invaded. At the time, there we no direct flights between China and Taiwan....not even meetings between the leaders....today, they have flights...and the leaders even met few weeks ago in Singapore....the world this side of earth is changing....for the better. Well....Mainland Chinese will need few more years to evolve...so the museum is helping them...providing staff everywhere reminding you not only not to take pictures, but to keep your voice down....helped by their little hand-carried written signs....would love to see them in other places around the world!
I have lived in Shanghai for 6 years...and I'm still there once or twice a year.
Taipei is another world. People here don't push, they queue, it is just a world of difference when you compare the quiet, or even sleepy Taipei, and the rushing Shanghai. And yet, you cannot call the Taiwanese slow, shall we rather call them efficient...and this is not new. When I meet young European dreaming to take their chance finding a job in China, I tell them, go to Taipei! Today, after 48 hours here, I just repeat...go to Taipei!
I spend my two days walking a lot, enjoying some nice hotel room, and way nicer food than my budget could buy me 20 years ago. Still, I take the bus into town, at 3usd per ride for the 60 minutes to downtown Taipei, you cannot call the place expensive!
I also took my time to get to the 91st floor of Taipei 101...the tallest building of Taiwan, and what was once the tallest building in the world. Here, Mainland Chinese again everywhere! The building is interestingly enough on the outskirts of the city. there is a queue for the groups....and another one for the very few independent travelers venturing here. 15usd to get you
up the lift for a pretty cool view! Nice way to end up my visit here, after the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and the change of the guards as well as the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. Did also enter few temples, and went around walking a lot.
Taipei may not be on your wish-list, but it definitely worth a stop....at least every twenty years! I'm sure I can bring my Grand-children here on my next visit!
My next trip was supposed to be this week....diving Mergui in Burma on a liveaboard....18 dives...6 days and 5 nights....but that was cancelled 5 days ago due to the cancellation of a group...and the fact that they haven't reach now the minimum number of divers required. Sad, but it's life! So no diving till the end of December for me! Mergui remain on my diving list...with Cocos, Solomon, Chuuk and Raja Ampat...hopefully all off them coming soon in the next few years...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.069s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 10; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0477s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Taipei
As always looks like great fun.