Journey to Taipei

Christen and I went up to Taipei on Saturday morning.  We got off the bus and went to the Sun Yatsen Memorial.  Sun Yatsen is known as the Father of Taiwan.  He moved the people of Taiwan to search for independence from China's Qing Dynasty.  He is on the 100NT bill.

This is the building that memorializes Sun Yatsen.  The park around the memorial building is huge and FULL of families enjoying the sun.  Taipei has very few places where children can run and play.  This was very well used!

Taiwanese enjoying the sun.

Interesting bike helmet.  The thing this boy is wearing on his head is all padding, but the helmet part isn't there!  Who knows that thinking?!

Statue of Sun Yatsen

Me and the Father of Taiwan

After the memorial we walked to the Taipei 101.  The tallest building in the world.  From far away it didn't look any taller than any other building I have seen, but once you get close it is HUGE!!

The Taipei 101 taken from the Sun Yatsen Memorial Park.

Taipei 101

Me at the top.  It was pretty hazy to look out on the city from way up there!!

Taipei from the top of the 101

Straight down.

Tall as the 101!!

This is the windjammer.  It is a huge weight at the top of the building that is on hydraulics.   It keeps the weight centered during typhoons and earthquakes.  It was massive!  One of the only buildings that opens the windjammer up to the public to see.  The Taipei 101 gives every person a personal tour headset so you can hear about what is on each side of the building.  SO you can hear about the building process and what has gone into the whole thing.  Pretty interesting.

We stayed with a friend in Taipei so we went there after the 101!  We were exhausted!  Getting around Taipei is exhausting to the country girls!!  We felt very much like country mouse visits city mouse!

Sunday we got up early and headed to the Chiang Kaishek Memorial.  Kaishek was the first Taiwanese president and is said to have had the greatest impact on modern Taiwan than any other individual.  He changed the Japanese rule of Taiwan into Chinese rule and banned the Taiwanese language from schools and began abolishing the aboriginal tribes. He made Taiwan a Chinese ruled land. When Kaishek died in 1988 a Taiwanese man named Lee Tenghui became president and Taiwan pulled away from mainland China and started moving into a democracy.  Kaishek is still revered by many as the man who moved this country into modern times.

These arches are at one side of the HUGE courtyard.

This is the memorial from the arch side of the court yard.

A little closer

The memorial from the bottom of the stairs.  The engravings in front have the Taiwanese flag symbol at the top.  It is a sun.

A statue of Chiang Kaishek is at the top.

The ceiling of the memorial.

View from the top of the memorial.   The two buildings on either side of the arches are a concert hall and an auditorium.

Video of the Chiang Kaishek Memorial

  

This dragon was made entirely of used water and soda bottles.  It is huge!  A very artistic way to use recycling!!

We had a really good time seeing the big city of Taipei!  We were VERY happy to get back to our small town of Puzih!