TAIPEI

In the heart of the East China Sea, Taiwan and its’ capital city Taipei offers a blending of cultures including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Philippine, Malaysian and others to create a vibrant and unique place. Taipei offers an endless selection of informative museums, impressive monuments, architectural wonders, hidden art districts, colorful night markets, peaceful temples, lush parks, lavish hotels and a vast array of other sights, sounds, smells, and tastes to invigorate even the most close-minded traveler.  

Towering over the center of the city is former tallest building in the world, Taipei 101. Overtaken by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and just days ago by One World Trade Center in New York City, Tapei 101 is still a modern marvel and the gem in the heart of Taipei. It’s unique eight rising segments symbolize abundance, wealth and good fortune, certainly appropriate symbols of the city. The tower can be viewed from all areas of the city however the best is atop nearby Elephant Mountain giving a marvelous 360^O view of the city.

Across the city are numerous museums covering everything from indigenous cultures to dinosaurs and Chinese history. The 228 park presents an excellent National Museum of Science and Natural History and houses impressive collection of dinosaur bones and a contemporary display on global warming. The must-see Grand Palace Museum also offers a luxurious and spacious display of everything from an on lend exhibition from the Louvre to a walk back in time through Chinese history thousands of years ago.

The night life of Taipei is also one of epic proportions. The main attractions are the numerous night markets around the city, most infamous being the Shilin Night Market. The markets serve as vast outdoor shopping malls in tightly packed streets, lined with food vendors selling a wealth of international food from tacos to python soup served with whiskey shots of its blood, urine, semen, scales, saliva and guts. Delicious scents infiltrate the nights’ air as tourists, couples, and locals alike peruse the streets window shopping and snacking while listening to all varieties of international music from Celine Dion and Eminem to K-pop and Salsa blaring from each shop. Interspersed throughout the streets, endless carnival games are also incorporated into this lively scene offering activities for people of all ages.

Taipei is an expansive city with a vibrant culture and endless entertainment. It serves as a melting pot of Asian and global cultures packed with history yet with a façade of a modern city. It’s people are outgoing and open-minded giving rise to its spot on my top list of worldly cities and a place I most certainly seek to visit again.