Taipei 101

“Tall, majestic and sparkling”, this is how I described Taipei 101 in Taiwan Day 100 (“Happy 100 Days!!!”). It is standing mighty and strong at 508 meters and one of the highest buildings in the world. It is not just a landmark in Taiwan but also considered as the nation’s heart and soul. The time has come to turn ‘101’ into ‘365’.

Taipei 101 is accessible from Exit 2 of the MRT Taipei City Hall Station and I paid NTD 450 for the student ticket. The ticket booth was in the 5th floor of the Taipei 101 building and I was given a few instructions after I bought the ticket. I then searched for the elevator going to the 89th floor. 

It was not an ordinary elevator. It is the world’s fastest elevator with a speed of 1010m/min or 60.6 km/h. Like any elevator, there was an elevator girl who spoke as fast as the speed of the Toshiba made lift. My ears were popping as the elevator ascends to the Observatory. After 37 seconds we reached the 89th floor and the litany of the elevator girl was also done. It was funny and fun at the same time.

Dark selfie.  Flash from cameras are just reflected by the glass windows.

At the Taipei 101 Observatory, I was greeted by one of the cute mascots of the Taipei 101 Observatory. They are called the Damper Babies. They got their shaped from the mass damper while their eyes and mouth represent ‘101’. A staff from the Observatory took a photo of me with Lucky Red Baby Damper. I was also given an English audio guide which I haven't used because I was focused taking pictures of the city lights of Taipei City. 

I went down to the 88th floor to have a look at the world’s largest and heaviest mass damper. It is called the Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) and it has a diameter of 5.5 meters and weighing 660 metric tons. The TMD prevents Taipei 101 from collapsing from strong winds of typhoons and powerful earthquakes. The TMD works by moving to the opposite direction of the applied force to Taipei 101 making the skyscraper earthquake-proof and resistant to winds of super-typhoons.

After learning a lot of things from the mass damper, I went upstairs to the Outdoor Observatory. This was the highest point that I’ve been to Taipei. North, East, West, South. I had a 360 degree view of Taipei City at an altitude of 390 meters. I even saw the Miramar Ferris Wheel which I rode in Taiwan Day 319 (Wheel of Fortune). It was the only structure that I can recognize from the Taipei 101 Outdoor Observatory.

101

It was already past 10pm when I went outside Taipei 101. I still took pictures outside especially the bronze letters of the address of Taipei 101 in Xinyi District. I want to live here. The king of travel should live here! 

Taipei 101 will always be a golden monument in my heart. 365 days in Taiwan and the 365th day was in Taipei 101. It was like a trophy awarded to a champion. A champion who won battles adjusting in a new world. Taipei 101 is now Luo-Mu Jie’s Taipei 365.

THINGS TO DO IN TAIPEI

Sakura Series - Taiwan

2024 Forecast

Taipei 101 first flowers

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Taipei Flower Test Center

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Broadwood Park

Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura

Wuling Farm (武陵農場)

SYS kawazu sakura

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

CKS Memorial Hall

Shibafen Yoshino Sakura

Hope River

Dongfang Temple

Tianyuan Palace

Neicou Stream Trail

Orange Garden Cafe

Yangming Park Visitor Information Center

Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop

Huashan Road

Qianshan Park

Zhongshan Hall Entrance

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura

Neihu Creek Trail

Shulin Land Office

Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest

Lung Yen Sakura Forest

Yangming Park cherry stream

Yangming Park fountain

CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura

Wugu District Tianyi Road

CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura

Loving Farm

Yong Long Farm

Zhongbaling Sakura Road

Sun Link Sea

Tai'an Police Station

Cherry Hill Slope

Hsinchu Park

Taipei 101

Kāng Gào Kēng Creek

New Garden City

Broadwood Park

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Alishan Ranger Station

Alishan House

Alishan Police Station

Alishan Forest Railway

Alishan Station

Alishan Entrance

Alishan Gou Hotel

Alishan Magnolia Garden

Wulai tour

Wun Chang Elementary School

Bishanyan

Sanzhi Sansei Trail

Sakura Series - Taiwan

Nei Cuo Stream

Orange Garden Cafe

Sansei Trail

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Yangming Park Cherry Stream

Yangming Park Fountain

Flower Test Center

Broadwood Park

New Garden City

Yinghua Park

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Yangmingshan Visitor Center

Taipei 101

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Sakura Series - Japan

Kamonyama Park

Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park

Shinko Park

Minato-mirai 21 area

Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus

Onda River

Tenryuji

Byodoin

Kiyomizudera

Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple

Hōryū-ji Temple

Nara Park attractions

Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus

Sumida River

Tsuruma Park

Gion

Maple Series

Taipei Aowanda

Shimen Dam

Alishan

Aowanda

Shanlinxi

Taoyuan Valley Garden

Fushoushan Farm

Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis

The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)

Always in my heart

MRT birdman

Valentine's Day

Tulips Festival

2018 Taipei Lantern Festival

City of Azaleas

Linji Huguo Temple

Nanjichang Night Market

Gudetama Chef restaurant

Dalongdong Bao'an Temple

Shilin hollyhocks

Ningxia Night Market

Ximending graffiti

Discovery Center of Taipei

Chunghwa Postal Museum

Double-Decker Bus

Shilin Cold Balls

Jingimoo

GomanMango

mud volcanic ice

Fire and Ice Dumpling

Opium Fen-Yuan

Ichiran Ramen

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles

hydrangea flowers

National Palace Museum

Other attractions in Taipei

Taipei on a budget

Japanese buildings

Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles

Presidential Office Building

Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain

CKS and SYS Hall

City tour

Beitou ramen

MRT Monopoly Game

Winter city tour

Zhicheng Park

Shilin Plum Blossom

Art museums

Shopping in Taipei

Summer desserts

Qingtiangang

Qixingshan hiking

2015 Calla lily

2016 Calla lily

Beitou tour

Beitou-Zhuzihu tour

NTU

Confucius Temple

2015 Dadaocheng Festival

Puppet Museum

Fantasy Ice World

2016 Bread Show

Strawberry picking

2015 Rose Garden

Modern Toilet

Shilin Night Market

NASA Exhibit

Raohe Night Market

Longshan Temple

2013 Taipei Zoo

Maokong Gondola

Lupin flowers

Taipei 101 day visit

Taipei 101 night visit

Tiger Mountain

Din Tai Fung

Taipei Story House

2014 Flower Show

Chrysanthemum Show

Miramar Ferris wheel

Miniatures Museum

Archery

1600 Pandas

Wulaoguo hot pot

Upside Down House

2016 101 Fireworks

New Taipei

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Elephant Rock SUP/kayaking

Meteor Garden school

Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel

Shifen Waterfall

2017 Sand Sculpture

Dragon Caves

New Taipei tour

2016 Kite Festival

Pingxi Crags

Bitou Cape

2016 Sand Sculpture

2015 Christmasland

Juming - Jinshan

Houtong - Pingxi

Sandiaoling Waterfall

Jiufen foodtrip

Guanyinshan hike

Yehliu Ocean World

2014 Kite Festival

Pingxi Rail tour

Jinguashi tour

Vigor Kobo Pineapple

British Consulate

Yehliu Geopark

2014 Sand Sculpture

Paragliding

2014 Christmasland

2014 Pingxi Lantern

firefly watching

Yingge Ceramics Street

Jiufen tour