Quick Trip Three: 台北101

Yet another quick trip! This time to the place that everyone has asked me if I've been to; Taipei 101. This time, I also went to the top.

So, there's not that much to say, other than that I went and saw. So, on to the pictures!









The very top!



Inside, there are large counter-weight systems that allow the building to sway ever-so slightly on windy days and not fall over.





More pictures soon!

Quick Trip Two: National Taiwan Museum

Part two of my series of short trips was to the National Taiwan Museum. It is, in fact, inside of 228 Park, so this was familiar territory.

The museum was, similar to the Museum of Modern Art in that it was relatively small, but a beautiful old building.

The museum is the oldest in Taiwan. Built in 1908 by the Japanese during their colonial rule in Taiwan, it has remained a functioning museum ever since.



As you can see from the outside, it's pretty much what you (or at least I) expect a museum to look like. Unlike similar museums, like the New York Public Library building, the Philadelphia Public Library, or even Youngstown's Stambaugh Auditorium however, it's not very big. Inside though, is classy.

White terracotta all over,



marble floors,



and of course, a dome!



The exhibits themselves seemed to be almost entirely geared towards kids, though there was one exhibit about the camphor industry in Taiwan. I was pretty well lost for that part, but there was a smaller section about native tribes in Taiwan which was really neat albeit all in Chinese.

Oh! I saw a big wooden giraffe too!



Well, that's it for the second of my quick trips. More to come!

Quick Trip One: 2-28 Park

Here's the first in a series of quick trips to different places in Taipei. This trip was to 2-28 Park Memorial Park. The park memorializes the events of February 28, 1947 (hence 2-28) during which native Taiwanese protested Chiang Kai-shek's encroachment in Taiwan.

At the center of the park is a big monument/spire. I wish I could tell you that I knew what the symbolism is of it, but all the signage is in Chinese.






The park is divided into different sections with a band shell, pagodas, a few lakes, and of course trees.






It was a really great place. A nice oasis in the middle of a big city.

Yep, that's it! Like I said, it was a quick trip!

More to come soon!

Third Tunnel

So, yes, it has been a while, and yes, none of these posts are being done directly after they happened. . .but such is life. I've got lots of posts in the works, and hopefully they will all get done before I leave in two weeks!

Either way. . . back to Korea.

On my third day I took a tour of the Third Infiltration Tunnel as well as Dorsan Station and Dora Observatory.

First was The Third Tunnel. This was one of three infiltration tunnels that the North Koreans dug into the South in preparation for an eventual invasion.



Sadly, pictures were not allowed inside the tunnel, however, I can tell you that it was long, and dark, and damp and small (less than 5 feet tall).

Outside the tunnel was a restaurant, souvenirs, and the like. It was sort of neat to see that the South turned something the North meant to be a thing for war into a money-making tourist spot.




After the Third Tunnel we went to Dora Observatory which is another ROK observation point over the DMZ toward the North. Two things were very obvious on this day. 1. security was much higher and 2. ROK soldier were everywhere.



Dora, which is a military installation, had military vehicles all over. Moreover, we couldn't take any pictures of the DMZ or anything inside the observatory. One of the members of my tour group must not have heard the announcement because he took a few quick pictures of the DMZ and was promptly confronted by an ROK soldier. Things were a little tense for about five minutes when our tour guide was brought over and explained what happened in Korean. The guy in our group had to delete the pictures he took. Intense!

After Dora, we were off to Dorasan Station which is the last train stop in South Korea, and the first into North Korea. Technically, yes, trains can run into the North, all the way to the capital of Pyonyang, but politically, the connection hasn't been made yet.





And, again, lots of soldiers were out.





Two pans of Dorasan Station.






Well, that's it for Korea. The trip was lots of fun, and well worth it!

Coming soon (this week?) will be a few quick trip posts from places in Taipei.

-Nate