A Travel Blog filled with travel stories & a huge collection of travel photos taken from around the world, TravelerFolio is an award winning travelblog made in Singapore on April '08
September 20, 2008

Welcome 2 Taiwan



Taipei / Taiwan

These photos were taken sometimes ago.

Taipei 101 (台北101) is currently the world’s tallest inhabited building standing at 509.2 m. A panoramic shot from the observation deck. Breathtaking, isn’t it?

The design of Taipei 101 is inspired by bamboo plant, an icon of learning and growth. And Chinese like the lucky number eight, as you can count in this photo, there are eight clearly delineated exterior sections of the building. If you are observant, you can even see at least a Chinese ingot on the lower exterior of this tower.

Someone asks me to post some scenic view of Taiwan. I have this scenic panoramic photo after stitching  the successive shots that were taken from our hotel room. This is a nice view of vast Pacific Ocean. Click on image to enlarge or scroll left-right.

Another seaside view in Taipei.

Jiufen (Chiufen or Jioufen | 九份) was used as a model in the first Oscar winning anime movie “Spirited Away”. This mountain town, located in the northeast of Taiwan, was once a center of gold mining. Jiufen means “nine portions” in Chinese. The name came from the fact that there was once nine families living in the village. When shipment arrived from town,  the families would request “nine portions”.

The terrain of Jiufen is so steep and the site so remote that it seems impossible to have built a town there. A hillside of the town overlooking some of Taiwan’s most impressive coastal scenery.

Shops in Jiufen visited by tourists.

The majestic Chiang Kai-shek (蒋介石 / 蒋中正) Memorial Hall in Taipei is modeled after Tiantan in Beijing, China. Chiang Kai-shek was the successor of Sun Yat-sen. He failed to eradicate the Chinese communists and was forced to retreat his KMT government to Taiwan and later he became the President of ROC (Taiwan).

Soldiers marching in the compound.

Shopping mall, leisure and entertainment extravaganza sprouting across Taipei city.

Taipei city on a rainy day, with many yellow cabs.

Pick-a-toy arcade.

A night bazaar at Shilin market.

I think (诚品敦南店) is called Eslite Bookstore in English. It has a wide selection of books and is one of the largest bookstore in Taiwan and opens 24-hr, a nice and cosy hangout for at night as there are cafes within the bookstore. We ordered super early breakfast at 3am at one of those cafes.

Doraemon t-shirt, one for S$5 at Shilin Night Market. Any taker?

Next, stay tuned for the beautiful YangMingShan National Park and hotspring!

Read posts on Taiwan Hot Spring & Spa | Taipei Shilin Night Market

37 Comments Leave your comment

  • kikey said on September 20, 2008 10:57 pm

    Taiwan~~~ one of my future travel destination!!

  • DhoyM said on September 20, 2008 11:58 pm

    Hi Eunice, It seems that Taiwan is an interesting place to visit.

  • alex said on September 21, 2008 12:25 am

    wow you’re in taiwan! btw, are you working for a travel magazine?? you’re flying here and there

  • eunice said on September 21, 2008 12:52 am

    @Kikey, DhoyM, Alex: Yup, there are still alot of sightings that I have not covered in Taiwan yet. I only went Taipei… Some of those photos like Taipei 101 I only managed to see from far. I didn’t visit Jiufen and Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall neither. The photos was taken by my dad or his friend, I take care of the “photoshop”! XD

    But I bought the Doraemon t-shirts from Shilin Night Market. Stay tuned for my next post on a famous mountain in Taiwan and spa!

  • Pei Li said on September 21, 2008 1:06 am

    Oooh so cool!
    I love the Doraemon t-shirts!!! C:
    How’re you? I’m back for a while… lol.

  • eunice said on September 21, 2008 1:09 am

    @Pei Li: Glad to see you back again! How’s school life? Ha yeah! At the back of the Doraemon t-shirt, there is also another Doraemon printed at the lower corner of the t-shirt!

  • Pei Li said on September 21, 2008 1:16 am

    Lol indeed? I like that the black and blue stark contrast.

    Oh school life sucks as usual. Especially ’cause I’m getting my results back next week. Sigh.

    Anyway your blog seems to have changed a little. I’m digging the new style. C:

  • Tita Beng said on September 21, 2008 1:27 am

    Taiwan looks attractive too! But which do you think is more attractive, Taiwan or Singapore? Keep on sharing!

  • henry said on September 21, 2008 2:11 am

    wow….ur pictures are really interesting. What cam are u using anyway? all ur pictures looks pretty wide there :)

  • Austin said on September 21, 2008 4:42 am

    I hadn’t really considered visiting Taiwan until I saw your great photos. How would you compare the food between Taiwan and Singapore?

  • Borneo Falcon said on September 21, 2008 9:32 am

    Nice photos. Got “Teh Tarik” some more. Wonder who open that stall. Must be from around this region.

  • Jasper Jugan said on September 21, 2008 12:42 pm

    hey hey hey! i’ll be back, with a vengeance :P

  • eunice said on September 21, 2008 3:28 pm

    @Tita Beng: Both are attractive, of cos! Each has their own flavours!

    @Henry: Using normal digital camera only… My pictures are resized to fit this blog, that’s why they seem to be wider. =)

    @Austin: Singapore foods get the flavours from the 4 main races: Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian.. so you get to taste their delicacies literally in every food court in Singapore. Singaporeans love spicy food too, whereas Taiwanese foods are mainly Chinese food.

    @Borneo Falcon: Ya! Teh Tarik is the best Teh! Wonder if the Teh Tarik tastes like those tarik by our Indian folks at home!

    @Jasper: Wow that’s aggressive! Hehehe

  • debrian said on September 21, 2008 5:35 pm

    oh… its cooll…

    i like ur pics..

    visit me back

    http://www.hetpaard.info/

  • allinkorea said on September 21, 2008 10:53 pm

    the building looks familiar, i may have seen it on television here in Korea…when i visit here in your blog, i always show the pictures to my hubby and he’s also interested in most of your photos. hehe…

  • idealpinkrose said on September 21, 2008 10:56 pm

    thanks for the visit sis. i always feel like travelling when i see your photos..nice pictures again!

  • JH said on September 22, 2008 12:51 am

    Nice post and write up on Taipei !

    Haven’t been there for many years already, time to plan & go there for holidays and visit my Taiwanese friends ! ;)

  • Barbie said on September 22, 2008 1:30 am

    Nice pics of Taiwan! Wanna go there too :P

  • Miss Elle said on September 22, 2008 2:10 am

    That’s Taipei 101? Beautiful. Eunice, what an expensive hobby you have. haha. and im envious. :)

  • KC said on September 22, 2008 2:17 am

    Will u give that for T shirt for $3 ??? :p We indians always bargain !! :p And hey wanted to ask !! Are Hong kong and Taiwan have their own governments or are they ruled by China ??!

  • Mockingbird said on September 22, 2008 10:25 am

    The view from the top of Taipei 101 is indeed breath-taking! :D

  • eunice said on September 22, 2008 11:34 am

    @Miss Elle: Nah, my hobby is blogging hahahahahaah!!! This travel blog is a collection of travel photos taken over the years! I also hope I am that rich for such an expensive hobby!

    @KC: S$5 is already bargained. Haha, you have not tried bargaining with the Chinese people, especially China Chinese! They will make you think you are a good bargainer, and after you bought their stuff, you will then realise there are always cheaper one around.

    So sometimes, we are just tired of bargaining. If it’s not too expensive, just buy, make both parties happy! =D

    @All: I didn’t cover much on Taiwan; I only visted a few spots in Taipei.Some photos are taken by my dad and his friends who went there, and I simply blog about it. I also wish to go up Taipei 101!

  • eunice said on September 22, 2008 11:37 am

    @KC: Both HK and Taiwan have their own govt, but still they are part of PRC.

  • Mei-Wah said on September 22, 2008 2:16 pm

    wow, taiwan!
    i really really really want to go taiwan someday!
    huhuhuhu~
    looking at ur photos make me feel as if i’m in taiwan~

  • eunice said on September 22, 2008 6:45 pm

    @Mei-Wah: Really? Wow! hehehe

  • `JeromeFo said on September 22, 2008 8:43 pm

    Wow…
    great post Eunice, nice views, lovely booksshop and Shilin market
    Post more pics!

  • Cooking said on September 22, 2008 11:00 pm

    I hear that the food is excellent, the people are friendly and there are some top-notch sights in Taipei City.

  • eunice said on September 23, 2008 10:27 am

    @JeromeFo: Sure! More to come!

    @Cooking: Yes, all correct!

  • spoolartist said on September 24, 2008 3:10 am

    wow, i’ve always been fascinated by taipei 101… knowing that it’s the world’s tallest and it sits right in the middle of an earthquake zone! it must be truly an awe-inspiring structure up close, isn’t it?

  • Asian Traveler said on September 24, 2008 2:57 pm

    Hey, lots of panoramic photographs. I had a hard time getting the best shot of Taipei 101.:( I would say the way you capture this photo is quite awesome. :)

  • eunice said on September 24, 2008 5:59 pm

    @spoolartist, Asian Traveler: I only saw Taipei 101 from a distant. It was my dad who went up the tower and captured the views. I did my photoshop part to stitch them into a panoramic pic! =P I think it’s a great view up there!

  • Anime Chick said on March 22, 2009 8:39 am

    I wanted to comment and thank the author, good stuff

  • Dave said on April 4, 2009 11:13 am

    What fun read & photos, Eunice!

    I’ll be glad to link yr Taiwan travelogue to mine – so U can inspire my readers too..

    Thks for sharing.

    Dave :-)

  • Taiwan Explorer said on October 23, 2010 1:08 am

    That is a wonderful country. I wan to visit it :)

    I love the Taipei 101 building :)

  • Ripple said on October 29, 2010 5:08 pm

    I wish to travel Taiwan someday if possible. My friend who have visited there told me Taiwan keeps many traditonal Chinese culture, they stll use the traditional Chinese characters, cool…I’m very interested in Taipei’s National Palace Museum

  • joval said on November 17, 2010 3:06 am

    Hi do you still have the doraemon shirt?? i love to have it?

  • eunice said on November 17, 2010 11:09 am

    gosh, I dun even know where I kept it now :P

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