Taipei Completed

The last full day of Taiwan started with a bus trip to the extreme northern tip of the island.  Unlike anything we'd seen so far, the harbor town of Wanli was clustered like a city but small and cozy like something near a mountain and the coast simultaneously should be.  The shops and restaurants spilled out right up against the road on which the boats were moored.  The reason that we came out to this little town was to see the Yehliu Geo Park.  All we had to do was grab a handful of dried squid that tasted like spicy raisins.

I've read Yehliu park described as "walking on the moon." With the bright orange landscape, it was probably more akin to walking on Mars, but then again water was so vividly present.  All the excitement takes place on a small cape, not much longer than a 200 yards from the town to the Pacific.  Every part of this stretch was a geographical freak show.  Be it wind or water, plate tectonics, biological residue from long-dead plankton, or even the densities of the various rock itself, nature and time had worked strange miracles on the whole area.  One of the most prominent features was the strange protruding polyps that jutted up about waist high, each covered with an eccentric honeycomb of pockets and supported by tapering bases.  The ground itself was either its own series of water-filled divots or  Neapolitan ribbons of different rock swirling underfoot.

Aside from the pod-like protrusions, the Mars floor, and the occasional cave, the other key feature were the precarious rock towers.  None of them were much more than 8 or 9 feet tall, but they felt delicate on account of the crackled surfaces.  It is one of these exact towers that has attracted so much interest to this tiny cape off of a tiny town on a tiny island.  There is one tower that unarguably resembles the profile a very stately and proud old woman with some sort of extreme bun.  "The Queen's Head" has become a symbol of not only the town but the entire country, and was therefore appropriately touristy.  A path had been lain that swooped right past this geological curiosity and as-much-of-a-line-as-Asians-can-form had formed.  Josh managed to capture the grumpy old Taiwanese man who had stubbornly held up the line so he could waddle back and forth for the perfect position (much to the acrimony of the Korean family immediately behind him) and then his granddaughter could not understand cameras (more Korean ire ensues).

Of course I had to take the same photo myself.  I mean, who knows when that girl's going to collapse?  It's a miracle Fanapi didn't do her in.

On our way back into Wanli and subsequently the bus stop, we had to stop at one of the multitude of fresh fish restaurants for some sushi and squid.  We got decisively out-eaten by the nearby table of four, who had covered their Lazy Susan with five dishes.  Not too shameful, until on our way out we noticed two more platefuls headed over to the very same table of 4' tall stomachs with legs.


After the terrifying bus ride back to Taipei (as with most countries that aren't Japan, bus drivers floor it on mountain turns like they have IBS and it's trouble time), we made our way out to the port on the north-west edge of the city in a district known as Danshui.  The streets here boasted European store fronts and Victorian lamp posts, thanks mostly to one missionary whose name eludes me.  Aside from the atmosphere, this area is renowned for its oceanscape sunsets, which did not disappoint.  Not really the sappy type, but I just stared at this postcard scene until the last color left the sky.  It was to surreal to have been from a movie.  Rather, it was the type of sunset you'd imagine Chroma conducting in Phantom Tollbooth.

Surprisingly, by the end of this day we had both had our fill of Taiwan.  Opting for Thai food rather than local cuisine and eager to get home the following afternoon.  We pondered over green and coconut curries why the vacation had left us yearning for bibimbap.  Was it the exhaustion of non-stop walking?  The mild indigestion at the smell of wheel barrels filled with organ meats?  The frustration of being constantly in a city where we can't communicate or even sound out words?  Whatever the reason, we both agreed that the familiar sights and flavors of Seoul would  be a more than welcome comfort.

The trip wasn't quite over yet though.  We still hadn't climbed the towering Taipei 101.  It was as expected: tall.  More exciting than the prospect of standing atop the 2nd tallest building in the world was the ride to the top.  The elevator was equipped with airplane-style artificial atmosphere technology, since the ascent was too rapid to be bearable without cabin pressurization.  The shut down all the lights in the rocket-coffin except for twinkling constellations on the ceiling, presumably to keep you from panicking over a loss of power.  There was an eerie space music akin to the iPhone ringtone.

The other thing that was architecturally intriguing about this building was the "tuned mass damper sphere," a humongous pendulum of sorts housed inside one of the topmost floors.  I learned that this technology is commonplace in skyscrapers that are built in areas which experience earthquakes.  What I didn't learn was the physics behind how this 4-story tall steel sphere (the largest of its kind in the world) shakes instead of the building which stands around it.

The last stop before our plane departed was the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.  Commemorating one of the "founding fathers" of Taiwan, it is one of the most recognizable buildings in the city.  One of Chiang Kai-shek's right hand men, the statue of Dr. Sun leaves a very Asian-Lincoln Memorial impression

Taiwan left me with some beautiful natural memories and a permanent quest for Taipei bubble tea, but there's no substitute for comfort. Sadly it's taken me so long to finish the account of this trip that I've already come and gone on another. Next up: Vladivostok in late February. However, before I can romp around east coast Russia, I'll be back stateside for 12 days in early February. If there's anything you want from Korea, now's the time to ask!