Taipei 101 & Jiufen!!!

 

WEEK THREE IN TAIWAN!

 By: Daniel Villasenor

   My third week in Taiwan has been great! This week, I visited Taipei 101, Jiufen Old Street, and Yangminshan mountain which were all beautiful places. These places were all on my list of places to visit and for good reason. There was nothing like walking through Jiufen Old Street while drinking milk tea and enjoying the views of the ocean as the sun set. 

 During the week, I visited the top of Taipei 101, the 11th tallest building in the world.  The views were amazing! You could see one end of Taiwan to the other, overlooking the ocean on the east coast. There were a few different places to get something to snack on, especially Milksha, where I got a brown sugar boba milk tea. After walking around the observatory, I got to see the tuned mass damper which keeps Taipei 101 standing after earthquakes and strong winds. This giant orb acts as a counterbalance and keeps the building from swaying.

   The following day, I took a hike in the Yangmingshan mountain where I got to see a small waterfall which looked really nice. Walking over to the waterfall, I saw a giant wild monkey running but it ran away before I could take a picture. Taiwan's greenery is no joke, as it is home to giant trees with long vines and palms which looked so different than those back home. I loved this hike and it was so peaceful (apart from the mosquitos)!

Lastly, I visited Jiufen Old Street, a landmark that acts kind of like a night market but operates during the day. On a mountain with several really nice buildings, Jiufen stands out with it's lanterns and views of the ocean. This was by far one of my most favorite places that I have visited in Taiwan as the whole place holds a lot of really interesting history and really cool shops.

With two more weeks left in Taiwan, I have so many more places to visit. I hope that I can visit at least half of the places I want to go to! If not, I would love to return to Taiwan one day. 

Best, 

Daniel Villasenor