10.04 - Day 13 - Kaohsiung to Taipei, Taiwan

Friday 10th April
Kaohsiung to Taipei, Taiwan
Temperature - Min 22, Max 30
20,678 steps

A similar-ish walk to yesterday to start the day, roads beginning to buzz with workers commuting or children being taken to school.

We've commented on the social fabric based on what we've seen especially when it comes to road rules - here and in Taipei it all seems civil and obedient. Pedestrians too - no crossing here unless a green man flashing and the grid road system generates lots of traffic lights.

The obedient behaviour even extends to on the trains; like taking calls only at the end of a carriage. The food trolley man is also quick to admonish a man who plays a video out loud on his phone at his seat.

Breakfast for the last time at Joho Hotel is more dumplings and salmon and soon we're heading to catch our 10:55am train back to Taipei. 294 kilometers per hour is the top speed we spy this time but it still feels effortless or nonchalant. There's a smattering of rice fields but a lot of built up areas that we whizz through.

Arriving anywhere for a second time is easier and we confidently walk back to Just Sleep Hotel where we check in to the same rooms as last time albeit on different floors.

Kate, Sienna, Seb and I head out for dumplings (for the second time today for Sienna and Seb) while Mema and Pawpaw finish their Bento box sushi from the train for lunch.

After some clothes washing and coffees on level 5 we venture out to go see Taipei 101.

Catching the metro there is easy and on level 5 we buy tickets to head up to the observation floor on level 89. The lift from level 5 to 89 peaks at a 1,010 metres per second - suffice to say everyone's ears pop.

Being the tallest building itself means there's no obstructions and we can see just how far the city sprawls along the contours of the valley that it sits in.

  

There's lots of installations on the observation floor for people to pose in front of. I don't know who Monday Blues Bear is but he seemed popular to stand with, so too the plastic butterflies and wooden swing. The yellow damper ball which sits in the middle of the building is impressive; it's 660 tons supported by rope acting to lessen any swaying of the building.

As we head to sunset time the west side of the floor is noticeably busier. In the end the sun turns red and dissolves into the haze before it properly sets. It's all a good set up though considering Taipei 101 is really the city skyline attraction but now you're in it.

It also has us marvelling and clutching at stomachs to imagine climbing the outside of it with no harnesses as Alex Honnolt did just a few months ago whilst being recorded for Netflix - with a 30 second lag on the coverage just in case…

All bar me head back to Ximending to find dinner of chicken and rice. I instead walk 20 minutes through some bustling streets to Huien Park joining four others who are also taking some snaps of the night skyline.

A further 10 minutes on is a popular spot for a photo but it's too busy for me to hang around waiting for people to strike a perfect pose. After catching a bus the wrong direction I finally get back to Just Sleep around 9:00pm where everyone is ready for bed.