On Tuesday morning, I was called in to my boss' room as soon as I came in for work. The next thing he said took me aback. I was asked to fly to Taipei the next day for a TVC shoot, a trip that he was supposed to go for but has now become my responsibility. I was stunned for a moment & wasn't sure whether to feel ecstatic or angry about the news.
Not surprisingly, I flipped at the thought of the last minute trip & made a huge fuss to my boss. "Do I look like a backup who can stand in at any time just because you couldn't?" I thought to myself angrily. In the end, I made a sacrifice & took the earliest flight to Taipei.
The trip was made more interesting with the people that I was bound to work with. Plus, Taipei is a great city despite my limited proficiency in Mandarin. The city is clean & well-planned while I'm all praised for their people's politeness. Since I'm already there, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to visit Taipei 101. Seeing the skyscraper looming in the background got me excited.
Work wasn't exactly smooth sailing but at least, it was completed. For the rest of the short trip, the experience was nothing short of great fun. We stopped by at Taipei 101 first before it closed for the night. The admission ticket cost NT$500, more costly than entering our Petronas Twin Towers. To be able to take the world's fastest elevator up to the top floors, why not?
The world's fastest elevator truly didn't disappoint, rising from 5th floor to 89th floor in 37 seconds! The ceiling of the elevator lit up with bright LED lights, reminiscing the starry night sky as the elevator rose to the upper floors. The sound effect & music made us felt like shooting up the stars. Awesome!
In order to reach the observatory deck, we had to climb 4 flight of stairs to arrive at 93rd floor. I'd have to admit the view was not the most stunning night view as one part of is pitch black (I believe that's the hill horizon). Nevertheless, it was still nice to witness Taipei's bustling night life at such high altitude.
Next, we descended back to the lower floors. The rest are mostly souvenir & snack shops; theatre rooms to view video recordings of the skyscraper's construction & its pyrotechnic fireworks on New Year's Eve. Here is the mass tuned damper that keeps the Taipei 101 at bay during typhoons & earthquakes.
Our tour did not end just yet. Not wanting to miss Taipei's famous pasar malam, we took the cabs to Shihlin Night Market. It's considered the cleanest night market I've ever seen in my life. Although I ended up with empty hands, I got to try out their pricey cut fruits. Their pineapples are the best - so juicy & sweet, not acidic at all. Taking a stroll at the night market felt quite safe because I didn't feel like I was being followed & pickpocketed. That's not to say there's no risk at all, but the people are generally nice people.
On our last day, we had lunch at this artistically designed restaurant right next to our hotel. You wouldn't believe that it's a restaurant because it resembled an art museum. The food was a little pricey but tasted pretty good.
When we packed our bags & headed to the airport, we left with heavy hearts. The city is so clean & the toilets are fantastic - squeaky clean & futuristic XD. Did I mention that almost any building you set foot on has free high-speed WiFi, with no password? I'm coming back for you, Taipei. That's for sure. I guess I should rest my case for being angered by the last minute trip. Anything to have great travel companions to fill in the bitterness.
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