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Taipei, Taiwan is more --Asian--than any city I have visited this trip. There are more signs in English in Hong Kong and
Bangkok both than I have seen here. Although I have not had a problem communicating in the hotel and restaurants, it is less
likely to find English speaking people in just about every other place I have been. That is number one. Number two is a biggie
--- Welcome to Taipei! I was awakened at about 3 my first morning with the bed shaking and the room waving about in a frenzy.
Took me a couple of seconds to realize that we were in the middle of an earthquake!! They
said at the desk later in
the morning that it was a 5.9. I do not know about you but that is a biggie to me--and I have even lived in Los Angeles !!!
I was not terribly happy about that little incident but finally went back to sleep for a bit. What a way to start the visit!
The hotel is a treasure. It is ancient and could very well have been a palace of some sort. I stayed at the Grand
Hotel Taipei 30 years ago on my first visit to Taiwan. The place IS truly grand. There is English available on their site
so check it out.http://www.grand-hotel.org.
We visited several places of note such as Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial,
the Martyrs Shrine War Memorial, the National Palace Museum and a beautiful Chinese Temple. Driving around the city I noticed
a lot of green -- trees, bushes among the flora---beautifully peaceful areas in a bustling big city.
Taipei is
not a cheap city. Hong Kong was much more affordable when it came to eating out and Bangkok even more so. Mind you, the
food in a class restaurant here is wonderful but you certainly pay for it!
I have always loved big cities and Taipei
is certainly up there with the best of them. The city sits on the northern tip of Taiwan Island.
Always very important
to the success of any vist in an international location (or domestic one for that matter) is the choice of hotel. For this
trip to Taipei I chose the Grand Hotel Taipei. I stayed here over 30 years ago and the grandeur of this magnificent place
is still very much in evidence. Check it out with the link below.
I am never bored in a city with this much colorful
vitality --- AND good food!
GRAND HOTEL TAIPEI !
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