Trip to Taiwan - Day 1

I found out on Wednesday, July 1 that I did not have to be in school on Monday July 6 and Tuesday July 7. So, naturally, I decided to take a trip. On Thursday I booked my plane and hostel for Taiwan from Sat Jul 4th through Wednesday July 7th. It was a great trip with many highlights, and amazing scenery.
I read that Taiwanese people are very nice, and always help out tourists and foreigners. I found this to be true before I even landed. On the plane to Taipei, the man sitting next to me was from Taiwan, temporarily living in Korea. He talked to me about Taiwan, answered some questions, and helped me out with information. When we landed, he helped me through the airport, and took me to the right place to get a bus. On the way, he bought me a cold Coke, and at the bus stop, he paid for my ticket to downtown Taipei. Once in Taipei, he helped me get a taxi and told the driver where to go. This was a great way to start my trip. It's not that I wouldn't have been able to find the bus and get to my hostel, but his generosity in helping, and offering to pay for the transport was wonderful. He told me he had a coastal house in the north, and gave me his number to call him on Monday. This would prove to be helpful as well.
Anyway, after checking in to my hostel and picking up some tourist maps, I ventured out into the vastness that is the city of Taipei. My first stop was the Taipei 101 Tower. It is currently the tallest building in the world, although the Burj Dubai will pass it once completed. It is not just a tower, but a huge mall and shopping complex, as well as a symbol for the country of Taiwan. It was only completed 5 years ago, and the entire section of the city in which is sits was rice patties less than 20 years ago. They call it "Taipei's Manhattan" now, and it has become the hub of shopping, nightlife and entertainment in Taipei.
I first grabbed a quick bite in the food court, then headed to the observatory elevator. Here, they make sure you know that this is the worlds fasted elevator. Taking you from the 5th floor to the 91st in a mere 35 seconds. The guide on the elevator first said this in Chinese, then English. Hard to give a 20-secodn spiel twice in 35 seconds, let alone in two languages. Yet, she did it. Once I stepped out of the elevator, a magnificient view of Taipei and its surroundings awaited me. The inside observatory level has an audio tour which tells you kep facts about the city, and the history of certain lankmarks within view. Helpful, but not the greatest thing in the world. I decided to head upstairs to the outdoor level to get the full effect. In 3 directions all I saw was just buildings, buildings and buildings. To the north were mountains, and I could see the city slowly crawling up the base. One interesting fact; there are two identical bridges crossing the river, pretty much parrallel to one another, called McArthur Bridge 1 and McArthur bridge 2. Named after Gen Douglas MacArthur. They love him in Taipei.
After gettin my fill of the city, I decided to head to the memorials, and see them from the ground level. It was only a 10-minute walk over to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen memorial hall. He was the first person to defy the communists, and he established the current political party still in power. He was basically Taiwan's George Washington, only with a few minor differences. He wanted Taiwan to be the capital of the entire country of China, and for a while it was. He did not want to be a separate country, but rather the controlling portion. Some parts of his history were a bit muddled, as the translation from Chinese was not perfect. Either way, a glorious memorial. They have guards posted in front, and I was able to see the "changing of the guard" ceremony. A large crowd formed in the main hall and watchd as the new gaurds slowly marched in, the old guards stepped down, they twirled some guns, made some noises, and then the new guards slowly walked away as the new ones went up on the podiums. Many pictures of this on the photo site.
Quick note; while touring the grounds, I noticed several teenagers in several different groups performing dance routines, and practicing. I found out later this is a common occurrence in many public places. Some are for fun, some are for school projects. Either way, better than sitting at home watching TV. I also had 2 high school seniors approach me with a sign that said "Nice to meet you," apparently they are going around, finding foreingers, and videotaping them saying this phrase, adn they will put it on youtube. I happily obliged, and snapped a pic with them.
After finishing at SYS memorial, I headed over to the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial. Another stunning memorial perched atop a billion stairs in a grand courtyard. CKS was the successor to SYS, and really drove hard against the communists. His legacy is not as positive as SYS, as CKS has many people who still resent him and his period of ruling called the "White Terror." Basically anyone who was presumed to be a communist was tortured, imprisoned, or killed. This obviouslyt irked some people. Still, most people are fond of him and what he did for Taiwan. On the groudns of the memorial are also Taipei's two most important theatres, both stunningy built in traditionsl Chinese architecture. The whole complex also has a very beautiful pond and nature area (as did SYS memorial), and is guarded by a large, 5 arched traditional Chinese gate. They also have the changing of guards here, and I was able to see them do the final performance. Much the same as the SYS memorial.
From there, I headed over to the Longshan Temple. This is a Taoist temple with simple gorgeous and detailed architecture. Before I walked in, I noticed a stage set up across the street where they were preparing for a traditional Taiwanese puppet show. I watied for a few minutes, then headed to the temple. Once inside I was amazed at the amount of people. None of them were tourists, they were all there to pray, reflect, respect, etc.. All of them had several sticks of insence in their hands and where bowing repeatedly, silently mouthing words, then putting the insence into gold cauldrons. At the rear of the temple was a large table filled to capacity with offerings of food and goods. It was like nothing I'd seen before, and I felt a little out of place taking pictures. But the temple was gorgeous and I enjoyed walking around the grounds, looking at all the different statures and sculptures.
After the temple, I went back to the puppet show stage, where the show was fully in progress. I found a seat off to the side and watched for about 15 minutes. I had no clue was the story was, but the music and theatrics told me all I needed to know. A wonderfully entertaining show I definitely can't see in the US.
For the last stop of the day, I headed to one of Taipei's famous night markets. They are all over the city, and stay open till the wee hours of the morning. This one was basially a long stree with vendors and shops all along both sides. The name given to this one was snake alley. I discoverd why as I was leaving. I strolled down taking in the sounds, sights and smells of a place that is distinctly Taipei. I needed to eat dinner, so I was looking for someplace that didnt have hanging animals in front of it. After walking past hundreds of little shops and brushing off tens of merchants yelling at me to buy their stuff, I found a little stand cooking what looked like great food. I took a seat, and the owner hadned me an English menu. I made my choices, then watched as the chef cooked on the grill right in front of me, basically attached to the table. He put the plates on the edge of the grill, where I could reach them, and after dramatically flavoring, flipping and sauteeing my food, threw it on the plate for me to enjoy. And enjoy it I did. Authentic, flavorful, filling, and cheap. A great choice.
While walking back down the alley I noticed a crowd of people gatherd around one store. Naturally, I went in for a closer look. Inside a cage was a large yellow snake, in the middle of devouring a frehsly-killed rat. I looked again and noticed a wall full of snake cages, and hundreds of rats anboved them, unknowingly waiting for their turn to be entertainment. On the counter was a now-full snake, calmly sitting, letting people pet him. I ran my hand across it a few times, then decided to call it a night.
A very busy, entertaining, cultural and fun day had come to and end. A great start to a wonderufl weekend-to-be. I took the crowded metro back to my hostel and attempted to sleep oin the 90 degree heat. There was AC, but it was barely functional. Either way, I fell asleep and was ready for the next day.