The Taipei 101 is a one of a kind building. For a couple of years, it was the tallest building in the world – until Dubai finished the Burj Khalifa in 2010. But it’s not really special for its height, but for its design – like the nodes of a bamboo pole. Or, for the more crude, Chinese takeout containers stacked on top of each other.
It took me quite some time visit the Taipei 101, since I waited for the perfect weather, so I could see far into the distance from the observation tower. But it was totally worth it.
Wherever you go in Taipei, you can’t avoid seeing the Taipei 101 – given its profile and height, it’s visible from almost anywhere.
Even through the fog:
The base of the Taipei 101 is a shopping mall – sleek, modern, and utterly boring. Also, empty.
But from the base, for NT500 (~$17), you can ride the world’s fastest elevator to the observation deck. From the outside, the elevator looks incredibly plain:
On the inside though, there’s a helpful display showing current altitude, as well as speed – and this elevator tops off at 1000+ meters per minute.
And of course, at the top of the ride, there is helpful display telling you exactly how fast you just went:
Once you’re at the observation deck, you’re treated to an absolutely amazing panoramic view of Taipei. And you realize, Taipei is a city built right on the edges of a mountain range, with buildings nestled in the mountain’s valleys:
There’s also an outdoor observatory! It’s walled off, but you can still see into the distance, feel the wind, and look up at the tip top peak of the Taipei 101:
When I was at the top, the winds were so high, that they were whistling through the metal guards.
On the observation deck, they also displayed the submissions of a photo contest, trying to get the best picture of the Taipei 101. Here are some of my favorites:
Since Taiwan is somewhat of an earthquake-prone country, the Taipei 101 relies on this massive several-hundred-ton balance ball to keep it from wobbling:
Interestingly enough, this balance ball has also become the mascot for the Taipei 101. Apparently, there are a few different colors of the mascot, and they stand for… something?
The sunset viewed from the Taipei 101 is pretty good:
And once the sun goes down, the night scenery is also quite nice:
All in all, I found the Taipei 101 to be quite nice – very nice views, and not too much of a tourist trap (I’m looking at you, KL Tower). You do have to walk through a jade / sea coral gallery on your way to the down elevator, but even though I didn’t buy anything, I still enjoyed the artistic talent that went into making these art pieces:
