2013-05 Taipei

Alongside the Taipei Main Station, there was a display of old narrow gauge engine and a self-powered rail car.  The yellow car, as it was called, was used to transport students for much of it's life

I then got on the subway to head down to Taipei 101, which at one time was the worlds tallest building.  It has been surpassed by others now, but it still claims the worlds fastest elevator.  It went from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in just 37 seconds, hitting a top speed of 38 MPH.  Once at the top on the 89th floor, there is an enclosed observation deck offering 360° view of Taipei and the surrounding countryside.  The 91st floor offers a outdoor observation deck, but only one side was open on the day I was up there due to high winds.

In addition to the views, there are many displays of local art and jewelry to look at.  Many are made from sea deep sea coral and is called gemstone coral.  This is from depths of over 100m, and is not like the shallow water coral reefs.

There were also some gorgeous displays of carved jade and a 4' wide amethyst.  

 Going down to the 88th floor you get to see a very large mass tuned damper that is used to minimize the swaying and movement of the building, due to either winds or earthquakes.  The ball weighs over 700 tons with a diameter of 18 feet.

My last stop of the day was at Chiang Kia-Shek Memorial Park.  There was a lot of activity going on at the park as usual.  Out on the large open square, a school rifle corp was practicing.  They had set up football yard markers on the square, making it just like a football field so that they could stay in their straight lines and formations.  A little farther down, the drum line was practicing on a sidewalk, and the brass band was doing its practice under a tree.  I'm not sure if they were all from the same group and if they were going to put it all together at a later time, as they were all dressed in very casual clothes.