Trying to get my ultralight packing mojo back – my trip to DC involved all sorts of heavy items like denim (jacket, jeans) and boots. This list includes both what went into my bag and what I will wear on the plane. Total weight of my bag, packed, is 18 lbs. The basic strategy is [...]

Friday we made our first of two planned trips to the National Palace Museum. Our son had to work, but walked us to the Fuzhong MRT station near our hotel, bought us 2 EasyCards, and explained the system. We took the MRT to Shilin, at which point the guidebook advises transferring to a bus, but [...]

Taipei’s subway system (the MRT) opened in 1996, with construction taking place between 1988 and 2009. The system is cheap, clean, easy to navigate, and extraordinarily accessible. Here is a trip through the system, from an accessibility point of view: As you approach the station, which may have several numbered entrances, look for a sign [...]

Sunday morning we got up and saw blue sky. With only 40% chance of precipitation predicted, today was going to be the day to be outside, so we planned to go to Yangmingshan National Park. Following the directions in the guidebook, we took the MRT to Jiantan, and found the stop for the #260 bus. [...]

Monday we visited Longshan Temple and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Longshan Temple is the oldest temple in Taipei. I only have a few pictures from the courtyard, as the temple proper is not accessible (click on the photo to see it full size): Then we took the subway to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which is [...]

Taipei 101 is a skyscraper in the Xinyi district of Taipai – it was the world’s tallest building from 2004 until this year (it was, of course, inevitable that something taller would be built). The first 5 floors are shopping mall, very upscale, and a big food court, which includes my daughter’s former employer, Coldstone [...]

On a nice day, going to the Taipei Zoo, having a walk along the river, and riding the Maokong Gondola would be good things to do. Sadly, what we had was a very rainy day, so just a short, wet, cold visit to the zoo. The zoo is in a hilly, verdant area. While generally [...]