Mengjia Longshan Temple—oldest temple in Taipei; originally built in 1738, it has been rebuilt and renovated several times due to its destruction in earthquakes, fires and wars
Dates visited: December 18, 2014 – December 21, 2014
Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan (officially called Republic of China), was a last-minute addition to our three-week long Southeast Asia vacation since Rohan wanted to visit Taipei 101 (the sixth tallest building as of January 2015). His friends had visited Taipei 101 a year ago and based on their discussions, he had gotten interested in four aspects of the building—(1) measuring 1,667 ft (508 m), it used to be the tallest building in the world from 2004-2010, (2) it has the world’s fastest passenger elevator, (3) the “damper baby” mascot, and (4) buying the damper baby mascots for his friends since they hadn’t been able to purchase them during the visit.
Rohan was tremendously excited to make it to the observation deck on the 89th floor of Taipei 101 (101 is because it has 101 floors). The elevators have a maximum speed of 1,010 m/min (3,313 ft/min), equivalent to 37.6 mph (60.6 km/h) and blast you to the 89th floor in just 40 seconds! The visibility was okay during our visit, but the view of the city is nothing to write home about. Rohan went nuts posing with the damper babies (the damper baby mascot is based on the building’s damper that is used to reduce the swaying of the tower during strong winds) and finally got to buy the damper babies for his friends. The look of relief and satisfaction on his face was priceless!
We visited several beautiful temples such as Mengjia Longshan Temple, Dalongdong Baoan Temple, Taipei Confucius Temple and Ciyou Temple (a hidden gem near Raohe Street Night Market). While the temples started looking the same by the end of the day, it was fascinating to see throngs of devotees praying and offering gifts to the deities. But it was even more fascinating to learn about the concept of Jiaobei blocks or moon blocks… …these are crescent-shaped blocks that you use to seek an immediate answer from the god! You ask the question and drop the blocks—depending on their resting position, the answer can be a yes, no, or unclear so ask again. Simple as that!!
I had the most fun at Raohe Street Night market. It was my first “night market” exposure and I was totally in awe of the Saturday crowds, energy and ambiance I did not have the guts (or the stomach) to try street food but just the sights and smells convinced me that it must be absolutely delectable. The market was jam-packed with locals, tourists, food carts, shops, restaurants, and being jostled and pushed around was a part of the experience I will never forget!
We made a whirlwind visit to the National Palace Museum (since we were jet lagged) to see the famous Jadeite Cabbage and the Meat-shaped Stone. Since there were no crowds (we visited the museum couple of hours before extended closing hours), I had ample time to observe and inspect these two antiquities and I still do not know why people queue up for hours to get a glimpse of a cabbage and a meat-shaped piece of rock, when there is so much other awesome stuff on display! Maybe I should use the Jiaobei blocks to find that answer… …
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- Taipei 101… …shaped like a bamboo or like a stack of Chinese take-out boxes?
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- Rohan was jet lagged but did not want to give up the photo op for having traveled in the world’s fastest passenger elevator in Taipei 101
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- Main Hall of Mengjia Longshan Temple… …the temple worships Buddhist as well as Taoist deities
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- Praying with incense sticks in hand, and the God’s name on the lips
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- Kau Cim sticks and Jiaobei blocks are commonly found in temples to ensure instant and guaranteed communication with gods
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- People love riding their motorbikes here
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- Just loved the odd-shaped emergency two-wheeler vehicles
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- The lively Jianguo Holiday Jade and Flower Market is set up under a bridge
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- At Liberty Square… …the white and blue color combination has a feeling of vigor and freshness
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- National Concert Hall at Memorial Hall Square
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- A lady preparing an offering to present to the deity
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- Goddess Mazu inside Mengjia Longshan Temple… …she protects seafarers, such as fishermen and sailors
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- At the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market
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- Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall… …erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of Taiwan; the four sides are white while the roof is blue and octagonal
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- Statue of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of Taiwan, at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
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- Food carts/stalls along a street… …getting ready for the night market
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- This little piggy went to Raohe Street Night Market… …what else can I say? I just had to take this picture!!!
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- Front Hall of Dalongdong Baoan Temple with the dragon door to the left and the tiger door to the right
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- Statues of Baosheng Emperor inside Dalongdong Baoan Temple… …he specialized in traditional Chinese medicine and is credited with several medical miracles such as applying eye drops to a dragon’s eye and removing a foreign object from a tiger’s throat
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- National Palace Museum… …it has over 696,000 artifacts but only 1% of the collection is exhibited at a given time; the rest of the collection is stored in temperature controlled vaults
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- At the Memorial Hall Square, with the the National Theater to the left and National Concert Hall to the right
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- Changing of the guards ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
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- Wanren Gongqiang high wall and a bridge across Pan Pond at Taipei Confucius Temple… …the high walls are typical of Confucius temples indicating that those who wish to learn must take the effort to go through the main temple gates
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- A dragon peers down at all temple visitors
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- At the Jianguo Holiday Jade Market
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- The entrance to a completely new experience… …at Raohe Street Night Market
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- Raohe Street Night Market gets busy with food lovers of all ages
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- Taipei Confucius Temple—modeled after the original Confucius Temple in Qufu, China… …originally built in 1879, but after demolition, it was rebuilt in 1930
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- Chefs at the famous Din Tai Fung restaurant… ..the assembly line is working on their signature xiaolongbao (steamed dumplings filled with pork)
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- The beautifully lit-up Ciyou Temple near Raohe Street Night Market
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- Chinese dragon on Mengjia Longshan Temple… …the temple is built using Taiwanese and Chinese architectural themes
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- Goofing off with Gordon (our guide) on the 89th floor Observatory of Taipei 101
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- View of the city from the 89th floor Observatory of Taipei 101
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- Posing with the “Lucky Red” damper baby at Taipei 101
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- Posing with the “Rich Gold” damper baby at Taipei 101
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- Shengnong Emperor inside Dalongdong Baoan Temple… …he is credited with inventing farming tools and teaching farming to the people
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- Just walking through Raohe Street Night Market can be fun
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- Squid on a stick… …need I say more?
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- Section of the Main Entrance to the Taipei Confucius Temple… …instead of guardian deities there are 108 decorative studs protruding from the door
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- Vendor at Raohe Street Night Market
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- Close-up of Ciyou Temple near Raohe Street Night Market
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- Dragon on Ciyou Temple
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- Vendor at Raohe Street Night Market
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- Strolling in the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market
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- Adjusting incense sticks in a gold-plated, heavily-ornate censer