Trackpadder: Journeys of a teacher: Day 22:From Tianmu to Taipei 101

Saturday was a pretty full on day. I finally found Cafe Showroom in the Songshan district. This cafe was mentioned in A Hungry girl's guide to Taipei. It was well worth the trip out. My only confusion lie in the fact that Fujin Road is split into two so after walking aimlessly in the heat I finally asked someone and they told me to cab there as it was quite far from where I was.

Fujin Street, Taipei

Fujin Road and the surrounding area is definitely very hip and slightly upmarket. I did ask one of my teachers and this area is well known for its schools. I loved the tree lined streets which provided much welcomed shade.

Street signage

After checking out Songshan Airport, I decided to head again for Yangmingshan and get off at the Chinese Cultural University. By the time I caught the train and the bus, it was 5:45pm when I reached the Tianmu Trail, my final destination. As I walked down into the bamboo forest, I saw other people coming up the trail. Finally I did ask someone if I had plenty of time to get down to Tianmu before it got dark.

The walk was well worth it. It is refreshing to know that these areas of natural beauty are so close to the bustle and noise of Taipei city. I enjoyed it immensely and some of the views were breathtaking. It would be one major advantage of living in Taipei; the ability to just get away from people and be alone for a while with nature. I finished the walk by late evening and headed down to Jiantan station. Another great aspect of Taipei is that hot springs are aplenty and not far. A short ride into the hills can have you soaking away those aches and pains.

View from Tianmu trail

Mountains of Yangmingshan

Tianmu Trail

Dusk

In start contrast, Taipei 101 was my destination on Sunday. My first visit was in early winter and, due to high winds and lightening, I was not able to go out onto the observation deck on the 90th floor. However on Sunday, weather conditions were fine and aside from some strong winds, part of the observation deck was open. It was well worth the lining up down on the 5th floor and once up on observation deck, the views are breathtaking.