Taipei 101 towers over the other buildings of Taipei. It dominates the skyline of the city. As the ninth tallest building in the world, this is to be expected. However, in most cities with one of these tallest buildings, other buildings nearby mask its true scale. Taipei 101 stands practically alone with no buildings in the vicinity reaching even half of its height.
Elephant Hill
Erected near the edge of Taipei’s bowl, Taipei 101 can be seen very well from the nearby hills. The most notable for viewing the tower is Elephant Hill or Xiangshan. A hiking trail leads up to several overlooks of the city. Beware though, this is a typical Chinese hiking trail with stairs climbing very steep grades. The sweat and work are worth it though when you see the spectacular views. The trail itself is also quite lovely being lush and green on both sides.
A Daytime Visit
I made my reservation online before going to Taipei. The forecast predicted rain and clouds most of my time in Taiwan, so I booked the ticket for the first day, which appeared it would be clear. After hiking Elephant Hill, I walked down to the tower. First, I had a delicious bite to eat from the Michelin Star restaurant in the mall food court.
Then, I went up and checked in a bit early. This wasn’t a problem, so I went up and enjoyed the views. It wasn’t perfectly clear, but it was still spectacular. At least it was better than my ascent up the ICC in Hong Kong. I walked around and around gazing out the windows. I climbed up a couple more floors to the outdoor observation deck. The views helped me plan my next few days of activities.
A Nighttime Visit
That night, the tower beckoned to me again. I had not planned on going up twice, but I did. My night visit had a little lower visibility, but it was still wonderful. As I walked back to the subway that night, I also shot a few great night pictures of this beautiful building.
The Damper
Both visits included the superfast elevator, once the fastest in the world, and the wind damper. This engineering feat is one of the marvels that allows for such megalithic structures to be built. The damper is a giant ball that acts as a counter weight against strong winds and other movement of the building. Taipei 101 is the first skyscraper I have visited that made the damper a part of the experience.
Other Views of Taipei 101
In addition to the views from the building and of the building from Elephant Hill, I saw this beauty from all around the city. One of my favorites was from the pond at Sun YatSent Memorial Hall. The tower reflects so beautifully off the water.
