January 28, 2008 · 10:31 am

Top Of The Foggy World

Woke up to buffet breakfast yet again, before heading to the Xinyi District Administration Center of Taipei City so Dad could get some of his documents sorted out. As he and Uncle Yang sat around waiting for numbers to change, I took a walk around and attempted to snap some artistic pictures. Of course I failed miserably and instead ended up just buying a cup of hot milk tea before heading back to join the brainless wait for numbers.

The staff here were surprisingly helpful, kept asking us to take a seat and offering us drinks.

I settled for a "Zhao Pai Nai Cha" from here instead.

One of my pathetic arty pics attempts. I thought the building was colourful and cute anyways.

Once the documents were done, Uncle Yang headed back to his office while Dad and I
went to visit the famous Taipei 101 Building, Tallest-Building-In-The-World. Unfortunately, it was a
rainy and foggy day so there wasn't much of a view. However, the
experience of being right up there was pretty cool and of course, the ride in the "Fastest-Elevator-In-The-World" was impressive. Since it was so foggy, we didn't get the guide zappers which are meant to tell you more about the surrounding areas. Instead, we walked around on our own and froze our butts off at the outdoor deck.

An attempt at an arty shot of the Taipei 101

Pretty blue box anyone?

One of the many entrances

Dad entering the Express Elevator

26 floors in 8 seconds!

Max speed at 1010 m/minute

Balance ball that weighs a whooping 660 tonnes

Me and Dad in front of the Balance Ball

Foggy view from 89 floors up

Windy and Foggy on the 91st Floor

Dad still doesn't smile in pictures... *pout*

Seasonal postcards set from the gift shop

No prizes for guessing who I posted cards to

We spent about an hour at the observatory before heading for some lunch in the Warner Village cafetaria. I had some of the best Mango Snow Ice I've ever had. It beats everything I've had in Singapore and comes really close to Xu Liu Shan in Hong Kong. Also had some kueh and meat ball soup which is entirely different from what we have in Singapore. I'm still not used to them not serving everything with chilli though. Chilli is such a Singaporean thing. After lunch, Dad went back to the hotel to rest while I went shopping on my own. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything interesting, just an Esprit Outlet store where I bought a denim skirt. Headed back to the hotel after I tired myself out looking for a suitcase. I really need to find a suitcase tomorrow or my new shopping purchases will have no where to go!

Went for a rather rowdy dinner with Dad's old schoolmates in the evening. They were all very warm and regalled me with funny stories about the various scraps they used to get into when they were younger. Everyone kept exclaiming about how I was tinny when they last met me and how I've grown up now. Of course, the dreaded questions on "Do you have a boyfriend?" "When are you making your Dad a Grandpa?" and the best one "You're the eldest among all our children, so don't make us wait too long ok?" So much pressure in so little time! I wonder what would happen if I actually answered those questions

Anyhow, the food was pretty good. I had Taiwanese style chicken rice which tasted quite different. Also enjoyed the other assorted Taiwanese dishes and some really good clam and chicken soup. The weirdest thing tonight had to be the dessert though. Taro balls with curry? Bread pudding with coffee caramel? Both items which I only tried and tasted, but didn't finish. I was finally witness to Dad and his friends' drinking power as they downed 3 bottles of 1.5 litre red wines between them. The red wine was mostly consumed by my Dad, Uncle Yang and Uncle Chen, which explains why Dad came back to the hotel, collapsed on the bed and KOed again.

Ji Jia Zhaung Main Restaurant where we had yet another great dinner.