Rick's Roadshow: Taipei, Taiwan

Rick's Roadshow continues from beautiful Taipei, in the Republic of China, more commonly known as Taiwan. My business colleagues have extended warm hospitality to me once again, for which I am grateful. We have squeezed in some sight-seeing around the work portions of my visit. Here I am seated on the base of a huge Chinese lion. The weather has been very nice- my short-sleeve Natural Balance shirt was ideal for the pleasant temperatures that day.

I was delighted when my colleagues brought me to the National Palace Museum, which houses an outstanding collection of Asian art, including bronze, textiles, writings, and religious art. I found it to be among some of the finest museums I have visited in my world travels, and highly recommend it to any student of world history. Of course, you cannot take photos from inside the museum, so take my word for it. Here are a range of photos from in and around Taipei. As I mentioned yesterday my time is limited so I apologize in advance for not posting my commentary with each photo, so please enjoy the photo show.

Taiwan founder Sun Yat Sen

Yang Min National Park

view from high up Yang Min Mountain

more flowers in bloom!

fields of calla lilies in bloom on Yang Min Mountain

'Top' restaurant on Yang Min Mountain

an ideal setting for dinner

great mood lighting overlooking Taipei

elegant private dining rooms, nestled in the mountainside

fresh sliced fruit- looks delicious doesn't it?

I love Buddhist Temples

the temple roof details are magnificent

I had some time to pray at the Temple too!

look closely, its a huge dragon spouting water

Night Market in Taipei- they serve snake there! blech

Rick's Roadshow: Taipei, Taiwan Day 3

I decided to squeeze in one more installment of Rick's Roadshow from Taipei. After dinner Monday night I went walking around to see a few sights. Since it was so dark I didn't capture great photos, since my camera isn't very sophisticated. However, the lights are dramatic and make the buildings look stunning. These photos are all from Freedom Square (or Liberty Square) in Taipei. I had not seen these during the day, so it was a real treat for me to see them before I left. Here is a quick run down of what I saw.

above: a sweeping view of the Liberty/Freedom Square. One left and right are the National Theatre and National Concert Halls, and straight ahead are the Freedom archways.

above: The National Theatre

above: National Concert Hall

above: I just liked the angle of this shot.

above: close-up of this sign reads: National Theatre

above: the rich, bright colors were very dramatic against the black night sky

above: Chiang Kai-Shek Hall. He was the former President of Taiwan.

above: the contrast of this white stone Chinese lion in the dark of night caught my attention. Hope you enjoyed my last few photos of Taipei as much as I did.
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow: Taipei, Taiwan Day 2

Rick's Roadshow from Taipei, Taiwan continues with day two. I spent most of Monday on appointments and had limited time for sight seeing. I did, however get to visit the Taipei 101 landmark skyscraper building. With 101 floors above ground and 5 below ground, it set World Records in 2004 as follows: the structure's height is 508 meters, or 1,667 feet high. It boasts the tallest roof at 448 meters, and the tallest occupied floor at 438 meters. Guinness Records certified it as having the world's fastest elevator speed, moving at 1,010 meters per minute. If you just did the math in your head, then yes, you read that correctly, that does mean it goes from the bottom to the top in less than a minute! It has the world's biggest passive wind damper (see photo further below). The building foundation is fortified by 380 piles, going 80 meters into the ground and 30 meters into bedrock! It can sustain gale winds of 60 meters per second, and also the strongest earthquake on record for the past 2,500 years. It is quite attractive, with a sort of Asian Pagoda motif. Check out these ultra cool photos:

above: ground floor entrance to the building. I like the design.

above: I like the detail like this corner piece, its called a ruyi, an ancient symbol associated with heavenly cloud. They are found around the building from top to bottom.

above: inside the building, at the ground floor you can see these huge cushion supports, which are quite attractive, don't you think?

above: at the top there are these wonderful details, like this one.

above: view from top out and down. The gold roof is a building I posted yesterday, standing in from of it head on.

above: Still looking down from the top; I just liked the contrast of the green mountain sides with the city sprawl in the foothills.

above: standing in front of the Damper. It weighs 660 metric tons, has a diameter of 5.5 meters and was made of 41 layers of 13 cm thick solid steel plates. It cost a whopping $132 million. The giant gold vertical cables are on four sides keeping it balanced.
NOW FOR THE ULTRA FAST ELEVATOR VIDEO CLIP:
Sorry it was taken sideways, just turn your head to enjoy this quick clip. You will be looking at the screen inside the elevator showing the progress of the elevator as it moves back down from the top in about 40 seconds or so. Watch the orange dot int he center move down the middle of the building diagram.

Then onto Lunch....

above: I've been treated to some of the most delicious Chinese/Taiwanese food for the past two and a half days. I missed the name of this place but it has been in business since 1895.

above: when you walk in, these two chefs are busy preparing noodles, rice and other dishes right there before you eyes. It was pretty cool!
Tomorrow I leave Taiwan. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this stop. My business meetings were productive, and equally important I enhanced my business relationships while here. In addition to that, I feel enriched by a dose of Eastern philosophy from an important new friend. Regular readers know that I do not believe in coincidences in this life. I had the exceptional good fortune to spend some quality time with a very prominent, sage man, revered locally for his wisdom. After a private audience with him in his home, followed by a business dinner last night I feel as though I have received valuable life advice that will guide me for years to come. Tomorrow I am headed for yet another exciting destination, so please stop back again for Rick's Roadshow: Hong Kong. I look forward to bringing you lots of photos to share the experience.
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow: Taipei, Taiwan Day 1

Well, here I am once again in a new country. Welcome to Rick's Roadshow from Taipei, Taiwan. This is the Republic of China, a democratic government separate from mainland China. The day began with extensive tours of pet stores in the area, and I also attended the Taipei Pet Expo, where I participated in an interesting presentation with consumers. It was unusual to give a speech and have to wait for the translator to explain everything I said to the audience. I enjoyed the experience a great deal. In between the day's various appointments I stopped along the way to see a few sights with my colleagues from Taipei. Later in the day it was my distinct honor and privilege to have an audience with the esteemed Professor Yeh. The visit turned out to be quite memorable- one which I shall never forget. I definitely felt as though I was in the presence of a very wise man. I am grateful for the experience and will cherish the time I spent with him. Ok now on with the rest of the day. Check out some photos from my day, I hope you enjoy them:

above: I cannot say where this is, as it is confidential. However this is just one example of the incredible jade treasures I saw. These are three beautiful jade Buddah. Wow.

above: We had lunch at Din Tai Fung, one of the absolute best Chinese restaurants I have ever enjoyed!

above: I liked the visual of these huge building billboards.

above: just a scenic area of Taipei gardens.
My Visit to The Great Temple

above: this is the view from across the street of the most beautiful temple I have ever seen. Come on in with me, follow these photos carefully below:

above: a close up of the very top portion of the exterior. Look at the incredible detail!

above: on either side of the very front entrance were these columns of Chinese dragons.

above: just before you actually enter the temple is this huge urn, flanked by Chinese dragons. The urn has incense offerings burning to ward off evil spirits and honor the gods.

above: the main altar when you walk in- incredible, isn't it?

above: a little closer of the main altar. People were walking around, praying, making offerings to the gods (fruit, incense, and other small gifts)

above: even closer still, right up to the back wall. Check it out by clicking on the image. Each of the five men are gods for each direction- North, South, East, West and the middle who watches it all.

above: inside the main temple is a second floor temple, it is also quite ornate and exceptionally beautiful. In front is the large round urn for incense offerings to the gods.

above: on the side of the main alter is this tiger altar.

above: another side altar with a beautiful dragon.
Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back again tomorrow with another fresh installment of Rick's Roadshow from Taipei.
-Rick Rockhill