Jun 7 - Up early to try and see what we can in our reduced timeframe. The metro system is a breeze to use, one simple map explains everything. The stops are even marked with alpha-numeric codes, making it possible to see what the station is without even knowing the full name.
First stop today is the all-important dedication to Chiang Kai-shek, father of the country.
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There are two floors of museum exhibits in the basement levels below the hall, accessed by an elevator. The much larger part is a history of the country (since 1949). This date is important as a year in which mainland China embarked on its orientation as a Communist country under Mao. Chiang Kai-shek, who was leader of all of China, lost this position when the Communist revolution forced him and his adherents to flee to Taiwan. It was at this point that Taiwan separated politically, an action still not recognized by the mainland Chinese government.
Many of the displays here are dedicated to the various protests and reforms that ensued in the late 1980s and 1990s, which ended military rule and ushered in a real democracy. As popular as Chiang Kai-shek is today, his death in 1975 was well before the advent of the democratic leadership of today.
This plaza and monument hall were the sites of large protests in the late 1980-90s, the most famous of which is known as the Wild Lily Student Movement. It was only in 1996 that free elections were held, and have continued since.
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From here, back on the metro to the exit at the most iconic building of the city, that of Taipei 101.
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Onward to the Taipei Zoo, at the end of the Brown metro line. First take the Maokong Gondola up into the hills. The final stop on this cable car is a hiking area with tea shops everywhere. Eat a quick lunch of stinky tofu (yes, that is the name of this traditional Taiwanese dish of fermented tofu), then back down a few gondola stops to the zoo entrance.
Spend most of our time in the reptile and amphibian house.
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Take a long bus ride to one of the rivers cutting through Taipei. Here eat at a poke bowl restaurant, and venture out to the river to see the changing colors on Rainbow Bridge. Walk along a bike path. It is now dark but there are many joggers and bikers.
