Today we went to the Taipei Zoo. We used the public transportation, the MRT. Once we figured out how to pay and how to read the maps, it was quite easy. Most things are labeled in English. This has become our preferred method of transportation. Alex likes it too!
Back to the zoo; it is the largest zoo in Asia. If you go, prepare for a lot of walking and sweating! Sunglasses and a hat or visor are a must. It was also inexpensive. I think we paid only $2 US per adult and Alex was free. The grounds were beautiful. The animals were active. I saw lions chasing each other and hippos playing in the water. I found this quite surprising since animals at Brookfield Zoo seem to sleep during the hottest part of the day.
Next we left the zoo and walked a few blocks to the Maokong gondolas. These trams just opened in July of this year. They take you from 90m to almost 300m to the city of Maokong where the tea houses are. The guidebook says “the Maokong Gondola lifts you into a world of emerald hills and breathtaking views of Taipei’s urban skyline”. I would agree.
We were hoping to find the government run tea promotion center but we were unsuccessful. It was too hot for us to enjoy hot tea so we mainly admired the scenery before taking the gondola back down.
We walked back to the MRT station for the return trip to our hotel. We were traveling during rush hour. Boy do the trains get packed! If you don’t know where you are going it would be easy to get in everyone’s way. Alex had to be carried when we walked so we could keep pace and not lose him.
Alex was a trooper with all the walking we did today. He didn’t seem particularly interested in any of the animals but he loved the gondola and train rides.
Back to the zoo; it is the largest zoo in Asia. If you go, prepare for a lot of walking and sweating! Sunglasses and a hat or visor are a must. It was also inexpensive. I think we paid only $2 US per adult and Alex was free. The grounds were beautiful. The animals were active. I saw lions chasing each other and hippos playing in the water. I found this quite surprising since animals at Brookfield Zoo seem to sleep during the hottest part of the day.
Next we left the zoo and walked a few blocks to the Maokong gondolas. These trams just opened in July of this year. They take you from 90m to almost 300m to the city of Maokong where the tea houses are. The guidebook says “the Maokong Gondola lifts you into a world of emerald hills and breathtaking views of Taipei’s urban skyline”. I would agree.
We were hoping to find the government run tea promotion center but we were unsuccessful. It was too hot for us to enjoy hot tea so we mainly admired the scenery before taking the gondola back down.
We walked back to the MRT station for the return trip to our hotel. We were traveling during rush hour. Boy do the trains get packed! If you don’t know where you are going it would be easy to get in everyone’s way. Alex had to be carried when we walked so we could keep pace and not lose him.
Alex was a trooper with all the walking we did today. He didn’t seem particularly interested in any of the animals but he loved the gondola and train rides.
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