Taiwan has always been one of those places I flew over on my trips to Asia but never actually been. So this time I decided to finally make a stop there, allocating three days for Taipei. However when a Google search of "must see sights" resulted noting back of interest, I soon began to wonder if a long layover wouldn't have sufficed.
My first day in Taipei started extra early as my red eye landed at 5:30am. Even taking an extra leisurely pace to go through customs and baggage claim I was still at the hotel 2hrs later, way too early to even suggest asking if the room was ready. Instead we made our way a few blocks down to seek out some soy milk and fried curlers, the standard breakfast of China. The place we finally stumbled across was like many of the food establishments in Asia, nothing more than a hole in the wall. Sitting in the back room eating the mediocre food with minimal ventilation this definitely was not the start of my food tour I had imagined. As the day progressed the only thing that elevated was the temperature. Soon I found myself walking around in humid 95 degree weather as we made our way to Chiang Kai-Shek memorial.
The memorial surrounded by the National Concert Hall on one side and the National Theater on the other, is a great symbol in both China and Taiwan history. The building itself covered with blue tiles was erected in honor and memory of the once president. While the two side buildings were designed in a traditional Chinese palace style, with distinctive yellow tiled roofs and red pillars, creating a false imperial feel to the whole site. Next we made our way to Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world. Glancing up from the outside, the sleek skyscraper dominated all that it surrounded but was shy of being breathtaking. 
Inside, we were greeted by a mouthwatering food court serving anything you could desire while the floors above consisted of a typical Asian mall, vast and ostentatious.
The next day we visited the National Palace Museum, a palace only in name. From the outside it resembles the Forbidden Palace in design and layout, whilst inside is a museum of ancient Chinese artifacts. Though its two most famous pieces, the Jadeite Cabbage and Meat Shaped Stone were both unavailable, the Bronze Buddha collection and ancient scrolls were pretty impressive. At night we stopped by Shilin night market, one of the famous markets in the city. Any excitement I had about the experience was quickly diminished once I saw the massive crowds. Walking through the streets you were shoulders to shoulders with everyone as you edged your way slowly by. The heat emitting from the food carts mixed with the already thick stagnant air made it nearly impossible to enjoy. Within an hour I was ready to call it quits, this was far from the 小吃 experience I had idealized. Our last day was the hottest of them all as the blazing sun shined unrelentingly. In hindsight a trip to the Taipei zoo was probably not the best idea. As my sweat soaked clothes cling to everything it was hard to enjoy much of anything. Next we made a brief stop to Sun-Yat Sen Memorial Hall, which with its lone statue seated highly perched reminded me a lot like the Lincoln monument. As my Tawianese history remains a blur, this was one sight I could have easily skipped. 
Our final stop of the day was to the old streets of Jiufen which was an easy 50min train ride outside of Taipei. No sooner had you left the city could you see the transformation, everything was older and less well maintained. The actual village of Jiufen was very quaint, as it sat perched on top of the mountain side. The narrow alley like streets winded up and down as people tried to sell you everything from pastry delights to little trinkets. In the right state of mind this would have been perfect. However being exhausted and hot, my patience was weaning thin. I was ready to call it quits in Taiwan.
Rating:
Atmosphere: I can't remember the last time I was in a place so mind numbingly hot. The weather made it hard to enjoy anything outdoors which was a shame since the city was so easily accessible.
Beauty: Surrounded by mountains the island of Taiwan is full of greenery. Though as the case with most major cities, "beautiful" is not a word I'd use to describe it.
Cleanliness: It seems that all Asian cities suffers from the same fate of ill-equipped air conditioning in their high rises. This lack of central air conditioning is enough to make any building look dingy, as there is no bigger eye sore than an external AC unit. Aside from that the actual streets of the city is surprisingly clean, while the subway system built more than 20years ago still looked shiny and new.
Food: This was the biggest disappointment of the whole trip. The famous Taipei food I had so anxiously anticipated resulted in nothing more than dish after dish of mediocrity. From the famous steam dumplings at Din Tai Fung to the well known Yong He Soymilk chain I loved so much in Shanghai to even the local street food all was easily forgettable. 
People: As much of a let down as the food was, the friendly of the locals was the exact opposite. Not only were they polite but also sincerely helpful. This was definitely a more civilized culture than China.
Last Comment: I have no doubt that this will be the only time I visit Taiwan by my own will. Not because the experience was awful, it just wasn't memorable.
Scale: 1-10 = 5.5
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