7 September 2006: Grand City Sights

The sporty Taiwanese volunteers and our SEP pals had gone for a game of badminton, and left Francoise and I to our own devices. Both of us made an impromptu decision to travel to the city centre of Taipei, where main blocks of ministries and government agencies are located. We went to Ximending(again and again) and from there proceeded to the Presidential Building. We wanted to see Mr. Chen Shui-bian in his seemingly ending tenure, but sentry guards stopped us at barricades on the pavement. This is the best shot that I can capture:

The failure to enter the Building and a light drizzle later had not dampened our mood much. We continued our journey to explore the principal district, and dropped by at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are about 30 flags hoisted on short poles at the lobby, and these are flags of nations that have established diplomatic ties with Taiwan. I saw Men in Black, and reckoned that they are ones not to be reckoned with. I restrained my urge to take a snapshot there and then, and this is my best shot of the Ministry from across the road:

Francoise and I then walked past the Ministry of Education:

......then the National Taiwan University Hospital, which is afiliated to my SEP partner university despite the distance between them:

......later the Supreme Court:

......and finally the Ministry of Legal Affairs:

We made a special effort to visit the Taipei New Park, which was renamed the 2-28 Peace Park recently. The 28 February Incident was an important event in Taiwan's history--an infamous, controversial and tragic massacre. Dear friends who are interested in knowing more about it may wanna search for more information on their own.


Here's the Little South Gate（小南门），one of the remaining two gates of the original walls that once enclosed the old city. It is located at the junction of a road circus:

The sky was turning dark, and we enjoyed the opportunity of seeing schoolgirls who were just dismissed from the day's lessons in the best high school of Taiwan (a version of RGS?), the Taipei First Girls' High School（简称北一女）:


In the evening, Francoise and I met Hisashi, Jasmine and the Taiwanese volunteers for dinner after their friendly badminton matches. With our bellies filled, we went to patronize the Pacific Sogo Departmental Store, which is one of the bigger shopping malls in Taipei. We window-shopped till the store was closed for the day, and were greeted by bows (in Japanese style) at the sliding doors. Seeing two rows of staff bowing to me in royal fashion, I truly feel like a reincarnated Emperor. Takashimaya Singapore to have such a practice too?

Thoroughly bushed. Signing off here!