Taipei 101 has an outside observation deck which is open to visitors when it’s not too windy… Still at 500m up, it’s always a little windy. The anti-jumping fence erected around the deck behaves like a giant musical instrument as the air whistles between the struts…
There’s a bit of wind noise, but if you turn up the volume, you should hear the whistling.
May 1st was a holiday in Taiwan. Things got a little out of hand near the parliament with reports of unionists trying to get in – like pretty much everywhere right now, there are concerns around the economy and folk want change, with or without the current leadership…
Back at the hotel, I was hearing a drumming sound – On the 18th floor I wasn’t really expecting such noises and doubly surprised when I looked out the window…
Spot the cow…
Not to be left out, the street fountain by the tower joined in with the color.
With the scale of 101, it’s easy to miss some of the detail. The design was inspired by bamboo with each segment growing up from within the lower one. The less charitable suggest its more like a pile of take out boxes.
If you look closer though, there are some more intricate details. On previous photos you’ll have noticed the retail area at the bottom which makes the tower asymmetrical, but the segments themselves are adorned with little twists of traditional design.
Higher up, you can get an even closer look…
and at night, the irregular shapes add an extra dimension through illumination.
