October 12, 2008
It was a rather clear, cool leisurely Sunday and we decided to take the Muzha line (that's the name of the railway) out to the Maokong Cable Car and take a look at Taipei from up in the sky. Matt and I tried to do this during our survey trip here back in July, but we went on a Monday and apparently a lot of domestic tourist attractions are closed on Mondays. We were really looking forward to it! We packed up and were on our way by 11am.
About a half hour later we arrived at our destination, stepped off the train and came across this announcement (see photo above). Are you kidding me? Safety inspection? Now what? We can't just go home! Ah, what luck. The Taipei Zoo is right next door and there will never be a more perfect day to walk around a zoo than today. As a matter of fact, I don't think either of us ever broke a sweat the entire day. Now that's a happening in Taiwan!
The Taipei Zoo displays more than 1,000 animals in a large park with meager landscaping wide pathways to accommodate the crowds. It also includes several hiking trails, a shuttle train, connection to the gondola (the very attraction we thought we were going to see today), a water garden, nocturnal animal house, insectarium, children's theatre, children's zoo and lots of other attractions. Although there is no comparison, the zoo was designed by the same company that designed the San Diego Zoo.
It was a fun and unexpected experience! We hear that the zoo is going to be a bit more famous in the near future as they prepare to receive a panda bear as a gesture of good will from mainland China. We'll have to go back and see.
Here's a link to all of our pictures from our visit. In a way, when you've been to one zoo, you've been to them all. Our pictures tell a better story and show Caitlin's expressions best. Enjoy!
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