Travel Photo: Cute Damper Baby of Taipei 101

For a structural engineer, it is one of the largest dampers in the world. For a marketing mind, it is his brand ambassador. For a regular tourist, it is a super cute damper baby. Whoever the spectator is, the damper baby never has paucity of admirers. Or may be, Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world have done a good job with it.


For those who are interested in this damper baby, it is one of the largest structural dampers of its kind in the world and it’s primary function is to absorb the stress that a high rise building like Taipei 101 gets due to heavy winds. So basically, it protects Taipei 101 and the people working in the building at all times. It is also Taipei 101’s brand ambassador and has been promoted as a cute being with 2 legs and 2 hands just like a human baby.


The idea was a huge success and lots of visitors not only like the damper baby, but are also curious about it in its true form. This damper baby can be seen in 5 vivid colors of red, yellow, green, grey and black. Each color has a noble theme and are fiercely popular both with domestic as well as international tourists. Damper baby memorabilia are one of the more sold gift items.

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Smiling Taiwan: Feel it! Love it!

Smiling Taiwan. That is how it Taiwan likes to refer to itself. And as a tourist, you will feel it and start loving its people immediately. It’s green mountains, its lovely smiling people, its efficient road system, its busy and workhorse like capital, its beaches, its corals and many more. Taiwan is a land that is very special and deserves a lot of time.


A lot of people visit Taiwan only for Taipei 101. While Taipei 101 is spectacular, the night markets, the really devout people, the bullet train, the stinky tofu, the ability to get all kinds of food, some fantastic green tea, some amazing landscapes and more is what you should go to Taiwan for. The central mountains and the east coast is more less populated, while the north and the west coast is the more well populated and busy. And if you are looking to buy some phones or laptop spare parts, then you are in the right country.

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The world’s fastest elevator

This elevator can climb more than one kilometer every minute. It climbs close to 85 floors in just a matter of some seconds. This elevator is in the Taipei 101 building in downtown Taipei in Taiwan. One can feel the rush of adrenaline, the jump in the heart and pop in the ears when you ascend from the 2nd floor to the 89th floor viewing deck in just a matter of some seconds.


This elevator has its place in the Guinness book of world records and one can climb it by buying a ticket to go to the viewing deck of Taipei 101. The ticket is fairly expensive and the wait is usually long, especially on weekends, but the experience, even though short-lived is an experience of a life time. The bonus is that this elevator is in the 2nd tallest building in the world.

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City Bear Hostel: Great Budget Home close to Taipei 101

There are two tourist popular tourist hubs in Taipei. One is near the Taipei 101 in the commercial Xinyi district and the other is located next to the Longshan temple and the Huaxei night market. It is here at either of these two places that one can find budget accommodation. But, sometimes, even these budget accommodation leave a lot to be desired and hence I went the Airbnb way at Taipei and booked myself at the City Bear Hostel located close to the Taipei city hall station in the Xinyi district. Below is review is based on my recent experience of staying 4 days and 3 nights here.

1) The city bear hostel is family run and feels every bit like a home. The family members try and accommodate all your needs and help you with all the local information. They even allowed me to stay a good 11 hours more in their common area while I waited for my early morning flight.

2) The rooms are good for the USD 26 per night price with air conditioning, attached bathroom, hot shower and all the important amenities. But, the rooms are definitely small for 2 people irrespective of the size of the people. Even the bathroom is small, but I am sure a budget traveler cares more about the room than the bathroom.

3) The place also comes with free wi-fi, free laundry, free microwave, free refrigerator and drinking water. This comes in very handy if you plan to stay here for a while.

4) Since the place is family run, you can negotiate with the owner for a better price depending on your duration of stay. The owner is known to give discounts for longer durations.

5) The best attribute about this place is that is situated in a quiet neighborhood, but still provides great access to the restaurants, the Taipei city hall MRT station (5 mins by walk), Taipei 101 (15 minutes by walk), Night markets (15 mins by walk) and the shopping district of Xinyi (10 mins by walk).

6) Since the place is located in a local neighborhood, it allows you to understand the local culture and even interact with the locals on a regular basis.

7) This place is a hostel, but doesn’t come with the aura of a hostel with its bar, night life and all. This is great if you do not like loud music bothering you in the night, but a problem if you like to let your hair down in the evening. For those who wish to party, some of the famous night clubs of Taipei are also located close by.

8) The hostel is easy to approach from the international airport and takes about 70-80 minutes worth commute by bus.

9) All the tourist attractions of Taipei – Taipei 101, Maokong Mountain and Gondola ride, Taipei Zoo, Longshan Temple, Huaxei Night Market, Ximending Shopping district and others are either short walks away or at most a 20-30 minute MRT ride away from the city hall MRT station.

I would definitely recommend this place to all kinds of budget travelers, students and backpackers going to Taipei, but do keep in mind that the rooms can be tight if you are a tall person.

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