Christmas trip with Klaus to Taiwan

19.12.2024-2.1.2025

Along with Klaus from Lostau (near Magdeburg), it was off to Taiwan for Christmas and New Year. Many people say Taiwan isn't really its own country, but part of China. However, for my own definition of "country", I go by Gunnar Garfors, the first person in the world to have visited every country on Earth. In his book "198 – How I ran out of countries", he counts Taiwan as well.

The country photo in Taiwan was taken right at the start, at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.

Right at the beginning of the trip, Weltreisebär even got to be a witness at a wedding:

There was a particularly beautiful view from the pagoda at Sun Moon Lake:

We also paid a visit to Taiwan's indigenous peoples:

And in Miaoli, Weltreisebär met another bear family:

New Year's Eve brought a real highlight: the fireworks at Taipei 101 – from 2004 to 2009, it was the tallest building in the world at 501m, and it was one of my favourite buildings as a child. At midnight (7 hours earlier than in Germany), there's a massive fireworks display there. Interestingly, my (that is, Tobi's) brother was at the same moment only about 1km away.

By the way, the lift in Taipei 101 only takes about 35 seconds to reach the top, as it travels at speeds of up to 100km/h. At the top of the tower, there's a tuned mass damper that can absorb the vibrations from earthquakes (by swinging in the opposite direction).

To finish off, here's a photo of Klaus and Beate at Taipei 101. Weltreisebär and I would like to say a huge thank you for travelling with us, and especially for all the fascinating experiences! By the way, this was already our 9th country together with Klaus, which makes me especially happy!