The airport was flooded with crowds of people. I squeezed through the crowd and got to the bus stop which is stationed right outside the airport. We waited for 5-10 minutes at the bus stop and took a bus to Taipei Main Station. We then boarded a free shuttle bus to Taipei 101, our first destination of the day. ^.^
Taipei 101
After a 10 minutes ride, we arrived at Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world. At a spectacular height of over 500 metres, it ranked the tallest building in 2004.
As we reached the foot of the building, we felt puny looking up to the magnificent state of the art building. We took some photos and eagerly went straight to the 5th floor to buy the tickets to the observatory. We boarded the elevator, which was ranked the ‘fastest elevator in the world’ in the Guinness World Record and sped up straight onto the 88th floor in merely 6 seconds.
We scurried to the huge windows of the observation deck, and gawked down at the tiny buildings spread across the beautiful land of Formosa. Our hearts skipped a beat, it was a majestic sight, although we thought that the night view would be much more astonishing. Our wobbly legs started to gain power and became firm again, it felt great being the top of the world. Although we did not want to leave, we knew that our next destination would be as great. (:
Jade Mountain
Our next destination was the Jade Mountain. At a stunning height of 3952 metres, the Jade Mountain is the highest mountain in East Asia and the fourth highest mountain on an island. In the winter, it is often capped with thick snow which make the entire peak shine like stainless jade, therefore it was named the Jade Mountain. We took a couple of photos near the mountain before heading to our next destination, the Night Market.
Shi Lin Night Market
We felt extremely exhausted and famished. Fortunately, a local guide kindly introduced us to this Night Market in Shi Lin. As we arrived at our destination, the fragrant aroma of food entered our noses, immediately re-energized us. Although it was a weekday, the night market was bustling with people. Street vendors selling food put their best dishes out for sell. Patrons shopping for amenities bargained for the best prices they could afford. We found a store selling one of Taiwanese favourite food - Smelly Tofu. It was the nauseatic smell of it that first attracted us. However, that did not stop our grumbling stomachaches. We ordered 2 plates of smelly tofu and started munching down our food mouth by mouth. We also bought a cup of milk tea, AKA bubble tea. The sweet flavour of the tea brought up our senses as the juicy pearls exploded in our mouth, the mixture was just so great that we bought another cup. 
Just then, my watch beeped with excitement. I looked at the time, it was 11 pm!!! We immediately hopped onto the Subway towards City Hall station.
The train was exploded with people, all rushing to watch the fireworks that was going to be exhibited at Taipei 101. A lot of police officers were on duty to maintain law and order. As we exited the station, we could see millions of people, as if the whole country had gathered here around Taipei 101. The atmosphere was great, everybody was excited to proceed to a new year. Suddenly, the countdown began, “10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!~” The fireworks exploded into the tranquil sky, bringing light across the whole night sky, as if brightening up the new year of hopes and dreams. Fireworks of different colours boomed, leaving everybody in pure awe.
It was an unforgettable trip to the magnificent, graceful, awesome, cool, stunning, amazing Taiwan.
