A sweeping view of the Taipei skyline; (above) the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Optimism. That’s one of the first words that come into my travel-weary mind a few minutes after I land in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. A huge poster on the side of the aerobridge has a forlorn image of Taiwan’s pride and joy, the 101-storey Taipei 101 which has been ousted from its position as the tallest building in the world. “We’ll go higher soon”, says the poster. Obviously Taiwan’s hoping to regain the top spot — one day.

There’s no doubt that Taipei is a happy place. People smile at you on the streets and the sounds of raucous laughter seep out of every alley and by-lane, as you tuck into a plate of warm cabbage and chive dumplings. Dozens of shiny-faced couples walk arm-in-arm in parks blooming with cherry blossoms. Yes, there is a warmth about Taipei that makes you give in to its charms.

But sadly, I had a little over 24 hours to take it all in and so I began at the raison d’être of my trip — Taipei 101. With an unequivocal fascination for anything vertical, the 101-storeyed glass and steel leviathan was my first port of call, even though it was inching towards the closing time of 9.30pm.

However, all illusions of making it to the top were quickly dismissed by the genial ticket seller who told me that I could only go up to the 86th floor. There was maintenance work going on in the building that evening. Accepting my fate, I entered the super-fast elevator that got me up there in a span of 39 seconds, with a pop in my ears at around the 40th floor. And the sight at the top? Breathtaking. Despite the overcast January sky, I could see right across the bay towards the twinkling lights of the cargo ships in the port. The shrill call of a bell got me back to reality and signalled that my visiting time was up.

Having heard a lot about the soothing effects of a hot spring, my destination early the next day was the tiny suburban area of Beitou. Formerly a seedy part of the town with plenty of adult entertainment, Beitou today has reinvented itself as a heaven for the day-tripper with a lot of rest and relaxation on their mind. Having come highly recommended by my friend Ivy, the Beitou Hot Spring Museum and the attached hot spring bathhouse were just the place for me to get my kit off and luxuriate in the sulphur-rich water — never mind that omnipresent rotten egg smell. The bathhouse was built in 1913 during the period of Japanese colonisation and has a nice collection of bath memorabilia like the very funny loincloths and bath slippers.

Street food on display at the night market in Taipei; (above) Taipei 101, the world’s second tallest building, looks down upon the city around it

Next it was time to indulge in the pampering I really like — the edible kind. So off it was to the Taipei night market food court in the heart of town. The name is a misnomer as there is food here any time, no matter what time of the day… or night. With an array of yummy goodies like the gooey oyster omelettes, Taiwanese sweetish sausages, dim sum, beef broth noodles and loads more on offer, the only problem I had was making my selection. I sampled a bit of everything while I made my way towards a treat I had spied earlier on. A quartet of candied strawberries on a stick was what hit the mark and tasted as good as it looked.

Striking food off my checklist, I then headed to the Chiang Kai- shek Memorial Hall. The hall was recently renamed as the Taiwan National Democracy Memorial Hall and is a stunning piece of architecture that is reminiscent of both Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing, all rolled into one. Huge and imposing — are the two best adjectives that describe the final resting place of the former President of the Republic of China.

Having pre-booked my tickets for a Chinese opera performance at the Taiwan Eye cultural centre, I took the metro to North Zhongshan Road and found my way to the centre with 10 minutes to spare. I watched the performers slap on their make-up bang in the middle of the lobby and I later learnt that this was part of the show.

And what a show it was! It began with a traditional lion dance featuring a rather rambunctious lion made up by two chubby men in costume, who performed all kinds of tricks and stunts, often showering the audience with sweets and toffees. But the pièce de résistance was the opera performance of The Fox with Nine Tails.

The story of an evil fox that takes the shape of a fair maiden in order to seduce the village men, had a highly painted female actor in the key role. It was quite a treat.

But for me that evening, the cunning fox who ensnared me wasn’t some high-pitched soprano lady. Au contraire, it didn’t even have a physical form. It was the spirit of Taipei that till this day has me wrapped around its little finger.

Ready reckoner

Getting there: Cathay Pacific has flights from New Delhi and Mumbai to Hong Kong from where one can take a connecting flight to Taipei. Singapore Airlines has flights from Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore to Singapore.

Staying there: Hotel Quote is a good option. Call +886-2-2175-5588.

Best time to visit: Visit between March and June.