Marc's Public Blog - Trips to other locations

We started with Fort Santo Domingo in Tamsui to learn the history of all the countries that had been been to Taiwan through this area, built forts, and ran it until 1980 when it was finally given back to Taiwan:

a canadian imigrant who built schools and spread knowledge

Our last temple was hidden in the middle of a shopping street:

Once done with Tamsui, and almost 1H in a rental car branch to sign the paperwork to get our car (that was sad, and they had 2 people helping us), we drove towards Yangmingshan, a volcanic Mountain with fumerols, and hot springs (yellowstone like, but in the mountain):

I'm not sure I'd bring my bride at this rotten egg stinky place :)

We then reached the Chung-Shan building, featured on the $100 Taiwanese bill. We arrived too late for the last tour due to a timing screwup, but they were nice enough to let us in and gave us a private volunteer guide who gave us a full tour.
The building was built as a assembly headquarters back when Chiang Kai-Shek and was used by the state for various official meetings and banquets until 2005. It is now open to the public for visits:

To finish the day, we hiked up a trail to get a view of Taipei in the distance and got a bonus sunset:

The hotel we stayed at private onsens in each room, so we enjoyed a hot bath in volcanic water before a very good dinner there:

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