Back in 2004, Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world at 508 metres until in 2010 Dubai outstripped it at 828 metres. However, Taipei 101 still has the largest (at 5.5 metres in diameter) and heaviest (weighing 660 tonnes) wind damper. Additionally, the damper is the only one in the world that is visible to the public. This massive damper ball stops the building from swaying any more than 1.5 metres.
I waited over an hour in a long line of visitors before I reached the elevator that felt as if it hardly moved when in fact it raced upwards at 101 metres per second! The view was stunning because not another building came near its height, but when I finally wanted to leave, the exit was placed in such a way that I had to circle through more items offered for sale.
My advice is don’t miss this thrill even though the building is tacky, but don’t be crazy like me and visit on a Sunday. Better still, wait until the afternoon because when I came down around two o’clock the line up was a tenth of what it had been in the morning.
From here to there 