Sky Mall: A Shopping Report From Taiwan

Taipei 101 gleams in the morning light. Taken
from the Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel.

Taipei 101 – now the world’s tallest green building (LEED Platinum) – rockets up from Taiwan’s cityscape.  This iconic skyscraper evokes an Asian pagoda with its ascending sections: eight in all – a number associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune in Chinese culture. What better place to shop, then?

Savvy travelgirls can hit the base’s mall, before zipping up to the 89th-story observation platform ($15) at one of the Republic of China’s top 10 tourist destinations.

From Travelgirl Magazine's autumn 2012 issue. Text and image by Amanda Castleman.