They need free fucking parking in this shit hole not gondolas.
Did you see Cloudy with a chance of meatballs? Remember Sardineland?
Basically, the idea that you actually have to build something to attract tourists…
As a tourist, I’m attracted by natural beauty. Concrete pylons and clothesline doesn’t interest me at all. I do ride on gondolas in Europe because 1) it’d be a very long walk otherwise and 2) I trust the guys who build / maintain them.
[quote=“redwagon”][quote=“Icon”]
Basically, the idea that you actually have to build something to attract tourists…
[/quote]
[color=#0000FF]As a tourist, I’m attracted by natural beauty.[/color] Concrete pylons and clothesline doesn’t interest me at all. I do ride on gondolas in Europe because 1) it’d be a very long walk otherwise and 2) I trust the guys who build / maintain them.[/quote]
Yep. Exactly the opposite of Sardineland.
Back home, we have the natural beuty that attracts the tourists. Alas, it is when we invite big hotel conglomerates when everything goes to pot, as they take over beachfronts, destroy wetlands and pollute all around them, whilere erecting walls and all exclusive resorst that benefit only the shareholders abroad, and leave nothing but destruction in their wake. Yet everyone seems to think it is a great advance and improvement over home style B&B’s.
There is this thing for buildings, not only here in Taiwan, but it is as if people felt the need to “subjugate” nature, trample on it, teach it who’s master of teh universe… yeah, right. No one had had huge problems with landslides before. The tourists would stop along teh way, enriching farms and tea plantations. Now, you have way too many tourists concentrated in one single spot. But, hey, a few are making a lot of money, especially the concrete developers.
Like all other public works in Taiwan, so someone in power could grab a shitload of money?[/quote]
Does the gondola reduce the amount of vehicle traffic up there? When I’ve visited the area by gondola, the roads have been fairly pleasant to walk along. I’m not sure if that would have been the case if the gondola hadn’t been operating.
Like all other public works in Taiwan, so someone in power could grab a shitload of money?[/quote]
Does the gondola reduce the amount of vehicle traffic up there? When I’ve visited the area by gondola, the roads have been fairly pleasant to walk along. I’m not sure if that would have been the case if the gondola hadn’t been operating.[/quote]
I think there 2 kinds of people
- Who hike and bike and who don’t care one bit whether or not the Gondola works
2 The other are people who go for the Gondola rides coz they are there
not because they are interested in going up a mountain on Mucha.
like red wagon says, it’s about money.
Like all other public works in Taiwan, so someone in power could grab a shitload of money?[/quote]
Does the gondola reduce the amount of vehicle traffic up there?[/quote]
Yes. But it also created that mini-market by the station with hawkers using megaphones to hawk their wares.
It used to be a quiet, pleasant area. Then it became crowded and noisy. After the typhoon of 2008, it was quiet and pleasant once again. I haven’t been up there since the gondola re-opened, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that damn market is back.
Came across this guys vid on the gondola. Nice views, good intro of the thing.
oooo
I am thinking of giving the gondola a go tomorrow afternoon. I’m interested in taking one of the glass bottomed gondolas. Do I need to go anywhere special?
Not if you are already special? 
(im sure someone will chime in and tell ya where to go up there, id like to know too)
It’s already tomorrow afternoon but you’ll ride the same gondola as everyone else. I can’t remember if they have glass bottoms or not but I know that it will be a long wait. You’ll get a ticket that will tell you when to stand in line. No, I’m not joking. Expect to wait about an hour (or pay VIP prices) and then stand in line (the line does move fairly fast though). The line also looked awful on the way down in the evening so we started walking. It is a really long way but we found a bus to the next gondola station IIRC.
At the top of the gondola it’s dreadfully awful in a Taiwanese sort of way. But there was some nice hiking beyond there. However there are easier ways to access nice hiking.
It’s already tomorrow afternoon but you’ll ride the same gondola as everyone else. I can’t remember if they have glass bottoms or not but I know that it will be a long wait. You’ll get a ticket that will tell you when to stand in line. No, I’m not joking. Expect to wait about an hour (or pay VIP prices) and then stand in line (the line does move fairly fast though). The line also looked awful on the way down in the evening so we started walking. It is a really long way but we found a bus to the next gondola station IIRC.
At the top of the gondola it’s dreadfully awful in a Taiwanese sort of way. But there was some nice hiking beyond there. However there are easier ways to access nice hiking.[/quote]
I’ve ridden the gondola three times in the last couple of months, and the wait wasn’t that long. There was a short line, but no “ticket that will tell you when to stand in line”. There is a choice between the glass-bottomed gondolas (separate line) or the regular ones. A ten-minute walk away from the top will take you to some nice places.
I went at noon on a non-holiday weekend and waited an hour to get into line. Obviously it’s better to not go on the weekend but that’s not an option for many.
I went on Sunday afternoons last month and also in June, I think. I remember the lines being really long a few years back. I guess they still get long sometimes now – perhaps I’ve just been lucky.
Thanks everyone, useful comments. I suppose I’ll just turn up and wait.