Taipei International Flora Exposition

My uncle and I went to the Taipei International Flora Exposition yesterday.  The event is in Taiwan from November 2010 through April 2011, and is the first time the International Horticulture Exhibit is in Taiwan.  Even though we were there from 9am until 4pm, we saw maybe only 1/3 of the entire exhibit.

The exhibit itself is in downtown Taipei, to show an urban green living space, and it is about 0.4 square miles.  There are 4 major areas, with 14 pavilions highlighting various themes.  There is an exhibit on renewable resources and energy, one on the future, and an area showcasing designs and flowers from other countries.  There are also living roofs that you can walk on.  In all, there are over 800 different orchids and over 329 million plants.

The only downside of the Expo is the sheer number of people who are there.  To further compound the problem, most of Taiwan is now on New Years break so they don't have to work this week.  For several of the pavilions, you must line up first to get tickets that then direct you to come back at a set time.  For the most popular exhibits, these tickets are completely handed out by 10am.  (the Expo opens at 9am!).  Most people who have gone have said that to see the entire Expo, you probably need 3 full days - which I can definitely agree with.

Ticket prices aren't too bad, they're about 300 NTD per person, which equates to roughly $10/person.  For $10, I would definitely say the Expo was worth seeing.  There are a lot of really beautiful flowers and floral designs and the conceptualization behind the Expo was well thought out.