As we arrived in front of our hotel, we both exhaled mightily, scarcely aware that we had been holding our collective breath for the entire ride. The grand, art deco style Landis Taipei Hotel was the obvious choice for this combined leisure/business trip. It was luxurious enough for me to feel pampered as I amused myself while my husband attended to his business concerns, but with all the modern amenities that today's harried business person requires – the best of them being complimentary, unlimited Broadband Internet Access.

After we got settled in, I began to plan the next day's exploration of the city, one of Asia's major industrial centres. Would I find much to do besides touring scrap metal yards and factories that produce cheap goods for export? Taipei is a frenetic and boisterous city that is home to approximately 6 million people including its environs. Its rapid economic development has contributed immensely to inhabitant's standard of living and educational opportunities; however, it also shares the blame for its congestion, pollution and the frantic pace of life.

Fellow travellers suggested that I would not enjoy accompanying my husband on his short business trip; that I would find the city dirty and uninteresting. After looking through a few guides and getting recommendations from the reception staff, I found a wealth of options for cultural, spiritual and shopping explorations.

I began my day at the Martyrs Shrine, dedicated to the fallen heroes of China's wars, which is housed in an excellent example of classical Ming dynasty architecture. The hourly changing of the guard is fantastic to see: the soldiers march while stopping numerous times to perform various rifle manoeuvres and practiced drills. After watching the spectacle and wandering around a bit looking at the plaques, I decided to hightail it over to the National Palace Museum, home to the world's arguably finest collection of Chinese Art (around 650,000 pieces).

I spent many minutes examining the concentric ivory balls, which are 17 balls, one inside the next, that were carved from a single piece of ivory. There were many splendid pieces to gaze at, but I think that my favourite exhibit consisted of a timeline on the 1st floor comparing Chinese art history with world history-the great works of Western art don't appear until about 80 percent of the way through Chinese art history.

When I had my fill of art treasures, I enjoyed a lovely respite at the San His Tang tearoom in the museum. Dumplings, snacks and panoramic views all combined to make this a serene spot in which to contemplate all that I had beheld. After a quick (not) detour through the extensive gift shops to pick up a beautiful ceramic reproduction, I had to hurry to meet my husband back at the hotel.

For dinner that evening I had the brilliant idea to indulge my love of wandering through vendor stalls nibbling on a variety of local delicacies, but alas this was not my partner's idea of dinner. We compromised by deciding on the highly regarded Din Tai Fung restaurant, famous for its delectable dumplings filled with soup stock and meat filling. Dumplings are a staple of Chinese cuisine, but Din Tai Fung elevates these humble items to sublime; and the NY Times agrees, naming it one of the ten best restaurants in the world. We gorged ourselves on dumplings, other dim sum items and hot and sour soup-everything was delicious! Please be warned that there is always a queue for this wildly popular dining destination; it is not uncommon to have waits of up to 30 minutes to be seated.

I couldn't let the night end without a trip to the Hua hsi Night Market, aka Snake Alley, to see snake handlers playing with live cobras and to sample a little snake soup. One part tourist trap, 2 parts carnival sideshow, Snake Alley delivered on the promises of all the guides. We watched a snake handler taunt a cobra and then feed it a mouse-not for the squeamish, this attraction!

I woke up the next morning determined to satisfy my shopping jones; a trip to the famed Taipei 101 Mall was definitely on the agenda. The Taipei 101 building, currently the world's tallest building, was built to resemble a stalk of bamboo representing the eternity of Chinese traditional architecture. The Taipei 101 Mall is Taiwan's answer to Fifth Avenue in NYC, Rome's “Spanish Steps” and the Champs Elysée in Paris; it is filled with exclusive brands and the latest fashions. I made a beeline for the boutique of Isabelle Wen, one of Taiwan's leading fashion designers, to check out her avante garde designs. However, all of the ubiquitous, world-famous brands are represented.

After my day filled with shopping, I dropped off the bags at the hotel and hot-stepped it back outside to eat some traditional Taiwanese street food. I decided to try Oah Jien, an oyster omelette. The cook puts half a dozen oysters onto a very hot grill, adds rice batter, then an egg. They turn it, smother it in green vegetables, turn it again and serve it piping hot on a plate with a spicy, sweet sauce. Great choice, the dish was heaven!

For our final night in Taipei we decided to stay in the hotel and try the well-regarded Tien Hsiang Lo restaurant, which offers traditional Hangzhou delicacies in a lovely, elegant setting. It was the perfect ending to our visit to this surprisingly delightful city. If you have never visited Taipei or it has been a few years since you have been there, it is well worth a first or second look.