Back in April, I was visiting friends and my old haunts in Taipei for a few weeks. One of the stops was the Maokong Gondola, one of my favorite Taipei day trips. I'd written about it previously in 2011, but this visit was a little different, as it was a Hello Kitty themed weekend!

A photo with the gondola sign is a good start

Name stickers and stamps are a big deal in Taiwan, all my coworkers and students had them. One of my biggest regrets was not getting any while I lived here. So I made up for it! Stickers can usually be made within an hour of ordering (I also got a self-inking stamp that they mailed to me in America.)

For the Hello Kitty weekend all of the gondola cars were decorated with stickers and decals

The views, as usual, are beautiful up here!

If you're going to go, it's worth waiting for one of the glass-bottom cars. (Go to the tent on the left of the queue when you arrive at the gondola station, you'll receive a timed entrance ticket.)

Tea is the thing to do up here (as well as eating and walking.) Here's a list of all the shops.

Yes, even the bathrooms, got a Hello Kitty revamp