In the last leg in our Taiwan trip, we went to Beitou which is known for its hot springs.
Beitou has become a famous hot spring tourist area since the time during Japanese Colonization. With valuable hot spring resources, historic buildings, rich traditional culture, professional huge hospitals, and sensitive ecological environments of Guangdu(關渡) and Yangmingshan(陽明山) nearby, Beitou is a perfect tourist district fusing tradition and Modernity.
http://www.taipeisprings.org.tw/english/beitou/accent.htm
We took the MRT to Beitou station and transferred to a special train which runs to Xinbeitou station. It was pretty easy getting there.
At the Xinbeitou station.
Cute interactive screen in the special train going to Xinbeitou
When we got out of the station, we were abit lost on which direction to go towards. Didnt look like a very happening place, more like a housing neighbourhood. We just followed some other tourists and sure enough, we were headed towards the right direction.
Not sure what this is, looked like either a huge restaurant or something.
Beitou Hot Spring Museum
Built in 1913, the Beitou Hot Spring Museum was originally the Beitou Public Bathhouse, the largest bathhouse in the East Asia at the time. Now it serves to recount Beitou’s hot spring history. The whole building resembles an English country house. It marks the beginning of Beitou’s hot spring era. On display are historical relics and documents, which tell stories of the sulfur mining, the hot spring and Taiwanese films, providing the public a window to Beitou.
Class Three National Historic Site
Address：2 Zhongshan Rd.
Open Hours：Tue. ~Sun. 09:00~17:00；Close Monday and Holidays
TEL：02-28939981~5
link: http://www.taipeisprings.org.tw/english/scenic/hotspring-museum.htm
Posing outside the museum lol
looks like an English countryside house
Jie with the red slippers which we have to change into when we entered the museum
Mum looks so cute grinning in this pic with Jie haha
Old public bath
Japanese style screens like those you see in the movies
Di and momo trying to look like ninjas??
beautiful stained glass window
I heart Sakuras! (even if these are fake ones hahahaha)
i love this pic ;D
After leaving the hot spring museum, we went to look for a hotel where we could bathe in the hot spring water.
We found this hotel (forgot the name) nearby and decided to rent it for a few hours. It was definitely NOT cheap though, when we told mum the price she baulked. She said it was too expensive, she wanted somewhere that is outdoors and cheap. So she told us she'll explore the area herself and decided to go somewhere nearby to find her own hot spring lol.
Inside the room, we bought lots of snacks like tao kua simmered in some brown sauce and corns and tea eggs with what else, milk tea!
The hot spring bath where we are supposed to soak in. After soaking in it with Jie for a short while, i felt kinda light headed and dizzy. must be the sulphur or something! but after that i really felt very relaxed. Shiok sia haha..
Thermal Valley
Located beside Beitou Hot Spring Park, Thermal Valley is one of the sources supplying the area’s hot springs. The sulfuric steam that blankets the valley year-round gives the valley a frightening quality, giving rise to nicknames like “Ghost Lake.” The springs here have the highest temperatures of any in the Datunshan volcano group. With its surreal sulfuric atmosphere, it’s no wonder Thermal Valley was considered one of the “12 great sights of Taiwan” during the Period of Japanese Occupation!
The “Beitou rocks” (aka Hokutolite or Anglesobarite) in Thermal Valley contain the radioactive element radium. Out of the many thousands of minerals existing in the world, they are the only ones named after a place in Taiwan, and can be found in only two places: Beitou and Tamagawa, Japan. In recent years, the “Beitou Rock Conservation Area” has been established to ensure the protection of these natural rarities. Thus, when visiting Thermal Valley, you not only get to experience “hell” but also gain insight into some rare radioactive rocks!
Water temperature in Thermal Valley’s hot springs ranges from 80-100℃. The sodium carbonate springs tend to be corrosive, and have come to be known as “Green sulfur springs” and “Sulfur heads.” Visitors used to boil eggs in the hot springs, but the practice has since been prohibited—not only to protect the water quality but to keep tourists from falling in and boiling themselves!
http://www.taipeitravel.net/user/Article.aspx?Lang=2&SNo=04003981
When u walk in, the strong sulphur smell hits you. Its like rotten eggs smell lol.
Clear blue water
Taipei Flora Expo 2010
The 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition (2010 Flora Expo) opened on November 6, 2010 and will run until April 25, 2011 in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. It is garden festival recognized by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH / IAHP) and is categorized as an A2B1 horticulture exposition. It will be the first such internationally recognized exposition to take place in Taiwan, and the seventh of its kind to take place in Asia.It is located near Yuanshan Station.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_International_Flora_Exposition
I accompanied Mum to the Flora Expo after Beitou. The place is gigantic, i think we only managed to explore less than half of the areas.
There was also a food section which featured all the fruits and food produced by Taiwan.
Bananas
Different varieties of rice
Giant Pumpkin!
watermelon, i didnt know they were grown this way lol
Posing in front of some fruits hahaha
Corns anybody?
This peanuts display is cute
bamboo
err not sure what this is, some LED display of flowers??
Rainbow colored landscape of flowers
Surrounded by a sea of white flowers (dunno what is the name of the flower, im such a noob lol)
This is the cute decorated bus stations which brings you to different sections within the flora expo.
Mum and Me!
Can you see what this is? Its a whale!
This small girl sure knows how to pose lor muahaha
Ok after all the flowers, we went to famous Shilin Night market to meet up with Jie.
Shilin Night Market
actually frankly, shilin night market was a disappointment. its mostly only snacks and food stuff like those you see in pasar malams in singapore (although the food is much nicer than those in SG). And some games like those you find at fun fairs where you throw darts or balls to hit the targets to win some stuffed toys..
There wasnt much items to buy for clothes, they looked kinda cheap quality but we did get some stockings. We had dinner at this popular bak kut teh shop, the queue was so long so we figured the food shd be pretty good!
the queue moved pretty fast, i think we got a table within 20 mins or so.
we ordered different soups to try, the smell of the herbal soup is very strong i think we are not very used to it. the lu rou fan was really good though!
look at this tempting bowl of rice topped with the sauce and veggies....
herbal soup
Me tucking into my dinner..yummy!
Wonstar hotel at Ximending
Pictures of the Wonstar hotel, the room is pretty nice.
big toilet with a separate bath tub and standing shower area.
decor is very much nicer than the rainbow hotel we stayed at on the first couple of days.
Spent the last day shopping with Jie for last minute clothes, we passed by this nail salon and decided to get our nails done since it was super cheap and we didnt have much to do anyway.
ta dah, me with my painted nails lol.
Ok the end of my super long post on my taiwan trip. I really had a great time with my family and once in a while, i'll think back about the fun time we had during the trip. even if there were the occasional inevitable arguments and fights, i think overall it was still a very memorable trip for me since its been so long since we all went on a family trip together. It made us closer after the trip somehow!
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