Exploring Beitou – Taipei’s Thermal Valley And More!
Taiwan
Before coming to Taipei I got the impression that each of its neighborhoods is quite diverse. So, I thought it would be neat to stay in a few different neighborhoods while there, to get more of a feel for each. As my week in the Taipei Main Station area draws to a close, I begin regretting my decision.
I find it ironic that when I first arrived in this neighborhood, I wondered if I made a mistake choosing it. It feels a little run down with it’s odd overhang above each street, lots of hardware stores, and rather ecclectic. But, somehow, I not only got used to the area, I’ve come to find it really convenient to get everywhere. I contemplate staying in the area, but decide to go for the adventure. And boy, am I glad I did.
I have to check out of my hotel by 11, but my room in Beitou at the Chyuan Du Spring Resort won’t be ready until 4pm. This is an annoyance I have to learn to work around. I arrive at my Beitou hotel, and the lobby is so narrow, I begin to worry I’ve chosen badly. I get the impression the hotel is old, and the rooms must be tiny. I leave my bags by the elevators which are about six feet from the small reception desk. Somehow I trust that they’ll be fine and I go for a walk. Pro Tip: The fastest way to Beitou is via the MRT to Beitou or Xinbeitou, depending where your hotel is located.
To my left is a very cosmopolitan view, including a KFC. I can’t say I Love it. It’s drizzling, and there’s a park across the street, so I cross, and head to my right, towards the nature. And the more I walk, the more green it gets. Eventually, I’ve left the city-feel behind, and feel like I’m walking in a beautiful nature preserve. The rain perfectly highlights the green, and creates mist that makes everything even more interesting.
I head into the park for a moment and find a local library that may be one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. I continue onwards and find a small downhill stream, and the further I walk, the more water appears until I’m walking along what looks like a small river. At this point, I have zero understanding of the fact that I’m right on top of a sulfur park, but more on that in a bit.
I’ve booked time at one of the local baths, (another Klook experience!) because in the little research I did, I saw people recommended this area for thermal bathing and I love trying out local baths. I have to choose whether to do the outdoor area which means sharing pools with other people, or having a private room to myself with one bath. All for $17 US. I figure the best way to decide is to walk over to the spa and see things for myself. It’s a steep uphill walk. Along the way, I spot a perfect-looking cafe, and decide I’ll stop there on the way back for lunch.
I’m surprised to find that the hotel where the sulfur pools are is rather nice. For $17, I expected to be slightly unhappy, which I was not. They let me walk out to the area with the pools, and I realized it would be a lot more fun to try all the different temperature baths, than to be alone in one room, so that’s what I choose. I decide to come in the early evening, right before dinner.
I make my reservation for the return shuttle bus at 7pm before it fills up, and then head back to that fabulous-looking Brae Cafe. Unfortunately, both spots at the outside, with the gorgeous view, are taken. So, I sit inside, enjoy it through the window, and order a quiche and a coffee. Prices are not the least expensive, especially some of their specialty coffees, but wow, what a perfect atmosphere, and great food, and the staff is absolutely lovely. I end up returning here twice during my stay, for coffee, and both times get the outdoor table, and the view is spellbinding!
With some time to spare, I check in to my hotel room, and this is where I learn that not only did I pick the right bathing experience, I also picked a great hotel. The room is HUGE!!! And, there’s a giant spa bathtub where I can run a bath using the local sulfur spring water! So, I can have my bath, and use the bathing pools. What a great find! All this for around $60/night!
I walk back up to the spa hotel later, check in, and get a key to a locker, a robe, and a shower cap. I have to ask for help in the locker room to understand how to use the lockers, and then I take a shower before heading to the baths.
Once in my bathing suit and covered in my bathrobe and shower cap, I head down to the pools. My modesty kicks in. Luckily, it’s dark outside, and raining a little, so I figure I’m not going to be the focus of anyone’s attention. I happily sink in to the first pool. Even though this is a fairly small spa area, there are about seven or eight different temperatures to choose from. They’re very relaxing and I meet people from all over Taiwan who are here to enjoy the sulfur pools as well. At the end, I find an intriguing area with people lying down on the cement ground. I’m not clear why until I lie down, and find that each cement tile is gloriously heated! I spend an hour here before heading off in search of dinner.
Dinner my first night is underwhelming. I happen across a Taiwanese restaurant across from my hotel where each dish costs about 50 cents. I grab the Chinese menu, which requires me to check off the dishes I want. Even with Google translate, I’m not sure what most of the items are. I decide to try the Taiwanese rice. It’s not bad, but I thought it had lots of meat in it. It’s actually meat gelatin, so not very filling. I can’t find much else I want to eat, so get some veggies. I’m still hungry, but I’ve given up on the menu. I at least have the pleasure of meeting a man who has moved to Taipei from the Philippines for work. We share a nice conversation before I leave.
I walk down the street to KFC. Yup. I figure, at least I know I like it. I order some fried chicken and go back to my hotel room. I tuck in and discover….there is no similarity whatsoever between this food and the KFC back home. I don’t know what they coated this chicken in, but disgusting doesn’t even begin to cover it. So much for dinner.
With so many wonderful reviews, I decide to go to Yangmingshan National Park and try a hike. I poured over Google Maps for a while to choose a location that I could get to with a local bus, that also had a nice view and wasn’t too difficult. I decided to go to Xiaoyoukeng Recreation Area which supposedly has a crater I can walk to. Pro Tip: Yangmingshan is huge. If you’re pressed for time, you might want to do a tour. If you’re not, you’ll need several days if not a week to feel like you’ve seen much of it.
It’s lightly rainy and not too cold, but I grab a sweater, just in case. Following Google Maps, I await the first bus I need, and the stop happens to be right across the street from my hotel, couldn’t be more convenient! The bus is more of a mini-bus. We go up, up, and up. In fact, I can’t quite believe that I’m still in Taipei. My mind cannot comprehend how a major metropole can have lush nature so close. And yet, I’m ascending into it. Pro Tip: No matter how warm it is in Taipei, pack layers because it’s a lot cooler on top of the mountain.
I’m glad to have a seat because this is a wild and twisty ride. About 40 minutes later, I arrive at the stop where I need to change buses. But, the bus I need isn’t listed anywhere near me. I check Google Maps and figure out I have to walk down the street to a small bus station. I confirm with them that I’m in the right place, and await bus #108.
The rain has picked up, and it’s not so pleasant. But, it’s not too cold, so I’m still thinking the weather’s not so bad, this will be a fun adventure! Eventually, the bus comes, and we climb higher. The higher we go, the more fog there is. The bus then turns a different direction than I expected, but I remain calm, and trust it will loop back, which it does. The total travel time is about an hour, which surprises me. All those twisty roads don’t allow for fast travel. When I reach my stop I’m one of two people on the bus, and the only one to get off. The weather has gone very foggy, and I debate my decision to get off, but do it anyway. As the bus pulls away, I’m suddenly freezing cold. The weather up here is remarkably colder, and the wind and rain have picked up so that keeping my umbrella up is a battle.
I head to the restroom, then check out the visitor center, which is actually an interesting overiew of the area, which I wish I could see in real life, without the fog blocking the view. I exit back into the cold, and decide I should try to walk a little. I find a hiking trail, walk about 50 feet, and realize there’s no way in hell I’m going to disappear into the mountain on a day like this. I head back to the bus stop. It’s now so foggy I can’t see the road. Are the buses still running? I wonder.
I check out waiting time for an Uber and it’s over 30 minutes. Eventually a bus pulls up, but it’s not heading back down the mountain. I don’t know how much longer I wait, but eventually the right bus pulls up. However, instead of going back to the bus station half way down the mountain, this bus stops at another recreation area where there are so many people waiting for the same bus as I need, that the ride is very unpleasant. When I finally get to the transfer point, the same village where I had to walk down the street to the bus terminal, I’m starving for lunch. With only a fast-food option, I get an Uber, and once back in downtown Beitou end up at a Japanese restaurant where I enjoy a lovely plate of Unagi and some Chawanmushi.
With the late afternoon to go, and finally back in warmer weather, I grab a coffee at Cafe Brae and then decide to visit the Hot Spring Valley. It looks like it’s very close! When I get there, I learn that I had apparently been standing in front of it yesterday, but had no clue there was an entire hot spring to visit, doh! It’s now late enough that the tourist buses are gone, and so I’m one of very few people exploring this gorgeous area.
I walk inside and find some people sitting on what looks a like an enormous stone bench. I walk over, and soon discover that, like the hot spring pools I went to last night, the bench is heated! After the freezing weather I was in, this is just what I need. I warm up and then continue walking around. There’s a wooden loop around the hot spring water. With the misty weather, I can’t imagine a more perfect scene. The steam mixes with the fog so that there are parts of the walk where I’m alone in a mist so dense I can’t see anyone or anything else. And then there are pockets of water, and trees, and I am so happy to be here!
At the front of the park is a stone tablet that explains that Beitou is one of only two places on earth (Japan being the other) where you can bathe in green sulfur! I feel even luckier now. 🙂 You can dip your hands into the small basin at the entrance, and learn about how the witch protects the area from demons with her magical powers.
The sky is getting dark, and I enjoy a walk along the river with evening lights. I decide to walk down a different path, and end up at the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. The door is open, and I learn they’re closing in 20 minutes. I really lucked out.
The museum is free, you just have to take off your shoes, wear flip flops, and check your bags. Although my visit is brisk, I have the place almost entirely to myself, and enjoy learning some of the history of this beautiful area, and, well, cows! There is an exhibit going on for a soap with a cow logo, so obviously, this visit was meant to be. I believe the soap is actually made in Korea, but no matter, this is an excellent day! I take some photos, and depart the museum feeling extremely uplifted.
I’m told there’s a cool train between the Xinbeitou stop near me, and the Beitou MRT stop. So, I figure, why not check it out?! I go the MRT station, up the escalator, and soon board the special train. Well worth it! It’s a shorter train, and every car has a different theme! One of the cars feels like being in a forest. There are tables and chairs! One car has a bear! I’ve never seen anything like it, and let my inner child lead the way through each car. There are TVs on the sides, I mean, I could stay here for hours and sip a hot chocolate!
Sadly, the ride is fairly short, so I simply take it right back to the Xinbeitou stop. But it’s so much fun! If you stay in this area, I highly recommend the train, for your inner kid, as well as the ones you have. 🙂
I decide to try a highly recommended (on Google) Taiwanese restaurant with some sort of fried spare rib delicacy. Penglai Tai Cai Restaurant. It’s around 7pm, and I’m one of the only customers there. I chose it because it seemed outside of the more touristy area. Once again, I’m underwhelmed. It’s fried meat, dipped in batter, fried, and tastes like I’m eating a heart attack on a bone. I order some vegetables to offset the frying, but they have lots of oil. Oh, well. I guess I need to stick to Japanese food.
I neglected to mention that my hotel is really interesting. I mean, beyond the room itself. From the outside, it looks like a narrow corridor sandwiched between a supermarket and another hotel. Once inside, it’s more like the clown car of hotels. Hallways span longer than I thought the block was wide, ornate decor is either impressive, or funny, and the hotel breakfast is insane…in a good way! There’s hot food, cold food, American type food, bread, eggs, noodles, tea, cold cuts….I was happily surprised!
Past the Brae cafe, and a bit up the road to the left of it, there’s a delightful temple. My final morning in the area, I walked up to it. It’s easy to miss the turn-off that’s up a road, and then another right, on Google Maps. Luckily, I was slow and patient and looked around me instead of giving up.
The walk up the path surrounds me wtih trees and more beautiful views. Once at the top, there’s a small temple, which I walk into, and then explore the grounds. I’m surprised to find a tour group there. It looks more like a Family of seven with a guide. They’re speaking Chinese, so I’m not sure what they’re saying, but enjoy watching the kids, who are clearly bored wtih the guide’s information, chase each other around, as I take some photos, and use Google translate to understand the local deities represented with statues.
After a brief revisit to the Thermal Valley (equally devoid of tourist crowds early in the morning!) I head over to the Ketagalan Culture Center. It’s devoted to the indigenous people of Taiwan, about which, apparently there isn’t a great deal of information. Museum entrance is free, and I enjoyed reading stories and listening to songs that are part of their known traditions.
I didn’t know there’s a fascinating indoor food market about seven minutes walk from my hotel! I spent some time walking from room to room admiring all the fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fish, before heading back to check out of my hotel. On the way, would you believe I passed by yet another store that is obviously made for me…? 🙂
If you have the time, I highly recommend a few days in the Beitou area when you visit Taiwan. It’s so different from downtown Taipei, wonderful for nature, rest and relaxation, or hiking. I’m going to miss it! But, it’s time for me to head to my third and final hotel of this trip – over in the Datong neighborhood. Wonder what I’ll find!
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Originally Published on https://heatherbegins.com/
