Bucket List: Hot Spring Resort Town

By -

Taiwan, Beitou, Hot Spring Resort Town

This bucket list article described my experience visiting the hor spring resort town of Beitou in the mountains slightly north-east of Taipei.

Not the traditional off-the-beaten-track location, Beitou is well-known amongts locals and international visitors for its hot spring resorts. Despite having visited Taipei many times, I had only been to Beitou once, just once. Why? I always had so many items cramped into my itinerary whenever I visit Taipei that I simply could not find the time to get away to relax and simply do nothing except to soak in the hot springs. Well, once is better than none and I still have a promise to myself to return to Beitou again. Hopefully soon.

******************

Taipei City's Beitou District is well regarded by locals and international visitors alike for its hot springs and the many hot springs resorts in the area.

Being a resort town of sorts has its merits. Here, life is noticeably slower than the rat race in Taipei City itself. There are no rush hours and no last minute trains to catch to rush off to another destination. In Beitou, it is all about relaxation and mindfulness. Take it slow, relax, stroll, eat, chill and of course, soak in the natural hot spring waters direct from the mountains.

One important caution to note is that the many outdoor natural pools here are not for soaking because the natural water temperature is so hot that it will most certainly be fatal if one gets into these pools, whether knowingly or unknowingly! Soak only in the pools inside the many resorts in town where the temperatures are regulated. Some of these resorts allow non-staying guests to use their hot spring pools for a fee. Simply enquire at their respective guests counters.


A natural outdoor hot spring in Beitou. The water temperature here is near boiling point! Never ever get near or into this or any other outdoor natural pools!! Beitou, Taipei City, Taiwan (2018)

In autumn when the weather starts to get noticeably colder, especially in the nights, soaking in the hot springs of Beitou brings with it a relaxation like no other. For me, this was a true travel bucket list item, especially coming from a country where there are no natural hot springs, or any real public baths to begin with.

So what was it like to soak in a hot spring in the cold autumn nights of Beitou? Magical! Unlike in Japan where many hot springs resorts have issues with people with tattoos patronising hot springs, here in Beitou, there are no such old-fashioned hangups. Tattoos? Nobody cares!

And because I have tattoos, I can truly relax in the hot springs here without having to worry about being asked to leave; simply because I have tattoos! 

Writing this short article brings back so much good memories of my one and only trip to Beitou that I am really questioning myself why I had only been there once? 

I shall return again to soak my stress away in Beitou's hot springs, tattoos et al!

Natural landscapes dot various locations in and around Beitou, Taipei City, Taiwan (2018)


A tourist information guide map of Beitou, Taipei City, Taiwan (2018)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Estonia, Tallinn - Palace of Ungern-Sternberg

By -
Image
I was awestruck by the grandness and magnificence of this building during my walking tour of the Old Town of Tallinn. While there, I had no opportunity to enter the building itself. Thus, admiring its facade and photographing its structure as I walked around its perimeter had to suffice.  The  Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) Without knowing what this building was, its history and its name, the photographs I took allowed me to conduct basic research on it after the trip.  Based on my rudimentary research into the building long after my trip to Tallinn, I was to discover that it was built in the year 1865 by the German architect, Martin Gropius. Also known as the Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, the building is today the home of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The Academy is a group of scientists whose aim is to promote research & development and scientific cooperation as well as knowledge dissemination.  The main building housing the Academy is a
Read more

Cambodia, Siem Reap - Wall Sculptures at Angkor Wat

By -
Image
In many places of great historical and cultural significances around the world, wall sculptures left by generations before us convey messages of events past. Such messages are recorded versions of history of the places where they are found.  I have always been fascinated by how our ancient ancestors were able to faithfully convey events that would otherwise require many pages of descriptive words, through a series of wall sculptures. The creative ingenuities, stone masonry skills and storytelling talents of our ancient forebears were translated into these beautiful and amazing wall sculptures that allow us of later generations, to learn and study the civilisations that preceded us. Are these wall sculptures from the past simply just art? Or recorded history? To me, they are both and more. In my previous visits to Cambodia's renown Angkor Wat in 2015 and 2022, I spent time studying the many wall sculptures that still remained in this ancient site. The experience has made me more awa
Read more

Singapore, Horsburgh - Deep Sea Fishing

By -
Image
Horsburgh Lighthouse (or Horsburgh) is located on an outlying small island (a.k.a Pedra Branca meaning "White Rock" in Portuguese) near the entrance to the east of the Straits of Singapore. The lighthouse was named after Cpt James Horsburgh, who was a hydrographer with the then East India Company. Horsburgh is located about 54km (34 miles) east of Singapore. It was raining in the morning as we set off for the long anticipated trip which was planned as far back as 3 months ago in August 1998. There were four of us; YK, Kenneth, CC and myself.  
 Soon, we were on our way to the suppossedly rich fishing grounds near Horsburgh Lighthouse. This locale is considered a good fishing ground for recreational fishing because commercial trawling is supposedly not permitted.  
 We reached our first fishing spot at exactly 5.00 pm local time. Looking around, we couldn't see actually any lighthouse but who cares, it was the fishing that we were coming for, not a visit to so
Read more