Taiwan

Beautiful skyline of Kaohsiung

We visited two ports in Taiwan: Kaohsiung on the south side and Keelung, nearest port to the capitol city of Taipei. The city of Kaohsiung has a restored waterfront area that is a work of art. The day was cool but sunny which really showed off the eclectic architecture of this modern city. The colorful buildings reminded us a bit of the unique cityscapes of Shanghai, only on a much lesser scale.

Our tour guide, Helen was well-informed and
kept us laughing

The highlight of our Taiwan visit was a bus tour to the mountain hot springs in the north of the country. We have visited Taipei and explored the city before, so we were looking for something different this time. Anne has always wanted to soak in an Asian hot spring since this activity is an important part of the culture. Which is how we found ourselves outside of Taipei on a cold rainy day being driven up into the mountains.

Getting ready for a hot swim in the cold rain
at Tien Lai Hot Spring Resort

Hot spring resorts are common throughout the Pacific Rim area, especially along a chain of volcanic formations known as “The Ring of Fire.”  Taiwan’s volcanoes are basically extinct now, but a huge reservoir of hot magma beneath the surface continues to push up heat, creating hot springs at the surface. Many believe these hot springs have healing powers, and we were anxious to test the theory.

We arrived at the Tien Lai Hot Springs Resort just in time for a major deluge from the sky. Our guide Helen tried to cheer us up with her vocal rendition of “Singing in the Rain” (with a distinct Taiwanese accent), but everyone looked as skeptical as we felt.

The resort was rather luxurious with nice changing rooms and large, individual lockers. We changed into swimsuits and wrapped ourselves in our towels. They also provided required shower caps and lumpy rubber sandals which had to be the most uncomfortable undersized footwear ever constructed! Altho it was a distance to walk to the hot pools on the cold concrete surface, these footwear handouts were agonizing to wear.  So we ditched them almost immediately and did without.

Taking a soak in the hot sulphur spring
with mandatory bath caps!

It wasn’t easy stepping out into the rain and the chilly air, but once we were soaking in a hot spring it was all worth it! The water contained lots of sulphur, which was quite soothing to the touch, and made the skin feel buttery smooth. The garden area was simple and Zen-like, surrounded by eerie misty-covered mountains. On a better day, it would have been spectacular.

Cooling off in the rain after our hot spa dips

We had thirteen hot pools to choose from, all with slightly different water temperatures and various features like powerful shower heads to direct the spray for a massage effect. They even had a fish pool with little fish to chew on your feet (we had experienced this in Athens, Greece a few years ago). Of course, Anne had to let them chomp on her. After a couple hours dipping in and out of the pools, we showered, changed, and enjoyed a generous buffet lunch featuring local cuisine at the hotel.

Anne with the Nefertiti formation

Our last stop was Yehliu Geo Park, a very commercialized park with various and strange coral-like formations carved by wind and ocean spray. Many of the formations looked like mushrooms although some were supposed to look like famous figures (such as the head of Nefertiti).

Mad Dog Waves crashing all around us

The best sights were the crashing waves. Our guide Helen had warned us to look out for the “Mad Dog Waves” of Taiwan. These rogue waves can drag you down into the sea and drown you in just seconds if you are not careful.  We think we saw a couple of these waves but stayed well behind the painted red line drawn by the park management!

Despite the rain, we appreciated the relaxing day (and our super soft skin!)

More pics:

Suburbs of Kaohsiung

Soooo relaxing!

Garden of mushrooms at Yehliu

Frank in mushroom park

Geo Park seascape