We started off the day by heading to Xin Beitou (北投) for a walkabout as well as hot spring. Take the train Red Line heading towards Tamsui and change into another train at MRT Beitou Station to the Pink Line, which travels one stop to MRT Xin Beitou Station. The whole journey will take around half hour to 40 minutes.
The area is quite an easy accessible place which we managed to follow a walking trail which I found online. The route went like this: Ketagalan Culture Center > Beitou Hot Spring Museum > Millennium Hot Springs (which we went for Hot Spring) > Plum Garden > Beitou Thermal Valley > Puji Temple > Lunch.
At the entrance of Xin Beitou Station, you will be able to see the Beitou Park across the street on the right. A water fountain is situated at the entrance of the park. Our first stop is to Ketagalan Culture Center which is just across the street from the park on the left. It is a 10-floor high building where the entrance is into POP art culture. Believe me, you won't miss it unless they change the design of their entrance from time to time. This museum gives a broad overview of the history of 14 different Taiwanese aboriginal groups, with displays of the equipment and costumes used at that concern period. The museum is open every Tuesday – Sunday from 9am – 5pm and admission is free. It would take less than an hour to comb the whole museum.
Next up, continuing on the right side of the center, we walked to the Millennium Hot Springs (千禧湯露天溫泉). This is a mixed bathing bath and requires the use of bathing suits, so you won’t be getting completely naked like in Japanese style baths. Price of admission is at NT$40 - affordable with great experience. You may either bring your own swimwear or purchase a swimsuit at the entrance. It was really an experience for me though I had been to both Japan and Korea before and had tried nude hot spring before. In this hot spring, there are many elderly with a couple of their grandchildren, scattered with tourists as well. I guess the affordable price allows the locals to spend their time at this hot spring. The people there were friendly and guided us along the way, telling us the dos and don'ts. Felt so refreshed after the whole thing.
Next up, we went to the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. which was the main public bath in the area during the Japanese Era. Visitors are to remove their shoes before entering (Japanese custom) and change into slippers that are provided. Learnt more about the Japanese culture in Taiwan, and now we know why Beitou seems so Japanese..
Another highlight of this morning was the visit to Beitou Thermal Valley (地热谷). A nature phenomenon where a volcanic crater is filled with steaming natural sulfuric hot spring water. The area is open Tuesday – Sunday from 9am-5pm. Admission is free.
A very quick detour to Puji Temple before we stopped for lunch - A well preserved temple which is located on a higher ground. Get up the stairs to visit this temple - a Japanese Buddhist Temple to be exact.
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| Beitou and its beauty |
After all the walking, it was time for lunch. Upon google, I noted that there is this popular Ramen option -Man Lai Hot Spring Ramen (满来温泉拉面). Following the direction, we saw Man Ke Ramen (满客屋拉面) instead. We thought the shop has changed its name and with the long queue, we thought we got the right shop. With a bit of waiting time, we managed to get a table within half an hour. Following the recommendation, we ordered the hot spring egg （溫泉蛋), cold tofu and the Miso Ramen with braised pork (味噌叉燒拉面). I have to say, the egg is really great and so is the tofu. The ramen was so-so but it was good enough to go with the side dishes. A good lunch after a good walk.
Time to head to Tamsui (淡水)and along the way back we saw the shop name: Man Lai Hot Spring Ramen (满来温泉拉面). Oh man, it has shifted nearer to the train station. But well, luckily we had a good lunch at the other Ramen shop.
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| Man Ke Ramen 满客屋拉面 |
From Xin Beitou, take the train to Danshui Mrt. It will take around half an hour. Exit the station and we walked through The Old Street (淡水老街). It was time to hop in and out of the shops but well, we did not managed to buy anything. We walked to the Fort San Domingo (紅毛城) and Little White House (小白宮) which took us about half and hour. Along the way, we saw the shop that sell Ah Poh iron eggs (阿婆铁蛋). It is a must buy back souvenirs together with the fish crackers. Remember to get them!
Anyway, the Fort San Domingo and the Little White House are quite well preserved and we were able to know more about the history of the city. A leisure walk to spend under the nice breezy weather. Next up, we took a bus to the Fisherman's Wharf & Lover Bridge (情人橋) as it was quite a long distance to walk. We were hoping to see the sunset at the bridge but it was too cloudy. Nonetheless, we managed to take some great photos there.
Dinner was of course spent at the Old street after taking a ferry ride back from the Fisherman's Wharf. We had the famous Ah Gei (阿給) - it is tofu stuffed with glass noodle. It was quite an unique food. Besides that, we also ordered the fishball soup and the meat patty. A very simple dinner at the classic Old Street!
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| Tsam Shui |
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