Hi there, how've you been in this early 2024? I hope you are doing well, and I also hope that the checklists in your New Year's resolution have started to get ticked. Anyway, where did you spend your last day in 2023? I spent mine in Beitou, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Here I am, sharing my story with you all.
The Start of My Holiday
The journey starts on the 30th of December for me. It was already dark and cold outside, as I arrived in Beitou at 8 p.m. I know, it is Saturday but I needed to work overtime, poor me :'(. The wind was quite breezy and I was quite hungry, so I went to a Japanese barbeque and beer restaurant, or you might also call it an izakaya. It was a good place with plenty of options for sake, beer, and other savoury beverages; a good start for the celebration.
NiaoShao 蔦燒, Beitou branch
Why is Beitou out of all places?
You may wonder, what is the main attraction of Beitou? The answer is hot spring!! In Chinese, we call it 溫泉 (read: wenquan). Cold winter is the most appropriate time to go to a hot spring, isn't it? Anyway, there are many options for hot springs here:
- The public, public bath
A public park, open area, mixed-gender pool. They do have an entry fee of 200 NTS (8$ USD)/person. Here you need to wear a swimsuit and being naked is strictly prohibited. Unfortunately, "too hot to handle"-like models are unlikely to be seen inside, as the visitors are mostly elders. However, do not take them lightly, as gramps here can do dozens of muscle-ups! - The semi-private bath
For you who enjoy going commando, these semi-private properties typically have "no nude, no bath" rules. But of course, they do separate the bathing area of ladies and gentlemen; this is not a red-light district after all. These semi-private properties usually put up rates of around 300 NTS (10$ USD)/120 minutes. - Private pool
Any person who does not enjoy voyeurism can also opt to rent a private unit for about 2000 NTS (80$ USD)/120 minutes or up to 5000 NTS (180$ USD) but with greater views of the surroundings. Prices above typically include snacks and bathing appliances. FYI, most of the Instagram chicks' "bathing" photos you saw on the internet were taken from the latter.
Inside the private bathing house
Some hotels provide a good deal by giving you a room with a private pool inside. I picked this option for 6000 NTD (200$ USD)/night and I think it is a very good deal! Don't get me wrong! It is not because I am rich, nor am I am not confident in my size, but because I think that getting 24/7 access to the pool with full privacy is a good deal!
Morning Activity in Beitou
Hotspring is indeed the main attraction in this city, but it is not the sole as the parks and nature around it are gorgeous. For you guys who love nature and enjoy physical activities, there are hiking trails everywhere around here. Putting a cherry on top, they are all within walking distance as it only takes a couple of minutes (walking) from the train station to the entrance of the hiking trail!
Sulfur Valley, east of Beitou train station
The weather was so nice when I went hiking in the Sulfur Valley. Fun fact, hot springs in the city source the water from here, including the hotel I stayed in last night. However, do not swim directly in this place, as the water coming up is boiling hot and the sulfur is suffocating. Have you ever smelled sulfur before? Imagine a rotten egg, or your fart after drinking too much protein powder; that is how sulfur smells!
Oh... you are not fond of physical activity? It's okay! they also have Beitou Library, Taiwan's first green-built library. The area is furnished with wood. The vibe is good and is surrounded by parks where you can go picnic. In the seating area, there are many people, either studying, doing WFH, or sleeping. The library is a good place to nap, don't you think?
The inside of Taipei Public Library, Beitou Branch
Just five minutes away from this library, you can also find the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. Here you can learn the history and the development of hot springs, on how they turned into the main commercial of this area. Here I also learned that Japanese culture is deeply rooted and plays a significant role in the development of Taiwan's hot springs, as they are the one that laid the foundation during their era of colonialism.
The Imperial Japanese believed that hot springs provided healing power that hastened the treatment of wounded soldiers. At the year of 1896, Japan starts to construct hotels to provide housing for the increasing interest in this activity. These now became the main attraction of the Beitou region.
The old bathing area inside the Hot Spring Museum is now a display room
The New Year's Eve
The sight of people tagging seats for the New Year's fireworks
Being hungry after the hikes and the museum visit, I decided to go up to Tamsui Old Street. I planned to stay here for the New Year's Eve celebration too. It was still 4 p.m., but I already saw people sitting by the edge of the wharf, claiming a spot for the fireworks later at night. "Damn, they are so determined!", that's what I was thinking that time, but I'd rather spend my time on other agendas than doing nothing just for fireworks. I mean, what is the point of tagging seats for hours just for... a couple of minutes of fireworks? Might as well enjoy the surroundings. I decide to have dinner and a bowl of strawberry patbingsoo (Korean-style ice cream) instead.
Strawberry patbingsoo, yummy!
Tagging spots by leaving behind your tripods and cameras
Anyway, do you find anything odd from the picture above? It is a picture of people leaving their stuff on the edge of the wharf to tag their spot. You can only find this phenomenon in Taiwan! Imagine leaving your stuff unattended like this but in Spain... 10 minutes and it's gone! but not in Taiwan. Here is so safe, that even people do not have to worry about leaving their belongings for hours just to do something else. Although I have been here for 4 years, I am still flabbergasted by the fact that they are so honest.
The Firework in Tamsui
I almost missed the fireworks. It was still 8 p.m. but there were tons of people standing on the edge of the wharf, getting ready with their phones aimed at the dark sky. I wonder why, though. Thanks to my eavesdropping skills, I learned that the fireworks would start at 8:24 p.m., but why? It took me quite a while to realize the wittiness of the event organizer! 8:24 p.m. can also be written as 20:24 (2024)! Clever! The fireworks lasted for a good 13 minutes, and it was gorgeous!
Tamsui firework started at 20:24 instead of 00:00
Thanks to the Tamsui government, people in Taiwan can now enjoy the fireworks celebration twice! Immediately after the fireworks ended, a lot of people rushed to take the red line MRT and buses to go to Taipei 101 for another fireworks show, which was going to be held three and a half hours later.
Not for me, though. I chose to stay and enjoy the New Year vibes at Tamsui Wharf rather than being a sardine on the bus. On top of that, the Taipei 101 area must be super crowded. Last year, it took me four freaking hours just to get out of the 101's firework area, imagine that! So yeah, NO! NO! NO! (read in Astarion voice). I then spent the rest of the night and celebrated the New Year inside the bathtub, accompanied by a bottle of wine and Netflix.
A snack before going home, bought in one of many food stalls in Tamsui
The Aftermath
Riding a bike around the city. The weather is so good!
After getting enough wrinkles on my hands and feet, I decide that the bath is enough and it is time to embrace reality (the holiday is over, my dear). But before I came back to Hsinchu, I took a detour and strolled around northern Taipei, visiting the new sunflower park that I didn't have time to visit back in the summer. And here it is, The sunflower blooms perfectly and it is so beautiful!
Beauty of sunflower garden in the bleak of mid-winter
ALL DEAD. haha... It turns out to be a sunflower graveyard. As how luck stuck, there is only a single sunflower left in the park. Too bad I am late for the bloom season! I hope I can come back here next summer to enjoy their beauty. I then went home right after.
The only sunflower amongst dead crops
This is my New Year's Eve holiday. Thank you so much for reading my story! How is yours?
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