Beitou

January 10, 2021

On Sunday last (January 3rd) we had fine weather, the temperature reaching the low 20’s.  On the spur of the moment I decided to visit Beitou.

I took this picture on the Beitou train station while waiting for a connecting train to Xinbeitou.

I walked from Xinbeitou Station on the left, through the park following the creek upstream to the Thermal Valley, then retraced my steps back to the Xinbeitou Station.

A very comprehensive written guide is https://www.nickkembel.com/beitou-hot-spring/ .  It covers all the places I went to and many more that I missed.

There is also a YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWfw4P8fMSc  that gives you a flavour of the Beitou area, though it’s rather short. 

At the beginning of the walk I saw a Cajeput tree (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajeput_tree), also known as a paper-bark tree.  These trees are planted next to streets in Taipei.  It was a jarring sight to see what I assumed to be a quintessential Australian tree in Taiwan. 

A picture of the creek that flows through the park.  I thought maybe I could dip my feet in the stream …

… or maybe not.

I came across the Beitou Hot Springs Museum, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beitou_Hot_Spring_Museum.  On a previous occasion I visited it.  I recall that I was instructed to take off my shoes and was issued with a set of slippers, which I had a lot of trouble with due to my limp.  The Museum was very interesting; on the ground floor there was a (drained) bathing area – I think you can see the windows in the centre of the above picture.  Tang Laoshi (唐菡湄), my Chinese teacher, said that the Japanese built it during the Japanese colonial period for a Japanese royal person who ended up not coming.   

Then I walked past the Beitou Public Springs, which I didn’t visit; see https://www.taiwanese-secrets.com/beitou-hot-springs/ for more.

There is a TripAdvisor website on the Beitou Public Springs – see https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g13806427-d552542-r260970777-Beitou_Hot_Spring-Beitou_Taipei.html#:~:text=The%20Beitou%20Public%20Springs%20are,sessions%20running%20throughout%20the%20day.  

There are also dozens of hotels lining the park advertising hot springs.  

The Thermal Valley, reached via a footpath off to the left of the road.

I took a few pictures of this steaming pond, but I found it’s impossible to capture the essence – but  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apd2MJrUFu8 does it quite well.  It’s quite a sight, with the steep valley rising out of the vapour.  

A noticeboard next to the pond makes sobering reading.

There are booths next to the pond where you can buy an egg cooked by the boiling waters.  Not too long ago you could cook the eggs yourself. 

Then I went back the way I’d come, past the Beitou public library and caught the MRT home.

Richard