day2; beitou

after spending 2 nights at SeeYou hotel, we checked out and embarked on a journey to beitou, one of the towns on a higher altitude that was famous for its hot springs. however, we did not catch a chance to try out its natural open-air hot spring, which was full to the brim of people in various interesting swimsuits that were otherwise not exactly suitable in winter weather.

wooden signs outside the hot springs

cute innit this fat furry thingy?? taken with a 300mm lens as this chubby fellow was cleaning itself on a roof

the closest we could get to a hot spring was to visit the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. oh and check into a hot spring hotel later in the day.

there was this area that depicted what a public bath looked like, i just couldn't resist stepping into it. and i did something really crazy, which shall remain untold, ahem.

a hokutolite, or beitou rock which i guess is one of the vital materials for the hot spring. and also where the name of the place originated from

i absolutely adore this stained glass-window

within the vicinity of the museum was a public library of some sort, and outside it were numerous interesting manmade "rocks" with writings on it that actually tells stories if you start reading the words from the centre spiraling down its circumference.

if only all libraries were set as close to nature as this one.

it was actually quite refreshing to be that close to nature but still admire the modern architecture around. in such perfect weather it was as if we were in heaven, or at least, heaven on earth.

as our stomach grumbled, signalling time for lunch, the driver drove us further on in search of food. warm foods, soup, and local delicacies. the right amount of warmth, neutralized the chilling cold as it started to rain; what more could we ask for? it was damn perfect.

local bamboo shoots, if i remember correctly

a peculiar tasting local dish called "cross cat" when directly translated from mandarin

i would call this dish spearheaded shrimps cuz i dont know its name!

after lunch, we advanced to our hot springs hotel, passing YangMing along the way. the driver said we had to take picture with the famous "YangMingShan flower clock". he was so persistent about it that we had to brave the strong wind and rain to stand there for 5 minutes, snap a few pics, laughed hysterically at the umbrellas that were blown into the shape of flowers by the crazy rain.

happy almost-dry people, and me, with the camera. oh look at mum's overturned umbrella!

the town of YangMingShan

after checking in, we went to the Fishermen's Wharf at Danshui where the wind was stronger, the rain heavier, and the laughtersmany times more hysterical! post to follow later!