Hot Spring in Wulai

We decided to go to hot spring near Taipei today. The weather is better than yesterday, but still no sunshine. We have to take the underground to go to the end of the line, then right next to the exit, there is a bus stop to go to Wulai.

We are super lucky to catch a special bus, cos there are many people going to Wulai that the Co. knew there are over 50 people on the queue, so a special bus is called to come to rescue. Just when the bus pulls over, we get on it although there is hardly any seat anymore. The journey took about 40 minutes. The scenery is serene and comfortable. I can see all the other tourists are cheery, cos today is still a public holiday!!

Hot spring in TW is cheaper than those in Japan, but nicer than in China

We have some problems to pay the fare cos we hardly got any coins on hand, and JT got a travel card which is entitled to have discount on this bus service. It is all very confusing and the driver never states clearly how much it costs for the journey. Eventually we paid more than it is required to support the local economy as JT does not want to pay less. He is very honest. We get off around 1150am.

We chose a nice hotel named "Chunqiu" to take a private hotspring. They won't allow any reservation, first come, first serve. They charge NT2000 for 2 hours as they have a better view and nicer environment. I kind of agree. They have free tea and coffee in the lobby but ironically, there is no hot water. We waited till 1230 to get our turn.

The private room is not too big, but with all the basic stuff u need. It is well-presented and clean. This is super-important. I am pleased with it. 2 hours are gd time to enjoy in silence. We rest peacefully in the hot water, forgetting all the nusances in our daily lives. There is a big window facing the tiny river, not v great view but at least it is quiet and all green. I couldn't ask for more. And it reminds me the river in Switzerland. I remember the black guys waved at me in high spirit. Those smiles were memorable and heartening in this strange world.

We finished at 230pm, after taking some shots to capture the best thing here. Hot spring is one of our agendas in this trip!! Then we strolled down to the main street, so called old street, to grab a bite and of course, do some shopping. It is indeed very crowdy, packed with holiday-goeres like us. People are all very relax and happy. We check around some of the restaurants and cuisines to make sure we make the smart decision. Yet it is difficult without a guide. Eventually we chose a decent one to have some local dishes, we ordered 5!! More than enough to fill us up!! JT is v hungry and tired, especially after the hot spa. I feel great and not a bit tired.

We hike up to take a old mechanic train to the waterfall area. It is terrific, I mean the 8-minute slow train journey. I like it a lot. I even videoed it with wow ane yell. So much fun, better than a roller-coaster. This is a historic left-behind in the hill, it used to serve the resources-transporting purposes. It looked so old and out-of-date, but it is a nice vehicle of the past! We waited for about 15 minutes on the queue. We board on at 410pm. But JT is so very tired that he has no mood to walk far. How bad! Just when I want to explore and stroll around, he goes for the opposite. We walk down the road slowly, enjoying the roadside view, checking out the stuff on the road. It took less than 30 minutes to go back to the old train station.

JT is dying to lie down, so we head to the bus station at once, which is kind of hurry to me, to leave the place. We squeezed onto the big bus without delay, again no seat. JT is not pleased with that, but I think to avoid the traffic is more important. JT fell asleep on the bus the whole time, standing! It is getting dark but the bus is racing fast, like a sports car....sometimes I would think of an accident or something....

We go back to the hotel to take a rest, at the request of JT. He is so very tired that it is quite out of my expectation. At 830pm, we go out to Ximen to have a look. We take duck meat as dinner, then stroll around for window shopping. We even check out the living store, which is nice-looking and reasonably priced. I like to shop these kind of living stores now. Beginning to get addicted...

We left around 1030. With the underground, it is very convenient to tour around  Taipei!! What a big difference from the time I last came here....