Taiwan 2014 Day 7 - Beitou and Danshui
On Day 7, we left the Flying Cow Ranch and drove to Beitou (about 3h car ride).
Beitou is a small town north of Taipei city and is most well-known for its hot springs. It was our first time there so we weren't sure what to expect.
We couldn't check into our hotel till 5pm (the rooms come with hot spring tubs here so the hotels will try to rent the rooms out by the hour for day visitors) so we decided to walk around for a bit.
We saw the famous Beitou Library that is entirely made of wood and green features and has won many architectural awards. We took a stroll through Beitou Park where we chanced upon a public bath but decided against going in because it was so crazy crowded!
We ventured to the Beitou Thermal Valley. Quite aptly nicknamed 'Hell's Valley', the whole place was almost entirely enveloped in steam rising from the geothermal pools. The place is really small though - we left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
There didn't seem to be much to see or do in Beitou, so in the end we decided to take a train to Danshui, even though we were not originally planning to visit it till the following day.
Danshui is a small coastal town north of Taipei city (few stops from Beitou) that came highly recommended by my friends.
There are quite a few attractions in Danshui such as the Fisherman Wharf and the Lover's Bridge but it was late evening by the time we got there which meant we only had time for the Old Street.
There are lots to see and eat along the Old Street. We had traditional fish balls, fried squid (so good!), Taiwan sausages and red bean pancakes, and the kids had something called tower icecream! The boys also spent some time playing shooting games at an arcade.
We took the train back to Beitou, finally checked into our hotel and ended the night with what we came all the way to Beitou for: a good warm soak in our hot spring tub. Ahh!
Beitou is a small town north of Taipei city and is most well-known for its hot springs. It was our first time there so we weren't sure what to expect.
We couldn't check into our hotel till 5pm (the rooms come with hot spring tubs here so the hotels will try to rent the rooms out by the hour for day visitors) so we decided to walk around for a bit.
We saw the famous Beitou Library that is entirely made of wood and green features and has won many architectural awards. We took a stroll through Beitou Park where we chanced upon a public bath but decided against going in because it was so crazy crowded!
We ventured to the Beitou Thermal Valley. Quite aptly nicknamed 'Hell's Valley', the whole place was almost entirely enveloped in steam rising from the geothermal pools. The place is really small though - we left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
There didn't seem to be much to see or do in Beitou, so in the end we decided to take a train to Danshui, even though we were not originally planning to visit it till the following day.
Danshui is a small coastal town north of Taipei city (few stops from Beitou) that came highly recommended by my friends.
There are quite a few attractions in Danshui such as the Fisherman Wharf and the Lover's Bridge but it was late evening by the time we got there which meant we only had time for the Old Street.
There are lots to see and eat along the Old Street. We had traditional fish balls, fried squid (so good!), Taiwan sausages and red bean pancakes, and the kids had something called tower icecream! The boys also spent some time playing shooting games at an arcade.
We took the train back to Beitou, finally checked into our hotel and ended the night with what we came all the way to Beitou for: a good warm soak in our hot spring tub. Ahh!