AmyHuang
Taiwan: natural hot springs
I hope every one have had a great Christmas and are busy planning how to celebrate your New Years?
I thought I'd squeeze in a couple more things on my trip before New Years to keep you all entertained.
Taiwan is an island situated right on two major tectonic plates of earth. Many of Taiwan's beautiful mountain ranges were formed thanks to these plates' movements and many are extinct volcanoes. The geographic location of Taiwan means earthquakes are common (most severe was the 21st September earthquake in 1999 that killed more than 2000 people), typhoons always likes to visit, and most of all, the island is dotted with natural hot spring sources, more hot springs per capita than any countries in the world.
Which meant, I went hot spring hunting and indulged myself just that little bit on our trip.
Natural mineral hot springs have been used by Taiwan's aborigines since the beginning of time to wash, to cook and for medication purposes. The minerals and salts in these waters are said to be able to improve your health, reduce the pains and aches of muscle and joint problems, as well as keeping your skin and body functions young which in terms make you beautiful.
We were only able to visit two hot spring locations. The first being Wulai, one of the old aboriginal towns near Taipei. We hunted down the oldest hot spring hotel in town and soaked in their Japanese style bathes, with running hot spring water as well as cooled water for temperature adjustment. The steam and the warmth of the water was so relaxing, the aches of carrying my backpack around were all gone.
It is important to note that when you visit a hot spring, to make sure not to over heat yourself. The hot spring waters in Wulai is at a natural 60 degrees Celsius, and by soaking in it for too long you will risk fainting and heart attack (if you have heart conditions). The practice is to get out of the tub and spray yourself with some cold spring water, which is provided through a shower head on the side. The hotel even provide shampoo and soap so you can wash yourself at the same time. Once your body has cooled to a reasonable temperature, you then get back in the bath to soak a little bit more before getting out to the cafe to enjoy some complementary iced lemon water to cool you off, and to relax a little bit more.
Opposite the hotel are the free bathing areas of Wulai. The river running through Wulai are actually the hot spring that has poured through from the inner mountains, this river is in fact, still warm and many locals get to the river bank to soak in the river or in the pools built for such purposes.
Imagine being able to do this everyday, to relax in the hot springs surrounded by mountains and forests, and the mysterious mist that seem to hover over Wulai permanently. It is certainly an amazing experience.
The second hot spring town we visited was near Taitung, south of Taiwan on the east coast. The town Jhiben (or Chippen, as listed in Lonely Planets and most major Taiwan tourism sites) was developed by the Japanese during their occupation. The local aborigines don't really have much to do with the hot spring industry here and the Japanese made it into a resort town.
We were lucky enough to get a good deal with a five-star hot spring resort here, taking our hot spring experience to the next level. The Feng Tai Hot Springs Hotel & Spa (website in Chinese) charged us only AU$92 equivalent for a night, which for a five-star hotel is not a bad deal. The room was comfortable with a balcony overlooking the river and hills beyond, and an outdoor hot spring area comfortably made with in-water seating so that you can relax and be comfortable.
Jhiben's hot spring is not as hot as the waters in Wulai - it runs at around 42 degrees Celsius. It has a slightly stronger sulfur smell but the hotel filters most of it out so you don't have to hold your noses when you indulge. The spring waters are also piped into the hotel bathrooms so you can in fact enjoy the waters without leaving your room. However who won't want the full hot spring experience and enjoy an out-door setting as well?
According to an extremely talkative taxi driver (it must be a trait in taxi drivers, they all want to have a chat!) he and his fellow local taxis had been taking a man to and from the train station to the hot springs in Wulai for the past year. This man was diagnosed with cancer, and was sentenced to only have around 4 months only in him. Since then he had been coming to the hot springs every day for an hour, and then exercise in the hills surrounding the hot springs where the air is also rumoured to have mists of the hot springs which helps your immunity when you breathe them in. 12 months on, he is still coming and going, with a brighter spark on his face. Although not completely cured, they believe it's the hot spring and the fresh mists in the forest that has prolonged his life.
Pulling out a Taiwan tourist map shows that there are plenty of hot spring areas to enjoy, mostly along the east coast as well as around Taipei. I'll have to make sure I put in more days to visit them all next time.
I thought I'd squeeze in a couple more things on my trip before New Years to keep you all entertained.
Wulai old street - where all the hot spring hotel and services are located
Taiwan is an island situated right on two major tectonic plates of earth. Many of Taiwan's beautiful mountain ranges were formed thanks to these plates' movements and many are extinct volcanoes. The geographic location of Taiwan means earthquakes are common (most severe was the 21st September earthquake in 1999 that killed more than 2000 people), typhoons always likes to visit, and most of all, the island is dotted with natural hot spring sources, more hot springs per capita than any countries in the world.
Which meant, I went hot spring hunting and indulged myself just that little bit on our trip.
Natural mineral hot springs have been used by Taiwan's aborigines since the beginning of time to wash, to cook and for medication purposes. The minerals and salts in these waters are said to be able to improve your health, reduce the pains and aches of muscle and joint problems, as well as keeping your skin and body functions young which in terms make you beautiful.
The natural hot springs runs through Wulai river
We were only able to visit two hot spring locations. The first being Wulai, one of the old aboriginal towns near Taipei. We hunted down the oldest hot spring hotel in town and soaked in their Japanese style bathes, with running hot spring water as well as cooled water for temperature adjustment. The steam and the warmth of the water was so relaxing, the aches of carrying my backpack around were all gone.
The individual hot spring bath in Wulai
It is important to note that when you visit a hot spring, to make sure not to over heat yourself. The hot spring waters in Wulai is at a natural 60 degrees Celsius, and by soaking in it for too long you will risk fainting and heart attack (if you have heart conditions). The practice is to get out of the tub and spray yourself with some cold spring water, which is provided through a shower head on the side. The hotel even provide shampoo and soap so you can wash yourself at the same time. Once your body has cooled to a reasonable temperature, you then get back in the bath to soak a little bit more before getting out to the cafe to enjoy some complementary iced lemon water to cool you off, and to relax a little bit more.
Opposite the hotel are the free bathing areas of Wulai. The river running through Wulai are actually the hot spring that has poured through from the inner mountains, this river is in fact, still warm and many locals get to the river bank to soak in the river or in the pools built for such purposes.
The Wulai free outdoor bathing area on the river
Imagine being able to do this everyday, to relax in the hot springs surrounded by mountains and forests, and the mysterious mist that seem to hover over Wulai permanently. It is certainly an amazing experience.
The second hot spring town we visited was near Taitung, south of Taiwan on the east coast. The town Jhiben (or Chippen, as listed in Lonely Planets and most major Taiwan tourism sites) was developed by the Japanese during their occupation. The local aborigines don't really have much to do with the hot spring industry here and the Japanese made it into a resort town.
The Jhiben river and hot spring central (view from hotel window)
We were lucky enough to get a good deal with a five-star hot spring resort here, taking our hot spring experience to the next level. The Feng Tai Hot Springs Hotel & Spa (website in Chinese) charged us only AU$92 equivalent for a night, which for a five-star hotel is not a bad deal. The room was comfortable with a balcony overlooking the river and hills beyond, and an outdoor hot spring area comfortably made with in-water seating so that you can relax and be comfortable.
The Japanese style outdoor bathing area in the hotel
Jhiben's hot spring is not as hot as the waters in Wulai - it runs at around 42 degrees Celsius. It has a slightly stronger sulfur smell but the hotel filters most of it out so you don't have to hold your noses when you indulge. The spring waters are also piped into the hotel bathrooms so you can in fact enjoy the waters without leaving your room. However who won't want the full hot spring experience and enjoy an out-door setting as well?
According to an extremely talkative taxi driver (it must be a trait in taxi drivers, they all want to have a chat!) he and his fellow local taxis had been taking a man to and from the train station to the hot springs in Wulai for the past year. This man was diagnosed with cancer, and was sentenced to only have around 4 months only in him. Since then he had been coming to the hot springs every day for an hour, and then exercise in the hills surrounding the hot springs where the air is also rumoured to have mists of the hot springs which helps your immunity when you breathe them in. 12 months on, he is still coming and going, with a brighter spark on his face. Although not completely cured, they believe it's the hot spring and the fresh mists in the forest that has prolonged his life.
Pulling out a Taiwan tourist map shows that there are plenty of hot spring areas to enjoy, mostly along the east coast as well as around Taipei. I'll have to make sure I put in more days to visit them all next time.
