After visiting the lower areas of Taiwan's Yangmingshan National Park where it was warmer and sunnier, we returned to the van and again climbed up one of the winding roads into the hilly countryside. It grew mistier, colder, and wetter, and when we disembarked, we once again could barely see a thing in front of us.
The Beitou District is a hotspot of geothermal activity, and when we stepped out of the van, the smell of sulfur hit us immediately. As we walked over the paved trails, we passed bubbling pits of chalky grey mud burping with stinking gas.
Every few meters a seismic sensor was stuck in the ground, monitoring for any sudden or unusual changes in temperature or geothermal activity. The area sits on top of a super volcano which, if it were ever to erupt, could destroy much of Taipei. Luckily, it seems to have been dormant for a few millennia.
Nevertheless, the government keeps a close eye on Beitou. Taiwan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries (as I myself found out recently) and monitoring the signs and sending out early warnings for disasters are critical for keeping the population safe.
When we went inside the park office after walking around the geothermal vents and springs, we were able to visit the monitoring station where real-time seismic and geothermal data is collected and processed. The seismic sensor is so sensitive that even walking close to it is enough to register on the screen.
It was time for lunch, so our guide took us to a nearby restaurant nestled in a valley between the mist-shrouded mountains.
Zhuzihu is a farming area hidden away in the mountains. It's most famous for its hydrangeas and its local mountain vegetable cuisine.
The restaurant served traditional Taiwanese country dishes. I wasn't sure what to order, so on my guide's recommendation I started with a plate of crunchy "bird's nest" fern stir-fried with mushrooms, carrots, and tiny salty fish. The fern had an incredible crisp texture and tasted a bit like asparagus.
I also ordered the restaurant's specialty, roast chicken with a sweet and savory soy-based dipping sauce.
After lunch we drove on to the thermal valley, a sprawling lava field surrounding a small lake.
Here, too, the area was thick with the smell of sulfur, and all around we could see smoky fumaroles venting their gasses into the air.
It created a very alien and otherworldly kind of landscape, and we spent some time walking along the carefully marked trails.
This area is also known for its "cold water" springs (in this context, "cold" meaning "not boiling"... they are still very hot, just not too hot that you can't put your feet in). It's a popular day trip for people from Taipei who want to get away from the city and relax at the springs.
Finally, we drove on to the town. Beitou is technically part of Taipei and can actually be reached via MRT at the furthest stop on a long line. The town is a hot springs resort town famous for its onsens, spas, and rejuvenating hot springs.
As we entered the village, we stopped by the "jade springs", a spring of rare green sulfur-infused water that is supposed to be good for your health, immunity, and beauty. It's common to pause at the fountain and soak your hands inside the warm water for a few minutes to rejuvenate yourself. I have to admit, the water felt really good.
This area is also known as "Ghose Lake". According to legend, when indigenous people discovered the spooky smoke-filled valley, they believed it was haunted by ghosts and demons, so they asked a local witch to protect the area with her magical powers.
The witch turned the mountain mists and steam into a protective boundary and the water into a healing spring, and today, the mineral-rich water is believed to be blessed instead of cursed.
A walking trail encircles the lake, whose steam engulfs you in a thick cloud as you walk along the path. Luckily, the steam here did not smell like sulfur, otherwise the walk would have been much less pleasant!
Today, Taiwan has a thriving hot spring culture, but that wasn't always the case. During the Japanese colonial era, when Beitou was known as Hokutō, the Japanese discovered the local hot springs and built the country's first public onsen.
Today, that building still stands, but has been transformed into the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, and that was the next stop on our tour.
The building was based on the design of the Mount Izu Hot Springs Bathhouse in Japan and consists of two floors. The baths are on the bottom floor with a rest area above. After bathing, guests would lounge in the tatami-floored rest area, sipping tea and eating snacks from the on-site concession stand. Originally built exclusively to serve the Japanese colonists, the bathhouse eventually became popular with local Taiwanese people as well, and over time, the Japanese onsen tradition spread throughout the country.
Daikichi Imura, the governor of Taipei Prefecture, built the Beitou Public Bathhouse in 1913. At the time, it was the largest bathhouse in East Asia and an important symbol of Japanese imperial authority in its growing territory.
The baths themselves were magnificent, located in a vaulted chamber with marble tiles and colorful stained-glass windows.
It reminded me a bit of the spas that we toured in Hot Springs, Arkansas a few years back.
I can only imagine how relaxing it would have been to have spent time here in the cold Taiwanese winter.
Finally, as our day came to an end, we stopped by the Beitou Public Library, Taiwan's first "green library" and the pride of the country's sustainability movement.
The building is made of wood and features huge windows covering every wall to utilize natural light instead of electrical lightbulbs. The roof is covered in solar panels, and the building collects rainwater to use to water the library's plants and flush the toilets. It's the first building in the country to receive a "Green Building" certificate, and it looks really cool as well!
The city promotes the library as a spot for "forest bathing". After soaking in the hot springs at one of the nearby onsens or spas, you can relax at the library, enjoying the views of the surrounding nature.
It had been an extremely fun and very long day of exploration and adventure in Beitou. I could have wished for better weather, but I didn't let the cold and rain bother me.
In the evening, we returned to Taipei. I was so tired that I turned in early. The next day was New Year's Eve, and it was nearly time for me to return to Bangkok.
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