I have been having seconds thought in pushing Yangmingshan this day. The plan is to go to Qingtianggang in the morning then go to Thermal Valley after. We should be leaving by 7am if we want to pursue this plan, but we were just moving slow. Then around 7am while we are prepping, we felt a strong shake. I knew it was strong, much stronger than we have in the Philippines. It was kinda long, and I was thinking under the table or just remain near the bathroom where the nearest exit is. The door to the laundry even swung open due to the quake.
We googled for news and true enough it was Magnitude 7. Damn! We got aftershocks after, strong aftershocks too. I told my friend to check with the host to check if there's an emergency plan for cases like this and we were told they are none and we can also go down if we feel unsafe. We left the building at 8:30AM , and was shocked to see Locals acting like nothing has happened. Hualien was greatly affected too. I was just relieved not having Hualien as part of our vacation. I was there before - went to Taroko National Part, and even went to an Ocean Park so decided to skip it.
It was probably the same reason, why I have second thoughts going to Yangmingshan that time. Imagine, if we are already commuting when the quake happened. It would have been traumatic. Thank God for all these divine interventions. might be simple intuitions but it did save us.
Anyway, The Thermal Valley is a valley located on the foothill of Yangmingshan National Park in Beitou District, Taipei. From Ximending we rode a train to Beitou and changed trains for Xinbeitou.
This itinerary is just so easy, and pretty straightforward too. You don't need a guide for this.
 |
| XinBeitou Station - Your tour starts here |
Xinbeitou Historic Station
Hours: 10am -6pm Everyday Except Monday
The only remaining station in Tamsui railway line.
Just a short walk from the Xinbeitou is the Historic Station. We arrived here early so it was closed. But you can take pictures outside. This is hard to miss as it's just near the new station.
Beitou Public Library
Hours:
Monday : 9Am-5PM
Tues-Saturday : 8:30AM-9PM
Sunday : 9Am-5PM
- This is Taiwan's first green library that opened in 2006. The structure was selected on the strength of its environmentally friendly features like rooftop solar cells and rainfall capturing and storage systems.
Beitou HotSpring Museum
Hours : 10AM-6pm Everyday except Monday
We spent probably an hour inside reading to the history of the place and how this Spring Culture made its way to Taiwan.
 |
| the view you get coming from the Public Library |
 |
| Entrance to the Museum you will be asked to leave your shoes, there's a locker inside with a wooden key! Very Japanese!!! |
 |
| the view of HotSpring Museum from the street |
Beitou Hot Spring Valley
We got here when the sun is already up and mad.. Lol. Temperature is literally hot, plus the steam of the spring added to the intensity. Walk here in the early morning should be more pleasant.
- We dropped here just to check what's inside, but not much though. There are cute Aboriginal outfits here displayed here.
Took our lunch at a Japanese Resto just across the street from the train station. It was kinda expensive though for a 700 NTD price!
 |
| Took this photo from the train, station is Jiantan. |
We went back to Ximending but we don't want to go home yet scared of the aftershocks. We spent walking around the area looking for something to buy.
Mr. Brownie- dropped by this small cafe recommended by blogs for a quick snack. This store is just outside Red Box.
Red House - old theater house that is now turned as a store for cutesy crafts. I also bought my most expensive tea here. Hahahaha. 70 NTD per sachet!
No comments:
Post a Comment