Scenic Hualian, part 3

Today, we wanted to head over to the Ruisui hot springs area. So we hopped on to the local train. Little did we know the local train was a historic relic. It seems to me the train harked back to the 1970's era aluminum sided passenger trains. Inside, they had old squeaky iron seats with some really old oscillating fans on the ceiling. Along with the pea green lacquer and the finely detailed tin wallpaper, I felt like it was a museum. It was a rather cool and unexpected experience though. I appreciated it. Apparently several other people did too as I wasn't the only one taking pictures. There was even a man at the front of the train recording a video through the front window. After a while we also moved up to the front to get the full view going in to and coming out of dark tunnels. It's such an old train, the engineer's (driver's) cabin is right next to the front seats. So you can see him flipping and turning levers while the train huffs along the rails. Unfortunately halfway through the trip, the train broke down. From what I could understand in Chinese, the train's armature broke. It would have taken another hour and a half before they could get it running again. So they called a passing by express train to stop and pick us up. With the delay and the time saved by the express train, we miraculously ended up at our destination on-time as scheduled. Once we got to Ruisui, we took a taxi over to the hot springs which is a few kilometers down the road. The Ruisui hot springs are known for their muddy nutrient rich waters, as opposed to the usual clear hot spring water I've tried before. We ended up at a small hot spring. They only had three pools. One was cold, one was luke warm but very shallow and the large one which was around 41 degrees celsius. It cost us $150 NT for entry. Cheap! It may have just been the springs that we chose, but it seemed to me that most of the springs were small. I was expecting a larger park sized hot spring with multiple pools of varying temperatures. It may have been the light rain too, but most places were very empty. Although the hot springs were soothing, I think i'd prefer a larger more expensive park sized hot springs location with restaurants, snack bars, massage rooms, saunas. Thus ends my Hualian weekend, and there's still much to plan and see for next time. Back to Taipei!

椰子林溫泉
花蓮縣瑞穗鄉瑞祥村溫泉路3段199號
http://www.netete.com/coco

花蓮瑞穗東川秀岡溫泉
a modern japanese styled one, seemed cleaner but we didn't choose it.

Hui Lai Hot Springs 會來尖石

Today, Yuki and I got up pretty damn early...for hot springs day! We've been waiting for this day for quite some time. So we headed out straight for the Taipei main station (bus terminal). We grabbed a quick on-the-go 7-11 breakfast and jumped on the bus to Hsinchu. The buses are even cheaper than the train. We got a student fare of $105 NTD. And it takes just about the same time as the train (non HSR). Despite the signs, they let you eat and drink on the bus. Don't spill though, I'm pretty sure they'll get pissed. Leather seats and very cushy, but a little short on the leg room (I'm over 6' tall) compared to the train (non HSR). But you can't beat $105 NTD and 1.5 hours. After meeting up with Lucy and friends we took a taxi straight to the Hui-Lai hot springs (會來尖石). Although the location is a little further to get to, the place was great! The bathrooms are clean and the park was pretty large. They had several hot springs with varying temperatures, two children's play pools, two swimming pools, two water slides, sauna, massage house and doctor fish. Doctor fishes or nibble fish are those tiny fishes used in medical purposes that eat dead skin from your feet to expose the healthy skin underneath. It's good for people with psoriasis. Sounds nasty but it really tickles! Back to the hot springs, They also have scented springs too, like salt and lavender. The scenery is beautiful and the park wasn't that crowded, so it was peaceful and quiet. After 4 hours or so...you kind of lose track of time, we headed back down the mountain towards the city. We had an belated birthday dinner for Grace, Lucy's roommate at Kanpai Classic Hsingchu (乾杯日式燒肉). It's a much fancier and expensive version of the flagship store in Taipei. It's japanese Yakiniku. Highly expensive and exceptional meats. I'm glad I experienced it, but not again without a nice paying job. I chose to forget the price tag, but if i recall it was above $1300/person. Perhaps i'll try the Taipei location instead. Then we headed to a sports bar afterwards and drank beer from a beer tower. All Carlsberg. Beer Tower!!!

Kanpai Classic (http://www.kanpai.com.tw/)
Hui-Lai Hot Springs (http://www.hui-lai.com.tw)

Xinbeitou

Yuki and I headed over to Xinbeitou (新北投) today to walk around and check out some of the hot springs. I wish we could soak in them today, but we just wanted to walk around and scope out which hotel offered the best deal. We plan to return back when we both have a job to pay for a getaway here. But for a day trip, it's definitely possible to get away with a cheap deal. $40 for a public hot spring all day long + train fare to and fro. Not bad! Of course it's a public place, so you'll have to bring your own towel, use a public shower to clean yourself and it'll probably be noisy with kids. Afterwards, while on the train, I contacted my parents to get together for dinner. We happen to both be on the same end of Taipei. So it was very convenient. I headed home and picked up my grandmother and met my parents at the restaurant in Tian Mu. It's called 興蓬萊 (Xìng pénglái). They have two signature dishes that are a must at this place. The crispy pork ribs (Pai Gu, 排骨）and a soupy/gumbo type dish in a white porcelain pot. They have pictures of both on the walls so it shouldn't be hard to ask for it. I really really enjoy the pork ribs. I'm a sucker for fried food. MMmmm crispy and delicious pork!

No. 165, Section 7, ZhōngShān North Rd, Shihlin District

East Taiwan hot springs

Last night I stayed over at my relatives place. They were curtious to let me stay over. I went with her to the local traditional market. It is unlike a night market where they mostly sell clothes and cooked food. It's more like a daytime market full of fresh produce and meats and fruits. It's usually outside and a lot dirtier than a supermarket. But the prices are cheaper too as long as you can stand the grittiness of the place. Shortly after that, Lucy and Hatuyen showed up at the house. We then headed into the mountains by car to reach the east side of Taiwan. About a half hour drive. We ended up on an old historic street and nibbled on street food for lunch. I bought some small mountain zongzi (粽子) to bring home.They were extremely fragrant and delicious. It had a more smoked and herbed flavor to it. Kind of like being in the mountains :). Afterwards we headed over to the hot springs (泡溫泉, pao wen quan). Another half hour drive east. We found a rather nice one. Relatively clean environment, not too crowded and a boar meat vender opposite the street. $300 for entry all day. That's cheap! They have larger pools of varying temperatures, smaller hot tub styles, private gender separated nude hot springs, napping area, dry and wet sauna and a couple whirlpools. There was still a lot more to offer, but I didn't go exploring that much.The feet get pretty cold walking from tub to tub. If you can get yourselves out there without too much cost, it's definitely a cheap and extremely relaxing for only $300. I don't know if that goes for all the hot springs around the area, but it's definitely cheaper than what you'll expect from the Beitou Hot Springs. Still I'd be willing to pay more and try Beitou since they're much easier to get to. I live very close to the Beitou springs, and it's just a MRT ride away. I can't wait for next time, and there WILL be a next time!