Asia Trip - Day 7

Saturday, 10/11 -

Today, I got out much earlier than the day before. I was excited at going to my next destination, Yehliu. Yehliu is an odd place, but not by choice. It's famous for it's curious rock formations that formed due to sea erosion. It's absolutely stunning to see this in person and it all looks like they're made from clay. In fact, the ground has a soft feeling and does resemble clay, but it's not; it's rock. Because of the frequent rain northern Taiwan was having, certain parts of the ground looked muddy. It wasn't. Instead, spots were darkened from the rain and the many craters formed millions of years ago filled with water giving off the appearance of mud.

Again, it was a long holiday weekend and there were of course, many people about. I couldn't get a single shot of the famous Queen's Head without someone being in the background. Otherwise, it was really an interesting place to visit. The area around Yehliu Geo Park is dominated by the fishing industry, but the Geo park is a definite tourist attraction. I rarely saw Westerners around Taipei, let alone English speaking Westerners. Imagine my surprise when I came across a Western English speaker working at the park. Still, I was a curiosity for most and was aware of many eyes on me while walking around.

A curious thing happened on the bus back to Taipei. I sat next to a young woman who kindly went to remove her bottle of ice tea that was in the pocket in the seat back in front of me. I motioned that it was fine to leave the bottle there, it wasn't in the way. She said she remembered me from Yehliu then offered me some of the tea. I obliged; it was tasty. She introduced herself as Amy and apologized for her English. To be honest, it was pretty good. She probably just needed a few months of immersion in the US or Canada (Taiwanese learn American-English). We spent the bus ride back to the city talking and she was excited to learn I was from NYC. She pointed out a temple we were passing by and discussed her religion.

Her parents were in the seats behind us and she translated for them. They said they admired my bravery to explore Taiwan alone. In Taipei, they got off at a different stop, but Amy's father spoke to the bus driver, telling him to make sure I got off at the right stop. The driver turned in my direction, said a loud and exaggerated "No problem!" in English, and laughed. Amy then handed me her ice tea, her mother's recipe. I was so amazed at her generosity. In NY, her kind of behavior would've had me reaching for my pepper spray, or a pen to stick in her eye. Since I'm a bit more genteel outside of my surroundings, I realized this kind of friendliness actually exists. In the sea of goodbyes to and from Amy and her parents, I forgot to ask for her e-mail address. To this day, I am disappointed at this loss.

Riding high from my trip to Yehliu and the friendly encounter I had, I decided to attempt a visit to the Maokong tea plantation. To my dismay, the gondolas to get there weren't operating, breaking down the week before in the typhoons.
Okay, I have a confession to make. Looking for the gondolas, I spotted a Ponderosa steak house. I know, trashy, but trashy good! Elated at such a discovery, I simply couldn't wait to eat there. I hadn't had a decent full sized meal since I arrived back in Taipei. You would've thought it was Peter Luger's by the way I was salivating. It was the same set up as in the US but everything had that different taste to it, even the butter had an odd flavor. The meal was pretty disappointing, but filling.

My next stop was the area of Shilin to see the night market. I preferred the ShiDa night market to this one. Shilin was mostly food oriented, but the main strip was glitzy. I was dismayed at seeing so many pet stores. For a country with such a large stray population, it was uneasy seeing so many puppies and kittens for sale. I also suspect given the sheer amount of stores lining the street that they came from mills. Quickly bored of Shilin I took the MRT to the Xinbeitou stop to visit the Beitou hot springs.

Thankfully, I packed my swimsuit in my tote bag, because by the day's end, I needed a dip in the hot springs. Taiwan is famous for its hot springs, and many people here enjoy taking the cure in the various springs that dot the country. Taipei has a few with Beitou being a popular choice for tourists. It was easy to find but time consuming to get to. This is because it's on an annex off the Danshui line of the MRT. After a bit of anxiety about protocol (where to change, where to store my belongings, etc.), I was able to have a relaxing time.

One thing not to do is immerse your head, like I did, and burn your eyes from the salty water. The sign out front informs visitors not to stay too long, for health reasons. I realized this was true because as soothing as the springs are, staying too long does make you start to feel sick. I did two hot dips and two cold, making sure to alternate between hot and cold. This excursion to the springs set me back only a few US dollars. The most I paid was for the flimsy towel they sell you at the entrance.

Back at the hostel, I packed for the flight the next day and headed back to the ShiDa night market. At this point, I had visited almost every single night I had been there. I loved walking that neighborhood with it's alleyways and narrow streets revealing the surprise of the night market ahead. I also fed a stray cat, feeling like I did my good deed, and called it a night.