Wulai

On my first full day in Taipei I decided to walk over to the Renai Hospital to get my health check done (needed in order to get my ARC - Alien Resident Certificate), but when I arrived at 11:20, I found out the hours were from 9-11, and 1:30-4:30. Forget wasting the whole day at the hospital! Johnna and I decided to beat the ridiculous heat and head to Wulai, a small town in the mountains that is famous for hot springs.

Getting there by MRT (Mass Rapid Transit - the subway/bus system here) was pretty quick, easy and cheap. It's just under an hour or so one way, and costs about $1.30 CAD.

There are hot springs at the hotel/spas, but the much more economical (free) and fun option is the river! Long ago someone discovered that there were natural hotsprings under the ground, and by moving rocks into a bath-like formation, you could sit comfortably for hours!

We grabbed some beers at the 7-11 and headed down to the river. Johnna made a "western-sized" bath for the two of us to sit in, and by moving rocks we were able to adjust the temperature. As Johnna said, "it's not a science" so at times we were hotter on one side than the other, but it was definitely more enjoyable than sitting in a communal hotel pool!The water seemed muddier than on previous visits, but we attributed this to lots of rain lately. Also the photo colous isn't great, because as soon as we arrived it clouded over (typical), but you can get the idea.

Part of the town/village of Wulai

Johnna hanging out in our rock bath

A plumbing nightmare!

Some locals having fun in another part of the river

Wildlife sighting!

Overall a fantastic day and great way to get back into the swing of things!