Beitou is an area north of Taipei that can be reached via the red MRT line. It is famous for its hot springs. A visitor can access the hot springs at a number of hotels and baths, which range in price and exclusivity. Myself and my accompanying friends decided to go the cheap route and visit a public bath, where we and about thirty other people were let loose into a large area covered in wide, shallow baths. All of us had one hour in the baths, at which point we would be kicked out for the next batch of tourists.
The baths' temperatures ranged from "hot tub" to "could boil a lobster". There was also a cold bath for people to relax in between their time in the hot baths.
It was a fairly nice day, so ironically, the baths all turned out to be too hot for me to stay in for long. This was true for my friend Nicole, as well, so she and I ended up sitting on the edge of a bath chatting for most of our allowed time.
After our time in the baths, we all wandered around the area, partially exploring but mostly in search of lunch. During this time we discovered a small park with a lovely lily pond.
We also found, by accident, a stream of hot spring water that seemed to be open for anyone to go in. (That, or it was off limits and no-one cared.) The water was luke-warm, PERFECT for me, and I have loved rocky creeks since I was a kid, so I couldn't resist tottering down to the water and hopping around the rocks. There were families everywhere, just hanging out with their feet in the water, and for me, THAT was the real Beitou experience.
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