For my second day in Taiwan, which happened to be my birthday, I went to Beitou. It was already past 9 in the morning when I rode the MRT going there. It was a long ride, and I had to change trains four times: first, from Nanjing Station to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station; second, from Zhongxiao Fuxing to Taipei Main Station; third; from Taipei Main Station to Beitou Station; and fourth, from Beitou Station to Xinbeitou Station. Travel was about an hour.
From the Xinbeitou Station, I crossed the street and walked towards the Beitou Park. A couple of minutes later, I saw a very beautiful library. Apparently, it's Taiwan's first green library, and indeed, it looked eco-friendly. Made of dark wood with large french windows, it looked so serene surrounded by an outdoor garden with two lily ponds. It's a sight to behold, and I wanted to go inside, pick a spot near the window, read a book, and just be lost in my own little world. Ahh...I so wanted to do that, but I didn't have the time and the liberty to do so. It made me want to go and live in Taiwan if only for the library.
After taking loads of pictures of the library and of the water lilies under the mid-morning sun, and feeling the heat intensify, I walked to the library's next door neighbor, the Beitou Museum. But unlike most guests, I took the path from the library's garden to the trail at the back of the museum. The little stream was so pretty, and there was a rustic looking wooden gazebo. From there, I walked at the side of the museum's garden and then to main road to reach the entrance. I took the long way but it was worth it.
Upon entering the museum, the guests were asked to take off their shoes and to wear the slippers provided. Most importantly, the staff gave away a fan to each visitor which I was so grateful for. It was almost 11 a.m. and it was so hot. Anyway, the museum is a huge house, reminiscent of those English houses with lovely gardens; it also has a lily pond outside. It has two floors; the main floor features a huge tatami room, like the long dining halls in a ryokan, with a mini-stage. It comes complete with shoji windows. Too bad it's off limits to go inside. There's also a fake cherry blossom tree in full bloom just outside the Japanese room which was well-lighted thanks to a glass-paneled ceiling. Downstairs, are the various hot springs baths; the roman bath and the Japanese bath among others.
Afterwards, I headed to the Beitou Thermal Valley, some five minutes away on foot from the museum. And as I came nearer the entrance, the smell of rotten eggs became more pervasive. Ah...the stench and the mid-day heat. Perfect combination, lol! Good thing that I had my pale yellow umbrella with me; it shielded not only the sun but also the fumes every time the wind billows. Well, the stench was all worth the dream-like experience I had at the Thermal Valley. The hot springs produces mist which is both lovely and smelly, but it evokes that fantasy-like atmosphere. So dreamy...and so hot under the mid-day sun.
And, speaking of mid-day, I had to rush to the MRT station because I needed to return to the hotel in time for my Jiufen guided tour in the afternoon. I had a hard time hailing a cab so I jogged the whole way down to the Station. Good thing that I was able to return to the hotel with some 30 minutes to spare. I even had the time to take a quick shower before the tour guide fetched me around 1:20 p.m. I was not able to eat lunch, though. It was lunch or shower, so I chose shower. I just sipped a free cup of coffee at the hotel's business center, and tossed some water, a face towel, a wrap, and some moisturizer in my shopping bag, and I was good to go. I was able to rest, and cool down, on the tour van going to Jiufen. Thank God for airconditioning!
Beitou Library
