Taian: Are You Lost?

So on May 18, I turned 29. The days preceding this particular event were a blur of teaching, making props for our kindergarten performances and transitioning through the middle portion of our semester here. That being said, we have been busy and we were looking for a break. So my birthday weekend was a great excuse to cut out of town for a bit to try to unwind.

Our recent trip to Jiashi opened our eyes up to the relieving and restoring properties of the Taiwanese hot spring. Not wanting to ride the train this time we found a place on the map not too far away known for its exceptional hot spring water: Taian. According to our guidebook, the area was almost completely unspoiled and a kind of haven deep in the mountains. Sounds good.

So we got up early on Saturday, hopped on the scooter and made the two hour drive southeast to the "area along highway 62" in search of a hot spring hotel and a comfy bed.

The drive was pleasant, the weather was nice and before we knew it we were heading up the windy road into the mountains.
We followed the road all the way to the end then climbed off the scooter to have a look around. Besides a few hotels along the way and some very old, faded signs there was not a lot in the way of people. It was nice. We made our way back down the road and after a fairly extensive search (that is to say we went into several hotels, had a look around, saw the room then left to compare with the other places), we settled on the: Sunrise Hot Spring Hotel--your home away from home, as it informed us. Dennis, the manager of the hotel restaurant and for some reason, charged with helping us (his English was very good), proptly asked us, "How did you find this hotel? Are you lost?" To his suprise we actually were in the right place.

The hotel was beautiful, set in a picturesque spot beside a mountain and a river.

Here is the view from a balcony.
As we went to enter the hot spring area, one of the ladies at the hotel stopped us and asked if we had our "Li-mau" (pronounced lee mow). Naturally I thought, "Of course...I always bring my..." then she pointed at the words "shower cap" and I realized we foolishly left those in the shower. After we grabbed our one shower cap and took the liberty of borrowing one from the abandoned desk at the spa we made our way to the springs.

Now it is customary in Taiwan to wear a swim cap at these kinds of places so once we saw everyone else we relized the importance of the shower cap. However, as if we didn't stand out enough, we were the only ones wearing actual shower caps and not swim caps.

Here is the picture I will send to the company as my modeling audition:
Yes, you guessed it...I am still an English teacher.

The springs at the hotel were wonderful. They were set up on multiple levels offering different views of the surrounding mountains as well as different temperatures in case you couldn't handle the really hot stuff.

Here are some shots from the day and evening spent out there:
After a very relaxing day and a great sleep we were out the next day to explore the area. We took two hikes: one up into the mountains and one along the river. Here are some shots from those walks:
It started to rain in the early afternoon so we made our way back home. As we drove near a town called Beipu, we noticed the rice paddies and realized that we had never taken pictures of them. So here are some shots of them from beside the road:
All in all it was a great weekend and yet another reminder that there are still so many places to see in Taiwan.