Sunday, August 4, 2013

Taiwan (10) - Day 7 - Beitou (Hot Springs)


 
   I tried my best to arrange a holiday that would suit all our needs - Dad's love of walking, nature and sight-seeing (with an abhorrence of shopping), P's love of pretty things, treats and shopping (with an abhorrence of general scenery) and my own preference for quiet time. My penchant was for a more relaxing and leisured holiday - but Dad's a morning monkey and P's a night owl, and if I had my way, they would say I should have just stayed in Singapore.

   The hot spring portion of the holiday should have been my favourite longed for rest after all the travelling and walking of the previous days - but no - I had really active traveling companions. We quickly checked in and had to go find lunch for Dad. I didn't even get to soak in the hot springs yet!

   With that said, Beitou is quite a lovely quaint place to explore. No exciting shopping, but it has lovely food shophouses and a small night market on the developed side. On the other side, you can walk to the museums, old wooden houses and the geothermal hot springs. You could dip your feet into the warm geothermal waters along the way.



   We visited one of the aboriginal museums and they had a special dance performance in the park. They were all young teenagers and they twittered and giggled embarrassingly before it started. But after it started, with the music, the sun, the trees, oh it felt really wonderful. There is always a sense of home in nature - a place where you can be free. A place where you should forget all your human shackles that causes you to be overly self aware and conscious - for is there anything more natural than laughing and dancing freely with your friends?















   And, at the end of it, there was this sense of triumphant pride that had been building up during the dance. That was me, it seemed to say, that was me



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