Wulai (烏來) - The Old Street and the Hot Spring @ New Taipei [Taiwan]

Given that i am not an absolute fan of hot spring, it's kind of weird to have planned for a trip to Wulai when time wasn't in our favour. That said, we didn't regret our choice and managed to have fun in spite of the hotter weather. 

Getting to Wulai wasn't as complicated as i thought it would be; take bus 849 from Xindian MRT station and the journey would take approximately thirty minutes. The last stop is Wulai; so take the time to have a short snooze or enjoy the scenery of surrounding mountains and hills! 

Look across the emerald green river and you would see people in swim suits soaking in stone tubs by the river bank. That would be the free hot spring public bath! More on that later.

Get your bearings from the tourist map panel at the sheltered bus stop. 

If not, you could always follow the directions of those passengers who disembarked together with you as most of them are there for the same purpose as you and your companions.

Cross the bridge that had aboriginal patterns and you shall reach the first attraction in Wulai; the much acclaimed Wulai Old Street. 

Before that, check out the picture-perfect scenery at the bridge! 

It was barely 10am when we arrived and most shops remained closed. There were quite a number of hot spring hotels where you can stay for the night and i would definitely plan for one in the future! 

Food aside, there were quite a number of touristy shops selling souvenirs related to the aborigines. I have cut down on buying souvenirs nowadays (unless they are unique / useful) as i noticed that many people would just throw it aside.

Eggs!!! We didn't have any breakfast and i guess eggs would do! It's hard to make a decision when there were different types like hot spring eggs, osmanthus eggs, eggs in wine, eggs on stone etc.

Eventually decided on the hot spring egg since i didn't have to peel off the shell. Well, nothing spectacular and obviously could not be compared to my favourite tea leaves egg.

We could have had a decent meal but the mere thought of having fresh, healthy vegetables for breakfast wasn't exactly welcomed although i believe the restaurant does serve meat based dishes too. 

Fresh guava and other preserved fruits. Personally, i seldom try food that was raw / uncooked as i have the urgent tendency to clear my bowels whenever they don't agree with them. 

Along the old street, to your right, was an Atayal museum where you can get educational information on the third largest group of aborigines in Taiwan. Admission was free and you may check out my blog post here for the details!!

A grouchy dog; bet he wasn't pleased with his haircut! Haha.

Cross another similarly designed bridge and you would come to a T-junction where a decision has to be made (applicable only if you have the intention to visit Wulai Waterfall and / or Yun Hsien Amusement Park & Resort). 

You can choose to take the mine tram or you can make full use of your two legs to walk the 1.6 kilometers. The decision is yours and in our case, it didn't take us long to decide that our feet needed the rest.

There were way too many photographs and i have already created separate postings on the train ride, Wulai Waterfall, Yun Hsien Amusement Park & Resort and the gondola ride. To read further, click the hyperlinks! 

Fast forward to a few hours later when we were back at the T-junction facing the Wulai Old Street. Wait, we should now explore the public hot spring baths! Access was via a road to our left. Look out for the above staircase with the hot spring symbol.

Take the staircase and you would reach the river bank in no time!

Guess directions would not be needed as it would be very easy to identify the group of bathers! The weather was in fact pretty hot that day and to see their relaxing faces was frustrating as we didn't bring along any extra clothing!!! 

The only thing we could do was to remove your shoes and soak our feet! 

Major regret; the water was scalding hot!!!!! A lady came by shortly to inform us that this 'pool' wasn't designated for feet soaking and pointed out another "pool" a short distance away. 

Although the water wasn't as hot, it was still torturous to soak our feet when the atmospheric temperature wasn't as cooling and as comforting as in the past few days.

It would be so much more enjoyable if i could just jump into the inviting river water, just like these two seniors!

There was even a platform built for the adventurous to jump right in! To get back, use the rope that was conveniently placed by the side! Damn damn damn, why didn't i bring an extra set of clothes....?

I did indicate earlier this post that i would consider staying a night in Wulai; one reason was because i needed the time to truly soak in the relaxing environment surrounded by mountains and river. 

Bloody, like this also can?! It's a makeshift sauna!!! By the way, the spring water in Wulai was clear without any smell and would appeal to those who could not stand the sulphuric odor associated with most spring water. 

Do note that you should not use soap or shampoo as the usage of chemical products (even if they are mild) would contaminate the natural spring water. 

Bring along a towel from your hotel!!! Alex remembered! Heng ah; if not, i would have to sun my feet under the sun before i could put on my shoes. 

Walking back to the bridge that would link up back to Wulai Old Street.

To our left would be the hot spring we just visited. 

To our right was the other section leading to Wulai Waterfall. I am surprised that the water level could go up so high; guess it might be the norm during typhoon season! *make a mental note to never ever visit Taiwan during the typhoon season*

At the same section, we noticed that there were people gallivanting by the river bank as well; i am unsure if there is any hot spring in the area but i would have preferred it for being less populated. 

The public hot spring was quite small and i understand (from wikipedia) that the weekend crowd could be quite massive; hence, do plan a weekday trip! 

Back to Wulai Old Street! Finally found the stall recommended for its wild boar sausage; 雅各 (last stall on the right if you walk from the bus stop)! The queue was said to be legendary on weekends! 

At NT$35 a stick, the sausage was much bigger than the conventional Taiwanese sausages we get in Singapore. So what was my verdict?!

Very juicy and none of the toughness usually associated with wild boar meat! Was it the best i had in Taiwan?! The answer is a surprisingly no! The one that remained memorable in my mind actually hailed from Shilin Night Market! Look out for my post on that soon! 

Unlike Shenkeng Old Street, Wulai's version was significantly more modern without much trace of its supposed history. Not that the facade mattered since the entire street was filled with many establishments selling authentic aboriginal delicacies! 

Thank god mum wasn't with me. The shopper in her would be quite keen to buy a few kilograms of naturally cultivated mushrooms and bring them back to Singapore!! 

Mongrel resting on the street.

Stall selling Indian prata and it was helmed by an Indian! From the display, i thought it was more similar to the Turkish kebab wrap. Strangely, we didn't have our lunch at Wulai although we did snack quite a bit.

For example, i could not resist buying the century egg from the above shop! One cost NT$20 and i didn't regret my purchase! 

The yolk was of the right consistency and the flavour was so rich and intense! This would have been perfect for rojak! 

These perfumed bottles enticed me to check out the pottery shop and you wouldn't believe it; we stayed for almost thirty minutes because we could not decide if we should go ahead to buy an item that caught our attention. 

A pair of limited edition pottery cups that cost us NT$1,000! Made annually based on the zodiac animal for that year, we were so taken aback by how cute the pigs were; we eventually opted to dish out our money and purchased them as a present for my tea-drinking parents! 

Would love to stay longer and check out other shops (and play with the dogs) but we had to get back to Taipei to buy the renowned pineapple cakes for our family and friends... 

Sigh... was supposed to explore the tourist bridge too. :( 

Time to board the bus!

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Map

As above.

For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.

Visiting the Cemetery on Hungry Ghost Festival 2014 @ Lim Chu Kang Cemetery [Singapore]

It's the lunar seventh month once again and i could not help visiting the cemeteries once again in this auspicious period after the incredibly interesting experience i had last year!

This time round, we reach a bit later nearing the witching hour and boy was the stretch leading to the cemetery crowded. It was obvious that we are looking at a lot more people compared to last year! 

Requesting for permission would be courteous before you attempt to join any group. I neglected to ask for consent for photo-taking but that was addressed after we got into the cemetery. Note: no flash photography allowed! 

Noticed quite a few neon-lighted vehicles this year; not sure of their significance although they sure attracted our attention; helped no less by the fact that it was almost pitch black in the cemetery. 

Following the vehicle; we turned into the last entry point going towards Lim Chu Kang jetty and its exact location was actually one straight road in with no additional turn. 

Most came in via the two lorries and all of them congregated for further instructions from the temple organisers; many of whom are guys around my age!

Time to start 'planting' the candles and incense sticks to light the way for the spirits. 

A few other photographs; Kon and Alex assisted with the candles while i busied myself with taking more and more photographs. I brought along my tripod this time even though as expected, i didn't quite master the skill of taking night time photography. 

One of the groups started lighting up the paper offerings; as a Chinese, i am accustomed to paper burning since young yet i don't really see the point now that i am older. Furthermore, such cultural rituals pollute the environment! 

Even though it was a day short of full moon, the sky was quite bright and we can vividly see the clouds using our naked eyes. At this time, it was close to 11am.

Everything was ready for the upcoming possession. 

Now's the disclaimer; we didn't stay. Put it this way, we figured the concept would be the same as last year and our dear Alex had to work today! Poor chap! 

You may refer to my post last year on "Ghost Festival (7th Lunar Month) Ritual - The Possession by Dua Yah Peh (大爷伯)". Click here for the details.

Before i end the post, i would answer a question that many concerned friends would ask; "Did you encounter any supernatural thing?" The answer is no; as i have always insisted, lim chu kang cemetery is a nice place to visit at night and its calm, peaceful disposition really puts one at ease! 

Don't believe me? Try checking out the cemetery tonight! 

Wulai "Toy" Train (烏來台車站) - Connecting Wulai Old Street to Wulai Waterfall

Wulai is more than just the old street and one major attraction, the spectacular Wulai waterfall, required a trek of roughly 1.6 kilometers! That would have been fine if the weather was around fifteen degrees celcius; sadly, it was hovering above twenty with direct exposure to the glaring sun! 

I am lazy, my legs were tired and we did whatever we could to convenience ourselves; with the help of a tram station located right at the T-junction at the end of the old street. Climbing up the stairs was unfortunately still necessary! 

The tram station with its seemingly rickety tracks; i wouldn't blame you for thinking this was more a toy ride attraction in an amusement park rather than an actual transportation tool (it used to be a mine track)! 

Ridership was low on that Thursday morning at around 10am; operation hours start from 8am till 5pm although you may wish to note the change in timing (9am till 6pm) during the summer season from July to August.

One-way ticket; NT$50 (roughly S$2) per adult! 

Classic tram / train / cabin that shall bring us to the next stop. If i am still a kid, i bet i would be very excited to take this dinosaur which had three cabins with a capacity for around 10 persons. 

Here we go! 

Riding past a residential building; poor residents would have to endure the noise on a very frequent basis although there was a possibility it could have housed staff members of the train company. 

The alternative route for those who enjoyed walking under the sun; it might not be such a bad idea for those who visit very early in the morning and have enough energy! Not for us obviously! 

Less than five minutes later, we reached our destination; Waterfall Stop! 

To make a U-turn for the return trip, the train would have to pass through a tunnel shown on the right side of the first picture. There wasn't any barricade and would be dangerous if your young kids venture in unknowingly; so please pay extra attention to your children when you are there. 

Getting ready for the return trip; not for us by the way as we have yet to check out the waterfall and the Yun-Hsien amusement park!

Given the commercial benefits (and also for those poor trekkers who require a drink after walking all the way in), you would be able to find some shops in the vicinity.

Those interested in the railway history and heritage of Wulai should consider visiting the Wulai forestry life museum which was free for all. If not for the aforementioned reasons, it might please some of you to know that it was also air-conditioned! 

There's even a rest area where you can take in the beautiful sight of the 80-meter high Wulai Waterfall! 

Best view to catch the iconic waterfall in its full glory was right outside though; noticed there was an abandoned building with a direct view. Honestly, it had an aura of eeriness even though it was bright daylight.

Appeared to be a hotel but for reasons unknown, construction could have halted halfway through the construction or it could have closed down due to bad business (a less likely reason given its prime location). 

Waterfall from another angle at the Valiant Warrior Square.

Use your imagination; this does look like a praying mantis is sitting on the ledge right? From another angle, the flow of water transformed into a little boy!

Statue of a warrior with his three canines. 

Masks sold in one of the shops. There was even a cultural performance that you can catch in one of the commercial entities for a price; could not quite remember the pricing but the lady was trying to sell it to us at a promotional price. Guess business must be damn slow that day.

Took the gondola for an exploration of Yun-Hsien Amusement Park and it's time for us to purchase the return train ticket back to Wulai Old Town. For more details of the gondola and amusement park, please click here and here. 

As fate has its way of playing with us, we walked like nobody's business when we were at the amusement park. Hence, there was absolutely no way i would spend more time walking under the sun! Train ride for the win!! 

Nice to have the wind blowing at our face as we sat comfortably in the carriage! As expected, no one was crazy enough to walk at 1pm! 

A small train depot with log cabins! Hm..... i personally feel it would be more in line with the history of this railway line if all the trains would to be replaced with the log cabins. 

The end.

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For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.