my suitcase heart

On our third day, we headed north of Taipei to Xienbeitou. The area is well known for its natural hot springs. It was easy to get there via the MRT (check out detailed instructions here). We first checked out Geothermal Valley (地熱谷). It was beautiful but spoiler alert: smells like rotten eggs! :) You can't go in the water here because it's way too hot, but there are other spots in town where you can.

We then popped by Millennium Hot Springs. If you can believe it, entrance was only about $1.50! It was a neat experience. There were multiple pools of varying temperatures (some were crazy hot!). If I were to do it again, I would definitely wear a one-piece. I stuck out a bit in my bikini! Also, you'll notice in the photo below that a lot of people are sitting on the side of the pools, but whenever we tried to do that, old men would tell us we needed to totally sit in the pools. Haha, just gotta roll with it.

Once we got our hot spring fix, we walked around town & had some amazing noodles.

We then hopped back on the MRT and carried on to Danshui (淡水- also spelled Tamsui). Shirley, a blogging pal from Singapore, had recommended we check it out. We rented bikes and biked along the Golden Shore Bike Path.  It was a great way to see the area!

After we brought our bikes back, we walked along the pier and stopped by La Vie Revee Des Anges Cafe 天使热爱的生活咖啡馆 (a bit of a mouthful!). Shirley mentioned that it was a prime spot to catch the sunset.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a great sunset that night, but it's a really cute spot. If you're in Danshui, try to check it out!

After sunset, we made our way back to the MRT station. There was the cutest girl dancing just outside the station. I had totally forgotten about her until I was going through our trip photos. I love when a photo brings back a memory! It was a really sweet moment.

Next up: Taroko National Park!