Five Days in Taiwan Part 5

In the final post of this series I will feature the village of  Wulai and our trip to a spa and end with extra tidbits.


We went to the bus stop outside of the Xindian MRT Station and got Bus 849 to take us to Wulai, a place known for hot springs and aboriginal culture.

Inside the bus

View from the bus going into Wulai

Our bus

Welcome to Wulai sign at bus drop off area

Once we got off the bus in Wulai, we met a woman who had also been on the same bus. She was born in  Taiwan but had lived in the U.S. (Florida) for forty years and occasionally visited home. She was meeting a friend of a friend who was a guideat the museum there. She invited us to come along.

 

Entrance to Wulai Atayal Museum

Beautiful art on the wall outside the museum

While inside the museum we met a couple from Montreal who ended up tagging along with our small group.  After touring the museum which was interesting and gave us a good insight into the aboriginal way of life, we walked through the main part of town. There were food stands all along the street but since it was early most of them were not yet open. We were making our way back to the bus area because we had an appointment at Volando Urai Spring Spa. The spa was just a short way down the road but a little too far to walk safely since the edge of the road was quite narrow.

As we walked along we spotted this colorful statue or sculpture shows the indigenous tribal custom of a man carrying his wife after their wedding.

When we arrived at the spa we stopped at the desk to let them know we were there, then went to the waiting area of the lobby. The resort and spa had two restaurants, the bathhouse and rooms if you wanted to stay overnight. We had reserved a room in the bathhouse for 90 minutes. You could choose from three packages - just the bathhouse, which we did, or you can get a package with the bathhouse and either afternoon tea or a meal. The room had a tub in front of a big window that looked onto the river and mountainside. Supposedly there is a hiking trail across the way but there was a sign informing us that the windows were tinted and there was also a shade if you wanted extra privacy. We didn't bother with the shade since it was such a beautiful view. Everyone was very polite and friendly and the place was impeccable. It was a great experience, very relaxing and peaceful. Afterwards we headed outside to the bus stop to go back to the hotel.

Waiting Area at Volando

Our room in the Bathhouse

This day trip was well worth the effort. We got to see a bit of the country outside the city of Taipei and had some great experiences, learned new things and got to meet some interesting people. We could have spent more time there and seen a lot more but we were happy with our day.


On our final day in Taiwan our flight did not leave until late that night so we had some time to explore. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel we went to Daan Park, which I talked about in a previous post (Part 2). After checking out of the hotel we went to the Main Metro Station where there was an airport check in service. We were able to get our boarding passes and check our bags so we did not have to lug them around with us. This  was nice and convenient, taking care of all this without having to go to the airport. There was a shopping mall connected to the station. We bought some T-shirts and ice cream and after spending some time browsing, decided to head to the airport. At the food court in the ariport we got something to eat and I tried "Bubble Tea". It is a drink with tapioca pearls in it and it comes with a fat straw that allows the pearls to come through. It was something very different and I enjoyed it. We still had considerable time before our flight so we found some lounge chairs and relaxed and napped for a bit.

Enjoying Bubble Tea

Well, we had another LONG flight to look forward to. It would be good to get home again. All in all it was a great trip, short but with a lot of new experiences and adventures. And a look at a completely different culture. So glad we visited Taiwan.

A parting shot showing a typical scene on a Taipei street. My husband calls this "Taipei's Version of  Hells Angels".