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XinBeiTou Hot Spring & Hell Valley (新北投温泉 & 地狱谷)

April 23rd, 2009 | by jys |

After our yummy yummy steamboat lunch, we proceed to our next destination, XinBeiTou (新北投). What do we have there? Their hot spring is very famous (which we plan to try) and also the Hell Valley/Geothermal Valley (地狱谷/磺水头/鬼湖), which I am very looking forward to see.

We took the MRT to XinBeiTou station (新北投站), I like to travel by MRT, it’s fast and clean and comfortable. We do not know which direction should we go, luckily there are sign boards everywhere. We followed the sign board to the Beitou/PeiTou Hot Spring Museum (北投温泉博物馆).

This is the first thing we saw after 10 minutes walk from the MRT station.

What place is this? Looks like a ship to me, don’t you think so?

it’s a library, nice right!!

BeiTou Hot Spring Museum (北投温泉博物馆)
it is just beside the library, admission is free.

It was built in 1913 during the Japanese rule and has been restored after they’ve neglected it for years. This is a very good place to learn about Beitou’s rich hot spring culture and history.

Before we entered the museum, we were required to take off our shoes and changed to the slippers provided. This is to prevent scratches/damages to the museum’s wooden floor.

history of the area’s hot springs

large tatami room

see, got movies some more..

tv room, showing the movies

more history..

and more..

you are allowed to step into the pool and use the headphones provided to listen to beautiful poems and songs

the private hot spring pool

the miniature of BeiTou Hot Spring

the public hot spring, nt 40 (RM 4.70) per person

They are on the roadside just after the BeiTou Hot Spring Museum. The pools are communal (men and women together) so you will need a swim suit for this.

If you don’t wish to pay for the hot spring, you can try this. This is FREE! See the lady down there? She’s soaking her feet in the water.

you are not allowed to soak your feet in the longkang!!

I found the sign board quite funny.  The sign board is placed here cos there are a lot of ppl sit beside the road and soak their feet in the longkang. wuahahahahhaa…

I told FL, really got ppl will sit along the roadside to soak their feet meh? Guess what? we really saw a family of 4, took their shoes off, sit at the roadside and enjoy soaking their feet into the longkang water… wuahahaha dun play play…

It took us about 10 to 15 minutes to get to Hell Valley from Beitou Hot Spring Museum.

Hell Valley/Geothermal Valley
(locals refer it as the source of sulfur water(磺水头) or ghost lake(鬼湖))

it’s a natural hot sulfur spring where the water temperature can reach up to 100°C (212°F)!!

I like the view, it’s like fairy land but beware!!
Hell Valley’s hot springs are sulphurous and extremely corrosive.

when you walked towards the end, you will feel yourself surrounded by misty steam. everything else seems blur….

see the steam?

After visiting the Hell Valley, it’s the Hot Spring time!! There are a lot of hotels around the area, we wanted a private pool but we don’t want to pay a lot for that.

凤凰阁

This is the first hotel we asked but they only provides rooms (with bed) with hot spring. Why don’t we take the rooms + bed + hot spring? Well, it’s more expensive mar, some more we only plan to soak for an hour or so. The person in charge then introduce us to another hotel which provides private rooms for hot spring.

He told us it will only took us 5 minutes to reach that hotel but it actually took us about 15 minutes. The hotel is quite deep inside.. We did asked a few other hotels along the way and none of them provides rooms for hot spring only.

Shallow Grass Hot Spring Hotel (direct translation..hehe..)浅草温泉馆

looks quite ok to me..

The hotel is very quiet, maybe it’s because of the location. There are so many hotels out there which are nearer to the main road, not much ppl willing to walk so far to this hotel (except us.. hehe..).

Like the previous hotels, the person in charge introduce us to their rooms with bed + hot spring. We told her we want a private room for hotspring, then only she showed us another brochure with the picture of the private hot spring room. The room looks ok to us and the price is ok too, nt 200 (23.50) per person for 2 hours. So we took the room and paid nt 400 (RM 47) for 2 person.

While we followed her to the private room, I noticed the hotel is actually quite OLD.. hopefully the room is clean lar..

These are the toilets in front of the private hot spring room, luckily it’s clean.

and there u go, our private room for hot spring..
With that kind of price, I can’t complaint much lor, right?

We don’t feel the water is very hot, probably becos of the cold weather. They said the water can cure skin problems wor.. hopefully my skin will be smoother and all pimples will go away after soaking in this water. hehe…

PH : 4.5 – 5.5, 39 – 42 degrees

We left after 1 hour++ feeling fresh. I do feel my skin is smoother.. hehe… It’s time for next destination!!

Prev: National Palace Museum (国立故宫博物院)
Next: DanShui, Fisherman’s Wharf & Lover’s Bridge （淡水, 渔人码头&情人桥)

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Tags: Hell Valley, Hot Spring, Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, Travel, Xin Bei Tou