Xinbeitou and Thermal Valley

Thermal Valley conjured up images of bubbling pools with the smell of sulphur wafting along the valley. Once I left Xinbentou Station, I followed a well-maintained pathway by a stream searching for my imagined Thermal Valley.

A reserve that should have been preserved

When I caught a train to Tamsui, my eyes followed a trail running parallel to the tracks that continued all the way to the last MRT station. On the journey I spotted so many pieces of garbage it seemed like someone had tipped a box of never-ending litter along the route.

Gaundu’s Kuan-du Temple

Built in 1661 during the Tsing Dynasty, Kaun-du Temple was Taiwan’s oldest temple worshiping the Heavenly Saintly Mother. This explained why both in the Lingxiao Treasure and Taisui Halls, female monks stood before idols pounding drums and singing prayers to the sound of tinkering cymbals while incense smoked through the huge interiors.