Yangmingshan

Delayed in Narita (成田) for a half day, the family arrives in Taipei (台北) on the afternoon of December 18. After a snack in the airport, we make a quick visit to the fumaroles on Yangmingshan (陽明山) arriving in light rain at dusk.

Yangmingshan National Park, famous for its volcanic features and topography is easily accessibile from Taipei making the park a common weekend destination. Surface water seeps down through the porous rock and is vaporized underground emerging again as highly acidic and corrosive steam from the fumaroles. Within Yangmingshan National Park there are thirteen hot spring and fumarole areas, where clouds of geothermal steam rise out these volcanic steam vents encrusted with yellow sulfur crystals. The Tatun mountain range was created by volcanic activity that ended some 300,000 years ago.

The Grand Hotel

We enjoy a Thai dinner in Tianmu (天母) before checking into the Grand Hotel (圓山大飯店).

Taipei to Taroko - December 19

The Grand Hotel
Miss Bikini Brazil

Miss Bikini World 2006 Beauty Pageant was held in Taipei on December 21. The Brazilian contestant agrees to Marlene's request to take a picture of her with Jim and Philip.

The Art Spa

The next day we drive down the east coast, taking the new Hsuehshan tunnel (雪山隧道) and stopping at the Art Spa (中冠) in Jiaohsi (礁溪). The Art Spa sports a four-story hot water slide which is unfortunately closed for repairs. We spend a couple hours lounging in the different massage and medicinal pools. Some of the pools precisely indicate their water temperature, pH and mineral content. Others explain their healing properties. Leaving Jiaoshi we drive through a heavy rainstorm down the coast and up Toroko (太魯閣) gorge to Tienhsiang (天祥) in the dark.