After our lunch in Sun Moon Lake our taxi took us about 3 hours to get to our hot spring resort. On the drive we passed many mountains with thick forest and trees in full bloom with white flowers. As a nice treat we stayed at the Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort. The hotel was on the river, which had a strong turquoise color. There was also a small hill on the opposite side covered in lush dark green forest, and to the far left a red bridge over the river. We enjoyed the views there.

Upon check in we got some tea and a plate of various types of snacks. It was hard to tell what some things were but we enjoyed the sampling plate. My favorite was a puff pastry filled with chocolate mousse. The snack area had a great view of the river. Our room had its own private hot spring tub and views of the river, too.

Nick and I had to experience the public hot spring separately as men and women did not mix. It was a traditional onsen where we were fully naked in the spa area. The spa had an area where you washed off before entering the hot springs. Inside there was a steam room and a sauna. There were also two cold plunge pools; one was an easy temperature and one I had to count down 1 minute and then got out of immediately.

There were two larger pools with the hot water, both with open windows to view the river and greenery. One of the larger pools had three stone beds that were curved, had head rests and gentle jets. This same pool also had a button on the wall to activate the powerful water massager. There were two holes in the ceiling where water would fall and people would stand underneath and aim the water where they wanted. It was so strong it knocked over a lady who didn’t realize it wasn’t a gentle water feature. I had it massage my back and neck. It was one of the strongest massages I have ever had.

Outside there was also a hot spring pool with plants all around the edges and view of the river. People were spread out in the different areas and it never felt busy. Nick and I both did our separate hot spring experiences for just over an hour. Then we met back in the room to get ready for dinner.

For dinner we had to choose between the western the Chinese set menu. We opted for the Chinese one to try something new. The first course was a plate with 4 different small bites. One was some sort of coconut dish with plum, then some pork, a savory seafood mousse with caviar, and two slices of scallop. The next course was a large prawn in a butter sauce; it was so good. Next was BBQ fish, which Nick enjoyed more than I did. There was a chicken soup and a short rib with vegetables. Dessert was a tea cake rolled with some jelly inside. It was also served with a cold coconut soup. The cake we liked much better.

We enjoyed our private hot spring before bed, getting as much relaxing in as possible before exploring more of Taiwan. The next morning, breakfast was truffled scrambled eggs, potatoes, fruit, french toast, chicken, bacon, roasted tomatoes, orange juice, and iced lattes. We got some last photos by the balcony, then headed for one last spa session before check out.

After getting the resort shuttle to the main train station, we took a 40 minute taxi to Shifen Old Street. This was a street with food stalls and shopping on either side of active train tracks. Every once in a while there would be a whistle blown and everyone would move off the tracks and a train would pass by pretty close to all the stalls. One time the whistle blower was a bit late so it was a bit stressful to watch everyone scramble out of the way.

In Shifen many tourists were painting giant lanterns to release into the sky. It was cool to see so many of them, but sad to see them landing in the mountains in the distance. Besides lanterns, the thing to do was eat lots of yummy street food. We started with amazing soft shell crabs. Nick then got the classic peanut butter ice cream, which is topped with candied peanuts and rolled in a wrap. It usually comes with cilantro too but the place we got his from must have ran out.

We got a better view of the street from a bridge nearby that went over the river. Next on our food list was the mango shaved ice; it was so good. They topped it with frozen mango pieces and sprinkles. Nick tried a sausage and we split a boba milk tea to end the DIY food tour of Shifen.

Our last stop for the day was Juifen. This was another easy 45 minute taxi from Shifen. We stayed in a bed and breakfast that was someones small home they had converted for guests. It was a short walk away from the old street with a nice view of the town. In the evening we walked the old street, which was so beautiful and lively.

It was raining gently, which gave the street some reflections on the ground. There were many red lanterns lighting the street and alleys. We checked out the A-Mei Teahouse, which had a very long line to get in so we opted to just look at it from the Juifen Teahouse area instead. It was incredibly beautiful with all its lanterns and details, we could see why it was so popular. We also walked the old street alley, which had lots of food vendors.

Nick tried milk cheese sticks, which were close to mozzarella sticks. He also tried (and loved) some fried shrimp balls. For dessert Nick got an egg waffle cone with ice cream. I stuck with a mango smoothie as I had too much to eat in Shifen.

As the night went on and the tour buses started to leave the street got much quieter. We enjoyed being some of the only people there past 8pm. Many shops closed as soon as the crowds left, but it was nice being able to enjoy it on our own (almost). That was the best perk of staying the night in the area.

In the morning, after taking way too many photos of the neighborhood cat, we got a taxi about 1 hour to our last accommodation in Taiwan, a very cute little hostel near the ocean and Dasi/Daxi train station. After enjoying the hostel’s incredible desserts we walked to the train station, where we rode one stop to Dali Train Station to start our hike.

Nick and I did the Taoyuan Valley Trail, which is about 14km long and took us around 5 hours to complete. It was a point to point trail which ended about a 15 minute walk away from our hostel. The hike was a challenging one, going up the mountain, then across the mountain ridge overlooking the valley before coming back down. We had views of open valley, forest, and the ocean. It was so stunning up there. There were also many water buffalo freely roaming on the top. We saw a few other hikers, but not many.

Unfortunately I started to have the same allergic reaction I had one time in East Africa on this hike, too. There must be some plant or bug I am allergic to. The hike down I had hives all over my legs and some serious muscle fatigue. It wasn’t all bad, though, as we saw the tiny barking deer, or Reeve’s muntjac. It was so tiny Nick thought it was a rabbit at first, but it was a deer that ran like a rabbit and was so cute. We also saw a large bird that was black, white, and red; we couldn’t identify it though.

Nick dropped me off at our hostel after our hike and after confirming my allergy medicine was working he went to the nearby seafood market for dinner. I was bummed I could not join him, but I was worn out from my annoying allergy attack. He had some grilled fish and some sashimi for dinner. It was an amazing way to end our trip in Taiwan. It flew by so fast and we loved every place. The food was amazing, people were welcoming, and the nature was spectacular. Our hostel host even made us a free breakfast that she left in the fridge for us since the cafe would be closed on our check out day.