Geothermal Pool at Beitou Thermal Valley 北投地热谷
The Beitou Thermal Valley is a unique attraction found in the city of Taipei. There is an open air pool of geothermally heated water. The almost boiling water spews steam which envelops the entire area of the thermal valley. While it can be warm, it is not boiling hot, not yet. It is an interesting place to visit since I have never seen anything like this before. I was hoping there would be an open hot spring here for bathing but this one is off limits. Beitou area was once developed as a hot spring area during the Japanese occupation and it was known for its hot springs.
Steam Permeating the Vegetation at Beitou
Hotels were developed here but prostitution soon became common here. It quickly became a red light district and it wasn’t a very nice area for a while. It wasn’t until later, the Taiwanese government decided to clean up this place. The hotels and brothels were shutdown and it soon became a pleasant place to be in. I’m glad that this place is actually free to visit. Then again, there isn’t really much to see here apart from the steaming pool. Some people might come here for health purposes as the sulfur infused steam is supposedly good for the health. I don’t know about that though.
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