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Believe
it or not, Taichung residents and visitors
have ample opportunity to enjoy some hot
springs that even the Japanese Meiji Emperor
raved about, without spending money for
a trip to Japan. The riverside hot springs
of Guguan, a picturesque Taichung county
mountain town, have been known since 1907.
In
particular, Guguan gained fame in Japan
when it became known that Meiji Emperor
impregnated his wife with a son after a
soak in the hot spring there. Thus, these
springs became known in Taiwan as the "Male
Child Springs", also dubbed the "Meiji
Hot Springs" by the Japanese emperor.
With all that going for it, it is no wonder
that visitors began to flock to Guguan,
which is 800 meters above sea level, after
the completion of the Central Cross-Island
Highway, which the town straddles.
More recently, Guguan has gone through
a dark period resulting from the destruction
suffered during the 921 Earthquake and
Typhoon Toraji. Thanks to some reconstruction
and innovation, however, area businessmen
have reinvented this hot springs spa area
as a unique attraction from other hot springs
in northern Taiwan.
Guguan's hot springs are carbonic acid
springs with a pH of 7.6 and a temperature
around 48-60 degree Celsius. The clear,
transparent and odorless springs differ
greatly from the strong scented hot springs
in the northern region.
One
place to start is the President Health
World (04-2595-0000), a hot springs resort
for families located by the Guguan Scenic
Region office. It is a membership-only
country club with spa center, a large play
pool, pool gym and a golf practice court.
Further up the hill is the Dragon Valley
Hotel (04-2595-0325) with 200 hot spring
suites--the most in the area--a "crystal
energy hall" and a comfortable outdoor
pine creek hot springs pool.
Up the road, to the right of the Ido Hot
Springs sign, is the Japanese-style Ido
Hot Springs (04-2595-0315). The owner here
has gone to great lengths to create this
hot springs spa, from staff uniforms down
to the spa's name and a Japanese restaurant.
The end result is the opportunity to experience
a Japanese-style spa in its entirety without
the hassle and expense of a trip abroad.
Near
Guguan's famous suspension bridge are old
and new hot springs pools built along the
mountainside. Guguan Hotel (04-2595-1355)
offers an outdoor family pool and public
pool. Its circular hot spring pool, located
beneath the bridge, has three different
temperature zones, while the family pool
is more secluded, with a hot springs pool
and a cold springs and waterfall pool.
On the other side of the bridge is Shengmugu
Holiday Hotel (04-2595-1511). A national
treasure--a gigantic, thriving, thousand-year-old
pine tree--stands at the top the courtyard
here. Near it is a "marriage pig" statue,
said to keep lovers together. Spa-wise,
the hotel offers a fun, outdoor spa pool,
a oxygenated Chinese cypress pool with
natural lighting and a picturesque view,
as well as a pine juice spa that is said
to have the benefit of preventing hypertension
and fatty veins.
On the other side of Shengmugu is a step-style
building, topped by the Meiji Hot Springs
Hotel (04-2595-1111). It has a grand Japanese
citadel-like roof and a hot springs spa
center equipped with hydrotherapy massage
pool and infrared oven. Across the other
Shengmugu suspension bridge is the Royal
Cabin Resort (04-2595-1177), which has
cabins that look like something out of
a Western fairy tales. The resort features
an indoor beneficial spa pool and hot-springs
jacuzzi, and an outdoor hot springs pool
with a Japanese-style garden and walkway.
Heading
back, the road up to the top of the mountain
will lead to two hot springs resorts. First
is the Four Seasons Resort (04-2595-1235),
a tropical-style building with a romantic
South Seas atmosphere that relaxes the
body physically and visually. The outdoor
Palm Spa hot springs area gives the feel
of being on a spa vacation in Bali. The
special "lord pool" and "beauty
pool" have natural additives: floral
components in the beauty pool and dozens
of Chinese herbs in the lord pool. The
nude pool, men's pool and ladies' pool
are scheduled to open early next year.
Besides spa pools, the area also has a
infrared oven and some rarely seen "brick
beds", which are a new spa design
that uses hot and cold springs at its base
for temperature adjustment. A children's
playground has been thoughtfully set up
next to the gym for parent-child bonding.
The spa center also offers a comfortable,
combined indoor/outdoor "family pool
house". The resort's Palm SPA area
is NT$150 per person with a coupon, for
use only on weekdays of December, 2003.
Further up is Wenshan Hotel (04-2595-1265).
According to the staff at the Guguan Tourist
Service Center (04-2595-1495), this is
the oldest hotel in Guguan as well as the
only one to offer camping service. The
200-person-capacity camp is situated by
the woodsy outdoor garden that blooms into
a beautiful sea of flowers during the cherry
blossom season. Its outdoor hot springs
pool is, of course, a basic requirement.
Guguan also has a wild creek hot springs
outlet. Originally a fish pond, its owner
switched professions and opened the Shengchugu
Hot Spring after a natural disaster sent
the fish back to nature, a nice change
of fate for both the fish and the owner.
The unique and distinctive hot springs
and public pools described above can all
be enjoyed for only NT$150 to NT$200. For
people who enjoy soaking in hot springs,
Guguan Hotel offers a limited-edition (3,000
cards) family card: 25 uses for NT$2,000
with a free night stay in a four-person
room. Dragon Valley Hotel also offers different-priced
family cards. As hotels add new hot springs
facilities, prices may rise next year.
Therefore, hot springs fans might be wise
to take advantage of the special pricing
before the year ends.
If the trip to Guguan seems far for hot
springs, a great alternative for hot springs
lovers living in Greater Taichung is Taichung
city's Dakeng Scenic Region. After the
921 Earthquake, this area was reorganized
and reconstructed to introduce a Dakeng
Hot Spring very different from before.
The area houses Hsia Ke Hot Springs (04-2239-9911),
Chi Ling Feng Hot Springs (04-2239-6969),
and Tungshan Hot Springs (04-2239-7066).
These are all great places to come after
work and soak away the stresses of the
day.
Reminder:
For people who have never soaked in a hot
springs, do not soak for too long on the
first try. Prolonged soaks are not good
for the health. Begin with a 10-minute
soak in the hot springs and then stop to
rest, or step into the cold springs until
the body regains energy. Repeat the above
steps and enjoy the process. The experience
will result in an invigorated body with
rejuvenated cells and supple skin.
Note: Special thanks for cooperation from
Videoland ONTV channel hosts Chun-chun
and Shao-mei (hot springs models) and their
team.
GETTING THERE:
From Taichung, take Provincial Rt. 3 to
Taichung county's Fengyuan City and continue
on Rt. 3 to Dungshr town. At Dungshr, switch
onto Rt. 8 and continue to Guguan. The
drive usually takes about 90 minutes. To
get to the Dakeng Scenic Area, head east
on Wenshin Rd., which becomes Dungshan
Rd. after it crosses Beitun Rd. and continues
to Dakeng.
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