Mama needed some rest and relaxation, so when Ashley told me about a special stay-for-one-night-get-the-next-night-free deal in one of the swankiest hot spring resorts in Jiaoxi, one of the rural townships within Yilan county, I jumped on it quick. Yilan is located on the northeastern part of Taiwan, an hour drive from Taipei. The influence of the Kavalan and Atayal indigenous tribes is undeniable in Yilan, which makes it even more special.
But first, food. You probably won’t be surprised to know that Yilan is full of yummy food, and of course, who better to guide me through this field of gastronomic delights than my foodie extraordinaire friends Ashley and Johnny. One of the absolute pleasures of traveling in Asia is the abundance of mom and pop food stalls. Usually each food stall serves just one dish and that one dish is perfection. Ten minutes in Yilan and our car was loaded up with soup dumplings, roasted country chicken, taro ice cream + peanut shavings + cilantro all rolled up into a rice flour tortilla, red heart guavas…talk about sensory overload.
We waddled into our hotel, Wellspring by SILKS Jiaoxi, to check-in and stepped into a tastefully appointed room with its own private hot spring tub and the largest bed I’ve ever seen. Ooooh, mama!
After one of the best nights of sleep we’ve had in awhile we were invigorated for a day of beach exploration. Beaches are officially closed but seaside parks are finally open. Our first stop was Beiguan Tidal Park where Jules and I practically ran once we saw all the cool rocks we could climb. Our friends weren’t as keen as we were on exploring and retreated not long after to the air conditioning and snacks in the car.
Our next stop was Waiao Beach, a surfing mecca in Taiwan. We looked longingly at the crashing waves behind the red and yellow tape. Even Turtle Island in the background looked lonely. Jules and Alex had to content themselves by burying Ashley’s feet in the black sand, since they couldn’t fetch sea water to build a proper sand castle.
We were all ready for some air conditioning at this point, and luckily Ashley had booked reservations at Yilan’s Lanyang Museum. The most striking aspect of this museum is its architecture, which takes its shape from the cuesta, a hill with a steep slope on one side and gentle slope on the other, common to Taiwan’s northeast coast. Lanyang Museum features Yilan’s geographical and cultural aspects, and the boys and I had fun checking out the exhibits, learning about Yilan’s flora and fauna, aboriginal origins and fishing history.
After a busy day we headed back to our hotel for a hot spring soak and a view of Jiaoxi from the rooftop. We were excited for breakfast the next day, since it would be the first official day of indoor dining, how marvelous!
The hostess showed us to our tables the next morning, and it was a bit comical. Jules and I weren’t allowed to sit next to or across from each other even though we’re staying in the same room. Our friends were technically at the table next to ours, but they were about ten feet away, which made indoor voice conversation nearly impossible. Indoor dining in Taiwan under level 2 restrictions wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.
We had one final task to complete before leaving Yilan. For a few days before we left for Yilan I noticed that our pet beetle, Jeff, wasn’t as active at night as usual. He was sleeping longer hours and barely touching his food. I looked up everything I could on the internet regarding stag horn beetles, but it seemed like I was doing everything right. One morning I got up and saw Jeff lying on his side, unresponsive. I don’t know if I would have had such a connection with a beetle if it weren’t for a two week quarantine and a pandemic-induced soft lockdown. Regardless, I had looked forward to seeing Jeff first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed. I guess I should be thankful that Jules hadn’t become too attached to Jeff, since I definitely took his death harder than Jules. I wanted to make sure that Jeff’s final resting place would be a beautiful one, so I brought him to Yilan with us.
The boys came with me to find a nice spot and to say a few words. We found Jeff a lovely place amongst varied plants atop a small hill alongside a creek. I couldn’t have asked for a better quarantine companion.
