See, in the Treehouse level classes (one of which I am teaching tomorrow), every class begins with the “Word of the Day”. Usually this word has already been pre-selected, and it’s the NST’s job to find a way to explain that word in a way that is understandable to the young ones, as well as use it in an example sentence. This past week included words like “lucky” (Ex. You’re so lucky to have Teacher Andrew as your teacher) or “amazing” (Ex. Teacher Andrew’s smile is amazing). But tomorrow I’m going to take whatever word I’ve been given to teach and throw it in the proverbial trash can (pretty sure there aren’t any proverbs about trash cans, but I still liked the way it sounded in my head). Instead I’m going to teach them a word that I discovered today everyone NEEDS to know in Taipei:
“scalding” (adj.):
1. something so incredibly freaking hot that it makes you feel like you will die touching it
2. hot as hell
(rough definitions)
Now let’s rewind to how I came to this conclusion…
Today my roommate Ari and I checked another item off our Taipei to-do list. Sunday is our only day off from teaching at Hess, and we've been told by fellow co-workers that because of this, Sunday should always be utilized to do something adventurous/new/exciting. That way, when you're really over work on Wednesday or Thursday and wanting to do something fun, you can always reflect back on the previous Sunday and be content that you made the most of it. And in theory that should hold you over until the next Sunday. So we decided to make sure to follow this advice. After little discussion, we decided upon making a trip out to the Hot Springs at Beitou. Our fellow teachers and friends all highly suggested this place, and considering the cool, overcast nature of the day, we figured this would be a perfect time to get in on that action.
 |
| Hot Springs. Though not the one we experienced. This one is 90 degrees Celsius...would surely melt your skin off. |
After exploring around Beitou a little, we finally found ourselves at the public Millennium Hot Spring, which offered access to 4 different hot spring pools for a mere 40 NTD for the afternoon (a definite steal). However, upon entering, we quickly realized that we weren’t the only ones craving a hot springs adventure. The place was jam-packed…young couples, children, LOTS of old men. Almost every pool was basically full...except one. Without hesitation, we made a quick bolt for that pool, completely unaware of the signs reading the temperatures for each pool. And that’s when it happened, the first foot went into the pool and I just about screamed bloody murder (this foot actually made a couple of trips in and out of the water before finally committing to stay); then the next one followed suit. Then eventually I mustered up the strength to go down to knee level (by the way, this whole time just about every local in the pool is laughing their ass off at me and Ari in our very apparent pain). After that, I just stood there for a second, certain I could do no more. But unfortunately that only lasted a few seconds, until one of the employees/”lifeguards” motioned me to sit all the way down (we found out later that this was because if I fainted from the heat, it would be much safer if I was sitting down than standing up—good to know). So I sat down. And it was at this moment that I decided what tomorrow’s “Word of the Day” would be.
“HOT springs my ass”, I thought. “They ought to rename this Scalding Springs. Someone needs to tell these people the difference between the two—such false advertising!” I can’t even really describe just how awful and uncomfortable I felt (just imagine the hottest hot tub you’ve ever been in, and then multiply that by about 3). Beads of sweat were dripping down my face, my extremities actually started to tingle, and my feet felt like I was walking on hot coals. After a mere 5 minutes or so, we couldn’t take any more—so we promptly got up and exited this pool, feeling very light-headed and at the point of passing out. Well it was at this moment that we realized why this pool had been emptier than the others—we had entered the hottest of the 4 pools, one which stayed at about 48 degrees Celsius. Forty-Freakin-Eight. So I quickly did the math in my head (Celsius degrees x 9/5 +32…thanks high school Chemistry), and wa-la…about 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Oh dear.
“HOT springs my ass”, I thought. “They ought to rename this Scalding Springs. Someone needs to tell these people the difference between the two—such false advertising!” I can’t even really describe just how awful and uncomfortable I felt (just imagine the hottest hot tub you’ve ever been in, and then multiply that by about 3). Beads of sweat were dripping down my face, my extremities actually started to tingle, and my feet felt like I was walking on hot coals. After a mere 5 minutes or so, we couldn’t take any more—so we promptly got up and exited this pool, feeling very light-headed and at the point of passing out. Well it was at this moment that we realized why this pool had been emptier than the others—we had entered the hottest of the 4 pools, one which stayed at about 48 degrees Celsius. Forty-Freakin-Eight. So I quickly did the math in my head (Celsius degrees x 9/5 +32…thanks high school Chemistry), and wa-la…about 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Oh dear.
 |
| Millennium Hot Spring..home to the hot spring from hell. |
But after that painful/embarrassing little incident, it made the rest of our stay at the hot springs that much more enjoyable. After embracing 118 degree heat, the pools set to about 100 were nothing to us. In fact they were rather relaxing. After a week of stress and teaching, there couldn’t have been a more peaceful reward than sitting there relaxed in the hot (no longer scalding) water, letting the breeze blow over, soaking up some minerals, and enjoying the scenic beauty of the surrounding mountains.
After leaving the springs, we furthered our adventure by making a short hike to the top of a mountain around Beitou to get some cool shots of the city. And then we even explored the Shihlin Night Market a bit, which was massive, packed with people, buzzing with activity, and overall very impressive. I wish I could write more about those here, but truthfully I'm still very tired from my hot springs experience. Maybe some other time. But in lieu of more writing, I've instead included pictures for you at the bottom because I'm a nice guy. Now it's time to sleep like a baby.
Sunday adventure? Check. Blissful end to the week? Ditto.
 | ||||
| Mountain at Beitou=conquered |
