Jiaoxi Route

Welcome to TAIWAN I am Poyu Lin
I love to travel love wandering around Taiwan
It��s one of Taiwan��s top ten tourist towns as selected by the Tourism Bureau.
Today I��m going to Jiaoxi in Yilan County!
Jiaoxi is Yilan��s most famous tourist destinati on. If you come here you should definitely make sure to soak in the town��s famous hot springs.
Immigrants coming from China to Yilan back in the 18th century were the first to spread word about Jiaoxi��s hot springs, and in the Japanese colonial period the town was developed with hotels for tourists. Ever since then, Jiaoxi has been a byword for hot springs.
This is Tangweigou Park. Even in summer, it��s full of bathers. Of course, I��m going in too.
It feels a little like eating ice cream in winter. Only you yourself really know how it is!
There are plenty of ways to enjoy the hot springs in Jiaoxi. You can choose to soak with others, or bathe by yourself in peaceful solitude.
When bathing in hot springs, one general rule is not to soak and eat at the same time. But there is one place that encourages you to do just that.
My foot is soaking in the hot bath, while I��m heating a hot bowl of ramen!
Really fun experience
The hot springs in Jiaoxi are some of the few in Taiwan located on the island��s coastal plains. It used to be said that all you had to do was to dig deep enough, and spring water would come rushing out. Maybe that myth was inspired by Jiaoxi, and the farmers here who have begun to grow hot spring vegetables.
This is the water spinach grown in the rest of Taiwan, while this is the water spinach grown in Jiaoxi. It��s quite different, no?
The hot springs of Jiaoxi are rich in minerals, which help the water spinach here grow faster than normal and gives the plants larger stems and leaves. No matter how you cook it, it��s always a crispy and healthy delight.
What a sound!
Visitors to Yilan have a good choice when it comes to gifts for friends and family back home.
This is sugarcane-smoked duck. There��s actually a whole duck inside.
Yilan is a center of duck farming, but the region��s rainy and moist climate isn��t good for air-drying duck meat. So people here came up with a another way of preserving duck, by first curing it and then smoking it with sugarcane, for a special flavor.
Delicious, it��s a little salty, so it goes great with beer!
Sugarcane-smoked duck is Yilan��s most famous local product, and it��s even been served to guests at national banquets! If you have the chance, you should definitely try some.
I am Poyu Lin, enjoy your time in Taiwan! Ciao ~see you next time.