Monday, April 12, 2010

Wulai 烏來, Taiwan's romantic getaway

A Taiwanese town famous for Aboriginal food and hot springs

Some impressions of Wulai

Wulai (sometimes Ulay) or in Chinese 烏來, is a small resort south from Taipei, famous for its hot springs, delicious food and aboriginal culture, which is seen and felt on every corner. It's a fairly small town (see map), with about 5000 inhabitants (source). But there are many tourists flooding its streets, mostly Taiwanese, but I've seen a lot of Westerners, too. What's so special about Wulai are its various hot springs, the delicious street food and the breathtaking nature. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Taipei, Wulai is the right getaway for you. It's also great for couples and groups of people, you can stay in a hotel and have a lovely weekend. Some food is so popular, that you have to wait in long queues to finally get your order, but it's definitely worth it. Wulai has many magical spots.

HOW TO COME TO WULAI/TRANSPORTATION: To reach Wulai, which is located in the mountains south from Taipei, you will need about 1 hour, if you start from Taipei Main station. So here's how you go: Take the Red Line train from Taipei Main Station south to CKS Memorial Hall Station (passing 2 stations). Then switch to the Green Line and take the train to Xindian MRT Station, which is the last station of this line, so it will take some time before you arrive (passing 9 stations). Then you go out of the MRT station and you'll see some bus stops and taxis on your right side. The bus number to Wulai is 1601 and it's much cheaper than the taxis, who try to lure you by saying stuff loudly in Taiwanese language. If you're a group of 3 or 4 people and money is not an issue, then I recommend you to take the taxi. The ride to Wulai is 40min by bus and buses are usually crowded, the road is winding, so you'll get tossed up a bit. It won't be easy to find a seat. But at least, the price is very cheap, you can even use the Taipei MRT card to pay.

I will show you what happened to Porky the pig and men in speedos.

This brief introduction of Wulai will also serve as an overview of all my posts about the lovely mountain resort. Check my following posts to see what we've seen and experienced in Wulai so far:

Wulai's magical views, April 2010
The beautiful Wulai falls, April 2010
How to go to a Taiwanese onsen, April 2010
Food in Wulai, April 2010
Stray dogs in Wulai, April 2010


[Start the WULAI TOUR here][My TAIWAN page][All photos by MKL, 2010]

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