Since it was most peoples last weekend in Taiwan, I decided to visit a few places around Taipei instead of traveling very far. I had been wanting to go to a hot spring before leaving, so on Saturday I took the red line up in increments, first stopping to hike Jiantan Shan （劍潭山）in a little nod to the fact that it was referenced in The Old Capital, then headed up to Beitou 北頭 where I got a bit of work done in that branch of Taipei Public Library there. It’s a beautiful building built in 2006, and is mainly made of wood. It’s also known for its green architecture, such as its use of solar panels and collection of rain water for use in the bathrooms. On a Saturday afternoon the library was bustling with people browsing, studying, and reading. I finally managed to find a seat in the children’s area and worked on my sixiangyushehui homework while parents and children read books together all around me. It was a very blissful afternoon! Once it gets dark, the library becomes even more magical with soft yellow lighting illuminating the dark wooden bookshelves.
Finally in the evening my friend showed up and we went to check out the main public hot spring (溫泉） in Beitou. That was also wonderful and relaxing, and both the people running the hot springs and the other bathers were very kind and explained the whole process. I definitely got a great night’s sleep after that!
This week also marked the beginning of me preparing to leave, so I was zipping around buying gifts and souvenirs. This included some books for myself (I think I finally figured out how to locate a specific book I want in a bookstore…?), as well as heading to the Jianguo road weekend jade market (建國假日玉市） for some small things for friends. I also very spontaneously went to my first rock concert at Legacy, a music venue in Hua Shan Creative and Cultural Park that holds all kinds of performances. There were three groups, one formed in 2020 with an awesome female lead singer/bassist, one band that was very funny and tossed small rubber squeaky ducks into the audience for them to squeak during one of their songs, and a last band that was more established and had a very vibey rock sound that built up very dense chords. It was soooo cool I had a blast!
I ended the week with a second stop at Treasure Hill Artist Village and spent an hour or two at the cafe reading a book and doing research on the Village for my final yanjiang.