Living It Up in Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills, or more fondly known merely by one of its prominent and primary post code made famous by the tv series, 90210, is another star in the City of Angels (Los Angeles).
Known for its highly publicized and affluent neighborhood which was said to be home to many of the celebrities, Beverly Hills is definitely more than just your usual district in the county of the California state.

History of Beverly Hills
The home to the rich and famous, as it is often referred to in a casual manner, Beverly Hills also had her own simple story to tell of its early days when it began as a land or rather, a Spanish plantation/ranch for growing the lima beans. The area was also originally thought to be a prosperous land, and a potential oil field by a group of investors interested in that area. However, oil was not found in their exploration of the land but it was water that they found, and since then, they decided to develop the land into a residential town instead.



Today, Beverly Hills is home to more than 30,000 population and rose to such prominent status due to its close location to Hollywood and cities of Los Angeles and thanks to the producers who came up with the highly acclaimed tv series watched by all around the world featuring this city.
The TV series was originally Beverly Hills 90210, which was first broadcasted in the 1980s and following its popularity of the series, there was another version of the remake, named 90210, produced in the last few years.



With the hefty tag of being an affluent township, it is no surprise that the town housed one of the most renowned retail district, Rodeo Drive. Celebrities and famous figures in the movie industry can often be spotted in this area, which is home to most of the world famous luxury designer brands.
Rodeo Drive is definitely an upscale shopping district, and there is nothing short of luxury when one walks down the high end streets of this area.









Besides the celebrities and high end retail reputation, Beverly Hills is also home to a large and still active oil field; the Beverly Hills Oil Field. Yes, there was oil after all in this piece of land and is definitely prospering well from this oil field which was discovered in the year 1900 and spans underneath the city of Beverly Hills to some parts of Los Angeles.
Read all about it here in Wikipedia

The city of Beverly Hills is indeed designed in an upper class manner and definitely a city that lives it up to its reputation with its chic urban lifestyle depicted here through the scenes seen in the city.

This is truly one stylish neighborhood; and one will definitely be living it up in style and sophistication (or even feel like it) in this prominent city.





All we need now is that familiar tune of the theme music from Beverly Hills (the TV series) to play in the background to complete the picture~

Taiwan Travelogue: Wulai Hot Springs (烏來)

Jade green waters with bridges over them, flowing over the gray rocky river bed with a white overcast swimming with the shades of green amidst the lush mountainous backdrop is a picturesque definition of what many would imagine to appear in a typical Chinese art drawing. The reality is not that far from the ideal picture as the above is the exact description of a little aboriginal town tucked away in a remote part away from the buzz of the city of Taipei.

Known for the breathtaking scenery from the colors of the spring and the mountains, Wulai(烏來) is no strange land to many attracted to its well-preserved nature and the unique nativity of her aboriginal inhabitants' culture; the Atayals. The Atayals were the ones who named this place; with their phrase in their local language of kirofu ulai, which translates to the terms 'hot and poisonous'.
However, the terms do not rightly justify the beauty and wonders of the place where the breathtaking scenes just weasel their way into the minds and settle there, leaving one with the memories to last a lifetime.

The charming little town which requires a 40 minute to an hour's bus ride from the Xindian MRT station (Bus No.849) draws crowds to its natural hot water springs; which is more superior in its quality as it is cleaner and unlike Beitou, it is also free of the odor from the sulphuric waters, making it an ideal place to enjoy a soak or a bath. The Atayals' term 'ulai' which slowly translated to Wulai, is synonymous with hot springs, and it is no wonder the place is filled with hot spring resorts.
There is also the option of enjoying the hot springs for free, following a designated path after crossing the bridge and walking up a little further where to the right there is a stairway leading to the river. Swimming wear is mandatory as this is an open area.

The scenic view of the river and peeks of the town can be enjoyed from the bus ride; which takes one on a zig zagging ride into the remotest parts of Taipei and offering captivating glimpses into the nature. Be prepared to be spellbound by the sights along the ride, especially when one is about to approach the town of Wulai, which happens to be the last stop.
The hues from the river is mesmerizing and keeps one in suspense as one waits with bated breath for more revelation of the flow at the end of the journey.
(The river could be better viewed with seats on the right of the bus).

Scenes from the bus ride:









The unmistakable red bridge over the tempting jade green waters with a temple in the background is the first scene to greet the excited visitors as one alights from the bus at the last stop.
This picture perfect scene is enough to capture one's attention of what Wulai has to offer in its spectacular opening scene upon arrival at its entrance (the bus stops at the station).







The enchanting colors of the water flowing in the river is enough to send the adrenalines pumping for the adventures and surprises awaiting visitors to this little town, which has kept her secrets well-guarded from the hustle bustle of development and modernization and by the looks of it, unperturbed by the commotion in the big world out there.


One just can't wait to jump into the waters, literally, for me, at least, as the waters are just so calm and flawless that they looked like they have emerged from a fantasy land which only exists in the fairytales.





This is a place where the tale is as old as time, and the song is as old as rhyme, and the tales are about to continue with the revelation of Wulai's treasures....stay tune...

Taiwan Travelogue: Tamsui (淡水) Old Street

To the north of Taipei is the little township of Danshui(local Mandarin pronunciation), or Tamsui (English name), known for the many attractions and historical past and a perfect location to boast of for the stunning views of sunset. These are just the few to name of Danshui's offerings, which did well to attract her own share of visitors as compared to the other top ranking tourist spots in the country.
Danshui 淡水 (in Mandarin) or Tamsui (translated to English term) literally means "Fresh water".
It was initially known as Hoba, in the aboriginal Ketagalan (who were the earlier settlers in this location) which means 'Stream's mouth' and was then adapted into the local Taiwanese language to be known as 'Hobe'. When the Spanish arrived in the early 17th century, they named the place Casidor and the Tamsui River Kimalon.
The development and urbanization of the town maintained its name; though today the government has emphasized that the name Tamsui is used to refer to this town in English, rather than Danshui as seen in most MRT and guides.
However, it is still not uncommon to see the two words being used interchangeably in the context of referring to this quaint little town.
(For official purposes, I will use the official term to refer to the town; Tamsui).

Formerly a prime location as a commercial shipping hub in its heydays, Tamsui was slowly replaced by Keelung in the early 20th century. While the town owes its past to the shipping activities, today it continues to flourish as a tourism hub with the picturesque scene overlooking the harbor; or the ferry pier and the fisherman wharf located downstream and reachable via a ferry ride.
The history from the colonial ages of both the Dutch and Spanish stayed on the town and is evident from the styles of the buildings and the Tamsui Old Street.





The Old Street of Danshui or Tamsui Old Street, is a long street filled with shophouses and stalls beckoning to the daily visitors to this town with their local products and merchandise.
There are many to see and do here; just like most of the streets or markets in Taipei, there are just so much food and drinks, and apparel on sale here.
Take in the lively scenes on the streets; filled mostly with tourists rather than locals (or perhaps Taiwanese on weekends).
Browse through the stalls on the side of the streets, and also some of the shops; confectioneries and eateries which offer things unique to this little town.







For instance, Iron Eggs is something to look forward to here.
Made of quail eggs or normal chicken eggs, the Iron eggs is a home-developed recipe by an old grandma, Grandma Huang, who, during the earlier days of her business, struggling in the ominous times had to
re-cook the eggs she had on sale several times to last through the days.
The result ended in the slightly harder and chewy textured, dark-colored eggs which have shrunk at least half of its original size which then became an innovation and boomed as an interesting product known as Iron Eggs today.
While this can be seen and found in many stalls along the street, the most famous and original shop is the Grandma Tiedan/Grandma Huang's Iron Eggs.



The Tamsui Fish balls are supposedly famous; fish paste balls stuffed with minced meat and garlic.







Tamsui Old Street at a glance 












There's even an outlet from the famous Naraya, all the way from Thailand!


Tamsui Old Street is truly a delightful window to the blend of history and modern living with the colonial-inspired buildings as part of the background and fronted by the hustle bustle of the jovial contemporary crowd; filled with the locals making a living amidst the eager tourists and visitors every day.
One could easily lose track of time when taking a walk down this street, it is that enjoyable~







The Old Street runs along the Tamsui River, with a pier overlooking the harbor and across to the Fisherman Wharf.
It is indeed a romantic stretch to walk down with the breeze blowing in your hair and with mesmerizing views of the waterfront





To be continued....to the next part of Tamsui...

Taiwan Travelogue: Geothermal Valley Beitou

Geothermal Valley is the top attraction in the Beitou area; with its emerald jade sulphuric waters and the thick clouds of steam rising from the boiling waters from this volcanic crater tucked away as part of the town's pride.
The picture of thick mist enveloping the area as a result of the rising steam from the high temperature (at the boiling temperature of 100 degrees Celsius) may seem like a scene from a fantasy world; yet this is a truly amazing work of nature, leaving many awestruck following a visit to this magical place.
The place was also once, during the colonial rule of the Japanese, known as one of the top eight natural beauties in Taiwan.

The hot water flowing downstream and everywhere in the town






Even the drains outside the park is filled with boiling water






It was a surreal experience, and it was as though my vision has blurred with the thick mist engulfing the entire area. It seemed like I have stepped into a different dimension or world, where it seemed so magical yet mystical at the same time. While it was really breathtaking to witness the works of nature  in the form of the rising steam, it was also eerie at the same time to see so much that it almost seemed like the whole place was enveloped by the thick clouds rising from the heat of the emerald green or jaded waters of the spring below.


Jade Spring Valley, as the Geothermal Valley is also known is attributed to the mesmerizing tones of the waters from the high content of the sulphuric mineral-based in the spring. This rare phenomenon, or the mineral based of sulphuric content in the spring water can only be found in two places in the world; here in Beitou and the other in Akita, Japan.
While the colors and the misty scene can be alluring and hypnotizing, the pungent odor from the high sulphuric content acts like an agent to knock one to consciousness as fills the air with its unpleasant smell.






The thick misty state which can overcome the entire atmosphere and the high temperatures of the waters also earned the valley its other notorious nickname of the Hell Valley, or the Valley of Death. Perhaps it was the heat which brought it in close comparison to the underworld, or perhaps it was also due to the number of tragic and fatal incidents which have occurred in this area.
Yes, sadly, this may be a scenic and natural wonder but there have been deaths or unpleasant incidents which have occurred here.
According to the locals, there was a man who have reportedly fell into the water by accident and ended up being cooked/boiled to his death here.
This led to tighter security measures being implemented here; with the authorities putting up signs and fences to prevent anyone from being in too close proximity to the extremely hot waters flowing in the spring.

Scary stories aside, the Geothermal Valley still strikes me as a natural wonder and is indeed an eye-opening experience (yes, I could still keep my eyes open while wandering through the thick mist of steam).


Many are spotted with umbrellas and even rain ponchos; even mask wearing while enjoying the scenes unfolding in action in this valley.


This is indeed an amazing work of nature, and a must-visit for anyone who is in the town of Beitou.
The Geothermal Valley, is indeed, a natural depiction of nature at one of her best here.