WHAT NOT TO DO AT A PUBLIC BATH - TAIWAN 2015

      The biggest regret of my time in Europe was not experiencing a public bath, so I was quite excited to experience one in Taiwan. Although I haven’t been to the notorious jinjabong in Korea, I was able to visit Millennium Hot Spring in Taipei, Taiwan. Now, I had ZERO expectations coming to Taiwan, as I honestly didn’t know much about the country or culture. All I knew was that it was south of South Korea, and therefore, warmer, so it was a great option for a CHEAP winter vacation. To my dismay, it wasn’t the best weather, but a lot better than South Korea and of course Canada so I can’t really complain. Though, the weather did rain on my parade, literally. Anyway, I forgot the point of this blog is to discuss my experience at the hot spring so lets get right into that.

HISTORY:

     During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the culture of public baths was born. It was a hot commodity amongst the Japanese soldiers, as public baths were followed by alcohol and a night of entertainment by the Japanese geishas. In the past, it was known to be the "red light district" of Taiwan. Today, hot springs are frequented by older men and women looking to relax and soothe their muscles in the 40-45 degree hot baths. For those of you who can’t quite picture this, just imagine large outdoor hot tubs of scorching hot natural spring water full of peaceful, soul-searching Asians.

     To no surprise, I disrupted the peace and had old men yell at me in Chinese for breaking all the rules. Honestly, it was so funny to me that I wasn’t even embarrassed because I always find myself in weird situations where I’m just chilling, trying to figure life out in foreign places. Below is my list of everything I did wrong..

1.     DO NOT SIT & PUT ONLY YOUR FEET IN THE HOT SPRING
You must fully submerge your body in the hot spring.. The baths were so hot, at
times I felt like I could literally faint so I'd sit up on the ledge. All I hear is the
whistle blowing and men yelling at me telling me I must fully be in the water, to prevent fainting. Good looking out, homies.

2.     DO NOT PLACE DRINKS ALONG THE EDGE OF THE HOT SPRING.
Pretty self explanatory...the drinks could fall in the water and contaminate the hot springs.

3.     DO NOT TAKE PICTURES
The last thing Taiwanese people want is to have their half naked bodies posted on the Gram. I obviously broke this rule...

4.     DO NOT RINSE YOUR BODY IN OR NEAR THE HOT SPRING
As I was preparing myself for the hottest pool, at a whopping 45 degrees, I  poured buckets of water on my legs to feel the temperature. The water seeped into the pool, and, with no surprise, I got yelled and laughed at..

5.     DO NOT STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOT SPRING
Just, don't do it...

Enjoy!! Your body will love you for this. And don’t forget to bring water! 

Peace & Love, and happy new years to all my readers!