Guanziling 關子嶺

Guanziling the Muddy Hot Spring!


Took train from Kaohsiung train station and arrive at Sinying 新營 station. The journey take around 2 hours and will pass Tainan city. Once arrive at Sinying went straight to tourist information counter to find out places of interest and get a proper map. They suggest me to rent a scooter so it will be more convenient to travel around the attraction and get to Guanziling.

p/s: return train ticket on qujian car from Kaohsiung cost 224NTD

So went out train station and search for scooter rental shop and rented a scooter for a day cost 500NTD. They didn't event check for my driving license as i only have Malaysia driving license and not international driving license. This is my third time renting scooter in Taiwan without any proper license... lol

Baihe 白河區, Dongshan 東山區, Houbi 後壁區 are all consider as the northern Tainan 臺南 district. All of the location has their own attraction but don't have much time so ride straight to Guanziling. On the way pass-by this orchid cultivation farm 蘭花探索世界. It require entrance fees and since its not the season so didn't went in, but the area are huge with research center and exhibit hall.

Took this orchid photo at the ticket counter :)

Then continue ride on and arrive at Siraya National Scenic Area 西拉雅國家風景區. Expect it to be a scenic area with park or flower but turn out to be nothing. It only have a small reservoir and surrounded by baren land with some trees. But surprisingly there is a information counter believe to be the park office.

 
The following route is all up hill ride on scooter. Since it is lunch time and Guanziling is famous for its barrels chicken or chicken in cask 桶仔雞, thus plan to give it a try. Stop at one of the most crowded restaurant and waited awhile before being seated. Ordered a chicken, bamboo rice and a vegetable.

The chicken are cooked with firewood in a barrel like big clay pot. The main cooking area are outside the restaurant as firewood produce lots of smoke

The cleaning of chicken  

This is one of the big clay/stone oven

The chicken are stuff with herbs and stand to dry on the floor. The base is a pot fill with bamboo shoot to collect the chicken nice and tasty juice without going to waste as the chicken being roast

Then the roasted whole chicken with head and feet are transported to the guest dining area by this small boy and the waitress will help to peel the chicken into small pieces. The bamboo rice are almost the same as lemang in Malaysia but cooked without coconut milk/ santan. 

 

After having a wonderful lunch stop-by at red leaf park 紅葉公园. Collect some maple leaf, shoot some photo and leave. There are few families picnic there. 

Some of the plant, flower, leaf and creature in the park

 

From the park can have a view over to Guanziling old town. 

Besides famous for its hot spring, Guanziling is also known for it fire and water cave 水火同源. The fuel of the fire came from underground spring which contain large amount of methane, when the methane is ignite the fire will burn forever. Besides that, the methane gas bubble up through the pool of water forming foam and dirty looking water. According to locals the flame used to burn as high as 3 meters into the air in the past.

A few meters ride away is the Temple of Azure Clouds 碧雲寺. The temple sits directly in front of a large monolithic outcrop of rock. Besides it face directly to the west, when sunset it send a ray of glowing red light into the temple.

From there, set off to Donghan intend to see coffee tree and coffee production factory to purchase some fresh coffee beans. Along the route that suppose to be coffee route 175 東山咖啡大道, don't see any coffee tree. As sun is setting behind so intend to ask the locals about any coffee shop or factory. But the over friendly local take out a map slowly explain and wasted off my precious time. He told me some history, places of interest and many others. At the end, he told me the route is named coffee road 175 but it don't have any coffee plantation!!

As what i known and read from many travel guide books, it mention that Dongshan 東山 is famous for it coffee and is one of the best in taiwan. Seems like the local don't know much about the coffee there, at the end it wasted my time and i didn't manage to see any coffee tree nor buy any coffee as the sun has sets!!

How can there be no coffee where there are signboard mentioning coffee, coffee cup and coffee beans. And why will they name it coffee road if there isn't any coffee around the area. Really disappointed me!

Since already sunset and nothing uphill, its best to head downhill before the weather becomes unbearable cold and road too dark and dangerous to ride.

Finally arrive back to xinying town, since it only 1900 so plan to ride around the town and went for the night market for dinner before returning the scooter. Then board train back to Kaohsiung.

Route:
Sinying Train Station 新營火車站 (A) - Orchid Cultivation Farm 蘭花探索世界 (B) - Siraya National Scenic Area 西拉雅國家風景區 (C) - Fire and Water Cave 水火同源 (D) - Temple of Azure Clouds 碧雲寺 (E) - Sinying Train Station 新營火車站 (F)
Total distance on scooter : 60KM