Jiaoxi Town
Jiaoxi/Chiaohsi is a rural township in the northern part of Yilan County, Taiwan, famous for its hot springs. These attract large numbers of visitors so as the result, Jiaoxi has become a favorite weekend resort, featuring an array of hotels from the budget to the luxurious. There is also a few free public hot spots, mostly sheltered, where visitors can enjoy a leisurely foot bath at any time.
If you ever hear that Jiaosi (Jiaoxi) has the best hot springs, the most spectacular waterfall, and the best food in Taiwan, don't believe it! If someone makes that claim, that person's a liar or was on hard drugs when he went there. If you read that from a book or a magazine, it's probably outdated. If it's a recent edition, throw it away, it's not worth reading. Jiaosi is just another Taiwanese tourist trap!
The weather in Jiaosi is wet and grey 99% of the time. It looks like a nuclear bomb has fallen on the place. I've never seen such bad city planning in my life. It's one of the worst places I've visited in Taiwan. And that's pretty sad because the area has (had) so much potential - there's beautiful, green mountains on one side, and the ocean on the other. How did they mess it up so badly, I have no idea.
The only reason why it's so popular these days is because it's convenient to get there from Taiwan's capital city. It's right at the end of the Hsuehshan tunnel - the longest tunnel in Taiwan. One of the longest in the world actually. That's the big tunnel that opened in 2006, the one that links Taipei to Yilan. Yes, that tunnel that's always in the news due to crazy accidents.
