One of the things that we were told we had to do during our trip to
Green Island was to visit 朝日溫泉, the Zhaori hot springs (also spelled Jhaorih, Jaori, and Chaori). The Zhaori hot springs are one of only three salt-water hot springs in the world.
The hot springs are on the east side of the island and are supposed to be one of the best sites from which to watch the sunrise. So on our last day on Green Island, we awoke at 4:30am to check it out.
There are two main parts to these hot springs; the upper area (mostly pictured below) is a section of various modern, tiled pools with two temperatures, one cool and refreshing, and one too hot for me to sit down in.
The second area of the hot springs are more 'rustic' concrete basins with no lining and have a bed of rocks on the bottom. These pools are built right into the rugged Green Island coast and are only a couple yards from the ocean. Here is an aerial shot of it from the hill over looking the hot springs. These are the pools that I was really looking forward to experiencing.
And here is a shot I took during our visit of the larger pool in the middle of the picture above. It really is a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the ocean.
We arrived at the hot springs about 10 minutes before the sun began to come up and headed straight for one of the small round pools out near the ocean. While it was still dark out, we hopped into the pool expecting an experience similar to a hot-tub - steamy, relaxing sea water. But, let me tell you.... we were sorely disappointed. What we got was tepid bath water.
And here is a shot I took during our visit of the larger pool in the middle of the picture above. It really is a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the ocean. 
We arrived at the hot springs about 10 minutes before the sun began to come up and headed straight for one of the small round pools out near the ocean. While it was still dark out, we hopped into the pool expecting an experience similar to a hot-tub - steamy, relaxing sea water. But, let me tell you.... we were sorely disappointed. What we got was tepid bath water.TEPID!! Tepid water at a hot spring!
So here we are sitting in the dark in some luke-warm water in a concrete hole in the ground, but it's ok, we know we're about to see a fantastic sunrise over the ocean.... right?
Wrong! Now, I know that this was not the fault of the Zhaori hot spring, but it was difficult to separate one disappointment from the other. The sunrise wasn't really worth photographing, but here are some pictures of it none-the-less.
So, the hot springs were disappointing, the sunrise was disappointing, and we were about to hop on our scooters and head back to bed when... wait, what is that over there on the edge of the hot spring that I was just sitting in??? Noooooo it can't be what I think it is.... but yes, yes it definitely is. It's a pile of human fecal matter.
YES!!! There was POOP ON the HOT SPRING!!!!!
So, the hot springs were disappointing, the sunrise was disappointing, and we were about to hop on our scooters and head back to bed when... wait, what is that over there on the edge of the hot spring that I was just sitting in??? Noooooo it can't be what I think it is.... but yes, yes it definitely is. It's a pile of human fecal matter. YES!!! There was POOP ON the HOT SPRING!!!!! So, there you have it folks... If you're really interested in checking out one of only three natural salt-water hot springs in the world, my recommendation to you is to check out one of the other two.
oh no... Zhaori hot springs is out of my list now! thanks..
ReplyDeletewow, I am sorry for your bad experience there at the hot spring. This year when I went, we felt it was really cool, and of course no human poop spotted...that was a really disturbing incident. Are you sure it's tepid water in the spring? As I recalled i could see the difference between Jhaorih's salt water with regular spring water by the density, no?
ReplyDeleteWell, I've been to beaches all over the world and Green Island Taiwan is as beautiful as the best of them. The reef water is crystal clear with so much fish! When I went to the saltwater hot springs, I had a great time and though a bit crowded, it was very clean. I went at 10 pm at night, May 21st and the water was still very warm the 3 circle by the sea. I'm sure the temperature varies throughout the year and you can't expect it to be warm-hot all year round. I'm sorry you had a bad time and had to see that as I'm sure its was an isolated incident. It costs about $6.50 to get in and hundreds of people visit it everyday. On the other hand, the food on the Island has poor selection except for the few fresh sushi/sashimi establisment. You would have to dock at Taitung to get really good selection of seafood.
ReplyDeleteI can feel what you say. I visited the hot springs in 2001, it was a real experience then. There was only these "rustic concrete basins", in which you could take a bath at cooler or hotter temperatures, depending on your preference and the surf conditions. We enjoyed it very much back then. Revisiting this year (2015) was a true disappointment. They had built this "modern" baths further up, showers for 100s of people, and more. The entrance cost is 200 TWD per person. What we found were 2 little basins filled, the other ones EMPTY, dry! Talking to the people was a worthless effort, because they were very unfriendly, which is not typical for Taiwan at all. The walkway to the "rustic concrete basins" at the shore was closed because of "high waves". Well, there were not any waves at all. We walked down and found out what they really did: They built two pumping stations with which they collect most of the hot spring water and pump it up into the commercial bath. The natural beauty of these hot springs is spoiled, the commercial alternative is not worth the money.
ReplyDeletevisit coron, palawan, philippines ...you can experience the natural saltwater hotsprings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EixFsjEGEmU
ReplyDelete