Taipei Journey | From Ximending to Beitou, Writing Unfinished Stories in the Passage of Time

From the neon lights of Ximending to the misty hot springs of Beitou, the spring of 2025 lingers on its final notes, while emotions tie themselves into knots at the corners of the streets. The pendulum of the Red House in Ximending swings with youthful memories, and the laughter exchanged on the escalator feels like an old movie stuck on repeat. Turning into the shade of Beitou Park, I notice the moss slowly consuming the traces of the past on the brick walls of the Hot Spring Museum. The bubbling spring of the Thermal Valley continues its rhythmic gurgle, with the sulfuric scent mingling with the steam that climbs up to my lashes. Suddenly, I recall a winter years ago, standing here shoulder to shoulder with someone, watching our breath intertwine in the cold air. Now, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Grand View Resort reflect my solitary figure, and as the hot water envelops my skin, I realize: some stories have turned their pages, yet fragments of unfinished chapters remain caught between my fingers. A few final petals of late cherry blossoms drift onto the trail, carried by the wind through the wooden lattice windows of the library. It dawns on me that traveling is never just about sightseeing; it’s about laying your emotions along the journey, waiting for the sunlight to dry them, only to discover that every crease holds the answer: "This too shall pass."