If Yi-lan is a green gem, Jiaoxi is on the top of it glowing brightly like a crystal.
如果宜蘭是顆綠寶石，礁溪就是在寶石頂端，閃耀水晶光芒的那個點。

There is the rare Ground Hot Spring in Jiaoxi, where Xue-shan Mineral Water gets bottled.
礁溪有全台灣少見的平地溫泉，雪山礦泉水也在這裡裝瓶。

Prior to the opening of Xue-shan Tunnel, Jiaoxi was similar to Yangmingshan and Bei-toe, which are referred to as the backyard garden of Taipei.
雪山隧道沒開通前，礁溪就像陽明山或者北投，被稱為「台北的後花園」。

Although Jiaoxi is separated from Taipei by Xue-shan Mountain, going from place to place is quite easy.
雖然和台北隔著一座雪山山脈，礁溪的交通非常方便。

Due to the intersection between the railway and highway, the first interchange is around the corner once you enter Yi-lan by exiting Xue-shan Tunnel on Provincial Highway 5.
有鐵路和公路交會，5號高速公路一出雪山隧道進入宜蘭，第一個交流道在這裡。

It's perhaps hard to picture the hot springs being so close to the bustling train station. Upon exiting Jiaoxi Station, you'll see a large sign.
大概很難想像，溫泉離熱鬧車站這麼近。一出礁溪火車站，就看到大大的標示。

Making a left turn onto the first street ahead, you'll be greeted by tens of hot spring signs.
第一條路向左轉，就有幾十家的溫泉招牌，向你招手。

Tang-wei-gou Hot Spring Park

湯圍溝溫泉公園

We recommend that you walk around Tang-wei-gou Hot Spring Park prior to checking in to a hot spring hotel.
入住溫泉旅館之前，建議你一定要逛一逛「湯圍溝溫泉公園」。

This hot spring comes naturally from a hot spring source. You can readily see vapors bubbling out of the ditch during winter. Without any introduction, some might mistaken this for a typical farmland ditch.
這是從溫泉源頭自然湧出的溫泉，冬天可以明顯看到蒸氣從溝裡冒出來。沒有一些介紹，會以為這只是一般農田水溝。

The locals initially called Tang-wei-gou "Hot Water Ditch." It has been utilizing the gift from nature since the Japanese colonial era. Public baths have been around since then, providing free hot springs for people.
當地人最早叫湯圍溝是「熱水溝」。日治時期，就開始運用這大自然的禮物。那時就有大眾浴池，供民眾免費洗溫泉。

This place is packed with people during normal days. There used to be male and female baths respectively. Due to the low female usage rate, it's now changed to male only.
平常日子，這裡也是擠滿了人。原本分別有男浴池和女浴池，由於女浴池使用率太低，改成男性專用。

Due to growing popularity, the local government transformed this little hot-spring ditch into a beautiful park, but also thoughtfully preserved the original public baths.
由於名氣越來越響亮，地方政府將小小的溫泉水溝打造成漂亮的公園，但也貼心保留原本的浴池。

Inside the Japanese garden seen in the picture is the hot spring coming from the hot spring source.
從照片可以看到，像日式庭園的造景中間，就是從泉源流出來的溫泉。

There is even a semi-outdoor foot bath established nearest Yang-de Road entrance.
最靠近陽德路的入口，還蓋了半戶外的泡腳池。

Jiaoxi is much more prosperous than ever due to the opening of Xue-shan Tunnel. The area around Tang-wei-gou Hot Spring Park was a vacant lot; it's now surrounded by hot spring hotels and Yi-lan specialty shops.
因為雪隧開通。礁溪比以前繁華很多，週圍原本是空地的湯圍溝溫泉公園，現在被溫泉酒店大樓，以及宜蘭特產店包圍。

You don't need to look too hard if you like to buy some local products in Yi-lan. You'll naturally notice those large shop signs.
想購買宜蘭特產，不用刻意找，大大的招牌，自然會吸引你的目光

Pao-ma Historic Trail

跑馬古道

To get a panoramic view of Jiaoxi, you'll need to travel a little to get to Pao-ma Historic Trail.
如果想看礁溪的全景，就要走點路，登上跑馬古道。

The south entrance to Pao-ma Historic Trail is on the way toward Wu-fong-ci Waterfall. Before reaching a five-star hotel "Hotel Royal," pay attention to a small direction sign at the corner and make a right toward the hill road.
跑馬古道南入口在前往五峰旗瀑布的路，還沒到五星級老爺酒店前，注意轉彎處有一個小小的指示標誌，右轉上山路。

You'll need to travel over 1 kilometer to get to Pao-ma Historic Trail. This is the south entrance with a distinct sign.
要走一公里多才會到跑馬步道，這邊是步道南方入口，有個明顯標示。

The north entrance is located by Taipei-Yi-lan Highway. It takes three hours for a round trip. In good weather, you can get a panoramic view of the river mouth, Yi-lan Plain and Gui-shan Island.
北邊入口在北宜公路，來回要三小時，天氣好時可以看到出海口、宜蘭平原和龜山島全景。

When the visibility is insufficient in good weather, you can still see an indistinct shape of the Gui-shan Island.
天氣好，能見度不夠時，在步道上還是可以看到龜山島隱隱約約的外形。

The part of Pao-ma Historic Trail that was opened during the Qing Dynasty was called Danan Historic Trail at that time, meaning it can get to Yi-lan from Tamsui, making it the most convenient trail to get to Yi-lan from Taipei.
跑馬古道在清帝國時代開闢步道的一段，當時名字叫「淡蘭古道」,意思是可以從淡水通往宜蘭，是台北來到宜蘭最方便的步道。

During the Japanese colonial era, this was a military route for making rounds riding horses.
日本統治時期，這是一條可以騎馬巡視的軍事步道。

Some say, this was a road used for transporting logs using a type of Trojan horses; therefore, it was named Pao-ma Historic Trail. Pao-ma in Chinese means "running horse."
也有人說，以前這裡是用一種木馬運輸木材的道路，因此取名跑馬古道。 [Paoma]的中文意思是跑馬。

Along the way, you can get a panoramic view of Jiaoxi from places that aren't obstructed by trees.
沿途比較沒有樹木遮蔽的地方，可以看到礁溪全景。

There were initially tens of hot spring hotels in this little town Jiaoxi. Since the completion of Xue-shan Tunnel in 2006, the number of hotel establishments has been rising in order to accommodate the influx of tourists.
礁溪小小鎮上，原本有好幾十間溫泉旅店。雪山隧道2006年完工後，迎接湧進來的遊客，飯店越蓋越密集。

The number of five-star hotels, including the ones under construction, is at least 6. The surge in the number is amazing. You can witness this from the Pao-ma Historic Trail.
現在光是興建中和完工的五星級旅館，加起來至少6家，數量激增很驚人。從跑馬古道的路上，你就可以看到這個景象。

The scenery here compared to the metropolis is gorgeous without the overly crowded feeling .
比起大都會，這裡的山水風景很漂亮，不會有過度擁擠的感覺。

Aside from hot springs, the highway toward Pao-ma Historic Trail also leads to several beautiful trails. For example, Wu-fong-ci Waterfall and Lin-mei Shi-pan Trail both are great choices for enjoying forest bathing!
除了洗溫泉，往跑馬古道的公路也通往幾條優美的步道，例如五峰旗瀑布和林美石磐步道, 都是享受森林浴的好選擇!