Travel
Tainan’s Year-End Goods Street Kicks Off on the 24th – 106 Vendors Gather in Xinhua
The “2014 Celebrate Tainan – Xinhua Year-End Goods Street” event will begin on the 24th, with this year’s setup further divided into five major zones to make shopping more convenient. Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te also stated at today’s press conference that he hopes the public will make greater use of public transportation in support of Tainan City’s vision of becoming a “low-carbon city.”
Hidden Sakura Spot in New Taipei: Shiding’s “Little Getou Nursery” Opens to Public for the First Time
From January to March each year, New Taipei City gradually transforms into a sea of pink blossoms, attracting over a million visitors. The newly opened sakura-viewing secret spot this year — “Shiding Little Getou Nursery” — is now starting to blush with pink hues, kicking off a mini-sakura journey in New Taipei.
Breaking News / Orange Alert in Thailand！Tourism Bureau Announces Refund Guidelines
In light of large-scale protests and demonstrations held by anti-government groups in Thailand, the Thai government announced in the evening that it would declare a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces starting from the 22nd. Consequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has raised the travel alert level for Bangkok and its vicinity from a “Yellow Alert” to an “Orange Alert” (Exercise a high degree of caution, avoid non-essential travel) effective the 22nd, advising nationals to refrain from traveling to the aforementioned areas unless absolutely necessary.
A US website features miniature food that's super cute—mini versions are visually delightful and delicious
What? There are people in this world who specialize in making food for the land of Lilliput. At first glance, these cute yet realistic little dishes are really endearing. Whether it’s veggies, roast chicken, potato chips, or even sashimi, they look as if they’ve been zapped by Doraemon’s shrinking ray—extremely lifelike. It made me feel “big hunger in the big gut, small hunger in the small gut,” I was so hungry just looking at them.
Xizhou Expo Park’s 123-hectare sea of flowers creates “Changhua’s Fitzroy Gardens”
During Lunar New Year, welcome to Changhua for flower viewing!“2014 Flowers in Changhua” flower festival season has transformed the Xizhou Expo Park area into a vast 123-hectare “Changhua Fitzroy Gardens.” Starting from Lunar New Year’s Day (Jan 31), visitors are invited to come and enjoy the blossoms before the holiday.
Not on land this time!“The 12 Sea Creatures of the Zodiac” debut in Taitung
Most people are familiar with the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, but they might not know there’s such a thing as the “12 Sea Creatures of the Zodiac”! Starting January 25, the Eastern Regional Center of the Fisheries Research Institute is launching an exhibition of the 12 Sea Creatures of the Zodiac. The seahorse, representing this year’s zodiac animal—the horse—along with representative aquatic creatures for each zodiac sign such as the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, and dragon, will all make an appearance to welcome the New Year.
Tainan Yuze Port Lantern Festival 2022: 22 Themed Lantern Zones & The Saltwater Riverside Scroll Unveiled Early
The Tainan Yuze Port Lantern Festival kicks off on the 25th in Yanshui, Tainan. In addition to the waters of Yuze Port, 22 major themed lantern zones are spread throughout the small town of Yanshui. The Tainan City Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that the lantern festival covers a wide area, featuring small bridges, flowing water, alleyways, and markets—much like the content of the famous Song Dynasty painting “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” Now, with the addition of dazzling, colorful lantern displays, it has become a real-life version of the “Saltwater Riverside Scroll.”
Kinmen’s Latest Attraction: Wubao’s Three Military Camps Renovated with NT$5 Million to Open During Lunar New Year
The Wubao Three Military Camps (W16 Outpost), after being decommissioned, underwent a renovation project funded by nearly NT$5 million from the Kinmen National Park Headquarters. An unveiling ceremony was held this morning (22nd), and the site will open to the public during the Lunar New Year, becoming Kinmen’s newest tourist attraction.
Australia’s Whitehaven Beach: A Real-Life Mermaid Spotted?
A remarkably lifelike mermaid spotted on Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia? It turns out to be the work of Dennis Massoud, the world champion of sand sculpture. In addition to the mermaid, the exhibition also features a life-size “horse” and many other giant sand sculptures.
The Taipei Light Sea is Lit Up – Be the First to Immerse Yourself in the Joyful Lights of the Taipei Lantern Festival
The “2014 Taipei Lantern Festival” kicks off on February 7th at the Taipei Expo’s Yuanshan and Fine Arts Park zones. The “Happy Taipei Light Sea,” stretching from Zhongshan North Road all the way to the Taipei Expo Park, has already illuminated the night sky ahead of time. To welcome the festival, Taipei City has specially launched the nation’s first “Lantern Festival Painted MRT Train” and “Lantern Festival Bus,” which will take the public on a tour of the Taipei Expo park areas and allow them to enjoy the dazzling light displays along the way over the 10-day festival period.
Taiwan tourism receives praise from readers? CNN’s “10 Reasons to Love Kaohsiung” makes headlines again
Kaohsiung’s bike paths were previously selected by CNN as one of Asia’s top five cities ideal for cycling, and the Formosa Boulevard Station of the Kaohsiung MRT was also recognized as one of the world’s most unique metro stations — clearly, Kaohsiung’s tourism highlights have earned strong international acclaim. Now (22nd), CNN has once again featured its previously published “10 Reasons to Love Kaohsiung” on the front page of its travel section, showing that themed travel content about Taiwan is very well received by readers.
New Taipei City’s Bali Wharf to undergo dredging after Lunar New Year; Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf service to resume in June
In recent years, the emerging “Blue Highway” has offered the public a new travel option. However, due to severe silt accumulation in the Tamsui River, the route between “Bali Left Bank and Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf” has been forced to suspend operations. The New Taipei City Department of Transportation has now decided to begin dredging work in March, aiming to complete the task and resume the route by June.
The beautiful sight of cherry blossoms along the Kansai waterfront a serendipitous encounter with a silky marbled cake
After leaving Hikone Castle, we headed straight to nearby Omi Hachiman Shrine’s water town to view the cherry blossoms. Since we weren’t very familiar with the area and the water town was quite rural, bus services were infrequent, which cost us a lot of time waiting for buses. But when we finally arrived, it happened to be dusk, and we took quite a few lovely photos of the cherry blossoms in the sunset.
Travel News / Wei Chuan Puxin Ranch Tickets Half Price for a Limited Time & Free Entry for Children and Seniors
From January 31 (Fri), 2014 to February 28 (Fri), 2014, Puxin Ranch launched the “Cherry Blossoms in Bloom. Fun at Puxin” event, and hosted the “4th Discover the Beauty of Puxin Ranch – Photography Competition.” Additionally, several ticket discount schemes were introduced.
Kaohsiung’s Largest Traditional Event – The “Turtle Begging Culture Festival” Calls on the Public to Carry Turtles for Blessings
Kaohsiung City’s annual “Turtle Begging for Blessings and Peace Tourism Culture Festival” is set to return this year. For the first time ever, the event will combine the grand parade of the Giant Turtle King through the streets with the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival. From February 9 to 16 in the evenings, timed and fixed-location turtle-carrying events will be held in the San Duo Shopping District, calling on thousands of citizens to join in praying for blessings with the Giant Turtle King.
"Giant Bamboo Broom" Lights Up to Kick Off a Joyful Year in Yilan
Next week marks the Lunar New Year, and the festive spirit has already swept across Taiwan. Yesterday evening in Yilan, the "Happy Yilan New Year Tree" was illuminated at the Luodong Cultural Workshop, officially welcoming the holiday season and kicking off a series of celebratory events.
Dihua Street Embraces a Creative Culture Trend: Ride a YouBike to Shop for New Year Goods and Explore Freely
As Lunar New Year approaches, the popularity of the Dihua Street shopping district continues to soar. This year, in addition to traditional New Year goods, the Dihua New Year Goods Street has also embraced a creative culture trend in its alleys and lanes. Coupled with the recent completion of nearby YouBike rental stations, visitors can now enjoy an alternative experience—cycling through the historic district and popping into creative shops. As such, Taipei City’s Department of Commerce has specially recommended the “Taipei New Year Goods Alleys” as must-visit spots, inviting the public to experience the creative New Year spirit on Dihua Street.
The trade wind season leads to tourist drownings; Guam Office: Stay vigilant about your safety
Extra caution is needed when enjoying water activities abroad. Guam experiences its trade wind (trade wind) season from January to March each year, when sea conditions are poor, resulting in several recent incidents of foreign tourists drowning. The Guam Office today (22nd) issued a notice reminding Taiwanese travelers visiting the area to assess their physical condition before engaging in water activities at seaside tourist spots and to thoroughly understand local hydrological conditions and all relevant safety precautions.
“Doctor Who” Police Box Hidden in a London Subway Station
Dubbed the world’s longest-running science fiction series, “Doctor Who” has been on air for over 50 years, growing up with many Britons. Many of its scenes were shot on the streets of London, including where the Doctor battles the evil “Daleks,” his workplace, leisure spots… Even the show’s iconic “TARDIS” (police telephone box) is actually hidden somewhere in London!
The Civil Aviation Administration restricts chartered flights; TransAsia Airways: Unreasonable flight cuts disregard livelihoods of 700 employees
The Ministry of Transportation recently approved the Civil Aviation Administration’s penalty against TransAsia Airways. Due to TransAsia’s failure to improve its insufficient provision of operating reserve funds, starting as early as March, the airline will be limited to just eight international charter flights per month. In response to this decision, TransAsia Airways issued a statement expressing that the current formula for calculating operating reserve funds is unreasonable. The airline has repeatedly and earnestly appealed to the regulatory authorities, but their appeals have not yet been accepted. TransAsia Airways stated that it will continue to explain its position to the authorities in the future.