Tourists visiting the North Coast this summer can take in the sight of hectare upon hectare of flowers along Provincial Highway No. 2.
Seventy hectares of fields have been sown with a variety of summer flowers as part of the 2008 North Coast Flower Sea Season (北海岸花海季), hosted by the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration and four townships in Taipei County — Tamsui (淡水), Sanjhih (三芝), Shihmen (石門) and Jinshan (金山).
The fields are at different points along the highway in the four townships, with the largest flower field — at 52 hectares — located in Tamsui.
PHOTO: HUANG CHI-HAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The fields have been planted with sunflowers, orange cosmos, zinnias, lotuses and other flowers.
The exhibition continues until the Aug. 17.
Each township has also arranged special events in conjunction with the flower season to attract visitors.
In Tamsui, visitors are invited to learn how to carve locally grown pumpkins.
For those who want to beat the heat but would still like a good look at flowers, Sanjhih Township is offering night-time flower viewing. Visitors can also enjoy fresh watermelon grown at Sanjhih farms.
Visitors to Shihmen can try the local zongzi and tieguanyin oolong tea. Shihmen zongzi are different from many other places because they do not contain egg yolks, which Shihmen residents say would bring bad luck on students preparing to take entrance exams over the summer.
In Jinshan, visitors are invited to participate in the annual Sweet Potato Festival and attend a rock concert.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
RSS