The Taipei City Government yesterday introduced four new hiking trails in Xinyi (信義), Shilin (士林) and Beitou (北投) districts, bringing the total number of hiking trails to 129 amid plans to develop a different “personality” for each trail to attract more hikers.
The four hiking trails, the Tiger Mountain (虎山) ecology trail in Xinyi, the green mountain trail in Shilin, and the wind’s tail and waterwheel hut trails in Beitou, are loop trails with gentle gradients and recently established observation decks, and are perfect for families and the elderly, Lin Yu-i (林裕益), director of Taipei City’s Geotechnical Engineering Office said.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday joined members of a local hiking group to experience the Tiger Mountain ecology trail and said he expected the paths to promote outdoor sports and recreational activities.
Photo: Lin Hsiang-mei, Taipei Times
“Many of the hiking trails are designed for families and the elderly, who account for a large percentage of the hiking population. Hiking is a good way to enjoy the city’s landscape and we hope to encourage more people to join the hiking fraternity with these well-designed trails,” he said.
The city government started promoting hiking trails in 2005 with easy public transport access and lower gradients, and there is a total of 100km of trails so far.
Lin said the city would budget NT$60 million (US$2 million) this year to maintain trails and link existing paths to form loop trails.
In Wenshan District (文山), for example, the city government will connect three trails in the popular Maokong (貓空) area to let visitors combine a hike with a ride on the Maokong Gondola.
Lin said the city government also offers a free app on trail information for smartphone users to download, as it seeks to attract a younger crowd to join outdoor activities.
The app “GoHikingTaipei” is available for Android and Windows phones and it will be available for iPhone users by the end of this month, he added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
RSS