As spring swings into the nation, an increasing number of tourists and photographers have flocked to the coast of Laomei Borough (老 梅) in New Taipei City, drawn by the “Green Stone Trenches” geological wonder.
Over the four-day holiday weekend, photographers arrived at the seaside with cameras and tripods, before waiting patiently for the moment when crashing waves collide with the verdant stone trenches.
These naturally formed trenches are volcanic sedimentary rocks from eruptions of the Datun volcano group of which soft components have been eroded by the sea, a North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration tour guide said.
Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei Times
Because of the waves stirred by the northeastern monsoon during winter, an abundance of algae, such as Ulva lactuca, known as sea lettuce, and Ulva compressa, grow along the trenches, covering them with shades of green that intensify during spring and fade with the arrival of summer, said the tour guide, who declined to be named.
Since the stone trenches are submerged during high tides, visitors are advised to look up information on waves in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) before heading out, agency officials said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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