The 2016 Shimen International Kite Festival is one of the most anticipated events this autumn. The two-day event showcases colorful kites of varying sizes and shapes from animals to your favorite fictional characters. Prospective visitors in Taiwan should not let the opportunity pass when the dates of their itinerary falls on the last weekend of September. Who would not want to enjoy the beach and send a kite into the sky when the wind is blowing strong?
Leo joined me in this trip in Shimen District of New Taipei City. He was my Travel Buddy in Taiwan Day 1057 (Falls Assumption) and also in my memorable snow adventure in Nantou. An avid follower of my travel adventures, he did not have any second thoughts in seeing the kite festival as well as the other tourist spots near the event.
How to go to the kite festival? Just board Bus 862, 863 or 865 from the MRT Tamsui Station and alight at Baishawan (白沙灣) stop. You will see the flying kites as the bus approaches the beach and I assure you that there is a very small chance of getting lost. If you happen to visit Taiwan when the kite festival is over then don't worry because there are still interesting places to see in the northeastern coast of Taiwan. Before heading to Baishawan, Leo and I visited the Shimen Windmill Park (石門風車公園) and the Shimen Stone Arch first. These places were fun to visit and just a few bus stops away from each other.
Wind energy is converted to electricity by the giant windmills of the Taipower Company in Shimen. Taiwan’s state-owned utility company operates these structures and visitors can enjoy them in the Shimen Windmill Park. We saw four aerogenerators with three of them functioning properly. The wind turbine blades of the fourth windmill was not spinning and probably due to the direction of where the wind was coming from. It was very windy here with the blue color the sky and the sea making the place a perfect spot to take photos. How did we get here? Bus 863 took us to Shimen District and we alighted at the Shibawanggong Temple (十八王公) stop. We crossed the highway and followed the directions going to the park until we hiked a road leading to the locations of the windmills.
climbing Shimen Arch
The third bus stop from the Shibawanggong Temple is the Shimen Arch (石門洞). This is a place with a rocky beach while a large rock with a large opening which locals call as the Shímén dòng or Shimen Cave acts as the main attraction. Lava from a volcano created this landscape and for a very long time it was slowly uplifted and eroded by the waves of the sea. It was picturesque but the garbage around the place made our visit somewhat disappointing. I wore slippers and the sharp edges of broken seashells were a discomfort to my feet. But the rocky shore was very nice! There were fishes and small crabs in which Taiwanese visitors tried to catch and put them in small baskets. The strong wind blowing in the East China Sea made the place more scenic. The waves were not so large to scare away the visitors but just right enough to appreciate the beach.
spider web
Oh!
"LOVE"
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| Pika! |
Run, fly, run, fly horse!
Candies!
Candies again!
More candies! Haha!
surfers in Baishawan
After enjoying the beach in Shimen dong, my Travel Buddy and I went to Baishawan for the kite festival. It was very festive with candies flying in the air. Kids and adults tried to catch these freebies from the organizers. There was also a kite exhibition where skilled men and women showed the art of flying a kite in the middle of a beautiful song. The most striking among the kites this year was “Pikachu”. Its yellow color and cute face made it the most popular kite. There were also other kites to enjoy. I saw a black horse that seemed to gallop in the sky. The force of the strong wind made it looked as if it was running. Korean pop superstar “Psy” was also there with his signature Gangnam style move while a transformer robot glides gracefully in the air without the fear of being attacked by a Decepticon.
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| I got you Pikachu! |
Do you want to fly a kite? A variety of kites can be chosen on one side of Baishawan with the most eye-catching design this year was the “Pikachu”. Yes! It was the cute yellow Pokemon again. The popularity of the Pokemon Go game had reached the festival with kite makers creating a design which easily attracts children and the young at heart. How can you resist such cute a Pokemon!
It was a perfect day for going to a beach in Northeastern Taiwan with the sunny sky providing a great background for the photos that I took. A visit to the Shimen windmills park, Shimen Arch and Baishawan took away the boredom in my life. I would never forget “Pikachu” and the horses for this year's kite festival. Let’s cross our fingers that next year I will see something new. I will be looking forward for the event again especially if the Shimen International Kite Festival falls on a windy day.
THINGS TO DO IN TAIPEI
Sakura Series - Taiwan
2025 Forecast
Taipei 101 first flowers
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Taipei Flower Test Center
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Broadwood Park
Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura
Wuling Farm (武陵農場)
SYS kawazu sakura
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
CKS Memorial Hall
Shibafen Yoshino Sakura
Hope River
Dongfang Temple
Tianyuan Palace
Neicou Stream Trail
Orange Garden Cafe
Yangming Park Visitor Information Center
Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop
Huashan Road
Qianshan Park
Zhongshan Hall Entrance
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura
Neihu Creek Trail
Shulin Land Office
Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest
Lung Yen Sakura Forest
Yangming Park cherry stream
Yangming Park fountain
CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura
Wugu District Tianyi Road
CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura
Loving Farm
Yong Long Farm
Zhongbaling Sakura Road
Sun Link Sea
Tai'an Police Station
Cherry Hill Slope
Hsinchu Park
Taipei 101
Kāng Gào Kēng Creek
New Garden City
Broadwood Park
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Alishan Ranger Station
Alishan House
Alishan Police Station
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Station
Alishan Entrance
Alishan Gou Hotel
Alishan Magnolia Garden
Wulai tour
Wun Chang Elementary School
Bishanyan
Sanzhi Sansei Trail
Sakura Series - Taiwan
Nei Cuo Stream
Orange Garden Cafe
Sansei Trail
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Yangming Park Cherry Stream
Yangming Park Fountain
Flower Test Center
Broadwood Park
New Garden City
Yinghua Park
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Yangmingshan Visitor Center
Taipei 101
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Sakura Series - Japan
Kamonyama Park
Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park
Shinko Park
Minato-mirai 21 area
Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus
Onda River
Tenryuji
Byodoin
Kiyomizudera
Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple
Hōryū-ji Temple
Nara Park attractions
Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus
Sumida River
Tsuruma Park
Gion
Maple Series
Taipei Aowanda
Shimen Dam
Alishan
Aowanda
Shanlinxi
Taoyuan Valley Garden
Fushoushan Farm
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| Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis |
The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)
Always in my heart
MRT birdman
Valentine's Day
Tulips Festival
2018 Taipei Lantern Festival
City of Azaleas
Linji Huguo Temple
Nanjichang Night Market
Gudetama Chef restaurant
Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
Shilin hollyhocks
Ningxia Night Market
Ximending graffiti
Discovery Center of Taipei
Chunghwa Postal Museum
Double-Decker Bus
Shilin Cold Balls
Jingimoo
GomanMango
mud volcanic ice
Fire and Ice Dumpling
Opium Fen-Yuan
Ichiran Ramen
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
hydrangea flowers
National Palace Museum
Other attractions in Taipei
Taipei on a budget
Japanese buildings
Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles
Presidential Office Building
Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain
CKS and SYS Hall
City tour
Beitou ramen
MRT Monopoly Game
Winter city tour
Zhicheng Park
Shilin Plum Blossom
Art museums
Shopping in Taipei
Summer desserts
Qingtiangang
Qixingshan hiking
2015 Calla lily
2016 Calla lily
Beitou tour
Beitou-Zhuzihu tour
NTU
Confucius Temple
2015 Dadaocheng Festival
Puppet Museum
Fantasy Ice World
2016 Bread Show
Strawberry picking
2015 Rose Garden
Modern Toilet
Shilin Night Market
NASA Exhibit
Raohe Night Market
Longshan Temple
2013 Taipei Zoo
Maokong Gondola
Lupin flowers
Taipei 101 day visit
Taipei 101 night visit
Tiger Mountain
Din Tai Fung
Taipei Story House
2014 Flower Show
Chrysanthemum Show
Miramar Ferris wheel
Miniatures Museum
Archery
1600 Pandas
Wulaoguo hot pot
Upside Down House
2016 101 Fireworks
New Taipei
Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel
Shifen Waterfall
2017 Sand Sculpture
Dragon Caves
New Taipei tour
2016 Kite Festival
Pingxi Crags
Bitou Cape
2016 Sand Sculpture
2015 Christmasland
Juming - Jinshan
Houtong - Pingxi
Sandiaoling Waterfall
Jiufen foodtrip
Guanyinshan hike
Yehliu Ocean World
2014 Kite Festival
Pingxi Rail tour
Jinguashi tour
Vigor Kobo Pineapple
British Consulate
Yehliu Geopark
2014 Sand Sculpture
Paragliding
2014 Christmasland
2014 Pingxi Lantern
firefly watching
Yingge Ceramics Street
Jiufen tour
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