The Lunar New Year is just days away, which means people are getting ready for trips around Taiwan and beyond. After gathering for family reunions, many people are looking forward to finding relaxing, scenic areas to ring in the new year.
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A group of children happily plays in the hot springs. Adults are glad for the chance to soak in the natural minerals too. While the pools aren't too crowded yet, that's likely to change next week when many Taiwanese families go off to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Some tourists say they've been visiting these hot springs every day. The pools are part of a new resort that took seven years and around NT$90 million (US$3 million) to build. The hot springs finally opened in January, just in time for the peak tourist season that comes with the Lunar New Year holiday.
Other families are also excited to check out the annual Yuejin Lantern Festival in Tainan, which kicked off last Sunday. This year's theme is "moonlight in town" and the festival features 75 different exhibitions, which usually attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Over 1.1 million people visited last year, and the festival hopes to break that with a new record this year.
People can also go to see Kaohsiung's upcoming lantern festival, which opens on January 26. It's the festival's 22nd anniversary and the first time it's being held at Lotus Pond in Xinying District.
Whether it's admiring local artwork or relaxing in hot springs, the Lunar New Year holiday is full of opportunities to explore the beauty of Taiwan.