Now that we had settled back into Taiwan, we had the opportunity to attend a few events happening in the area. One of them was the Dragon Boat Festival held every year in Taiwan. The Dragon Boat Festival happens on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and this year it landed on the 9th of June 2016.
The Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan is one of the biggest events after the Chinese New Year and Moon Festival. It runs for several days and there are events happening across Taiwan, including in Tainan where we are currently living. This year, we decided to attend the Anping event, a bus ride away from our apartment.
Dragon Boat Festival 2016
Being pregnant at the time, I found myself with little to no energy and frequently getting tired during the day. Just going to church every weekend was enough adventure for me. The weather in Tainan is also extremely hot and the pregnancy only makes me feel even hotter. Despite this, we decided to go and enjoy the Dragon Boat Festival that only happens once a year. Last time we lived in Taiwan, we didn’t go so this time, we wanted to make a point of attending.
It would be the perfect opportunity for Albie to take his wave board out for a spin and for us to take Buckwheat out the whole day to enjoy the sun. Plus it’s just a great excuse to spend some quality time with each other and get out of the apartment for a few hours.
We caught bus 77 at the bus stop near our apartment after lunch, about a 10 minute walk away. Bus 77 took us directly to Anping and stopped within walking distance away from the festival. The bus cost $18TWD per person one-way, extremely affordable for anyone wanting to explore Anping. When we arrived we could see the boats racing.
Groups of people getting ready to participate and many by standers watching. There were so many people already and the main event would happen late at night. The festival opens from the afternoon and continues until late at night with firework celebrations.
Not only are there boat races happening, but the Dragon Boat Festival also has small events and stalls surrounding the area. We decided to get a few snacks, namely fried mushrooms, fried squid, fries and fresh mango juice that was super cold.
After watching the boat races and enjoying some food, we decided to walk across from the festival near the water and walking paths. I hanged out with Buckwheat by the water as Albie used his wave board for about an hour.
Although there were also fireworks later in the evening, we weren’t too keen on staying too late especially as I was pregnant and Buckwheat is not too fond of fireworks. We then caught the same bus home leaving the Dragon Boat Festival at about 8pm and arrived back at the apartment at 9pm.