Ladakh, India

Ladakh, one of the highest and nice regions in the world

Ladakh is a large area of the northern and eastern Kashmir region and is divided between India and Pakistan. It is one of the highest regions in the world and consists of high plains and deep valleys. This place opened to tourists in the 1970s and since then it has been one of the most favorite places of mountaineers and of those who like to trek. The main tourist attraction in Ladakh is still the nine-storey structure that was built in the 16th century and was once the tallest building in the world. This palace is being restored by the Archeological Survey of India but is open to the public. Nubra Valley is another place that is essential to pay a visit to if you’re vacationing in Ladakh. It is the only place in India where tourists can see double humped Bactrian Camels in a desert at over 10,000 feet. The Valley is about 150 kilometers from the capital town of Ladakh (Leh) but the ride could take longer depending on the snow and other factors such as army movements. Nubra Valley is an extremely peaceful place full of friendly people. The Nubra River also has excellent sites for picnic.

Tourists should remember to visit the monasteries of Ladakh while sightseeing. Hemis Gompa is one of the largest ones in the region and houses around 150 monks.

The most amazing fact about Ladakh is that the region is barren but still beautiful. Simplicity is a way of life in this region because modernity hasn’t touched Ladakh as much as it has in the other cities of India. People in Ladakh are without a doubt extremely fit considering the weather conditions in the region.

Ladakh is the highest inhabited region in India and has the River Indus flowing through the ranges. It is advisable for all travelers to make sure that they are physically fit before they visit Ladakh and its also important to take complete rest for the first 24 hours after getting there as it is common for people traveling to very high altitudes to suffer from mountain sickness

Li River cruise in China

Li River cruise, one of the best place to see china's impressive landscapes

Li River cruise is one of the most famous journeys in the world. Choosing this cruise would highlight your trip to China by showing you the impressive landscapes that the region boasts. The river journey is supposed to be 5 hours and is more than 52 miles long. A reverse cruise upstream from Yangshou to Yangdi was introduced this year. Choosing this new option would enable you to shorten the time of the cruise by approximately 2 hours.

This journey would allow you to see peaks and villages with interesting names along the river while listening to the tour guides narrating stories about various famous places. The most spectacular part of the journey is between Yangdi and Xingping providing you with beautiful memories that can be cherished forever.

It is essential that you enquire about the boat thoroughly and ask for photos prior to paying for the boat. There are plenty of options to pick from so you would want to be sure about whether or not your expectations are being met. The boats vary from luxury cruises to Bamboo Boats with none of them being allowed to carry passengers on their way back to Guilin. You could be sitting in the comfort of your cabin or alternatively enjoying the outdoors depending on your budget and preferences. Be sure to bring a camera along because the sceneries are said to be photographers’ dream. When the cruise ends in Yangshou, you should be prepared to walk to the famous Wall Street since the wonderful hotels, cafes and restaurants there would allow you to explore the life in China. This little county of Yangshou is also a good place for hiking, cycling or walking.

Tanah Lot at Bali,Indonesia

Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali

Tanah Lot is one of the famous tourist island of Bali. Located in the village of Beraban, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency. The distance is about 13 km to the west of the town of Tabanan. From Ngurah Rai airport can be reached in less than 1 hour with a motor vehicle if there is no congestion.

Pura Tanah Lot Bali

Built in two different places. One is located on top of a large boulder, and the other located on a cliff jutting into the sea similar to the Uluwatu Temple. The cliff is what connects the temple with the land and shaped like a curved bridge.

This temple is part of the Pura Dang heaven in Bali, as a place of worship the gods of the sea guard. This temple will be seen surrounded by sea water at high tide. At the bottom there is a small cave in which there is some sea snakes that have a characteristic flat tail like a fish, striped yellow black. According to the story of the sea snake is the incarnation of the scarf perdiri temple is a Brahmin who wander from Java to Bali. He is Dang Yang Nirartha. The snake was sent as a snake temple guards.

From the parking lot to the temple there are many shops that sell a variety of handicrafts. For example, sculpture, painting, fabric beach, knick-knacks, and accessories. There are also food vendors and beverage and rental restroom or toilet. The price is relatively cheap for domestic and foreign tourists.

Borobudur, Indonesia

Borobudur, Indonesia

A shrine to Buddha and a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrimages, Borobudur is a monument made up of a stepped pyramid topped with stupas and about 500 statues of Buddha. Borobudur is the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia as well as the world’s largest Buddhist monument.

Built during the Seilendra Dynasty of the eight and ninth centuries, the temple reflects Indian and Indonesian influences in its stairways and corridors, lined with narrative panels of art carved into the stone walls. Though the site was a destination for Buddhist pilgrims for many years, it was abandoned in the 1500s, probably with the rise in Islam in the region, though it has recently been revived.

Visitors make the pilgrimage to enlightenment from the monument through the three symbolic levels of cosmology: Kamadhatu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness).

Kalahari Desert

Kalahari Desert, Africa

The seemingly infinite semi-arid deserts of Kalahari offer unique experiences and unspoiled nature. A land of extremes, droughts and harsh weather, Kalahari also supports a variety of plants and wildlife, including black-maned lions, hyenas, cheetahs, lions, leopards, zebras, and flamingos.

The vast space has a variety of landscapes including red sands and grasslands. Riemvasmaak, a village in the desert, offers a glimpse into the lives of semi-nomadic sheep and goat herders, and rides across the red sands on a donkey cart. Augrabies Falls National Park contains the world’s sixth tallest waterfall. The Sunqu (Orange) River flows through the region, surrounded by the fertile Green Kalahari, complete with vineyards.

 Activities in the Kalahari Desert include safaris as well as sand-boarding down the sand dunes, and soaking in the mineral hot springs. In the evenings, watch the vibrant orange sunsets, and go stargazing under the clear skies of southern Africa.

Historic Centre of Sighişoara

The Clock Tower – Landmark of Sighişoara, Romania

Sighişoara is a fortified medieval town in Romania, built at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe at the edges of Latin culture and Byzantine-Orthodox culture. Hungarian rulers invited German craftsmen to help establish this city and secure the borders. After the Mongol invasion in 1241, the city was reinforced with defensive walls and guard towers. Later in around 1421 to 1526, these walls were heightened due to threats of invasion from the Turks.

The people that colonized Sighişoara, who became known as the Saxons of Transylvania, were skilled in various trades, and grouped by their guilds. Each guild was tasked with building a tower and devising its defense strategy. As a result, notable buildings in the Historic Centre of Sighişoara include the Ropemakers’ Tower, the Butcher’s Tower, the Coopers’ Tower, and the Locksmith’s Tower. The town’s economy as well as the town itself developed due to the community of craftsmen.

Though the culture is dying out after 850 years, the city center remains as a preservation of the Saxons of Transylvania culture. The historical city center features bright and colorful architecture, sprawled across City Hill and Lower Town, making up this medieval town. Visitors interested in architecture can observe the various phases of construction from the 12th to the 16th centuries, especially in a row of houses between Citadel Lane and Hermann Oberth Square. Made from stone or brick, and colored roughcast (plaster), the houses are similar to one another in construction and layout. The clock tower, where city council assembled until 1556, now houses a museum. The Church of St. Nicholas offers an example of Gothic architecture in Transylvania, with influences from Central Europe in its decorative faade. The craftsmen guilds began to leave around 1840, but the historic center is still relatively well preserved.

The city of Sighişoara is perhaps best known as the hometown of Vlad II, or Vlad the Impaler – the historical figure who became inspired the character and story of Dracula. His alleged birthplace is located within the citadel.

Khajuraho Temple in India

Khajuraho Temple, Madhya Pradesh, India

One of the most popular attractions in India and presumably among India’s “Seven Wonders”, the Khajuraho Temples are the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples. The temples, known for the erotic sculptures within, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Khajuraho Temples were built between 950 and 1050 AD, during the Chandela Dynasty of Central India. After the fall of the dynasty, the temples were abandoned and forgotten and only 22 of the original 85 temples survived when they were rediscovered by a British army engineer, Captain T.S. Burt.

The temples are grouped into western, eastern, and southern sections. Inside the temples are detailed carvings and sculptures depicting scenes from life, such as war, marriage, symbols of spirituality, every day life, and all kinds of life forms. Various temples are dedicated to gods like Shiva, Surya, and Lord Vishnu.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System in China

Fish Mouth Levee – Irrigation head at Dujiangyan Irrigation System in China

Dujiangyan is an irrigation system built around 256 BC by the Qin Dynasty in China. The infrastructure was built during the Warring States Period, though construction continued throughout the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The various dynasties worked to enlarge and modify the irrigation system.

Located in the Min River in China, the irrigation system was very advanced for its time and is still used today, irrigating 5,300 square kilometers (2,046 square miles) of land, supplying water to the Chengdu plains.

The Dujiangyan system, along with the Zhengguo Canal (in Shaanxi Province) and Lingqu Canal (in Guangxi Province) are together known as the three great hydraulic engineering projects of the Qin Dynasty. Dujiangyan is considered a feat of engineering, utilizing the natural geography and water features to divert water, drain sediment, and regulate flood and flow control. The system uses no dams, making it a place of interest for scientists as well, as it allows fish to flow freely down the river.

The main constructions of the Dujiangyan system include the Yuzui Bypass Dike, the Feishayan Floodgate, and the Baopingkou Diversion Passage. Yuzui, also known as the Fish Mouth Levee, is the irrigation head, resembling a fish mouth. This portion prevents floods by dividing the river into inner and outer streams. The inner stream carries about 60% of the flow normally, but during floods, it carries 40% to protect the surrounding lands. Feishayan, or the Flying Sand Weir is a 200-meter (656 feet) wide opening, connecting the inner and outer streams. This allows a natural flow of water to drain out excess water from the inner stream. Baopingkou, or the Bottle-Neck Channel, transports water through the mountain.

The Anlan Suspension Bridge spans the river and connects the island to both banks, and is known as one of the “Five Ancient Bridges of China.” Temple sites along the banks include Two Kings Temple (Erwang) and Dragon-Taming Temple (Fulonguan).

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan

Cenotaph through which the Atomic Dome can be seen at Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan.

On August 6, 1945, during World War II, military forces dropped the first atomic bomb in world history over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing a total of about 140,000 people. About half were killed instantly, and the other half died later from the bomb’s effects. The only building left in the wide area destroyed by the bomb was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, now called the Genbaku (A-Bomb) Dome, which stood directly below the point of explosion. The structure has been preserved to remain exactly the way the bomb left it.

The area surrounding the dome has since been transformed into the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which includes the dome, monuments to the victims, and a museum. Notable monuments in the park include a concrete arch protecting a cenotaph (or empty tomb) that contains the names of the bomb victims. Through the arch, the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome are visible, in perfect alignment. The Peace Flame burns continuously, and will continue until the world is free from nuclear warfare. There is also the Children’s Peace Monument, dedicated the children who lost their lives in the bombing. Children from around the world send thousands of paper cranes to Hiroshima, which are displayed around the monument. The Children’s Peace Monument contains one of three peace bells that visitors can ring for world peace.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is also situated within the park, and offers a history of the war and the decision to bomb Hiroshima, as well as many personal stories, memorabilia, and photos from the bombing. The museum also works to promote the message of world peace and end nuclear warfare.