travel guide: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses literally means “Soldier and horse funerary sautés”. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor in China. It is a belief that these warriors are real soldiers who were buried with their king so that they could guard him in his next life.

The Terracotta civilization is from the 210 BC but was discovered by a bunch of farmers in 1974. The average height of this army ranges from 6 to 6.5 feet and they are standing as per their roles; it seems just ready to go for the war all fully dressed with their weapons. The generals are in the front being the tallest followed by acrobats, bowman and infantry soldiers. This site is totally unbelievable, breathtaking and is considered one of the wonders of the world. In total, there are over 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. Much of it is still buried in the grounds.

It is said that the statues were constructed by local craftsman. In total, eight different kinds of moulds were used to create the face. Clay was added to the mould to give a proper structure and facial expression. All of them vary in their height, hair style as per their rank. There are a total of four pits that are 7 meters deep. The fist pit is 230 meters long and has 8000 odd figures. The ceiling is all water proof and made of reed mats and is wooden. This is for sure worth seeing and must not be missed by anyone who visits china.

Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors Wallpaper

Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors Images

Terracotta Warriors

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Potala Palace China

The Potala palace at Lhasa was built by King Songtsen Gampo during the seventh century. It is located on the Red hill of Lhasa, Tibet. It was struck by lightning and war that led to its destruction. However, the fifth Dalai Lama in 1645 rebuilt the palace again. And since then, it became the political center of Tibet. The Potala Palace has 2 palaces in it, the Red and the White Palace. The red one signifies religion and the white one signifies ad ministerial building. This place is known for its complex constructions, huge buildings and the peaceful atmosphere and not to forget, its artwork.

Once you enter the palace from the east. It takes you to the main courtyard where the Dalai Lama used to watch the Tibetan Opera. The White Palace was called the Winter Palace and the white color signified peace, calmness and togetherness. The largest hall in the White Palace is on the fourth floor, the living quarters and the offices are on the fifth floor. The Potala Palace has a beautiful Balcony that faces the Lhasa.

The Red Palace exists in the middle of the Potala Palace and after the fifth Dalai Lama died, it was painted in red color that signifying power and dignity. The walls of the Red Palace have many Buddhists stories written all over. It has three chapels, the North which is dedicated to the Dali lama, Buddha and his medicines. The East chapel is dedicated to the Indian monk who introduced Buddhism in Tibet. The west chapel is said to be the most luxurious chapel as it has 3,000 kg of gold and foil with hundreds and thousands of gems and pearls.

Potala Palace

Potala Palace Wallpaper

Potala Palace

Potala Palace Image

Potala Palace Pic

Potala Palace

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Portrait

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Photos

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Gallery

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Pic

Acropolis in Parthenon

Monday, August 23, 2010

Enjoy the Punaluʻu Beach

Punaluʻu Beach known us called Black Sand Beach,  is a beach between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on the Big Island of the U.S. state of Hawaii.Punalu'u Beach Park is the most expansive and most accessible black sand beach is the most famous black sand beach is the most expansive and most accessible black sand beach, watch the sea turtles, and swim or snorkel.The white tips of cresting waves against the deep blue Pacific are beautiful, but it's the astonishing black sand beach that will take your breath away. You can also spread out a blanket under a towering coconut tree for a midday picnic or afternoon siesta, or sit for hours watching the action in the park's beautiful freshwater fish pond. The white tips of cresting waves against the deep blue Pacific are beautiful, but it's the astonishing black sand beach is the most famous black sand beach, watch the sea turtles, and swim or snorkel. You can also spread out a blanket under a towering coconut tree for a midday picnic or afternoon siesta, or sit for hours watching the action in the park's beautiful freshwater fish pond.enjoy the Punaluʻu Beach Hotels, travel and others..

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Bora Bora in the Leeward Islands

Bora Bora is an island within the Leeward Islands of the French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean and is located about 140 miles northwest from Papeete. The island is completely surrounded by a barrier reef and a lagoon, which makes it a vacationing paradise for holiday travelers and tourists. At the island’s center, one can find remnants from a volcano that is now extinct and rises with 2 peaks, Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia, where the highest point is 2,385 feet high. The original name of Bora Bora was given from the Tahitian language, which is better translated as Pora Pora.

Bora Bora was first sighted in 1722, but then sighted again in 1769 and settled in 1777. Today, tourism is a big part of the island, where many resorts have been constructed on the small island that surrounds the lagoon of the Bora Bora. The first bungalows over the water were built about 30 years ago on stilts by the Hotel Bora Bora. Now the overwater bungalows have become a standard feature for most of the resorts on the island.

Most of the island’s tourist destinations are centered around aquatic activities, but there are still some attractions to see on land. Some of the aquatic activities include scuba diving and snorkeling around or in the lagoon, which is very popular. There are many species of rays and sharks that live in the water, and some of the diving operators actually offer tourists the chance to dive with the manta rays or feed the sharks.

Bora Bora

Bora Bora Pics

Bora Bora

Bora Bora image

Bora Bora

Bora Bora Beach

Bora Bora

Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao

The Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines have been said to be like the 8th wonder of the world. They were carved from the hillside by the tribes people of Ifugao about 2,000-3,000 years ago. The tribes people did this with their bare hands and crude implements, without using machinery to level the steps where they plant their rice, which is what makes this wonder so attractive, aside from the fact that the rice terraces are still used today.

This is considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats of mankind, because if each one were connected end to end, then they would reach halfway across the globe or be 10 times as long as the Great Wall of China. It was not until only 13 years ago (1995) that the Banaue Rice Terraces were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The rice terraces are like stepping stones stretching towards the sky, where some of them reach almost 5,000 feet in altitude and cover about 4,000 square miles of land. They are now beginning to show signs that they are eroding, and some of them need maintenance, while the Ifugaos’ new generation is migrating to nearby cities in search of better opportunities.

Even though it is about 8 or 9 hours from Manila in a car, the Banaue rice terraces are known to be one of the most spectacular places to see in the Philippines. They have transformed the Cordillera mountains of barren stone into ledges that are fit to grow rice.

Banaue Rice Terraces