West Lake in China, Zhejiang

 China - Zhejiang  Comments Off
May 262013
 

Introduction :
The West Lake is also known in by the Chinese as Xi Hu is located in the historical region of Hangzhou which is the capital city of Zhejiang province in China. The West Lake was considered by the Chinese for thousands of years as a water wonderland and is the most well known lake in the whole of China. It is also the source of inspiration in the design of Chinese gardens as well as playing an influential part in the design of Japanese and Korea gardens. The West Lake is so popular and well known among the Chinese that it has appeared various times on the notes of Chinese currency. Famous poets and painters often include the West Lake in their poems and art works and the natural scenic beauty was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. The total area of the West Lake is 6.5 square kilometres with an average depth of 2.27 metres.

One of the signature scenery views of the West Lake
One of the signature scenery views of the West Lake
Image attribution to serapio @ Flickr

The Five Pavilion Bridge
The Five Pavilion Bridge
Image attribution to thewamphyri @ Flickr

The Bao Chu Pagoda was built centuries ago
The Bao Chu Pagoda was built centuries ago
Image attribution to jaaronfarr @ Flickr

Beautiful reflections from the surroundings on the water
Beautiful reflections from the surroundings on the water
Image attribution to pondspider @ Flickr

History :
The earliest name of the West Lake was known as the Wulin Water is part of the Qiantang River. The first true emperor of Chinese, Qin Shi Huang also visited the lake and moored the boat personally to a stone known as the Qin Shi Huang mooring stone today. During the Sui Dynasty’s engineering reforms, the West Lake was connected to the major rivers of China and tourism has since flourished as early as 610 AD. The cultural landscape of the lake took shape during the Five Dynasties period where the Wuyue Kingdom founded various Buddhist and Taoist temples and pagodas around the lake and during the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou was made the capital of the kingdom making the west Lake the most popular attraction in the city. Famous Italian explorer Marco Polo once complimented that the Hangzhou city with the West Lake was the most splendid heavenly city in the world.

Lotus around the West Lake
Lotus around the West Lake
Image attribution to pedronet @ Flickr

Traditional rounded gateway around the West Lake
Traditional rounded gateway around the West Lake
Image attribution to Greudin @ Wiki

Sunset at the West Lake
Sunset at the West Lake
Image attribution to blese @ Flickr

Beautiful lights on the lake at night time
Beautiful lights on the lake at night time
Image attribution to kycheng @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to the attraction is the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport which is around 27 km east of Hangzhou City and a 1 hour ride away from the West Lake.

Tikal in Guatemala, El Peten

 Guatemala - El Peten  Comments Off
May 202013
 

Introduction :
Tikal is located in the El Peten department of Guatemala and is one of the largest and most important archaelogical sites of the Maya civilization. Tikal is the capital and home to a conquering state that was one of the most powerful kingdoms during the ancient Maya times. Today, the Maya ruins of Tikal form part of the Tikal National Park and was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Tikal is famous for their archaeological monuments and Maya pyramids and a breath taking view of the ancient acropolis

Panorama of the Great Plaza and the North Acropolis
Panorama of the Great Plaza and the North Acropolis
Image attribution to Uspn @ Wiki

Ancient tree around the area
Ancient tree around the area
Image attribution to hector garcia @ Flickr

Closer look at the great plaza
Closer look at the great plaza
Image attribution to hector garcia @ Flickr

Closer look at the great plaza
Looking downards from the great plaza
Image attribution to hector garcia @ Flickr

History :
Traces of human history in Tikal dates back to 1000 BC where early agriculture sites were discovered and Mamom ceramics dating back to 700 Bc were also found there. Maya architectural monuments were built during 400 BC. The 14th king of Tikal, Chak Tok Ich’aak built a palace around the region during 300 AD which later became the core of the Acropolis until the fall of the Maya civilization during the 9th century causing the city to be abandoned. Tikal was first documented in European history by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in 1525 but expeditions to the ruins only began in the 1850s guided by the locals who never forgot about Tikal.

Large stone mask at one of the temples
Large stone mask at one of the temples
Image attribution to Uspn @ Wiki

Large stone mask at one of the temples
The North Acropolis from above
Image attribution to Peter_Andersen @ Wiki

The famous Jaguar temple on its own
The famous Jaguar temple on its own
Image attribution to jungle_boy @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest airport to Tikal is the Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS) which is 45 km away from Tikal and is located in the city of Flores and in the suburb of Santa Elena.

Islands and beaches of Maldives

 Maldives  Comments Off
May 162013
 

Introduction :
Maldives is a small island nation located in the Indian Ocean and is the lowest country in the planet with the lowest natural highest point at 2.4 metres. Maldives measures 298 square km in area with a population of around 328, 000 people making it one of the least population country in the world. Maldives is renowed world wide for its beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters and rare underwater beauty boosting an abundance of marine life.

Aerial view of the capital island of Male
Aerial view of the capital island of Male
Image attribution to Shahee @ Wiki

Sheds built just on top of the sea bed
Sheds built just on top of the sea bed
Image attribution to Nevit @ Wiki

Resorts in Kuramathi Island
Resorts in Kuramathi Island
Image attribution to worldwide-souvenirs @ Flickr

Tiny creature crawling at the beach
Tiny creature crawling at the beach
Image attribution to worldwide-souvenirs @ Flickr

Resort built on land
Resort built on land
Image attribution to worldwide-souvenirs @ Flickr

History :
The name Maldives is believed to have been derived from Sanskrit in Tamil. The earliest written existence of Maldives in history was marked by the visit of the Sinhalese people when exiled Magadha Prince Vijaya and his party of hundred landed in the region around 500 BC. The first settlers in the country were the Dravidian people as early as 300 B.C living off the coast as fisherman. Buddhism was introduced to the Maldives when Emperor Asoka’s empire extended to the region and was the dominant region until the 12th century. Maldives became a British protected state in 1887 after signing a contract with the British Governor of Ceylon with self governing rights in exchange for an annual tribute. Maldives gain independence as a republic country in 1968 after a voting of 40/44 in favour of a republic. In recent years global warming have cause glaciers to melt rapidly resulting in a sea level rise, with an average of inches in sea levels rising in the past 100 years, there is a risk of Maldives sinking and disappearing on the surface within the next 100 years. So visit this magnificent place while it still exists!

Beautiful and perfect Maldiven beach on a good day
Beautiful and perfect Maldiven beach on a good day
Image attribution to KingKurt22 @ Wiki

Fishes can be seen directly from above with the crystal clear waters
Fishes can be seen directly from above with the crystal clear waters
Image attribution to Nevit @ Wiki

Rosa Old Blush is the national flower in Maldives
Rosa Old Blush is the national flower in Maldives
Image attribution to A.Barra @ Wiki

Sunset scenery in Maldives
Sunset scenery in Maldives
Image attribution to JSB @ Flickr

Getting there :
The main international airport in Maldives is the Male International Airport (MLE) and is located on Hulhule Island nearby the capital island of Male serving major flights all over the world.

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