Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon until 1975, is situated in southern Vietnam within the Mekong Delta. It is the largest city in Vietnam with more than six million people. It is a vast metropolis that is heavily populated with motorbikes and vespa’s and has come a long way since it’s early fishing village beginnings.
There are many places to visit that invariably relate to the Vietnam-American war, such as the War Remnants Museum, Revolutionary Museum and Presidential Palace. However, other places of interest for the visitor include the bustling area of Cholon where you can find the Ben Thanh Market. The Jade Emperor Pagoda and Reunification Palace are also significant landmarks of Ho Chi Minh City.
One great reason to visit Ho Chi Minh City, especially if you love bustling city life, is to experience the electric atmosphere filled with chaotic vespa drivers!
The beautiful area of Kumarakom is made up of islands, lakes, rivers and canals. It’s often referred to as ‘paradise’ with its mangroves and coconut trees and is found in the State of Kerala.
With a well balanced tropical climate it offers perfect conditions for a vast population of flora and fauna. The area has always attracted many migratory birds such as the heron, Siberian stork, teak and egret. The establishment of the 14 acre ‘Bird Sanctuary’ allows this to continue in a protected environment and is now a popular tourist spot.
A great way to really experience what the area has to offer is to hire a motor boat or better still, if the budget allows, a houseboat and stay out on the lakes for a couple of nights.
A guest post provided by New Zealand travel writer, Angela Pearse.
Kyoto is situated in central Japan and is around two and half hours by shinkasen (bullet train) from Tokyo. It was formerly the imperial capital but is still a major Japanese city, home to 1.5 million people, and where many traditional aspects of Japanese culture are still intact. It is said it is “impossible to know the real Japan without knowing Kyoto”.
It is true that no visit to Kyoto is complete without visiting one of the 2,000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. During my too short stay in Kyoto last year I visited three of the most popular: Tenryu-ji Temple, with its cool, peaceful avenues of bamboo; Kiyomizu-dera Temple, with its amazing hill-top views of Kyoto and Fushimi Inari Shrine, with its stunning trail of red and black torii gates. But the sheer choice was overwhelming. Next time I would take a guided temple tour, by bus or on foot, to fully appreciate Kyoto’s historical roots, or hire a bike, which was an option when visiting Tenryu-ji temple.
On the day I arrived in Kyoto I strolled round the Imperial Palace gardens. It was a lazy, hazy Sunday afternoon and many families were chatting, snoozing on the grass or playing with their children. A couple of my strongest memories are of a man stretched full-length on a bench snoring away peacefully, and a hyperactive corgi splashing crazily in one of the rock pools.
Kyoto Gardens
Although I had just missed the cherry blossom season, this would be another reason I would return to Kyoto. Maruyama Park is the most popular park for cherry blossom viewing but Kyoto contains many advantageous spots, such as the Philosopher’s Trail, Kamogama River and Hirano Shrine, to view the gorgeous pink blossoms. At Maruyama Park and Hirano Shrine in the evenings, the trees are lit up.
Major festivals in Kyoto to time a visit with, include the Aoi Matsuri or “Hollyhock Festival” on the 15 May, the Gion Matsuri, a traditional festival celebrating life, on 17 July and the Gozan Okuribi, lighting of fires on mountains to guide the spirits home, on 16 August.
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Luang Prabang is nestled in a slim valley by the Mekong and Khan rivers. It exudes tranquility and has been a mountain kingdom for more than a thousand years. The entire city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site during 1995 for the beautiful and historic blending of the traditional architecture with the European colonial authorities of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Together with the historical sites of Haw Kham the former royal palace, Vat Xieng Toung Monastery, there are many natural and traditional delights. The Mekong River for starters, the famous Buddha caves of Pak Ou, the nearby Kuang Si Falls and the holy hill of Phou Si.
The traditional Alms ceremony involves the monks collecting alms of rice each morning from kneeling villagers, and tourists eager to take part and witness an amazing tradition.
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