Pudong has become a New Open Economic Development Zone, and has emerged as China's financial and commercial hub. Pudong is home to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and a skyline that includes the symbolic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building, the Shanghai World Financial Center and soon-to-be-completed Shanghai Tower reflective of Shanghai and China's rapid economic development.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Bangkok - Wat Arun
The famous Wat Arun, perhaps better known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the best known landmarks and one of the most published images of Bangkok. It consists of a massive elongated prang (Khmer-style tower), and is surrounded by four smaller prangs.
The Wat really looks better from a distance than close up, and you're not missing out too much even if you only view from across the river. The grounds are fairly pleasant and peaceful though, with good murals and a main Buddha image supposedly designed by King Rama II.
It is possible to walk a limited way up the (very steep) stairs of the main prang, which gives a reasonable view of the Chao Phraya river.
Despite it's name (coming from Aruna, the Indian god of the dawn), the best views and photos of Wat Arun are in the evening with the sun setting behind it. There are some restaurants on the opposite side of the river that are good for watching this, though you'd be lucky to see the image of Wat Arun that's on all the postcards - that of the red sky sunset with the sun setting directly behind the temple. Sunset is around 6pm - 7pm all year round in Bangkok.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Arashiyama - Bamboo Forest
Arashiyama is a pleasant and touristy district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. The location is well known for its temples and bamboo forest. Bamboo groves are found behind Tenryuji Temple and along the trail to the Okochi Sanso. The bamboo is still used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes, mats and pieces of art at workshops in the Arashiyama area.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Paris La Defense - Grande Arche
The Grande Arche de la Defense is a monument and building in the business district of La Defense to the west of Paris, France. The Arche is almost a perfect cube; it has been suggested that the structure looks like a four-dimensional hypercube projected onto the three-dimensional world. It has a prestressed concrete frame covered with glass and Carrara marble from Italy.
In addition, the Arche is placed so that it forms a secondary axis with the two highest buildings in Paris, the Tour Eiffel and the Tour Montparnasse.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Vancouver Island, Canada - Cape Scott
Cape Scott Provincial Park is a 21,849 hectare, rugged coastal wilderness at the northwest tip of Vancouver Island. The park is characterized by 64 kilometers of spectacular ocean frontage, including about 23 kilometers of beaches, running from Nissen Bight in the north to San Josef Bay in the south. Rocky promontories and headlands intersperse wide sandy beaches.
The heavy rainfalls and violent windstorms of the Cape Scott area have shaped its history. Annual precipitation, almost totally in the form of rain, is between 375 and 500 centimeters. Even in summer, prolonged sunny periods are a rarity. High winds, rain and generally stormy conditions can be expected at any time of the year.
To access to this piece of paradise, it is a little bit complicated ! After a couple hours of driving, at the end of the road, you can park your car and hike along a beautiful, yet easy, wooded trail until reaching the Pacific Ocean, beyond a wide stretch of soft sandy beach. But the best part is the tiny cove, with rocky outcroppings right on the beach. There are even caves and miniature bonsai trees! More amazing than it might sound, this sight made the long trip more than worthwhile!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Kyoto - Ninnaji temple
Ninnaji is one of Kyoto's most interesting temples, featuring a large variety of different buildings and gardens on its spacious grounds. It belongs to Kyoto's UNESCO world heritage sites.
Among the numerous buildings on the temple grounds, are elegant palace style buildings surrounded by beautiful Japanese gardens, a five storied pagoda, various temple halls, a massive entrance gate, bell tower and tea houses.
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