Sunday, October 28, 2012

Places we have been : an update

The following are the places that we have been since 2001

2001
June Beijing, Chengde & Tianjin

2002
May Shanghai

2003
Sept France

2004
June Italy
July Perth
Dec Kunming

2005
May Yangon
Oct Greece
Nov Bangkok

2006
March Siem Reap
May Tioman Island
June Japan
August Club Med, Bintan Island
Sept Melaka
Oct Russia

2007
May Turkey
Oct Kuala Lumpur
Nov Egypt

2008
May Desaru
June Sentosa Island
Nov Prague & Budapest
Dec Hong Kong

2009
April Sedili
Sept Xian
Nov South Korea
Dec Taiwan

2010
Sept Kunming, Dali, Lijiang & Shangrila
Nov Gold Coast & Sydney

2011
August Solo & Jogjakarta
Sept Penang
Dec Hanoi

2012
April Jordan
August Silk Road, China
Nov London

Friday, October 26, 2012

London Calling

We are going to London on 8th November 2012. Memories of my student days in London now seem not that long ago. I was Called to the English Bar at Lincoln's Inn on 27th July 1990. It is now more than 22 years and I can't wait to go back!
 
Likewise, Connie was enrolled as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1993 and came back in 1994.

We will be staying 7 nights in Earls Court.

White Pagoda Hill Park

This hill takes its name from the 13th century pagoda, Bai Ta, which was built as part of a temple at the hill's summit.




Reminds me of the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace



 The first flight of stairs to the top



The Zhongshan Bridge









The Zhongshan Bridge



Lanzhou by the Yellow River


Almost at the top of the hill



The White Pagoda

Unfortunately, we were unable to make our way to the pagoda  as certain sections of the route were closed. This is the highest point we managed
.


Gansu Misc

These are the miscellaneous pictures of us in the Gansu province.



Drum Tower of the Ming Dynasty in Zhangye







Buying grapes from the street vendor







Wei? Ni Hao!



Yogurt is very popular here







On the way to the airport

Zhongshan Bridge

This 234 m long and 7.5 m wide bridge was completed in 1907. It was renamed Zhongshan Bridge to commemorate Dr Sun Yatsen.





"The first bridge across the Yellow River"



Walking across the Yellow River




By the time the Yellow River reaches Lanzhou, it has become muddy brown, having picked up soil, silt and industrial waste along the way. Once the "cradle of Chinese civilization", now it is one of the world's most polluted rivers.


The Waterwheel

Lanzhou was known as the "City of Waterwheels". This is because Lanzhou is the only city which the Yellow River flows through.




 
Ther are two  waterwheels here
 
 

The Yellow River

The Yellow River or Huang He is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze and the 6th longest in the world. It begins from the Banyan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China and flows to the Bohai Sea in the east. It is the "cradle of the Chinese civilization".



Statue of the Mother of  Yellow River





The Yellow River


Xilan International Hotel, Lanzhou

This hotel has a revolving restaurant.










 
The indoor pool
 

Lanzhou

Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu Province. This is the last stop of our travel along the Silk Road. Lanzhou was an important stop at the beginning of the Hexi Corridor.



Our first introduction to Lanzhou was a couple kissing
 
 

 

 
 
 
 Wangfujing Shopping Centre
 
 
 
The river is now a playground
 
 
 

 
 
 
Different kinds of tomato
 





We bought our dried food stuff here
 
 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Lei Tai Tomb

This is where the Bronze Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow was found.


 

 
 
 
The replica of the bronze army found in the tomb
 
 
 



 
This is the tomb of General Zhang of Zhangye from the Eastern Han Dynasty
 
 
 
Inside the Tomb
 


It was known as the Lei Tai Tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty because of the adjacent Temple of the Thunder God. (Lei = Thunder, Tai = Tower )
 
 
 
 
 
Temple of the Thunder God