Hanoi

HANOI

Old quarter in Hanoi is the place to be. It has charm from its narrow streets that are short with many turns and numerous names. It is easy to get lost but with the help of a map and once you get a feel of the place, moving around is easy, just walk.

The shops have narrow frontage but long in depth example 3 meters wide but 10 meters deep. The reason for this configuration is due to taxation is based on the frontage.

Hoan Kiem Lake with a temple at one end and a pagoda at the other serves as a useful marker for establishing your postioning.

One pillar pagoda is located a short distance from Ho Chi Min Mausoleum (picture below).

This pagoda is made of wood and is supported by a single stone pillar to resemble a lotus blossom rising above water.

According to legend Emperor Ly Thai Tong dreamed the Goddess of Mercy sitting on a lotus leaf handed him a male child. Soon after he married a peasent girl who gave him a heir.

The original pagoda was destroyed by the French during their retreat. The present structure was erected by the current government.



This is Ho Chi Min Mausoleum. It was closed during my visit in September 2011.

Overheard that the body was sent to Moscow for treatment.

This is the gateway to the temple located on an island in Hoan Kiam Lake.

Dong Xuan Market is a wholesale market where retailers gather to buy goods for sale in their respective areas or small towns.
The shops leading to Dong Xuan do both rtail and wholesale business.
The area from Hoan Kiam Lake to Dong Xuan Market is fascinating.

Jiu Zhai Gou Nature Reserve

Jiu Zhai Gou Nature Reserve is in northwestern Sichuan Province. It was only discovered by timbermen in the 1970s and located 450 km north of Chengdu. In 1999 Jiu Zhai Gou was added to UNESCO World Heritage List.

Jiu Zhai Gou (Valley of 9 Baima Tibetan villages) is sparsely populated with about 1,000 Tibetans from 130 families. Legend has it that a jealous Devil caused Goddess Wunosemo to drop a mirror presented by her lover God Dage, the shattered mirror resulted in 118 shimmering turquoise lakes.

Covered by primitive forests and lakes, the scenery is pristine. It varies from 6,562 to 14,108 ft above sea level. The area covered by our tour ranges from 3,000 to 3,300 meters above sea level and there is much walking along boardwalks from one point to the next.

Tip : to prevent high altitude syndrome, Rhodiola Crenulata grown in Tibetan plateau has been refined and sold in small dose bottles. Ten bottles pack is sold at JiuZhaiGou or Shuangliu Airport for RMB 80. Take 2 bottles each day while on the plateau.

Clouds surrounding mountain peaks 

Hills, trees and clear water in varying colors

water rushing over the plateau to the edge

resulting in Pearl Shoal Waterfall

Long Lake

Five Colored Pond that never freeze in winter due to underground water oozing through from

Long Lake

5 Flowers Lake

water is clear enough to show fallen tree trunks

Shuzheng Waterfall

Tibetan houses

Tibetan pagodas with prayer flags

Wide and Narrow Lane of Chengdu

Chengdu was founded in 316 BC and remained in the same location since.

During Qing Dynasty Sichuanese citizens burnt their city for 3 days and nights rather than to let it fell to Qing troops. Qing troops found a barren city on arrival. So they forced Southerns from Guangzhou and Fujian to come and rebuild the city.

What remains are Qing troops Quarters and Offices at Wide and Narrow Lane. The decrepit buildings were repaired by Kuomintang when they took over the city. Today they are repaired and renovated to house upmarket cafes, restaurants and shophouses. In addition there are much street life to create a buzz.

Roadside stalls

Eatery

Restaurant

Man disguised as a bronze tea pourer statute

Busker

Bianlian or face changing show

Bianlian or face changing act is a Sichuan opera speciality. It has a tradition of 300 years and is a closely guarded secret. The record is 14 changes in 24 seconds. Each change is faster than a camera shutter because I seen the actor actually making a change right in front of a tourist taking his photo and failing to capture it on film.

If you think face changing is amazing, their final encore is a clothing changed performed when least expected.

Sui heroes during the 3 Kingdom Period

Beauty

Court Dancers

Dancers

Comedy concerning a Sichuanese wife disciplining her gambler husband

Huanglongxi Ancient Town

This ancient town is inhabitated with many households selling souvenirs, accessories, snacks and food. It is located close to Chengdu where its citizens come on weekends and public holidays for a day trip.

ancient architecture

source of stream dividing main street into two

Entrance to a upmarket restaurant

stream through centre of town ends at river

 comic street vendor

Snacks

period costumes for rental

many ingredients to add flavour to a bowl of noodle

Giant Panda

Chengdu Research Base for Panda Breeding is 10 km north of Chengdu. It has a veterinary laboratory and panda enclosures. It spent many breeding panda.

Pandas originally were meat eaters but have over more than 3,000 years evolved into bamboo eaters. However bamboo lacks protein and has much fibres as a result it does provide sufficient nutrition for Panda metabolism. Evolution teaches Panda to be laid back to conserve energy and continue eating large amounts of bamboo right through winter.

Giant Panda taking a stroll

panda having breakfeast

baby panda climbing tree

red pandas



Red pandas are like racoons and opposite of giant pandas. They are vigorous and like to fight resulting in some losing their tails. 

Pengshan (Sichuan)

Longevity is common in Pengshan village outside Chengdu - capital of Sichuan Province. Where a member of a household has someone living beyond 100 years old, a logo of a elder (in side view) performing exercise surrounded with a circle is painted on the side of the house.

There are many houses with such a logo. Unfortunately we were told the significance of the logo only after passing the village. As a result no photograph was taken.

Story goes that an Official Peng was assigned to look at this place by the Emperor as he was interested in longevity. However Peng disliked the Emperor and informed him that this place lacked water. He was furious on hearing that and restrict Peng to living in this village.

Peng believed then that longevity can only be achieved by consuming a longevity pill. As a result he carried much experiments. His efforts at getting villagers to exercise and to have proper diet resulted in longevity for villagers.

But he continued in his search in chemistry for the longevity pill. Interestingly experimentation resulted in the invention of gun powder.

This story was told by our tour guide Cycy who graduated one year ago out of a batch of 8,000 from that only 1,000 were certified as tour guides. She is very intelligent to succeed on her first attempt. Her major was history. So this story must be true.



Cycy is 23, petite and beautiful, very confident and a good presenter of historical details.

However this photograph does not reflect her true self because the night before she had very little sleep. The hotel was fully booked, they put her in a dormitory with 2 other tour guides next to a workplace that worked late into the night and started work early in the morning. Poor Cycy was exhausted the next day and was clinging to a pillar in Emei Shan pavilion for support. She has large eyes similar to those of Tibetan girls not those on the photograph. 

Tibetan Dreamland Journey

Tibetan performers in their ethnic costumes dance through the show vigorously at a theatre outside Jiuzhaigou National Park which is 3,000 meters above sea level.

At high altitudes where air is thin, such vigor display makes tourists forget that oxygen is thin.

Huanglong in Sichuan

Blue water in pool feed by waterfall below

Huanglong or Yellow Dragon National Park is in Songpan County covering an area of 7,535 square feet and is famous for its terraced calcified multi-colored ponds and scenery. It is 56 km from Songpan and is part of Jiu Zhai Gou tour. There are no shops or vendors in the park.