TRAVEL BOOK

CHINA

CHINA

April 10-12, 2010

A sleepy village in a remote breathtaking location inhabited by a colorful mix of Han Chinese, Hui and Amdo Tibetans. It is said that the provincial borderline runs through the middle of town with Sertri Gompa in Gansu and Kirti Gompa located in Sichuan. The power struggles between the two Gompa may have been the reason for the border location. Both temples have distinct styles making both well worth the visit alone. The surounding mountains give off a very much alpine flair remeni-sant of rural Austria or Bavaria and perfect for hiking and horsetreking.CLangmusi

June 11-13, 2011

Originally founded in 514 BCE, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of rich history, and relics of the past are abundant to this day. The city’s canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens have contributed to its status as one of the top tourist attractions in China. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it has also been an impor-tant centre for China’s silk industry. The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. Suzhou is often dubbed the “Venice of the East” or “Venice of China”.

SuzhouC

June 18-20, 2011

Xitang is a water town crisscrossed by nine rivers. The town stretches across eight sections, linked by old-fashioned stone bridges. In the older parts of town, the buildings are set along the banks of the canals, which serve as the main transportation thoroughfares in the area. The town keeps a tran-quil ambience and scenic beauty, making it a very popular tourist attraction. It is frequently depicted in Chinese landscape painting.

XitangC

July 2-5, 2011

The city sports a long historical heritage and has twice served briefly as the nation’s capital, first in the early years of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and second as the capital of the Republic of China in the early years of the 20th century. Most of Nánjīng’s major attractions are reminders of the city’s former glory under the Ming.Today’s Nánjīng is a cosmopolitan mix of old and new, where crumbling ruins stand side by side with shopping mega-plazas.

NanjingC

CHINA

THAILAND

THAILAND

May 13 -15, 2011

Of the famous and infamous attractions, Bangkok’s best feature is its intermingling of opposites. A modern world of affluence orbits around a serene traditional core. Step outside the four-star hotels into a typical Siamese village where taxi drivers knock back energy drinks and upcountry trans-plants grill chicken on a streetside barbecue. Hop the Skytrain to the glitzy shopping malls where trust-fund babies examine luxury brands as careful-ly as the housewives inspect produce at the open-air markets. Or appreciate the attempts at enlight-enment at the city’s famous temples and doorstep shrines, or simple acts of kindness amid the urban bustle. TBangkok

May 15 -17, 2011

Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience both historical and modern Thai culture coexisting side by side: the city features centuries-old chedis and temples next to modern convenience stores and boutique hotels. This dichotomy is best appreciated within the moat-encir-cled old city, which retains much of the fortified wall that once protected the city center as well as the four main gates that provided access to the former Lanna capital city. TChiang Mai

May 18 - 19, 2011

The city northern Thais know as ‘Siang Hai’ has been marketed in tourist literature as ‘the gateway to the Golden Triangle’. Thais often tout Chiang Rai as a laid-back alternative to Chiang Mai. Things are on a smaller scale here, from the night market to the amount of sites to see, but the city has a more relaxed atmosphere, less pollution, and its trekking areas are quicker to get to. Although often compared to the north’s capital, Chiang Rai has its own charac-ter and attractions, like the unique, sparkling white Wat Rong Khun temple, just outside the city. TChiang Rai

THAILAND

IRELAND

IRELAND

January 30, 2012

Star of a million tourist brochures, the Cliffs of Mo-her are one of the most popular sights in Ireland. But like many an ageing star, you have to look be-yond the glitz to appreciate the inherent attributes behind the cliché.

The cliffs rise to a height of 203m. They are en-tirely vertical and the cliff edge abruptly falls away into the constantly churning sea. A series of heads, the dark limestone seems to march in a rigid for-mation that amazes, no matter how many times you look. ICliffs of

Moher

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Febrary 1-4, 2012

Dublin isn’t as sexy or as sultry as other European capitals, the architecture is a bit of a jumble and it seems everyone has something to complain about. Dubs can be brutally unsentimental about their city, but their warts-and-all attachment is born out of a genuine love of a place that oozes personal-ity, a city whose soul and sociability makes it the most charismatic of capitals. IDublin

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IRELAND

MEXICO

MEXICO

March 10-11, 2012

Unlike many cities in the world, Cancún just isn’t afraid. It’s unabashed and unapologetic, and in that lies its high-gloss charm. So send in the Maya dancers, swashbuckling pirates and beer-chugging US Spring Breakers. Cancún can take it. But can you?

Like Las Vegas, Ibiza or Dubai, Cancún is a party city that just won’t give up. Top that off with a pretty good beach and you have one of the West-ern Hemisphere’s biggest tourist draws, bringing in as many as 4 million visitors each year.MCancún

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March 12, 2012

Sitting coolly on the lee side of Cozumel, the town’s beaches are jammed with super-fit Europe-ans – they let Americans in, too, if they meet the weight requirements! The waters aren’t as clear as those of Cancún or Cozumel, and the beach sands aren’t quite as champagne-powder-perfect as they are further north, but still Playa (as it’s locally known) grows and grows.MPlaya del

Carmen

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March 13- 15, 2012

Like any great metropolis, Mexico City presents a mosaic of scenes. One moment you’re knock-ing back tequila at a grand old cantina, the next you’re grooving to world-class DJs on a rooftop terrace. Breakfast on tamales and atole (a drink made from corn) from a street corner vendor, dine on fusion cuisine by one of Polanco’s acclaimed chefs. After an afternoon spent sharing the an-guish of artist Frida Kahlo, watch masked wrestlers inflict pain on one another at the lucha libre (wres-tling) arena downtown. To be sure pollution and crime remain real concerns for Chilangos, but since the turn of the millennium, there’s been a palpable sense that the capital has turned a page. MMexico City

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March 16, 2012

Set in a mountain-ringed offshoot of the Valle de México, Teotihuacán is known for its two vast pyra-mids, Pirámide del Sol and Pirámide de la Luna, which dominate the remains of the metropolis. Teotihuacán was Mexico’s biggest ancient city and the capital of what was probably Mexico’s largest pre-Hispanic empire. Exploring the site is fascinat-ing, although rebutting the indefatigable hawkers can be exhausting and crowds can be huge, es-pecially in the middle of the day. As usual, going early pays off, especially as the midday sun can be unbearable when trying to cover the huge site.MTeotihuacan

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MEXICO

References

http://wikitravel.org/en/Langmusi#b http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/jiangsu/nanjinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xitanghttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/cancunhttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/yucatan-peninsula/playa-del-carmenhttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/north-of-mexico-city/teotihuacanhttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/mexico-cityhttp://www.tourismthailand.org/where-to-go/cities-guide/destination/chiang-mai/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand/chiang-rai-province/chiang-raihttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/county-clare/cliffs-of-moherhttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/dublin