Jigokudani Monkey Park

Location: Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

Jigokudani Money Park is a famous hot spring area near Nagano. The name Jigokudani (mean “Hell’s valley”) is due to steam and boiling water that bubbles out the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold forests. It is famous for its large population of wild Snow Monkeys that go to the valley during the winter when snow covers the park. The monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest to sit in the warm hot springs, and return to the security of the forests in the evenings.

 Visitors in Jigokudani Monkey Park

 Monkeys in Jigokudani Monkey Park

It is warm in the water!

Since the establishment of Jigokudani Yaen-koen in 1964, it has been a worldwide popular place for watching the bathing monkeys in a hot spring and for ecological observation of researchers or photographers, and some of them who visited here have accomplished certain result in the area.

Jeju Island

Location: Jeju province, South Korea

Jejudo or Jeju Island, also known as the “Island of the Gods”, is a popular tourist attraction for Koreans and many international visitors. It remains one of the top honeymoon destinations for Korean newlyweds. The island’s mixture of volcanic rock, frequent rains and temperate climate, make it very similar to the Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. The island offers visitors a wide range of activities: hiking on Halla-san (South Korea’s highest peak), catching sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, viewing majestic waterfalls and lava tubes, Jeju Loveland, riding horses, or just lying around on the sandy beaches.

Yellow rape blossoms everywhere!

Tol-Harubang statues in Jeju Island

First-time visitors to Jeju Island need to plan their trip wisely because the Jeju bucket list is long and varied. One of the musts on the list is Seopjikoji, a promontory on the coast famous for its serenity and romance. Yellow rape blossoms fill the field in the spring, creating a colorful contrast with red soil and cerulean sky. The best photographs of Sungsan Sunrise Peak can be taken here at Seopjikoji. The scenery of Seopjikoji has also been captured by several Korean films and dramas, such as "All In", one of the first Hallyu dramas starring Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-kyo.

Rome Coliseum

Location: IV Templum Pacis (Latin, “Temple of Peace”) Rome, Italy.

The roman coliseum (“Colosseum” or “ Colosseo”) is probably the most ancient world renowned monument in Rome. It was one of the very first roman amphitheatres to be built. It is located between Caelian Hills and the Esquiline on marshy type of land. Record shows that the coliseum was built over many years and was inaugurated around 80 A.D.

Just imagine you are standing in the middle of it!

Another beautiful scene of Rome Coliseum

The coliseum was built to contain 50,000 spectators which is a monumental feat at that time considering it could still be considered huge in modern standards. The arena flood is all made of wood underneath which there is a myriad of tunnels and passageways for spectacle staging and for wild beasts roaming. The construction was made for a carefully chosen combination of concrete and travertine for the foundations, piers and beautiful arcades.

The Grand Bazaar

Location: Istanbul (historically Constantinople) Turkey

 The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewellery, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antique shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather, gold jewellery and the like. The bazaar has been an important trading centre since 1461 and its labyrinthine vaults feature two bedestens (domed buildings), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16^th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleimen the Magnificent, and in 1894 underwent a major restoration following an earthquake.

Thousands of goods we can find it in the Grand Bazaar

Visitors from all over the world

The complex houses two mosques, four fountains, two hamams, and several cafes and restaurants. In the centre is the high domed hall of the Cevahir Bedesten, where the most valuable items and antiques were to be found in the past, still are today, including furniture, copperware, amber prayer beads, inlaid weapons, icons, mother-of-pearl mirrors, water pipes, watches and clocks, candle sticks, old coins, and silver and gold jewellery set with coral and turquoise.

Canals of Venice (Grand canal)

Location: Venice, Italy.

Venice is the crown jewel of water cities. Romantic gondolas, and Italian architecture along the Grand canal helped earn this status. Stitched together with 150 canals that have become central to its character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and has more tourist than residents, but with its romantic charm it remains one of the top tourist attractions in Italy.

Grand Canal-  Do you see the large S shape?

Grand canal is the canal grande snakes through the city of Venice in a large S shape, travelling from the Saint Mark Basin on one end to a lagoon near the Santa Lucia rail station on the other. The Grand Canal is Venice’s biggest and most elaborate tourist attraction stretching from the railway station to the far end of Venice where St Marks square is to be found. Sightseeing is especially fulfilling along this precious waterway lined with palaces, churches and numerous other buildings reflecting the uniqueness of Venice.

Taj Mahal

Location: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The Taj Mahal is widely considered one of the most beautiful buildings ever created. The exquisite marble structure in Agra, India, is a mausoleum, an enduring monument to the love of a husband for his favourite wife. It is also an eternal testament to the artistic and science accomplishments of a wealthy empire.

 Taj Mahal in daytime

Taj Mahal at night

Shah Jahan, “the king of the world”, took control of the Mughal Empire throne in 1628 very much in love with the queen the dubbed Mumtaz Mahal or “Chosen One of the Palace”. The poets at Agra’s Mughal court said her beauty was such that the moon hid its face in shame before her.

Niagara Falls

Location: Border of Ontario, Canada & New York, U.S.A.

Niagara Falls is the collective name for the three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls.

 The America Falls

 Horseshoe Falls

It is so beautiful!

Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19^th century.

Disney World Magic Kingdom

Location: Walt Disney World Resort, Bay Lake, Florida, United States.

Disney World Magic Kingdom Park, also known as Magic Kingdom, is the first of four theme parks built at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprise and is dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.

Disney World Magic Kingdom at night

Tomorrowland

Adventureland

The Magic Kingdom is divided into five distinct areas (lands), arranged in a spoke-like formation, all meeting at the top of Main Street U.S.A right in front of Cinderella Castle. The five lands consist of Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, LibertySquare and Adventureland. Each land is themed to its appropriate title and maintaining that them is paramount to the parks operation. 

Great Barrier Reef

Location: Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s most remarkable natural gifts blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world’s largest coral reef. The reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays and literally hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the world most beautiful sun-soaked, golden beaches.

A lot of amazing creatures can be found here

There are three kinds of reef on the Great Barrier Reef, fringing, ribbon, and platform. Fringing reef is the stuff you see just off the shore or islands and along the mainland. Ribbon reef create “streamers” of long, thin reef along the outer edge of the continental shelf and are only found north of Cairns. Platform or patch reef is the most common kind what most people think of when they refer to the Great Barrier Reef. It can be up to 16 sq km of coral emerging off the continental shelf all the way along the reef’s length.  

Machu Picchu

Location: Cusco Region of Peru, South America.

Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas” is the best-known and most spectacular site in South America. Machu Picchu are quechua words that mean “old” and “mountain”. The well preserved ruins of Machu Picchu seem to almost cling to the steep hillside, surrounded by towering green mountains overlooking the Vilcanota River Valley. Even after having seen the classic photo of Machu Picchu in guide books, web sites and postcards you still cannot fail but to be impressed by the awe-inspiring location of the ruins.

Well preserved ruins in Machu Picchu

The scene of Machu Picchu

Tourism activity in Machu Picchu has become more and more developed over the last several years as the tourism infrastructure keeps pace with the worldwide attention this remarkable site has received. Built almost 600 years ago by the powerful Inca civilization, Machu Picchu offers tourists an incredible insight into the lives of Inca people.

Dead Sea

Location:  Between Jordan and Israel.

The Dead Sea, also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West bank to the west. It is called the Dead Sea because its salinity prevents the existence of any life forms in the lake.  Its surface and shores are 423 metres (1,388 ft) below sea level, Earth’s lowest elevation on land. The main attraction of the Dead Sea is of course the soothing, abnormally salty water itself. The salt content of the water is 31.5% making the water so buoyant that it is impossible for the visitor to sink. The water also contains 21 minerals including high levels of magnesium, sodium, potassium, and bromine and 12 of these minerals are found in no other body of water in the world.

 It is fun when you are not able to sink!

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. It was one of the world’s first health resorts and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification topotash for fertilizers. People use the salt and minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets.

Yang Tze river (Chang Jiang)

Location: Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, China.

Winding about 3,964 miles, Yang Tze River or Chang Jiang is the largest in China and the third largest in the world after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. Originating from the Tanggula Range in Qinghai Province in the western China, it traverse eleven provinces and cities from west to east, including Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai. Finally it pours into the East China Sea at Shanghai. Acting as the largest water system in China, Yangtze river is historically, economically and culturally important to the country.

YangTze River turns red!

In fact, The Yangtze River, the longest river in China, boasts widespread natural scenery and rich cultural relics. It has plentiful traveling resources mostly clustering around the mainstream area from Chongqing to Shanghai. Along the route, visitors can find many well-known scenic sights such as Chongqing Jinyun Mountain, Fengdu Ghost city, Red Cliff and so on. The big cities like Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai are all hot tourist cities as well.

Musee Carnavalet

Location 23, rue de Sevigine, 75003 Paris, France.

Behind this somewhat mysterious name is hidden one of the capital’s most genuinely Parisian Museums. The oldest of the municipal museums tells the story of Paris from a bygone era to the present day, in all its immense variety. Although it is essentially a history museum, the muse Carnavalet is nevertheless an art gallery exhibiting mostly original works in keeping with the spirit of the genius of Paris.

Hotel  Carnavalet

The Carnavalet Museum in Paris is dedicated to the history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hotel Carnavalet and the former Hotel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. Experience a tour de force through Paris’ history, from its ancient origins to the fashion-forward capital of sophistication it is today. The MuséeCarnavalet’s permanent collection has no charge, allowing you to saunter through fin-de-siècle drawing rooms and delicately reconstructed baroque interiors without spending a euro. The closest métro stops are CheminVert and Saint Paul.

Pyramid of Giza

Location: Giza Necropolis, Egypt.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is another one of the most famous structures on the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is the most recognizable structure on the list because it is both the oldest structure on the list and also only one still remains. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man made structure in the world for 3800 years which is not only a testament to its durability but to its mark as one of the most remarkable structures built. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid’s construction techniques.

There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen’s chamber and King’s chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only pyramid in Egypt known to contain both ascending and descending passages. The main part of the Giza complex is a setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu, three smaller pyramids for Khufu’s wives, an even smaller “satellite” pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastabatombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles.

The Great Wall of China

Location: China

The Great Wall of China is a memorable landmark as well as the most popular tourist attraction in China. The wall is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the world which has fascinated the minds of people in the world. The Great Wall is an ultimate tourist destination for sightseeing. Because of this, people from all over the world visit China to see this exotic architecture.

An ultimate destination for sightseeing

This is how the Great Wall looks like in winter.

There is a common term used by the Chinese called “Wan Li Chang Cheng” which defines as “ Wall of 10,000 Li” (10,000 Li = 5,000km). There were three main Chinese dynasties that contributed to the construction of the Great Wall: first, the Qin from 221-207 B.C, then the Han from 206 B.C- 220 A.D and the Ming from 1368-1644 A.D. Their common purpose was to stop the “barbaric” Huns in the North from invading the Chinese borders. However, millions of people labored on the Great Wall and many died while working.