5 Days in Beijing
As the capital of modern day China and many of its past dynasties, Beijing has a long and rich history dating back over 3,000 years. Constantly reinventing itself over the centuries, this great city is as compelling as it is complex.
Amazing Salar de Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni in the Bolivian Andes, the world’s largest salt flat, is an other-worldly experience that has to be seen to be believed.
8 Days in Morocco
Morocco, also known as the Western Kingdom, is a fascinating country with a blend of Arab, indigenous Berber, Sub-Saharan African, and European culture.
2 Days to Phang Nga
Phang Nga Bay (Thai: อ่าวพังงา) is in the Strait of Malacca between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Malay peninsula of southern Thailand. Since 1981, an extensive section of the bay has been protected as the Ao Phang Nga National Park. Most of the park consists of an area of the Andaman Sea studded with numerous limestone tower karst islands. The best known of these islands is Khao Phing Kan.
3 Days in Sydney
Sydney, Australia’s largest city, is known for its beautiful harbors, relaxed lifestyle, ideal climate, and friendly locals. The city is a multi-ethnic hub of business, culture and creativity. The Opera House, Sydney Tower and the Harbour Bridge have become the city's famous landmarks to international visitors.
3 Days in Sapporo, Hokkaido
Sapporo (札幌市) is the largest city on the Hokkaido island, located north east of Japan. Before its establishment by the Meiji government in the late 1800s, the area was home to a number of indigenous Ainu settlements. Today Sapporo is known outside Japan for having hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics and home to the famous Sapporo Brewery.
4 Days in Tanzania Safari Wilderness
Tanzania is a country in Eastern Africa. Its unspoiled national parks rival any in the world. On Tanzania's Serengeti plain, white-bearded wildebeest and other mammals participate in a large-scale annual migration. This itinerary includes Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
2 Days in Da Lat
Known to the early residents as "Little Paris", Da Lat (also spelled as Dalat) is a blend of hillside rural Vietnam and European alpine town. It is the capital of Lam Dong Province, the local weather stands in contrast to the country's tropical climate. Mist covering the valleys almost year-round leads to its name "City of Eternal Spring".
1 Day in Kandy
Kandy is located at the centre of Sri Lanka 125 km away from Colombo and is generally recognised as the island nation's cultural capital. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
A Long Weekend in Toronto
Toronto, also known as T.O. or Queen City, is the largest city in Canada and widely recognized as one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural cities in the world.
Hiroshima (広島市) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The city's name, 広島, means "Broad Island" in Japanese. Hiroshima is best known as the first city in human history to be targeted by an atomic bomb towards the end of the World War II. The was rebuilt after the war. Today it is a city full of vitality and purpose.
Hiroshima-shi
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a memorial park and a prominent feature in the center of Hiroshima. It is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack, and to the memories of the bomb's direct and indirect victims (of whom there may have been as many as 140,000). There are a number of memorials and monuments, museums, and lecture halls, which draw over a million visitors annually. The annual Peace Memorial Ceremony is also held in the park. The area is served by Light Rail Line 2,3,6 and 7 at Gembaku-Dome-Mae Station.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is the primary museum in the park dedicated to educating visitors about the historic event. Exhibits cover the buildup to war, the role of Hiroshima in the war up to the bombing, and extensive information on the bombing and its effects, along with substantial memorabilia and pictures from the bombing. The building also has views of the Memorial Cenotaph, Peace Flame, and A-Bomb Dome.
The Atomic Bomb Dome, also known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and a designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruin serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Over 70,000 people were killed instantly, and another 70,000 suffered fatal injuries from the radiation. The building was the only structure left standing near the bomb’s hypocenter. Ultimately, when the reconstruction of Hiroshima began, the skeletal remains of the building were preserved.
The Hiroshima Museum of Art is an art museum founded in 1978. The collections consist mainly of Japanese oil paintings from after the Meiji Period to modern times; and modern European paintings with a focus on French Impressionism.
Okonomi-mura (Okonomiyaki Village) is a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki food theme park. In Hiroshima, the ingredients are layered rather than mixed. The layers are typically batter, cabbage, pork. Noodles (yakisoba, udon) are also used as a topping with fried eggs and a generous amount of okonomiyaki sauce. Okonomi-mura has 24 okonomiyaki restaurants, each with a slightly different style and set of ingredients. The restaurants use a specialty okonomiyaki sauce created only for Okonomi-mura.
Hiroshima-shi, Hatsukaichi-shi
Hiroshima Castle, sometimes called Carp Castle, was the home of the daimyō (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima han (fief). The original castle dates back to the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original that now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history before World War II. After the abolition of the feudal system during the Meiji Restoration (1869), the castle came to serve as a military facility, and the Imperial General Headquarters was based there during the First Sino-Japanese War. The castle can be accessed by Light Rail Line 1,2 and 6 at Kamiyacho-nishi Station.
The Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum is an art museum founded in 1968. Its collection has over 3500 art works associated specifically with Hiroshima prefecture. Other Japanese and East Asian art crafts and works from the 20s and 30s are also featured.
Shukkei-en is a Japanese style garden with a long history. Construction of the garden began in 1620 during the Edo period at the order of Asano Nagaakira, daimyo of the Hiroshima han. Since the Meiji period, the garden served as the villa of the Asano family. During the nuclear attack in 1945, Shukkei-en suffered extensive damage, and then became a refuge for victims of the war. After renovations, it reopened in 1951.
Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" torii gate. The shrine complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The very first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century and the present shrine dates to the mid-16th century. The shrine was designed and built on pier-like structures over the bay so that it would appear to be floating on the water. The dramatic gate, or torii, of Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions, and the most recognizable and celebrated feature of the Itsukushima island.
