Monday, September 15, 2014

Day 3 – A steps with Buddha birthplace


We will visit Lumbini park with a walking tour starting from Ashoka Pillar in Mayadevi temple where the Buddha’s birth place was identified at the holy stone. This is a very special place where Buddhist monk chanting below the Bodhi trees surrounding the holy place.

















Then we walk into the each country Buddhism’s house where we walk from the east where the Chinese, Korea, Germany, Vietnam was located. The German stupa is the most amazing architecture that most observe.

Korean Monastery at Lumbini
Chinese Monastery at Lumbini
Birthplace of Load Buddha
Japan Monastery at Lumbini
Thai Monastery at Lumbini
Myanmmar Monatery at lumbini















Then we have lunch at a local stall located inside the park between east and west parks. Then the final stretch of west park locate the house of Myanmar, Laos & Thailand.

Spending a day in Lumbini is more than enough as there are nothing much unless individual intent to study Buddhism at Lumbini. Enjoying drink and meal near our Razul Guesthouse and manage to get a bus ticket to pokhara for 800 rupee.

-Next Day-

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Day 2 – Journey to Lumbini


Today is our long journey from Kathmandu to Lumbini for 10 hours on the short mini bus. We reach Lumbini at 5pm and the dark fall very early at Nepal around 6 something.

















We manage to get a guesthouse name Rasul for 500 rupee per night for 3 person with shared bathroom and fan. Water & Electricity at Nepal is not available 24 hours which some tourist may not be comfortable.
















By the way the room is really basic and the shared bathroom is not very satisfactory as well. Do not expect much from the guesthouse below 1000 rupee.

-Next Day-

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Nepal Expedition – Beginner trekker a taste of Nepal’s trek

Day 1 – Reaching Kathmandu We are on our way for an exciting Nepal journey to experience the beautiful Himalayan Mountains. The flight from KL with Airasia at 11:50am reaching Kathmandu at 2pm local time and the flight took about 4 hours. We booked Sacred Valley Inn and they have a pickup at the airport. Then we check in and walk around Kathmandu’s Thamel area for bus tickets and trekking trips. There are many shops selling mountain trekking gears and we are so excited with the mountain gears.

We explore few travel agencies for bus tickets and finally got a Lumbini ticket with 1000 rupee.









This agency’s boss name Krishna is a very nice man where he met us at the hotel and escorts us to the bus stop with his motorbike the next day.

-Next Day-

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Shanghai walking day tour for city attraction

Finally I manage to visit China for the third time after Chengdu and Guangxi, which is Shanghai. It is a business trips and I only have a day to visit Shanghai top attraction. I have designed an walking tours for a day at Shanghai covering 4 areas.



I arrive at Shanghai at 6:30am and taking the METRO train from Pudong International Airport at around 7:30am to East Nanjing station with Line 2 where the Shanghai Bund located.

I planned to stay around Shanghai Bund for the convenience of attraction area. I walked to about 15 minutes to Elegance Bund Hotel located at Guangdong Road towards the Bund. After the check in process and I start my walking tours at around 10:00am.



I divided the walking tours into 5 session eg Shanghai Bund, Nanjing East, Xindianti, Yuyuan garden and Oriental Tower. I started my first session of my walk to Shanghai Bund which is along the river where there are beautiful scenery of the business district of Oriental Tower, Financial Tower & new Shanghai Tower.
At shanghai bund there are row of heritage building occupied by banks.
This is the best spot of beautiful scenery at Shanghai and I really love it very much especially the night view as well when I revisit later in the evening. Then walking towards the Shanghai sightseeing tunnel and enjoying the bund promenade for about 45 minutes before heading to Nanjing east road.





Then the second session is just across the Shanghai tunnel where the Nanjing east road located. I walked along the Nanjing east road for about another 45 minutes to people square without any shopping. It is just a photograph session along the road. Please beware of shanghai scams where there are people asking you for massage etc.  This is a road of shopping street like orchard road at Singapore and Bukit Bintang at Kuala Lumpur. I don’t really fancy shopping and nothing to shout about.





I took the metro train line 1 at 11:30am from people square to south huangpi station for RMB3 to start my 3rd session of Xindianti. The station is not good and without good signage and I got disoriented on the Xindianti location. Remember to bring along the Shanghai free map to identify the road as all the road are show in English as well. I walked towards the Xindianti and the French old town for about 10 minutes. The Xindianti is a street full of restaurants located along the French heritage building. I just spend another 45 minutes around this area before having my lunch at a local stall near to the Xindianti station.



After lunch, I took the metro train line 10 from Xindianti to Yuyuan Garden for another RMB3 at around 1pm. I walked along the Yuyuan garden for my 4th sessions which do not have much at the garden but the main highlight is the Yuyuan tourist mart where the mart located along the amazing Chinese design building and also lots of Shanghai traditional gifts are all sale at this area. I spend around 1 hour with a drink break at the mart.



Then walked back to the Yuyuan station and continue my last session at 2:30pm to oriental tower via line 2 to Lujiazui station. Once you walk out from the station then you will experience the closest of Shanghai Oriental tower. There is a round pedestrian’s bridge that people can enjoy the tower view.



The walking tour took around 6 hours which ended at 3:30pm. I went back to the hotel via metro train at Nanjing east station.
I rest for about an hour before going back to Shanghai Bund promenande to enjoy the night view as the skyline get dark around 5pm before heading back to Yuyuan tourist mart again for some souvenirs.