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Tag: historic sites

  • China’s Best Temples – Historic Tourist Sites in Asia

    Don’t make The Great Wall and The Terracotta Museum the only historic stops on your Chinese vacation. The country’s beautiful temples also shouldn’t be missed. China has so many temples you’d be hard pressed to see them all, but the following sites should make any tourist’s itinerary.

    Lingyin Temple, or Temple of the Soul’s Retreat, in Hangzhou is the largest temple in China. This tranquil spot also houses one of the country’s largest statues of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, and a massive collection of Buddhist relics. Due to its size it can become very crowded during peak season, so be prepared to jostle your way through its many halls. Admission costs 30 yuan, or a little less than $5 US.

    Beijing’s Temple of Heaven is one of the Chinese capitals most recognizable sites, as its image appears in many of the city’s tourist brochures and postcards. Most folks admiring the architecture don’t realize that the buildings actually had a more important historic purpose. Ancient Ming and Qing emperors would come here to offer sacrifices and pray for plentiful harvests. The complex is three times the size of the famous Forbidden City, so you can easily spend a whole day here, especially if you’re spending a lot of time snapping photos of its magnificent architecture. Admission costs 35 yuan, or a little more than $5 US, although you can save money with a grounds-only ticket for 15 yuan. Personally I think this is a time where it pays to spend a bit extra for the experience.

    The Temple of Heaven, Beijing
    The Temple of Heaven, Beijing

    The Three Pagodas at Dali are the last remaining remnants of the former Chongsheng Temple. The tiered towers stand between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. They’re beautiful, but once you’ve seen them you’ll be quickly satisfied. At around 120 yuan, or $18, entrance to the site is comparatively expensive. A smarter option is to spend a couple of extra dollars and see the Three Pagodas as part of a walking tour of Dali.

    No doubt any Asian vacation will include much time spent taking in temples, but the historic buildings in China are still not to be missed.

    [Image Source: Fang Guo/Flickr]

  • Remember Mahatma Gandhi at India’s Free Museums

    While vacationing in India, it’s worth paying tribute to the “Father of the Nation,” the country’s peace-loving leader Mahatma Gandhi.

    Stop for a moment in Delhi to pay your respects at Gandhi Smriti, the site of Gandhi’s assassination. Gandhi lived here from September 1947 until his untimely death in January 1948. It’s free to step inside and view his few personal effects, the prayer ground where he led a congregation every evening, and the statues and paintings created to honor his memory.

    Nearby Raj Ghat is Gandhi’s final resting place. A headstone with his last words, “Hey Ram,” or “Oh God” marks Gandhi’s cremated remains, along with a flame which burns eternally. Major ceremonies to remember Gandhi take place here on his birthday, October 2, and January 30, the day of his death and Martyr’s Day. If you can’t time your visit for one of these dates, you can attend the one of the ceremonies held every Friday.

    Across the road from the memorial you’ll find The Gandhi Memorial Museum. This free museum houses many key artifacts, including the gun and bullets used during Gandhi’s assassination, the shawl and dhoti he wore during his last moments, and one of his walking sticks. In addition to the museum’s permanent collection, it also showcases traveling exhibitions concerning India’s history and peace movements.

    Mani Bhavan in Mumbai is another fantastic free museum for Gandhi enthusiasts. Gandhi stayed in this historic building whenever he visited Mumbai between 1917 and 1934. See the room where he slept, and the terrace where he was arrested for sedition in 1932.

    Mahatma Gandhi may be gone, but so long as tourists continue to visit these important Indian museums and sites he’ll never be forgotten.

  • The Rocks Self-Guided Walking Tour – Discover Sydney’s Historic Heart

    Sydney vacation companies offer plenty of tours designed to introduce you to New South Wales’ capital.

    While these excursions are informative and entertaining, they're also costly. So why not save your dollars in Sydney and enjoy a self-guided tour instead? One of the best places for exploring is The Rocks, a district regarded as the birthplace of modern Australia. Captain Arthur Phillip landed here in 1788, and it's been growing ever since. Happily though, the area celebrates its heritage with historic buildings which remember its past. Circular Quay is an easy place to start your journey. It has bus stops, a train station, and ferry wharf, so it's one of the most accessible places in Sydney. The iconic sights of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge let you know you're in the right spot. Travel north past the Museum of Contemporary Art to the first historic building on our tour, Cadman's Cottage. Cadman's Cottage is one of Australia's oldest surviving buildings. It was originally built in 1816 to house the state governor's coxswain and crew, but today is home to the National Parks and Wildlife Service Information Center. You can visit for free every day except Mondays, Christmas, and Good Friday. Across the road from the Overseas Passenger Terminal you'll see a row of warehouses. Today they're office spaces and restaurants, so it's amazing to think they too were built in colonial times. You'll see some steps which will take you to the main area of The Rocks. Head west on Argyle Street and you'll find The Rocks Center, a great source of information about The Rocks and the rest of Sydney. If you're not sure what to do while you're in the city, this is the place to come. If you continue along Argyle you’ll come to the Argyle Cut, a deep rock cutting through sandstone which offers access to Darling Harbour and Millers Point. It's amazing to think that convicts did the bulk of this work with only chisels and hammers in 1843. Explosives finished the job in 1867. At the turn of the 20th century it was a popular hangout for gangsters and lowlifes, but it’s happily been cleaned up since then! Continue on to The Garrison Church, located at the corner of Argyle Street and Lower Fort Road. It began its life in 1840 as a military church, and plaques hanging on the walls remind us of this history. [caption id="attachment_5280" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Argyle Cut at Night"]Argyle Cut at Night[/caption] After all that walking you're probably tired and a bit thirsty. So why not do as the locals do and enjoy a schooner of beer at the Hero of Waterloo Hotel. The convict-built Irish pub has been one of Sydney's most popular watering holes since 1843. Local drops including Tooheys New, Carlton Draught, and James Squire go down easy, so this hotel is a great place to end your Rocks walking tour!

    [Image Source: Angus Fraser/Flickr]