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A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Beijing, China by TravelPod blogger Jlynnw titled “Site Seeing: Summer Palace” Jlynnw’s travel blog entry: “The Summer Palace: “Emperor Qianlong commissioned this giant royal retreat for his mother’s 60th birthday in 1750.” (Fodor’s Beijing Travel Guide) “Nowadays, the place is undoubtedly romantic. Pagodas and temples perch on hillsides; rowboats dip under arched stone bridges; and willow branches brush the water. The greenery provides a welcome relief from the loud, bustinling city. It’s also a fabulous history lesson. You can see first-hand the results of corruption: the opulence here was bought with siphoned money [funds were taken from China's naval budget for building and renovations]. (Fodor’s Beijing Travel Guide) “Royalty took refuge here from the insufferable summer heat that roasted the Forbidden City.” (Lonely Planet Travel Guide)” Read and see more at: www.travelpod.com Photos from this trip: 1. “Loving the Summer Palace!!” 2. “Amazing Architecture” 3. “Beautiful Scenery” 4. “Water Courtyards” 5. “Incredible Landscape” 6. “Intricate Detail” 7. “Intricate Detail 2″ 8. “A Show at the Summer Palace” See this TripWow and more at tripwow.tripadvisor.com
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Macau, China by TravelPod blogger Ana.k titled “The Vegas of the East?” Ana.k’s travel blog entry: “what were we expecting? portuguese influences abound, in the architecture, food, and culture; and of course, casinos. this was the “vegas of the east”, after all. what did we find? one unesco world heritage site designated square and a tiny smattering of casinos that conjured reno, more than vegas. honestly, macau was slightly disappointing. maybe more for jesse (who’s seen some impressive spanish influenced colonial style architecture in central and south america) than myself, but macau wasn’t much beyond the whimsy of our hostel and its cheeky balcony overlooking the former red light district, and some views from the hill on which a former army barracks sits. the world heritage designated square was, on our first day, PACKED and overflowing with tourists. we weren’t sure if this was the norm, or if we were there on some national holiday we’d been unaware of (it ended up being a holiday). the buildings here were, in their pastel colors and portuguese architecture, undoubtedly cheeky (this being china, after all), and the greatest remaining colonial structure, the facade of the church of st. paul, was, at least to me, somewhat impressive. this facade led to some significant religious relic and crypt which we didn’t bother with. We instead wandered uphill which Jesse figured would reward us with views overlooking the city …
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