Moon Lake Natural Landscape

Moon Lake is a large natural lake which was enlarged by an earth filled dam in 1938. It is located on the south slope of the Uintas. It is an impoundment of the Lake Fork Creek and Brown Duck Creek which are typical of many rivers that drain the south slopes in valleys carved by Moon Lake is a large natural lake which was enlarged by an earth filled dam in 1938. It is located on the south slope of the Uintas. It is an impoundment of the Lake Fork Creek and Brown Duck Creek which are typical of many rivers that drain the south slopes in valleys carved by glacial meltwaters. The dam was built by the Bureau of Reclamation, using federal funds to subsidize agriculture in the Uinta Basin. The reservoir is a popular access to the High Uintas Wilderness Area, which surrounds the northern half of the lake and encompasses much of the watershed.

Moon Lake In China

Moon Lake is accessible from Mountain Home in the Uinta Basin (north of Duchesne). Go north out of
Mountain Home across the Indian Reservation. The road turns to gravel just past Mountain Home, but is paved after it enters the National Forest. This road leads directly to the reservoir, which is about 15 miles northwest of Mountain Home. Fishing, boating, swimming, camping, picnicking, and water skiing are all popular. There is an unimproved public boat ramp at the lake. Care must be taken when attempting to launch a boat because of the sandy nature of the beach area. Vehicles can quickly sink into the sandy base so exercise caution and utilized metal ramp pads if they available. Moon Lake Campground, a USFS facility, has 57 campsites, toilets, and picnic areas.

Watershed Description
Moon Lake is an located on the Lake Fork River in its deep glacial valley on the south slope of the High Uintas. The valley is 0.5 miles wide and up to 2,000 feet deep, with slopes of 50 - 100%. It is narrow and deep, the result of tens of square miles of glaciers all flowing out the Lake Fork. This valley is morphologically similar to many others along the south slope, including the Duchesne River, Rock Creek, the Yellowstone River and the Uinta River. The valley walls are thickly forested, and beyond the midway point of the lake are permanently protected as part of the High Uintas Wilderness.

The watershed includes about 80 square miles of the Uintas, stretching from the reservoir to the ridgeline. Much of the area is made up of forested areas interspersed with lakes and meadows. These areas are where glaciers left uneven terrain as they flowed, and deposited piles of moraine when they melted. The glaciated area is interdigitated with the barren ridges that were not scoured by glaciers. The Lake Fork valley is at 8,000 feet elevation at Moon Lake, while the forests are at 9,000 to 11,000 feet in elevation, and the mountains are up to 13,000 feet elevation. The watershed high point, Mt. Lovenia, is 4,029 m (13,219 ft) above sea level, thereby developing a complex slope of 8% to the reservoir. The average stream gradient is 5% (265 feet per mile). The watershed is made up of high mountains with abundant rock outcroppings. The soil associations that compose the watershed are listed in Appendix III.

The vegetation communities consist of pine, aspen, spruce-fir, and alpine tundra. The watershed receives 51 -
64 cm (20 - 25 inches) of precipitation annually. The frostfree season around the reservoir is 0 - 20 days per year. Land use is as follows 95% wilderness, which includes recreation and allotment grazing by sheep and
cattle. Of the remaining 5%, 3% is multiple use and 2% is concentrated recreation.

The water quality of Moon Lake is very good. It is considered to be very soft with a hardness concentration
value of approximately 10.1 mg/L (CaCO3). Although there are no overall water column concentrations that
exceed State water quality standards, there are reported exceedences on a rare occasion at specific points in the lake. These include occasion elevations of pH or total phosphorus concentrations.

The lake does stratify but it appears to be a weak stratification with a general decline in temperatures
throughout the water column as depicted in the August 21, 1991 profile.. Stratification may be stronger and more pronounced at other times during the season, however, data is not available during those times to document it. Current data suggest that the reservoir is currently a nitrogen limited system with fairly low concentration of nutrients present. TSI values indicate the reservoir is oligotrophic in a state of low productivity. During 1989 productivity data indicates that the reservoir was in a state of mesotrophy. The parameter that has skewed the data is the transparency which appears abnormally low. It appears that in August of 1991 there was a significant algal bloom which effected the evaluation. It is therefore apparent that overall the reservoir is probably oligotrophic, it is capable of moderate productivity on a limited basis.

Ancient City Walls in Xi'an, Shaanxi China

Ancient City Wall Since its founding in the 2nd century B.C, Antalya has had a continuous history. The ancient walls flank the city and other sections of the walls are still standing near the marina. Chinese history, the invention of the city wall is attributed to a semi-mythological sage; in this case, to Xia Dynasty leader Gun , the father of Yu the Great. It is said that Gun built the inner wall to defend the prince, and the outer wall to settle the people. An alternative theory attributes the first city wall to the Yellow Emperor. A number of neolithic-period walls surrounding substantial settlements have been excavated in recent years. These include a supposed wall at a Liangzhu culture site, a stone wall at Sanxingdui, and several tamped earth walls at the Longshan culture site.

Ancient City Wall

 Ancient City Wall after its enlargement in the Ming Dynasty, stands 12 meters high. It is 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom, and 13.7 kilometers in length. There is a rampart every 120 meters. The ramparts are towers that extend out from the main wall. The ramparts were built to allow soldiers to see enemies trying to climb the wall. The distance between the ramparts is within the range of arrows fired from either side. This allowed soldiers to protect the entire wall without exposing themselves to the enemy.

Ancient City Walls

The Ancient City Walls construction of city walls grew to a peak in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. Sophisticated construction techniques meant that major city walls, such as that in the capitals Beijing and Nanjing, were specifically built to withstand cannonfire. However, with the advent of modern Western firearms, traditional fortifications began to lose their defensive functions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The traditional city wall also proved an obstacle to efficient trade and intercourse. For example, the city wall of Shanghai, built to repel Wokou raiders in the Ming dynasty, was almost completely demolished after the Xinhai Revolution at the request of the city's merchant community.

Ancient City Wall

After the founding of the People Republic of China, a political dimension was added to the economic problem posed by city walls. In Beijing, for example, the proposed demolition of the city walls was at first opposed by experts ranging from architect Liang Sicheng, to Soviet advisor Mosin, on the grounds that the city walls of Beijing were the most sophisticated and well-preserved system of city walls in China. However, in 1958 Mao Zedong intervened, and declared that the demolition of the old city wall was a political issue.

Chinese Acrobatic Show at The Shanghai Centre

Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre

Shanghai Centre

For many first-time visitors to China, one of the things on the “must see” list is a Chinese Acrobatic Show. It ranks right up there with climbing the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City, and strolling along the Bund. Thus it’s no surprise that the famous Huangpu Sensation Acrobatic show at Shanghai Centre Theatre has been packed to capacity ever since its debut in 2005. Performances almost every night of the week are filled with tourists from Japan, France, Germany, USA, and practically every other part of the world, all ooh’ing and aaaw’ing as they watch the breath-taking feats up on stage.

No matter how much of a China veteran you are, it’s hard not to be impressed every time you see the incredible skill these people possess, whether it’s the tiny young contortionists twisting themselves into pretzels, though still powerful enough to balance on a single arm, or the tumblers jumping effortlessly through moving hoops barely bigger than their bodies. Plate spinning, juggling huge ceramic vases, balancing stacks of champagne glasses on their foreheads while balanced on stilts, catapulting high in the air – whatever the challenge, they make it look easy. But the reality, of course, is that it’s anything but… as I soon learned, myself.

Recently, inspired by a trip to see Huangpu Sensation, I ventured over to the Shanghai Circus World to watch the acrobats in their daily training. A pair of white tigers sat gazing out from their cages lazily, and a pony trotted past as I entered the gate. The performers look quite different here, in their worn-out exercise clothes, with tape around their wrists, sweating and grunting, as opposed to onstage, in sparkling costumes with beaming smiles. The young contortionists are balancing in handstands on small benches, each with a wristwatch lying directly under her eyes to count the time. They must balance like this for up to ten minutes at a time, for several hours a day. On the opposite side of the circus-ring-like practice area, a group of guys are catapulting each other 25 feet in the air, doing flips and landing on a soft mat.

Chinese Acrobatic Show

 It took a lot of convincing, but eventually I was allowed to give it a try. I should note at this point that I’m not just a journalist, but also a yoga teacher, and have studied Shaolin Martial Arts, so I’m not your average couch potato by any means. But then, I’m not quite ready for Cirque du Soleil, either, as evidenced by the amount of sweat pouring from my body as I practice handstands, and the debacle I make of juggling as the plate spinners on the other side of the room laugh at me.

The training at Shanghai Circus School is so harsh that many of the students give up before they ever make it onto the stage. One of those who didn’t give up is Shen Si Si. If you’ve ever been to see Huangpu Sensation, you might have met her. She’s the one soaring around in a mid-air dance, hanging precariously from a long piece of red silk, or the arm of her partner. When I ask what inspired her to become an acrobat, she says she first saw acrobatics on television as a child, and it looked like an interesting challenge. At age 7, she was already studying several styles of dance. By age 9, she was a member of the Shanghai Circus School. For the next seven years, she would wake up at 6am and practice until night, stopping only for meals and study breaks (the circus academy students have three school lessons per day).

Chinese Acrobatic Show

 “At first it was so difficult, especially the basic training exercises,” she recalls of the handstands and Chinese Kung Fu-style training that each student must master before even starting to practice their true acrobatic skills. “I almost gave up many times, but in the end I just stuck to it.” Si Si has been a plate spinner, a hoola-hooper, and an adagio performer (a form of partner acrobatics that requires pinpoint precision balance), traveling with the acrobatics troupe all around the world. Her life is much easier now than when she was a student. She trains only three hours a day, and performs almost every night. But at age 23, she’s  Newsalready facing retirement in a few years. “I’d like to become an acrobatics teacher,” she says.

I ask if she’s ever been injured before, and she nods. “I’ve hurt myself many times in training, but nothing too serious. I’ve never fallen during a performance. By the time you perform on stage, you know your routine so well it’s hard to make a mistake, though my first time on stage I was really nervous!” She says she still gets a thrill from the audience applause, even now. And enjoys the invitations to sign autographs and take photos after each show. One day I walk with the young contortionists from their dormitory to the Shanghai Centre Theater for a dress rehearsal. It’s interesting to see them acting like any other little girls for a while, giggling and running off to buy sweets when the teacher isn’t looking. But once they’re in costume and make-up, it’s all seriousness. They run through the routine and make a refinement of a few small details.

The Huangpu Sensation is something of a work-in-progress – it’s constantly changing and evolving, bringing in new acts and performances that are carefully guarded trade secrets. Before the show begins, Si Si and I say goodbye and make a promise to stay in touch and practice partner acrobatics together. For now, don’t expect to see me up on stage at Huangpu Sensation any time soon. But just maybe, one day…

Bangaram Islang and Bangaram Beach India Best Getaways in The World

Lakshadweep are a string of little known islands, lying 200 or so miles off the Kerala coast. The ‘Jewel Of The Lakshadweep’ is Bangaram Island, which hosts a back to nature eco-friendly resort, a breathtaking spectacle of sparkling coral reefs, turquoise blue lagoons, silvery beaches and lush green coconut palms.
Bangaram Island has been ranked among the best getaways in the world. A beautiful and breathtaking island in the Arabian Sea, Bangaram is surrounded by a shallow lagoon of crystal clear water enclosed by a fabulous coral reef. The resort has 60 simple but comfortable beach cottages. Within the vast lagoon and 120 acres of lush coconut groves at Bangaram you may discover graceful fish, porcupines, parrots, hermit crabs and seabirds.

As a diving location, the virgin reefs of Bangaram Beach and other islands have been ranked by many of the world's experienced divers as being among the best anywhere. A wellequipped and professionally manned Scuba Diving facility is available at Bangaram Island by the highly respected Lacadives Diving Team .
Many ancient shipwrecks are yet to be discovered since the reefs aren't even fully explored yet. Manta rays, Eagle Rays, Moray Eels and Hawksbill Turtles are common. Diving courses and lagoon diving are offered for beginners. Diving sites are off the reefs and are reached by boat. Diving is permitted only within safe depths around 30 meters. Visitors can avail of a decompression chamber, except from 15 May to 15 September.

Bangaram Beach

Bangaram Island Beach in Coral reefs, which are known for rich biological diversity and productivity, are being threatened throughout the world by various natural and anthropogenic activities. The present study concentrates on establishing methodology to zone the geo-morphological and ecological zones of the Bangaram reef (of atoll type), Lakshadweep islands, using remotely sensed data and adequately supported by field data. Classification system has been evolved to zone the reefs. Comparative studies have also been carried out using image processing techniques in order to establish the suitable technique for studying the Indian reefs. The IRS LISS III images representing three different tidal conditions of the period 1998-2000 were analyzed.

Bangaram Island and Beach

The unsupervised classification of both the raw images as well as principal component images gave similar information. The classified product was subjected to contextual editing. Misclassification among various classes was found to increase with the increase in the depth of the water column present over the reef. The zones identified on the image are central deep lagoon, reef knolls (rising steeply from the central deep lagoon floor), reef edge, reef platform, coralline shelf, broad shallow sandy-bottomed lagoon, beach and two islets. The zonation has helped in getting information on the presence of live corals on the Bangaram reef. This kind of study is a valuable input in assessing the health of the reefs and its diversity.

For deep sea big game fishing, Bangaram is an ideal location. Record size Barracuda, Sailfish, Yellowfin, Travelly and Wahoo have often been landed. Local boats are available here for rent with experienced crew. Serious anglers are advised to bring their own equipment.

Bangaram Islan Or Bangaram Beach of the northern group of Lakshadweep islands lies northeastwards of the Agatti island. It has an extensive lagoon (10.6 km in size), two islands (Bangaram and Tinnakara) and two islets northeast of Tinnakara (Parali I & Parali II). The reef is steep on northern and eastern sides. About eight species of corals are recorded here, dominant of which are Porites, Acropora, Favia and Favites (based on ground observations). Seaweeds such as Caulerpa sertularioides, Halimeda, Hypnea valentiae, Champia, Ulva fasciata, Enteromorpha, Chaetomorpha and Cladophora are dominant in the Bangaram reef (.based on ground observations). Seagrass Cymodocea rotundata inhabits the lagoonal region. The most conspicuous
feature of Bangaram reef is the presence of a number of coral knolls in the lagoonal regions.

National Folk Museum Seoul Korea Most Popular Tourism

National Folk Museum shows the legacies of Korean culture and history. The National Folk Museum at Cregneash provides a living, working illustration of life in a typical 19th century Manx upland crofting community. Nestling under Meayll Hill and overlooking the Calf of Man, Cregneash is isolated from the rest of the Island and at the beginning of the 20th century was one of the last strongholds of the traditional customs, crafts and skills which characterised the Manx Crofter’s way of life.

National Folk Museum

The village now forms a centre for traditional farming practices and skills. Visitors can see the fields being worked with horse-drawn equipment, thatching of the roofs, dying of wool, spinning, weaving, wood-turning, black-smithing and a range of skills in the growing and preparation of food.

Admission to the National Folk Museum is by ticket only which provides entry to a wide variety of buildings throughout the village including the famous Harry Kelly’s Cottage. Regrettably, The National Folk Museum is not open during the winter months or after 17.00 unless by special arrangement for a private evening tour.

National Folk Museum

Admission to the National Folk Museum is by ticket only which provides entry to a wide variety of buildings, The National Folk Museum is not open during the winter months or after 17.00 unless by special arrangement for a private evening tour.  The National Folk Museum at Cregneash is accessible to wheelchair users, although the area above Cummal Beg is not accessible.

Visitor Information

For safety reasons, visitors are asked to take special care whilst visiting the National Folk Museum. Visitors are asked to wear suitable footwear and keep to defined routes as surfaces may be worn, uneven or slippery. Children should be kept under close supervision at all times.
Lavatories are available within the complex.
Photography and filming (for personal use only) and use of mobile phones is permitted.
Souvenirs and guidebooks are available to purchase at the Cummal Beg Shop.
Picnics can be enjoyed at the National Folk Museum.

Family Vacation or Couples Retreat onboard Carnival Legend

Courtesy of Laura Hernandez

Let's go today on an imaginary cruise trip on board of Carnival Legend. You probably had read many cruise reviews, the good and the bad. I just want to share a different point of view experience to help you decide when you're going to book your next Family Cruise Vacation and add it to your book of amazing memories.

Carnival Cruise Line Rights Reserved

Carnival Cruise Line Rights Reserved

Carnival Legend has a total of 1,062 staterooms, with a capacity of 2,124 passengers. You can enjoy yourself on an adult-only retreat aboard Carnival Legend at Serenity.

Whether you're feeling lucky (Club Merlin Casino), want to chill and chat with your friends at Carnival Legend Atlantis Lounge, listen to live music, sit back and enjoy a show or splash and slide on Carnival Legend Twister Water slide, there will be an activity for you and your family members.

Carnival Cruise Line Rights Reserved

Carnival's fleet has Camp Carnival for ages between 2 and 11, Circle C for ages 12-14 and Club O2 for ages 15-17. There is a place for everyone. As a mother of 3, it's very important having activities for every Family Member. That's why I love Carnival's "Youth Experience" and while they are busy in their respective activities, my husband and I can have a time for ourselves.  Cruising is one of the best vacations we can have, everyone gets attention and at the same time we spend time together. For couples is a terrific vacation too. This pictures were taken by one of my clients, and definitively she enjoyed the beauty of every sunset on the ship.

     



Courtesy of Laura Hernandez



Courtesy of Laura Hernandez



I hope you have enjoyed this imaginary cruise trip enough to encourage you to act now and plan your next Family Vacation. For ideas, itineraries or prices contact us via phone or email. Nothing will be better than help you to customize your dreamed vacations.

Leila Reyes

Family Travel Specialist

lrtravel@live.com

817-554-3346

China tourism, Hongkong Tourism, India touruism, South Korea Tourism, Vietnam Tourism, Japan Tourism

Singapore Tour – Explore Its Unique and Favorite Attractions

Singapore vacation is an ideal vacation to experience something different for world class natural wonders and picturesque beaches. Singapore is a tropical country which welcomes you all year round to this small island for great vacations. The most unique part as you visit to this wonderful place is that it takes less than hour to travel from place to place. Thus less time is spent on traveling and you can save more time for sightseeing. Singapore is declared as the most charming and fascinating countries in the Asia. This beautiful island of Singapore is home to some best attractions and fabulous destinations which will make you fall in love again and again.

Some of the attractions and destinations which will truly amaze you which boost the tourism in Singapore are listed below:

Jurong Bird Park

This Bird Park in Singapore is very famous and the best attractions to visit and explore as you are in Singapore. This Bird Park in Singapore is located on the Western slope of Jurong hill within Boon Lay Planning Area of the Jurong district having and area of 202,000 square meters. This bird park is home to over 9000 birds of 600 species. This not lonely famous and visited by the tourists here but it is very famous among the local people also. So on your tour to Singapore never miss the opportunity to visit this Bird Sanctuary.

Sultan Mosque

This Mosque is located at Muscat Street on North Bridge Road is one of the most wonderful and the oldest mosque in Singapore. This beautiful mosque was built in the year about 1824. The mosque again was rebuilt in the year 1928 which reveals an interesting mix of Middle Eastern and Moorish influences. The prayer hall and domes are the major part of this mosque and truly elates the visitor’s heart here.

Little India

Little India is located on the Along Serangoon Road which is also one of the most visited tourist attractions from the entire world. The tourist who is not able to visit India or just taste beautiful India can visit to this beautiful place in Singapore and feels like India here. This small place is dotted with some small and splendor Hindu temples, Sikh Gurudwara, Mosque and many amazing small stalls and shops selling goods at reasonable price. Apart from this place is very famous for cheap lodging and species of delicious foods. This place in Singapore is one highly acclaimed tourist destinations.

Sentosa Island

This is an ideal gateway for fun filled holidays in Singapore. Sentosa Island the crowning glory of Singapore Tourism is the dream destinations for the visitors who come to enjoy their vacations from every nook and corner of the world. This iconic attraction is a place for fun, excitement where the tourists can experience the superb blend of leisure and recreational activities here. The attractions which truly are out of this world in Sentosa are Sentosa Luge and Skyride, Fort Siliso, Dolphin Lagoon, Merlion Statue and the sandy beaches which truly entice the visitors of all the ages here. Apart from all these there are many other tourist attractions in this Island and in Singapore which are very worth to visit and explore.

So, visit Singapore and enjoy your vacations in a unique and memorable way.

Rama Shankar is an eminent analyst and writer in Travel & Tours related topics. He has authored many books on Singapore Night Safari and Sentosa Island. Find more information at http://www.singaporetourism.org.in/.

Seven Star Park Amazing Landscape in Guilin China

Seven Star scenic in the east coast of Li River, an area of 120 hectares, is Guilin's largest and most concentrated and comprehensive views of the park. Looking east in the liberation of the bridge can be seen from the peak of Putuo Mountain and Crescent Hill Sanfeng four composed of seven peaks, the arrangement of the layout just like the Big Dipper, general Qixingshan, parks hence the name. Park mountain scenery, clear water, stone Lin Qijun, deep caves, unique charm, gather the mountain, water, cave, stone, garden, plants and animals, cultural and other extracts, the main landscape Flower Bridge, Putuo Mountain, Seven Star Crags , hump, Crescent Mountain, Hidden Dragon Cave, Guangxi sea Beilin, “China Light" Square, is the tourists must visit.

Flower Bridge is the oldest bridge in Guiling, built during Song Dynasty

  
Guilin Huaqiao is the oldest bridge, built in the Song Jia Xi years. It is located in the park main entrance, across the East River and the spirit of the sword in the small stream above the confluence of a total length of 135 meters. Promenade deck there is rain, Qiaoting cover green glazed tiles, the bridge as a rock, with a strong national flavor. Annual spring and summer, flowers bloom, flowers, bridges cross planted peach, bamboo, small bridges cover hidden in the “full stream stream to spend half the water", it Huaqiao hence the name.

The pier was rebuilt in 1965, according to the original style of the four-hole bridge, bluestone of the puzzle. Under the bridge, the bridge opening with four semi-circular reflection in the water to form four jade plate, shaped like a full moon, as the “four-wheel-moon with hibiscus, half into the Chengjiang half of the Rainbow" in the poem Ode to the “Huaqiao Hong Ying" in views.

Camel Hill inside Seven Star Park

Putuo Mountain is a scenic area of the main seven. The northwest by the Qixingshan Tianshu, Tianxuan, DNT, the right to four days, the peak component. 265 meters above sea level, because the mountain dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, vulgar called Putuo. Putuo Mountain landscape rich in caves, pavilions and a lot. Legend has it that the most famous of which, Pavilion Zeyi Qixia Pavilion, Bristol to build a virtual kiosk is particularly unique. The western feet of the mountain are per wind tunnel, the height of summer heat, but cool breeze here, from here north along the avenue near Laurel Putuo door, entry uphill.

Mount Putuo Stone Forest, Putuo House, Cave, Club and so many basaltic landscapes. Until the day the peak of stardom Pavilion Angeles, Tang Pavilion Jimu around, and can watch the Song Dynasty poet Liu Chong wrote, “Ye Qian Feng Wan Li, a stream of water hold the city," the magnificent scenery. Putuoshan many cultural relics, there are only 200 pieces of stone, the most valuable of the Tang dynasty Yen Chen's “Happy House" Song Fan Chengda's “virtual Bi Ming" Ming “Guiyi one" relief.

Qixingyan known Qixia tunnel, Bi virtual rock, located in the west side of Mount Putuo mountain. During the long years, the rain continued infiltration, dissolution of limestone, and crystallization in the cave, so the formation of a mix of stalactites, stone pillars, stalagmites, Shiman, stone flowers, and many magnificent Wonderful, interesting scenery, to be as the “fairy Dong Fu." Legend has it that the magnificent deep, spectacular scenery, the hole divided into three layers, the entire run length 814 meters. The middle for the tour is divided into 6-hole days, maximum width of 43 meters, the highest at 27 meters, the hole year round temperature maintained at 20 ?. From the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Legend has already become a tourist destination, have left many poems and inscriptions, the Ming Dynasty painter Zhang Wenxi called “First Cave", and engraved in the wall, and a viewing hole to visitors The first landscape.

Seven Star Crags, Sui and Tang to Song Dynasty, said Qixia hole. Guilin is a legend in the ancient sea, land and sea after the change, uplift and became today's Qixingyan hole, 100 million years ago, dissolution of limestone by rain water into the emulsion, and then condensation, over the formation of various shapes of tension that stone milk, stalagmites, pillars, Shiman varied and spectacular. Hole at the upper, middle and upper decks, the upper 10 meters above the middle, the lower the underground river.

Dragon Hidden Cave inside Seven Star Park

Tour the middle, run 820 meters inside the cave temperature about 20 ?. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, here to become a tourist attraction, the hole has Suikai Huang years (590 years) Qixia tunnel Tan and Tang Xianqing question moved four years (659 years) Anonymous full hole Qixia Xuan Xuan Inscription. Rock and stone steps from the rim, there to write the first Ming Zhang Wenxi Wonderland characters. Over Laojun Taiwan, rabbits gatekeepers, that is, white corridor. This smooth flat rock roof, stone walls white crystal, jade is a wall of snow for the city said. Move on, Kai lot, there are fairy drying nets, rice mountain, the sun monk robe. After a sand grab the lion attractions, is the song Sendai.

Legend of the White Horse Third Sister Liu Lang and her lover to Guilin Seven Star Crags, singing songs for three days and three nights, attracting a large audience, and later Third Sister to go, sorry to see the White Horse Lang, clasped her hands tightly, Third Sister in the Light from his ear, sing songs, go into an immortal stone, because the sound is very small, only one white Lang hear clearly, the only few have been handed down: Shao Pei, and the day off the ridge in the West. So long the heart of one of us friendship water samples long. Over Yunshan murals, to the square, where the highest concentration of attractions, Galaxy Magpie Bridge, climb down eighteen doll Lin, odd as caves, etc., see a visitor last scene is peach.

Crescent Hill is located south of Putuo Mountain, the south by the Qixingshan seven peaks
form, because there is a crescent of rock mountainside, overlooking the crescent as its name. Crescent House, Crescent Hill there, here a century-old vegetarian, the most famous nun face.
Trail along the foothills southwest of the line can be up to with the Moon, this view reflected in the clear Huaqiao the East River in a small, very poetic. Can reach further forward near crescent rock and Jin Jiang Court. South along the mountain will go to the Hidden Dragon Cave. Roof section on the dragon-shaped stone of natural meandering, hole books have “broken the fly", describe the dragon legends here for the straightening of the left vacated away “Dragon remains of" the ancients thus leave “thousands of set soar I do not know, has little Dragonscale open" the poem. Gui sea and the nearby Forest of Stone Tablets Hidden Dragon Cave inscriptions such as the
Dragon Yin Yan, so that “No End stone wall," it said Guihai Beilin. There are more than
220 pieces of stone steles, covering economic, military, cultural, and folk customs in various forms, there is poetry, prose, songs and poetry, couplets, images, etc. Books have Kai, grass, Li, seal, etc., with a very high historical value and appreciate the value of the art of calligraphy.

Camel Hill (hump mountain) is located in Putuo Mountain, its shape resembles a squatting camel. Because of its ancient jug like a, also called it for pot mountain. Ming dynasty Jiangnan reclusive celebrities here, over the kinds of peach. Each spring, peach flourish, flowers such as Hongxia one, as if to put on Camel Hill Red Xia, very beautiful scenery, the ancients called the
“hump red Xia," the landscape, Guilin, one of the top ten prospects. July 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton next to the bonsai in the mountains and the Chinese Folk Art Gallery are
within the environmental forum held after the camels on the lawn of Piedmont, made a speech
of environmental protection, and side hand side of a folding fan in Guilin, said and humor as “energy-saving air-conditioning."

"China Light" and the Crescent Hill Plaza is located between Mount Putuo, the total area of 13,520 square meters. It has two large works of art: First, the light of Chinese stone murals, length 106 meters, 5 meters high, a combination of more than 100 stone, set four great
inventions of ancient China, and other advanced scientific and technological achievements as
a graph, reflecting the the essence of Chinese civilization five thousand years; second century,
Baoding, and its 4.6 meters high, four feet held tripod, stand circular granite pedestal, the
symbol of peace and prosperity. Large tripod weighs 24 tons, is the whole piece of music with
a carved stone. Seven Star Park, these two works of art constitute a new landscape.

Singapore the Holiday Destinations Full Of Wonderments

Most of the places are know for their distinct features and attractions. Some are known for historical past, some for their bustling and modern progress, some for their heart grabbing attractions, some for their natural wonderments. Well but there is one such destination in Southeast Asia, which is the treasure trove of many natural wonderments, modern architectural magnificence, rich culture and traditions and much more. Singapore tourism is sure to adorn your holidays with memorable memories that you will love to cherish for a long time to go.

Singapore Tourism has great potential and offer tourist wonderful opportunity to enjoy memorable holidays exploring the wonderments that are truly incredible and unmatched. Some of the must visit attractions and destinations that are worth to visit and explore are Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, Singapore Zoological Garden, Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom, Army Museum of Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Place, National Museum of Singapore, Mint Museum of Toys, Singapore Discovery Museum, China Town, Geylang, Little India, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Chinese Garden, East Coast Park, Marina South City Park, Mount Faber, National Orchid Garden, Sungei Buloh Nature Park, etc. All these attractions are the treasure trove of Singapore that appeals thousands and hundreds of tourists from across the world.

Apart from all, Singapore is also famous for its rich culture and traditions, historical past, colorful fairs and festivals and much more. So plan your tour with the leading Singapore Tour Operator and explore the exciting tourist attractions in a delightful and memorable way. After all it is Singapore, where tourists attractions and the lively environments is sure to leave you spell bound.

Welcome to Singapore, and soak in the splendor which is beyond the visual and verbal descriptions.

Rama Shankar is an eminent analyst and writer in Travel & Tours related topics. He has authored many books on Tourism in Singapore and Singapore Tourism Map. Find more information at http://www.singaporetourism.org.in

Panda City Paradise Trip In Chengdu China

Visit Panda City In bejing China I'd been in China for over a week when the fully touristic part of the trip began. I visited my friend Sven in Shanghai and spent a couple days touring that city. Thanks to the newly opened bullet train line, I squeezed a one-day visit to Nanjing in before arriving in Wuhan for the Eight Annual International Conference on e Business, hosted at China University of Geosciences. On June 1 I left Wuhan and flew to Chengdu. The paper sessions really don't offer me much, so I wandered the grimy hillside across the main avenue from our ornate hotel. It didn't take long to find a place to get laundry done cheaply. And once again, I capped the visit with a place of long xia (“dragon shrimp”), a pile of spicy crayfish best eaten with plastic gloves and cold watery local beer.

Giant Panda

I'm in Chengdu just for fun. Mary is joining me tomorrow, and I've had two days to do reconnaisance
and planning. My neighbor on the flight from Wuhan was a 3rd year undergrad at Sichuan University.
She engaged me in conversation in both Chinese and English. That's the same year as the undergrads
I taught at C.U.G. In Wuhan last year. She offered to show me around town between her 2 pm and 7
pm classes, then the plan evolved into me sharing a cab into town, buying us both a fantastic lunch (mapo tofu and some river fish), and her helping me negotiate our upcoming 3 day bus tour to Mt. Emei. Then she was off to her early class and I was free for the day. Net-net, we had fine exchange of food for tuition, without any potentially awkward man/woman evening alone time. Nico is bright, blunt and almost arrogant.

She's flown around the country to visit friends and would like to live abroad but wants to return to her country. Her patriotism is refreshing and un-ironic. I showed her my pictures of the Nanjing memorial, she said “that's why we have to be strong”. When I hear my progressive friends in California imagining that China's rising educated generation is somehow seething at the yoke of oppression and aching for their own version of France's 1968 May days, I will see Nico's calm nod when I told her how moved I was by the mass grave in the Nanjing memorial.

There I booked our hotel for the two days after Mary's arrival. After a short walk, I found “Sakura”, a beautiful 24 hour bath house that serves both men and women. Got the details I needed for the mountain tour: the price is right but even the clerk who books the tours warned me that the food will be terrible. I will only love Chengdu the more, since dinner was a huge bowl of spicy broth with four fish and a bunch of bland cabbage-y vegetables. I asked the server for middle-spicy and thats' what I got. Interesting language note: people really do call out “fuwuyuan”, which is a respectful and gender-less word for server in many types of business. This is maybe a beneficial leftover from the days of Mao, although I've read that women's position in society has become less equal in the last two decades. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering. I went to a city park and sat with a one-dollar warmish beer.

Eventually I succumbed to the sales pitch of an itinerant acupuncturist/masseur. For $4 US, I got an
intensive 20 minutes chair massage including neck cracking and armpit and elbow point work. No
acupuncture, though, please. The guy had two bandages on his face and smelled like tobacco. As he
rolled my head into his paunch to crack my neck, I thought, yes, this really is my idea of fun.

Women had a powerful but traditional role in the opera that I saw. Armed only with an address from a badly written brochure, I had found myself in front of a theater just a few blocks from the hotel. The clerk just gave me a ticket, even though it said “120 RMB” on it ($18 US). I sat down and watched some early groups filing in, then summoned my courage and asked the middle aged woman next to me “what is this?”. Thus began a lengthy conversation in which she told me it was an opera about the big quake. I correctly guessed she was not from Sichuan and was a member of the Wei minority people from Anhui province. We of course swapped numbers; that's just what folks do when they meet. The opera was, well, lengthy and bombastic, but had great production values.

The lighting and the group dancing was superb, though the (recorded) music was way too loud. I reveled in the supertitles since I could follow many of the characters for the lyrics. 50% of them, anyway, but it was a great language exercise. There were eight scenes portraying grief, loss, heroic rescue efforts, the strength of parents love for their kids, and so on. Each scene was introduced by a tallish woman whose costume changed each time. She was the lead singer, in the roles of mother, military officer, rescue worker, doctor, and so on. I teared up at the close of one scene where dozens of kids backpacks rose to the heavens.

Cat Ba Island and Cat Ba Langur Amazing Island in Vietnam

The Cat Ba Archipelago is in the worldfamous Ha Long Bay, a spectacular karst formation that was invaded by the sea. Cat Ba Island and the surrounding area are nationally and internationally recognized for their importance to biodiversity conservation. Cat Ba National Park was established in 1986. It presently covers more than half of the main island. The Cat Ba Archipelago (some 1,500-2,000 large and small islands, cliffs and rocks) was designated a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve in 2004.

Cat Ba Island

Despite this, nature and wildlife protection on Cat Ba Island is deficient, though awareness as well as partnership and commitment with the local communities are slowly increasing. However, efforts
to effectively conserve the langurs and their habitat face major obstacles due to the need to better address the local community’s aspirations for development, and due to the steadily increasing human population, besides persistent, severe deficiencies in law enforcement. As elsewhere in the region, poaching is driven by increasingly attractive commercial gains in satisfying the immense local and regional demand for wildlife and animal parts.

Cat Ba Island

The strictest protection regime possible is necessary for the survival of all the mammals and other species on Cat Ba that are, like the langurs, targeted by the Asian wildlife trade. Cat Ba Island is the largest island in the Bay and approximately half of its area is covered by a National Park, which is home to the highly endangered Cat Ba Langur. This golden-headed langur is rarely seen, as fewer than 100 specimens are thought to survive in the wild, although it is the subject of a well-organised conservation programme. The Park covers both land and marine areas and has a high biodiversity, although it is at risk from too rapid an increase in tourism. Other mammals in the Park include civet cats and oriental giant squirrels.

Golden-headed langur-Cat Ba Langur

A conservation program for the golden-headed langur on Cat Ba was initiated in November 2000 by the Zoologische Gesellschaft für Artenund Populationsschutz (ZGAP), München, and Allwetterzoo Münster, Germany. The aim is to provide for their protection, reduce population fragmentation, and contribute to the conservation of the biodiversity on Cat Ba Island in collaboration with Vietnamese
authorities.

Vietnam and Haipong City Destinations Tourism Info

 Vietnamese responses to date have been mostly administrative. There has been no general shift in strategy in order to adapt to current conditions. As a result, provinces like Quang Ninh, indicate that they will be slowing down implementation of previous plans rather than revisit the basic assumptions that gave birth to those plans. This kind of response will waste scarce time and resources and will prove to be a terrible mistake.

A strategic approach to industrial Tourism development in the study area might look something like the following:
1. Hai Phong City Tourism continues to play the central role as provider of transport and port services throughout the North. Continued development of the private sector leads to growth of light industry for export, particularly in shoes and garments. "Special Economic Zone" status may promote further development of light industry and the private sector. Local government and foreign sector focus on upgrading port facilities in order to support growing demand. Improved transportation links between Hai Phong/Do Son and Cat Ba Island increase the potential for tourism in Ha Long Bay.


2. Dong Trieu/Uong Bi will take advantage of organic growth along Route 5. Upgrading connections between this area and the Rte. 5 corridor will create opportunities to develop light industry. Upgrading infrastructure connections between Dong Trieu/Uong Bi and Rte 5 will bring this area into the economic life and activity of the northern Red River Delta.


3. Mong Cai on the Chinese border will continue to play a very important role in developing trade with China. Mong Cai can take advantage of its beach areas in order to expand possibilities as a destination for Chinese tourism. Once Mong Cai gets "Free Trade Status" in a 15km radius of Mong Cai town, then Mong Cai will develop processing industries, based upon Chinese and domestic investment, for export to China and beyond.

4. Cam Pha will continue to be dominated by coal and the coal-related sectors for the near future. The coal sector will add little to Quang Ninh's future incremental growth. In employment terms, the coal sector will lose jobs as it seeks to become more efficient and competitive. Unemployment will become an increasingly important issue in this region.

5. Ba Che/Tien Yen/Quang Ha are among the poorest districts in Quang Ninh Province with high percentages of minority peoples. There are opportunities to raise income through tea growing, but suitable land is limited. Economic and industrial development in these areas will require special attention from local and central government.

6. Ha Long City will not become a major destination for light or heavy industries. Port services will not play an important role in incremental growth. Rather, Ha Long Town will find itself relying exclusively on tourism and services for future growth. Rapid development of the tourism sector will be necessary in order to absorb redundant employment from Vinacoal. In tourism, Ha Long can focus its tourism services in order to cater to Chinese tourists. In other tourist markets, Ha Long will have to increasingly compete with Hai Phong for tourists. Ha Long may benefit from some of Mong Cai’s tourism and trade success if Quang Ninh completes an upgrade of Rte18A between Ha Long and Mong Cai.

Vietnam Map

Hai Phong is located in the Red River Delta and as such it has easy access to other provinces in the delta and has long-standing connections to the national economy. Hai Phong is a large urban area with developed infrastructure and serves as the main port for the northern part of Vietnam. While local authorities would like to invest heavily to develop heavy industry, Hai Phong is (relatively speaking) outward-oriented and has an increasingly dynamic private sector focused on developing the exportable sports shoe market.

Quang Ninh, on the other hand, is an ‘old company town’ with little private sector activity and strong planning tendencies. Economic activity in the province is dominated by the centrally-owned VINACOAL Corporation. Local authorities are convinced that their future success depends on the development of heavy industry, specifically coal, cement and steel. Light industry does not play a role in provincial economic planning. The Northeast region, where Quang Ninh is located, has few direct connections to the economic life in the Red River Delta, but has a rapidly growing connection to China.

Quang Ninh Tourism is well-known for the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site. The province has set a target of attracting one million tourists by the year 2011. Though Quang Ninh also has other tourist sites in Tra Co beach and the Yen Tu Pagoda, nearly all tourist investments, activities, and revenues are currently from Ha Long City. According to provincial statistics, the number of tourists grew at an average annual rate of 39% from 2010 to 2011 or a six-fold increase in six years. An average annual rate of 52% growth in revenue was reported during the same period. The fast growth in revenue might reflect the obvious improvement in hotel accommodation.

There are obvious contradictions that need to be dealt with. Current policies will tend to exacerbate rather than ease foreign exchange shortages for the next few years. In order to support current policies, the government will have to pursue a set of trade restricting policies. This, at a time when Vietnam is committed to reducing trade barriers. However, if the government, at the provincial and central levels, takes advantage of the current opportunity to stop bad projects and redirect energies into more productive areas, then the situation need not be as bleak. This will require a wholesale reworking of present development strategies.

Making such a strong break with the past will not be easy however. There are important domestic political interests at stake and weaning them from their current ways will take not only sound economic policies, but also strong political will.

From official lenders, to the central and provincial governments, to the financial system, incentives are skewed to select bad investment projects and misallocated scarce resources to non-economic, inefficient sectors. If government policy continues to support an import-substituting, heavy industry strategy, then the future may not be bright. There are at least several years of excess capacity in heavy industrial products, both domestically and in the region.


Through the years there have been few improvements in tourism services beyond increasing the number of hotel rooms. A few attempts to diversify tourist activities such as air-tours or speed-cruises have failed. In fact recent infrastructure improvements that were hoped to provide better access for tourists to Ha Long seem to have had an unforeseen negative impact. Average length of stay in 1990-91 was 1.9 days. It is now just 1.5 days. Surprising as it may be, tourism still represents a very small fraction of the province’s total economic activity. In 1994 tourism contributed only 1% to total GDP of the province. The sector reports revenue per tourist at less than US$20 per visitor (with very little growth over the past five years).

With 370,000 tourists (excluding Chinese tourists to Mong Cai) in 1996 and growth of 10% from 1995, tourism in Quang Ninh needs to grow at 30% a year from 1997 to 2000 to reach the target of one million. Quang Ninh has only begun to get access to the Chinese tourist market. Since the border opening in 1989, this market has been growing quickly with 300,000 Chinese expected to cross the Mong Cai border this year. However, only 40,000 of these tourists will actually leave Mong Cai to come to Ha Long, where they tend to spend $50 per day (more than double average revenue). The rest return to China after spending the day in Mong Cai and Tra Co beach. The challenge for Quang Ninh's tourism sector will be to encourage larger and larger percentages of Chinese tourists already in Quang Ninh to actually make the four-hour journey to Ha Long and spend the night.

Also, more investment in tourist related activities may not lead to increased tourism and increased revenue, since the main attraction of Quang Ninh is and always will always be the World Heritage Site. Rather, an improved marketing effort (in collaboration with foreign tour operators in China and Europe) designed to bring in larger numbers of tourists might prove more effective in raising overall demand for tourism services of all quality levels.

Mekong River Cruises Most Popular Attractio In Vietnam

The Mekong River Cruise in Vietnam is one of the world's great rivers. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,909 km, and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 of water annually. From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission in 1995 to assist in the management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources.

Mekong River

In 1996 China and Burma became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperation framework. It then flows across Cambodia and southern Vietnam into a rich delta before emptying into the South China Sea. In the upper course are steep descents and swift rapids, but the river is navigable south of Louangphrabang in Laos.

From the point where it rises to its mouth, the most precipitous drop in the Mekong occurs in what is referred to as the 'Upper Mekong Basin' (see below), a stretch of some 2,200 km (1,367 mi). Here, it drops 4,500 metres (14,764 ft) metres before it enters the Lower Basin where the borders of Thailand, Lao PDR, China and Burma come together in the Golden Triangle. Downstream from the Golden Triangle, the river flows for a further 2,600 km 2,600 km (1,616 mi) through Lao PDR, Thailand and Cambodia before entering the South China Sea via a complex delta system in Viet Nam.

Mekong River

In Yunnan province China, the river and its tributaries are confined by narrow, deep gorges. The tributary river systems in this part of the basin are small. Only 14 have catchment areas that exceed 1,000 km2 (0 sq mi). In the south of Yunnan, in Simao and Xishuangbanna Prefectures, the mekong river changes as the valley opens out, the floodplain becomes wider, and the river becomes wider and slower. The Mekong River is a transboundary international waterway that traverses six countries. The land, water, forest and fi sh resources are shared in a number of senses and at a number of scales among the riparian countries in the region.

Thus, water used by an upstream country may become unavailable to a downstream country on a temporary, seasonal or even permanent basis. Many transboundary environmental issues, such as the upstream-downstream watershed dynamics of water quantity, quality and timing, the trade in timber and non-timber forest products, and air pollution, have begun to receive attention as regional issues. Similarly, some actors and decision-makers in the region have begun to consider issues such as livestock movements, labour migration and public health as being of importance to the regional environment.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Hanoy Vietnam Tourism Memorial

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex Hoan Kiem District Houng Vuong & Le Hong PhongWithin an enormous concrete cubicle, surrounded by guards in bleached-white uniforms, lies Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body - despite his request to be cremated. It's a free tour, and it's interesting to see how the visitors - from elderly VC comrades on a pilgrimage from South Vietnam to foreign student groups - react to the sight of old Uncle Ho.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

The Ho Chí Minh Mausoleum in Vietnamese Lăng Chủ tịch Ho Chí Minh is a large memorial to the Vietnamese leader in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is located in the center of Ba Ðình Square, which is the place where Ho read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Day Nigh

Most of the visitors to this complex are Vietnamese making pilgrimage to show their deep admiration and respect to Ho Chi Mihn. Uncle Ho, as he is often called, is a communist leader who is revered at the liberator of the Vietnam from Colonialism At the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum has Uncle Ho preserved and laid out under glass for display in grand Communist Style resembling the Mausoleums to Chairman Moa, Lenin and Stalin. The corpse was in Russia for “maintenance” while we were there so we were unable to go inside. I heard its quite something to see so please don’t miss it.

Temple of Literature Most Popular In Hanoi Vietnam

Just around the corner from the project office is Van Mieu, which roughly translates as Temple of Literature. It was founded in 1072 during the Ly Dynasty. Shortly thereafter in 1076 a university called Quoc Tu Giam was built inside the complex. Honouring Confucius and 72 disciples, it served as a civil service college to staff the bureaucracy of the Ly state. Roughly at the beginning of the Tran dynasty (1225-1400) the examination system of the university was changed and its gates opened to commoners for the first time.

Temple of Literature

The Chinese ruled Vietnam for a short period during the early 1400s. After this brief interregnum, the
Vietnamese leader Le Loi rose to prominence. He endowed the university with a new library and
lecture halls, and added a poetry composition section to the examinations. Also at this time the practice of carving the names of successful examinees on stone stele was instituted. The stones tell us that between 1443 and 1778 over a hundred examinations were held with about 20 successful candidates emerging from each exam.

Temple of Literature

The school flourished into the early 20th century, but the end of the civil service examinations by 1919 signalled the end of its 800 year service. The site lay largely abandoned when the French colonisers arrived, and they referred to it as the Pagoda of Crows since a flock of crows nested in old mango trees located on the site. Nowadays the area is preserved and used as a park.

Temple of Literature

Temple of Literature is located on Van Mieu Street, 2km west of Hoan Kiem Lake. Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam is a famous historical and cultural relic consisting of the Temple of Literature and Vietnam’s first university. The Temple of Literature was built in 1070 in honour of Confucius, his followers and Chu Van An, a moral figure in Vietnamese education. Quoc Tu Giam, or Vietnam's first university, was built in 1076. Throughout its hundreds of years of activity in the feudal, thousands of Vietnamese scholars graduated from this university.

Hoan Kiem Lake Restored Sword Of Legend-Hoan Kiem Lake Turtle Hanoi Vietmnam

Hoan Kiem Lake located in the centre of Hanoi isn't Hanoi's biggest lake, but it seems to represent the “spiritual heart” of the city. The lake is like a magnet, drawing people towards it. In the late afternoon and evening the sculptured park along the banks play host to thousands of people enjoying the view, playing chess, or going for a jog, not to mention the postcard and map sellers and illegal money changers trying to do business with tourists.

Hoan Kiem Lake is also called Lake of the Restored Sword. The name Lake of the Restored Sword is derived from a legend. “After ten years of hard fighting (1407-1417), the Lam Son insurrectionists
led by Le Loi swept the foreign invaders (the Chinese) out of the country of Dai Viet, ending the
Ming's 20–year domination over the Viet people. Le Loi became a national hero, proclaiming himself king, called Le Thai To, and establishing his capital in Thang Long”.

Hoan Kiem Lake Turtle

Now that seems to be rather reasonable, historical fact. But then a bit of straight forward history takes a rather bizarre turn “On a beautiful afternoon, the King and his entourage took a dragon shaped
boat for sight-seeing on Luc Thuy (Green Water) Lake, which was located in the centre of Thang Long capital (present–day Hanoi). As the boat was gliding on the lake, suddenly there was a great wave and on top of the wave, the Golden Tortoise Genie appeared, telling the King: Your Majesty, the great work is completed. Would you please return the sacred sword to the King of the Sea?"”

“The precious sword was formerly lent to Le Loi by the King of the Sea and was always beside him throughout his battles and helped him win over the Ming invaders. At the time the Tortoise Genie spoke, the sword hung at the King's waist. It then moved out of the scabbard and flew towards the Genie. The Genie kept the sword in his mouth and dived under the water, and bright lightning flashed up to the sky. Since then, the Luc Thuy Lake has been called the Restored Sword Lake, or the Sword Lake for short.”
The legend of the Hoan Kiem Lake turtle has great significance for Vietnamese people, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed that while cruising the lake, a turtle surfaced and demanded from king Le Loi that he return to the lake a sacred sword used in defeating the Ming. The turtle either grabbed the sword or Le Loi unsheathed and gave it to the turtle, renaming it Hoan Kiem “Lake of Returned Sword”. It is still hotly debated whether the lake contains a single turtle, which reputedly lives up to 700 years, or whether there are five turtles that surface to mark important national events. Apparently, three Hoan Kiem turtles are held in captivity, two in Chinese zoos.  


Hoan Kiem Lake According to the legend, emperor Lê Lợi handed a magic sword called Heaven's Will which brought him victory in his revolt against the Chinese Ming Dynasty back to the Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) in the lake and hence gave it its present name (the lake was formerly known as "Luc Thuy" meaning "Green Water"). The Tortoise Tower (Thap Rùa) standing on a small island near the center of lake is linked to the legend.


Hoan Kiem Lake large soft-shell turtles, either of the species Rafetus swinhoei or a separate species named Rafetus leloii in honor of the emperor, have been sighted in the lake. The species is critically endangered and the number of individuals in the lake is unclear. Near the northern shore of the lake lies Jade Island on which the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) stands. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honors the 13-century military leader Tran Hung Dao who distinguished himself in the fight against the Yuan Dynasty, Van Xuong, a scholar, and Nguyen Van Sieu, a Confucian master and famous writer in charge of repairs made to the temple in 1864. Jade Island is connected to the shore by the wooden red-painted The Huc Bridge.

Hoan Kiem Lake

This is another “attraction”, something interesting to see when you’re exploring the Hoan Kiem Lake area. The temple is located basically on the north east side of the lake and is easily recognized by the colorful two towered gateway that serves as it entranceway. The gate itself is known as Tam Quan or “Three Passage Gate” and it leads to Huc Bridge, the infamous red lacquered bridge that is so often associated with modern day Ha Noi.

Hoan Kiem Lake

The Ngoc Son is also known as the Jade Mountain Temple and was last modified in the 1800’s and was initially built to honor a 13th century military figure Tran Hung Dao, and scholar Van Xuong, Tran Hung Dao was responsible for protecting the northern borders of what is now Vietnam during the Mongol Resistance Wars of the 1250’s. Nguyen Van Sieu was the man that was instrumental in its restoration in 1864. Van Sieu was responsible for the additions of the Tower that sits on a rock mound just inside the Tam Quan.

The tower, named Thap But is a 30 foot high symbolic representation of a “paint brush”, sometimes referred to as the “Pen Tower” In addition to this a part of his design is a shaped rock found close by that is meant to be symbolic of a “writing pad” so illustrating the constant connection seen in Vietnam between the artist and religion in this culture.