The Beauty of Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay, which receives millions of unique visitors each year.

Ha Long Bay (Vietnam: Vinh Ha Long) sometimes also called Halong Bay is one of the unique places to visit in Southeast Asia. Named as one of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 receiving millions of visitors each year, visit to Ha Long Bay is one of interesting note from MyRokan in 2016.

Ha Long Bay is located about 170 km east of Hanoi and takes 3 hours drive from main city of Hanoi. Every day thousands of tourists will be taken to Halong Bay by the tour operators with buses and minivans heading to the area to see the unique topography of Halong Bay.

The beauty of Halong Bay and Hanoi City's own uniqueness increase rapid tourism industry here. The rapid pace of development can be seen in a short period compared to the previous years where Vietnam engulfed by civil war and chaos. Today, the larger highways help smoothen the traffic between the two important places full with tourist attractions.

Halong Bay has a long history and has been inhabited since thousands of years BC. The study of history shows that it is inhabited by the Soi Nhu around 18,000 to 7000 years BC, Cái Bèo 7,000-5,000 BC and Ha Long from 5,000 to 3,500 earlier. It makes such historical areas of ​​Vietnam through the discoveries of artifacts in some areas of the Bai Tho Mountain, Cave Đầu go and Bai Chay.

Rows of local artwork on the journeys to Ha Long Bay. 

Views on the Ha Long Bay pier.

The rocks that form small islands in Ha Long Bay.

Along the way to Halong from Hanoi City you can also see the activity of the people in Vietnam actively farming with varieties of crops other than rice. Factories also established indicating gained of confidence by foreign investors to invest here. Locals people in Vietnam also has a variety of businesses from construction, electrical / electronics, small industries such as pottery, stone/marble carving, silks, pearls and so on. Be sure to open your eyes all along the journey to Halong Bay.

When approaching Halong Bay, the terrain seems to change; landform that at first seemed flat now change to hills of limestone from large numbers of limestone islands that make up Halong Bay areas. There are many oyster farms open for visitors when approaching to Halong Bay. Hang oysters can be seen clearly when the water receded during the midday.

You will be taken to the main pier (and this depends on the tour company you have chosen). Roughly, if you just want to see the uniqueness of Halong Bay, it is not so important. This is because there are so many piers operating here either for group tours or even individuals. So to assist your journey, the use of tour service is much easier.

At the entrance to the Thien Cung Cave (Attsuko and his colleagues - teachers from Japan).

The scenes in Thien Cung Cave.

One mistake I did when assuming that I can get the 'AA' batteries easily for the camera here at Hanoi and Halong Bay. In Hanoi there are no convenience stores like 7-Eleven, as in the other cities I visited. But I was lucky because there seems such shop during stopover at Halong Bay pier. Apparently the battery is rarely used (probably because of all the gadgets today using the rechargeable battery; Li-ion battery).

Among the most common activities here are cruising with small vessel while enjoying lunch of seafood. You will be taken to several locations to do some other activities such as kayaking, boating ( bamboo boat ) and visit several caves in addition to enjoying unique views of the entire topography of Halong Bay areas.

Activities in Ha Long Bay.

Among the interesting experiences in Ha Long Bay.

Although well recognized, water quality in Halong Bay does not allow you to plunge in and swimming in it. Anyway it is still one of great experiences that you get. Water quality is said to be affected by the uncontrolled activities of the villagers who’s live by the areas (water villages). It is however in the process of moving in stages by the Government of Vietnam in an effort to restore the environment in Halong Bay. However, tourism activities here also may be one factor contributing to the water situation.

A visit to the cave was a first experience for me to enter a cave. I only had the opportunity to enter the Thien Cung cave from which there are some other caves here includes Đầu Go, Sung Sot, Me Cung and other caves like Kim Quy, Tam Cung, Hoang Long, Lau Dai and so on. But it was a unique experience, because the cave was prepared accordingly to facilitate the tour purposes; so you're not worrying about your safety as well as the places you visit.

Halong Bay gives a great impact to the economic development of local communities in Vietnam. In only a short period of time the development in the surrounding area continuously increases as well as the local population. It is a destination that I may visit again.

Unique location in Leshan China - Giant Buddha

Giant Buddha statue in Leshan, China.

As always proposed by MyRokan the places of interests to be visited are locations that provide values such as educational, motivation, cultures, and histories and so on. Although today we are making better progress in technology than people before us, but their determination to do something give us something to think about. That is why the remains of these monuments, still admired us to this day.

This time we will see another exciting remnant of a giant Buddha statue in Leshan, China. Sculpture that reaches a height of up to 71 meters (233 ft.) Is not built with ease but it took a very long time and have a sketched of histories. Indeed it is one of the most important places to visit and was listed as part of the "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO since 1996.

The history of its construction began in 713 led by a monk called Hai Tong, the construction of the Buddha statue that is expected to reduce the strong currents of the river flowing underneath. These jetted danger to ships using the route. His efforts, however, suffered a setback when the provision of the construction of the giant statue is not successful. Hai Tong said gouges his eyes as a sign of sacrifice to complete the statue. When he died, the construction work has been abandoned. Only 70 years later, his effort was refinanced again by jiedushi and construction projects were passed by the followers of Hai Tong in the year 803.

View from above.

Going down the stairs to the foot of the Giant Buddha.

View from the bottom.

Construction of the statue caused huge amount of rock and dirt to be thrown into the river in front of the statue which is also a clash of 3 rivers of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi makes it current calmer.

This giant statue is actually equipped with unique irrigation / drainage systems to avoid the effects of erosion from flowing rain water. The system still works to this day.

During the process of carving the statue, a 13-storey wood building built to protect it from rain and hot sun. This construction, however, destroyed by the Mongols during the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. So starting from that the statue was exposed as seen today.

Water flows in the river during the low season.

View of the Giant Buddha from the river cruise.

Picture from National Geographic.

Sure it is among some large constructions people interesting to watch. Although it may be a religious symbol for some people, but for others it became a symbol of determination, persistence, determination and confidence to do something. For those who like to visit here, the closest town to this location is Chengdu with a distance of less than 150 km.

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Twin Towers at night.

Petronas Twin Towers is the most popular landmark in Kuala Lumpur as it can be seen from a distance of tens of kilometers outside Kuala Lumpur. It was the world's tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004, but it still retains the title of tallest twin towers in the world to this day.

* List of tallest buildings in the world.

The towers were designed by Argentine architect, Cesar Pelli. The resulting design is adapted to the architecture that reflects the characteristics and cultures of Kuala Lumpur City. Apart from the twin towers, Cesar Pelli also designed several other buildings in the world, including Key Tower, Cleveland; Cira Centre, Philadelphia; 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City; 1 Canada Square, London; Riverview Plaza, Wuhan; Wells Fargo Center (Minneapolis), Minneapolis.

The area surround the Petronas Twin Towers.

The view from the top.

Suria KLCC shopping center.

Work on the building commenced on 1 April 1994 and completed on 1 March 1996. It, however, was officially opened by the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad on 1 August 1999. The building that houses Suria KLCC shopping complex also houses offices space for Petronas and other major companies such as Huawei Technologies, Boeing, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera English, HCL Technologies, IBM, Microsoft, Reuters, Carigali Hess, Khazanah Nasional Berhad and others.

Adjacent to the building there is a 17 acres park, the KLCC Park which allows visitors to enjoy a refreshing atmosphere. It is equipped with a pool of water, walkways and a children's playground. You may also be able to watch the interesting show of illuminated water fountains at certain times each night.

Skybridge is located on floors 41 and 42.

View at the Skybridge.

Other interesting thing is to cross the Skybridge located on floors 41 and 42 at an altitude of 170 m (558 ft). The bridge has a length of 58 m (190 ft) long and weighs 750 tons. Only 1,000 tickets will be distributed on a daily basis once it is free, however starting in 2010 tickets are being charged on certain prices. Tickets are available from ticket counters at the level of the tower concourse. For tourists, you can make a reservation online from this link.

Although the Petronas Twin Towers is no longer the tallest building in the world, but it is still the tallest twin towers in the world. Besides, the unique characteristics that gives the tower unique displays of Malaysian culture. It is a landmark of Kuala Lumpur City you should not miss.

7 Wonders Of The World

Machu Picchu has many unique features and wonders.

Wonders of the world are often questioned because it is the pride of civilization and even to the people in that particular country. There is no definitive list of the 7 wonders of the worlds, because it is based on the lists issued by various groups based on different criteria.

The first listing of 7 wonders of the world was done by Herodatus (484 - ca. 425 BCE), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305-240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, their original texts unable to be saved but still remains as important reference.

The first listings of 7 wonders are;

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Hanging gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

Cairo Citadel sebagai antara 7 pilihan klasik.

Out of this list only one that still remains to this day is the 'Great Pyramid of Giza’. And from this list, new listings made by various parties, various times and on various criteria.

Among these listings the popular objects come from the medieval era that still exist until today where the things still can be seen (or evidence of its history is still stored properly). The list is as follows;

• Stonehenge
• Colosseum
• Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
• Great Wall of China
• Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
• Hagia Sophia
• Leaning Tower of Pisa

Other list includes: -

• Taj Mahal
• Cairo Citadel
• Ely Cathedral
• Cluny Abbey

This list last longer, but the listing criteria is unclear because it is not organized by any professional body. The question is whether the definition of wonders about all of these objects?

In addition, there’s a listing of wonders objects in the construction of the 20th century has also been issued by the American Society of Engineers to showcase modern constructions. In this list of wonders, objects that listed are as follows;

• Channel Tunnel
• CN Tower
• Empire State Building
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Itaipu Dam
• Delta Works, Netherlands
• Panama Canal

While in 2001, an effort undertaken for new listings ‘wonders of the world’ was runs by a body known as the Swiss New7Wonders Foundation to choose from a list of 200 nominated objects, from this list, 21 of which are listed to the final stage were announced on January 1, 2006. The list of winners was announced on 7 July 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Petra, Jordan is absolutely unique.

The list is as follows;

• Great Wall of China, China
• Petra, Jordan
• Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
• Machu Picchu, Peru
• Chichen Itza, Mexico
• Colosseum, Italy
• Taj Mahal, India

** Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt (honor candidate)

List New7 wonders of the world.

In the method listing this time it is done by public vote via the web and sms. Many countries do vote campaign in their respective countries for several months through the media and so on. So this method will favor only those countries that have more population!

Following on from that, there are again some 7 listings of other things by various parties covering various ranges of subjects. Listings of 7 objects became the current trends and it is easier to get people’s attention.

Great Wall of China, still remains in the New7 wonders of the world.

So ‘7 wonder of the world’, is not a list that is adequate to represent wonders objects in the world. This is because there are lots of marvelous objects, old or new construction with various values not only in terms of construction, the function and also the technologies used during its construction. Then it should be given a wider scope to ensure that the main purposes of the listing.

While recognizing objects of ‘wonders of world’ the more important list to know is the list of 'World Heritage' as issued by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in identifying cultural heritage or natural areas that have value to human civilization. These lists are important because it can give you lots of useful information.

So it is up to you to make a judgment about the 7 things of wonders as it may be different for each individual.

Perak Museum, Taiping The Oldest Museum in Malaysia

Perak Museum in Taiping, the first museum in Malaysia.

Located in Taiping, Perak Museum is the oldest museum in the state of Perak. It is a very historical museum in our country as it is the first museum was established in Malaysia in 1883 with the recommendation of the British Resident in Perak at that time, Sir Hugh Low. Ever since its construction, the building continues to be added to provide more space for exhibition areas.

During his opening the curator assigned to take care for this museum is Leonard Wray Jr. who is an expert in botany and geology. As the first museum, it becomes a good example for the establishment of the following museums which provides educational materials for local communities. It somehow teaches people to appreciate the richness of our culture, the earth and the uniqueness of our own country.

The museum collections since its original shape again focus zoology or natural history of the State of Perak. Specimens were collected from small animals such as mouse deer to as big as elephant bones. The collections are also a good start for a small museum that was built over 100 years ago.

Skeleton collection at the Museum of Perak.

In addition to nature collections of Perak, now the museum also showcases the history of the life of the original materials from the colonial era, antique cars owned by the states ruler of Perak in the compound of this museum.

You also have the opportunity to see for yourself the development of the museum from its inception to the present day through the history of the museum itself. So in addition to exhibiting historical materials, the building itself is a part of history that is valuable to the state of Perak and Malaysia.

The early establishment of the museum in the 1890s.

Perak Museum in 1905.

Perak Museum in around the 1990s.

For those who like to visit the museum, important information about the museum are as follows:

Locations:

Jalan Taming Sari, 34000 Taiping, Perak

Trip time:

Open daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Open daily except on Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji

Entrance fee:

Adults (My Card): RM2.00

Children (My Kid): Free

Normal price:

Adult: RM5.00

Children (6-12 years): RM2.00