Asian Mainland and Southeast Asia

Hong Kong and China

We visited Hong Kong and China with our best friends in the late 80s. Our first stop was Hong Kong. The city fairly reeked with money, but there was concern even then of the return to Chinese rule a decade away. In China, we visited Shangai, Bejing, and Xian. From Bejing, we went to the unbelievableGreat Wall and to the Ming Tombs. From Xian, we visited the site of the army of teraacotta warriors, buried in imperial tombs 22 centuries ago. It was a great trip - enchanting Hong Kong and the cultural wealth of China.

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.....Hong Kong from Victoria Peak ..... . Hong Kong from Hong Kong Harbour ............. The Great Wall

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.......... Beijing's Forbidden City ............. Beijing's Temple of Heaven ..............Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian

Thailand

I met a young couple from Thailand while I was a university student and have kept in touch with them over the years. While living in Japan several years ago my wife and I had an opportunity to visit Thailand and renew acquaintances with Pete and Pam (obviously not their Thai names) and to see some of their country. We spent time in Bangkok, the old capital of Ayutthaya, and the River Kwai in western Thailand near the Burma border, an area made famous by the movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai" some years ago. It was a wonderful visit and Thailand is a country we hope to visit again.

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............. Grand Palace, Bangkok .......... Temple in old capital, Ayuttahaya ...... Bridge over the River Kwai

Singapore

We visited Singapore in 2001 spending a week total there on our way to and returning from Bali. Singapore is a city-state at the very southernmost tip of Southeast Asia, virtually sitting on the equator. There was a time when it was a rowdy port-of-call for sailors from around the world but today it's a prosperous, clean and modern city where one almost always feels safe. We stayed at the Crown Prince Hotel on Orchard Road, a street lined with up-scale hotels, department stores, shopping centers and restaurants. Singapore is a mecca for shoppers but has less to offer sightseers.

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..................................Crown Prince Hotel.............................................Singapore's Beautiful Skyline at Night

Bali

Bali, like Hawaii, conjures up images of beautiful sandy beaches, deep blue waters, swaying palms and smiling, friendly people. It's been called the last paradise on earth. It has all of the above but is not nearly as affluent as Hawaii. We went to Bali on a timeshare exchange. Our resort was nice, the people there were very helpful and friendly and we had a very nice time.

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... ........Entrance to Jimbaran Hills Resort........................View of the Resort............................................Restaurant at the Resort

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......... ..........Bali Countrysidee............. ....10th Century Kehen Temple.............................................Lake Batur

Pakistan

I went to Pakistan in 1987 on a project that Oklahoma State University had with the Ministry of Education of Pakistan. I was there for a bit over two weeks but wish I'd had more time. Pakistan has quite a lot to offer tourists About and hour north of Islamabad is the resort town of Murree in the foothills of the Himalays. An hour west of Islamabad toward Peshawer is Taxila reputed to be the birthplace of the Buddhist religion. Lahore's in eastern Pakistan near the border with India has a rich history making it a prime tourist attaracion But the mountains in the north near the border with China and the former USSR are Pakistan's major tourist attraction. The Karakoram Range at the west end of the Himalays have some of the world's highest mountains including Mt. Godwin Austen (K-2), the world's second highest mountain. Several resort communities dot the region and offer tourists mountain climbing, hiking, trout fishing, camping and other activities in addition to the fabulous high-mountain scenery. There are so many high mountains that only those towering 20,000 feet or more are named.

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............................................................................Beautiful Northern Pakistan

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