Band-E-Amir: The Natural wonder of Afghanistan!

Never thought Afghanistan has such an outstanding natural wonder that would make people standstill with their wide-mouth open. Yes, this was quite a surprise to me! Just came across this place full of natural beauty so thought I’ll share it with y’all.

Situated in the Mountainous Hazarajat at an attitude of 3000m, 75 km from Bamiyan, is a majestic blue lake is known for its exquisite beauty. Well-known as Band-e Amir, meaning Dam of the Amir it’s a place that is a naturally created group of lakes with unique geological formations and structure, as well as natural and splendid beauty.

National Grand Theater: China’s newest architectural phenomenon

Impressed by the splendid architecture of Sydney Opera House, Australia or Canary Islands, Spain? Get ready for yet another magnificent architecture that will put you in awe. I bet, once you see this eye-catching architectural marvel, you’ll stand still with your wide-mouth open for long.

The oval shaped building you see in the picture above is the newest landmark of Beijing. Named National Grand Theater, it’s titanium-plated, $360 million complex just off Tiananmen Square. I won’t be wrong if I say that this is modern architecture is yet another demonstration of China’s economic growth and its desire to outdo the Western world in every respect.

Timeless peace of Suzhou’s gardens!

When Suzhou is mentioned, the first thought in our mind is of its gardens which are one of the must see when you are in Suzhou. It is a cultural and historical city that is celebrated around the world for its vast and elegant gardens. Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Garden, Garden of the Master of the Nets are some of the magnificent gardens of Suzhou.

Humble Administrator’s Garden:

Humble Administrator’s Garden is the largest garden in Suzhou. There is a lake inside the garden. Between the entrance and the lake, there is a wall with floral windows. You can get a glimpse of the lake as soon as you enter the garden but to see the entire scene, you’ll have to take a walk through the moon shaped door on the wall.


Due to its unique designs and unearthly beauty, the garden has garnered many special honors. It is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and has also been designated as one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State and a Special Tourist Attraction of China.

Lingering Garden:

This is another largest garden of Suzhou. It dates back to Ming Dynasty. There is a pool inside the garden that is surrounded by pavilions and hills. Across the water is a 700 m walkway connecting all the major scenic spots. You can view carefully selected perspectives of the garden through the windows. It is well-known for the exquisite beauty of its magnificent halls and the various sizes, shapes, and colors of the buildings.

The Lingering Garden creates stunning natural landscapes within limited space. Domiciles, ancestral temples and private gardens are also included. Buildings, trees, and flowers blend harmoniously with their surroundings.

Garden of the Master of the Nets:

It is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, yet most impressive because of its use of space which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size. Even more than the architectural achievement is the mood of tranquility and harmony that this humble garden embodies.

Don’t you wish to witness the timeless tranquility of Suzhou’s gardens? I’m sure, your answer would be yes. So, what are you waiting for, plan your trip now!

Chinese tourism : To safeguard Huangshan Mountain

The popular UNESCO World Heritage tourist attraction and the masterpiece of nature, Huangshan Mountain is renowned for its beauty and attracts millions of visitors each year. This scenic peak is getting blemished because of a large number of tourists. To allow the vegetation to recover from damages made by tourists, Chinese tourism authorities have decided to keep it closed for three years.

Also, known as Yellow Mountain, Huangshan is a marvel within an area of 154 square kilometers where there is a crowd of peaks. Most of them have names indicating the shapes they resemble. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were visionary and in sunshine they unfold in all their majesty and splendor.

The peaks change their color and appearance with the alternating seasons. While in spring blooming flowers decorate the slopes with different color and fill the valleys with fragrance, in summer you see these peaks rising one upon another. Autumn dresses the mountains in red and purple. Winter turns them into a world of frost and ice with silver rocks everywhere.
This endless and spellbinding beauty of Huangshan Mountain has attracted many people from all over the world. China has among UNESCO’s largest number of listed sites and their management has sometimes come under criticism, let’s hope this step taken forward by Chinese tourism authorities proves to be rewarding.

Human Body Wonderland - China Tourism

What better way to know your body than to go inside it and learn. It is possible; an exhibition to educate the youth about human body and health is currently on in Guangzhou South China.

It traveled from Malaysia and set to go places. It is proving to be very popular and gives you one of a kind experience .

You start from the mouth, a big chamber, complete with teeth and tongue a path of red carpet takes you down to esophagus into the organ chambers and digested out! Aimed especially for children between 3-16 yrs, but who wouldn’t mind such an interesting biology class again. On entering each organ it is shown pictorially, explained with the help of cartoon the functions and health issues are introduced. Everyone enjoy the vivid modes of using magic, acrobatics and puppet show!

You won’t forget the bacteria that warned you of dental decay or the magic of breathing with lungs. It’s one place you and your children will always remember!!

Ancient rock city of Petra

Being chosen as one of the Seven Wonders of the World seems to have left Petra with a rising influx of tourists whose presence might damage this spectacular, ancient rose-red city.

Jordanians celebrated Petra’s selection with fireworks in the capital and dancing in the ancient city, but now they must come up with a plan to save this grand historic and cultural site.

The building boom taking place in Petra and other archaeological sites in the region needs to be monitored .Even now extensive archaeological excavations to uncover more of the long-lost city are carrying on.Hopefully the Petra Action Plan will some what mitigate the ill effects of over tourism!.

Petra, which means ‘stone’ in Greek, is nestled between in a great rift valley south of the Dead Sea. It is a two- to three-hour drive from Jordan’s modern-day capital, Amman. Its repute grew after the movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,’ in which it is portrayed as the Holy Temple where the Holy Grail is located.Many people travel to Petra to see the gorgeous Royal Treasury building seen in the movie.


The site is known for its dramatic tombs and temple facades, including one that served as a church during Byzantine times. The city’s inhabitants Nabateans Arab nomads (400 BC) built elaborate temples, tombs and buildings carved into the walls of a red, solid sandstone canyon some 2,000 years ago.


The ability of the Nabataeans to control the water supply led to the rise of the desert city, in effect creating an artificial oasis. The area is visited by flash floods and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. Thus, stored water could be employed even during prolonged periods of drought, and the city prospered from its sale.

The entryway to the city center is known as the Siq (pronounced seek). This winding narrow cleft in the mountain forms a dusty, milelong hike to the most impressive of sites, the El-Khazneh (treasury).

Nestled in the mountains, the city hand-carved by the Nabataeans offered natural protection against rogue invaders. Petra’s location at the crossroads of ancient trade routes allowed the city — with a population of anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 — to flourish as a commercial center.



According to Arab tradition, it is the place where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where his sister, Miriam, is buried. After the crusades ended in about 1200, the trade routes relocated and Petra was abandoned, and eventually only local Bedouins knew about the lost city. Petra was put back on the map when the ruins were found in 1812 by a Swiss explorer.

Well if you do plan a visit here remember that the best time to visit is this historical marvel is during the early morning and late afternoon when the sandstone rock glows red. In addition, the trail to the top to see the ancient mosaics was very steep so if you are not fit enough to walk do hire a camel ride. And do try not to damage this ancient marvel in any way.

Irbil Citadel: oldest continuously inhabited place in the world

An ancient city has to be preserved but the price is high, the 828 families living there have been thrown out of their homes. This was done by Kurdish authorities of northern Iraq with the aim of getting the area approved of as a World Heritage Site.

Irbil’s crumbling citadel still dominates the skyline of the city. As per Sami Al Koja, an adviser to the citadel’s board of renovation, it is the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world. It has been the site of human habitation for more than 7,000 years. Local officials want to renovate the ancient structure and turn it into a cultural and historical center for tourists.




From the Sumerian town of “Ur Bilum.” it has been inhabited by various Civilizations ; Assyrians; Persians; Greeks and Ottomans one after the other.


The present situation
A city of sagging, brown-brick houses divided by a labyrinth of winding, unpaved alleys. It was also home to Kurdish refugees brutalised by a a war ravaged country. And now an empty town of crumbling walls.


What happened to the evacuated families?
The families were re compensated by a plot of land and $4,000 for new homes. They are striving to make it their New Citadel

A city is made to be lived in. The ideal situation would be when the Irbil Citadel is renovated , preserving the homes in such a manner that part of it could be reinhabited.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia : Named the largest religious place

The Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia is one of the most legendary archeological sites in the world, and probably one of the best. The Angkor Wat, built by the Khmer empire between 802 and 1220 AD, represents one of most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements ever formed by man.





The Khmers left the city in 1432, and after that, it was lost in the forest until a French explorer, Henri Mouhot, reinvent it in 1860. The real epitome of Khmer architecture, the Angkor Wat is the only one to have remained a significant religious center—first Hindu, then Buddhist—since its foundation. The world’s largest religious building along with other temples has been enlisted as world Heritage site in 1992.


Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is quite different in its architecture and scholars have nourished different views about the temple. The temple is admired for its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. It is made up of three pyramids that ascend to the sky and is surrounded by a gallery with Hindu in scriptures.

The temple’s beautiful architecture and evocative history draws tourists for years –If you are planning to visit Angkor Wat than you don’t have to worry about trip since thousands of Travel companies offering tours to the Temples could be found all across the world.