Monthly Archives: March 2012

China Mt Emei September 2010

     Rebecca, our guide, picked us up for an excursion to the World Heritage Site of Mt. Emei which hosts ancient Buddhist architecture built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 – 420 AD).One highlight of the Wannian Temple on … Continue reading

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China Chengdu September 2010

     We were so fortunate to have clear skies for our visit to the Giant Panda Breeding Center since Rebecca, our CIT guide, said that it was usually overcast.  I saw Mei Lin, one of the first pandas to … Continue reading

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China Long – ji Terraces September 2010

     After a 2 hour drive from Gujillin and a very twisty, turning road, we arrived at the foot of the Long-ji Terraces.  These terraces were started in the Yuan Dynasty and for hundreds of years, the Zhuang and … Continue reading

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China Guillin September 2010

     Guillin is home to many limestone “karsts”(limestone mountains which used to be underwater 600 million years ago).  As the waters receded, vegetation started covering the karsts and they present an ethereal presence with mist shrouding them which has … Continue reading

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China Xian September 2010

     The walled city of Xian was the capitol of the Tang Dynasty.  On our way to see the Terra Cotta Warriors we stopped at the Wild Goose Pagoda (652 AD) and the site of the 6,000 year old … Continue reading

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China September 2010

     Since my husband and I had already visited Beijing (Forbidden City and Great Wall) and cruised on the Yangtze River in 1997, my MT nurse daughter, Kathy, and I chose to go to Xian, Guillin, Longji Terraces and … Continue reading

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Easter Island January 29 – February 1, 2012

     When King Hoto Matua arrived at Easter Island – Isla de Pasqua – Rapa Nui – over 1000 years ago from the Marquessa Islands to settle this new land, he called it “the naval of the world.”  Since … Continue reading

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Valparaiso, Chile January 28, 2012

     Fernando was our driver/guide to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.     Our first sight of the Pacific included hundreds of campomentos (small colorful makeshift shacks) which literally hung from the cliffs and helped lodge some of the 1/2 million … Continue reading

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