http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Monkey-and-Bear/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Monkey and Bear en-us Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:08:06 +0000 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:08:06 +0000 Dear friends This time the text is in Dutch only sorry for the inconvenience.Monkey and BearLieve vrienden en vriendinnenNiet echt een travelblog maar wij willen jullie laten weten dat wij goed en veilig in Hong Kong zijn aangekomen. Onze reis is volledig volgens schema verlopen hoewel China Airlines niet helemaal de juiste informatie heeft verstrekt. Bij het boeken via internet wordt de indr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-448051.html Dear FriendsOur adventure of nearly two months stops here. Today we fly home again. We leave Hong Kong at 11.05 pm and arrive in Amsterdam at 05.15 am.We have had a great time met lots of new people and we make about 12.000 pictures and more than 10 hours of video.Thanks to all the very nice people we met our tourguides in Mainland China Lee and Huo Susan James and mr. Ho Sophy Sylvia and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-403677.html Dear FriendsOn the fifth day of the fifth lunar month there is another important festival in China called the Dragon Boat Festival.We went to the New Territories and visit the festival at the Waterfront of Sai Kung. Like every Chinese Festival the Dragon Boat Festival also has it's own special food. During the festival everybody eats 'zongzi' a kind of sticky glucious rice filled with all ki http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Sai-Kung/blog-401786.html Dear FriendsThe Mai Po Nature Reserve is one of the six most important wetlands reserves of China. To visit Mai Po Nature Reserve you need a permit of the WWF Hong Kong and by entering the reserve you need an official permission of the Department of Agriculture and Fishery of Hong Kong.When we visit the nature reserve we were the only two visitors that morning. It's really great to walk around i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-401250.html Dear FriendsSituated on the slope of Hong Kong's highest mountains in the New Territories you find the Kadori Farm an Botanical Garden. It's located near the town of Tai Po and the 'farm'is a sprawling green sanctuary established by the wealthy Kadorie brothers to help poor local farmers.But before we reached the farm we enjoy for a little while a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in one of http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-400791.html Dear FriendsToday we visit the Victoria Peak The Peak. This is one of the most popular attractions in Hong Kong.To reach the Peak you can go by public bus or taxi but more spectacular is to hop aboard the Peak Tram at the Lower Peak Tram Terminus.If possible sit on the righthand sight for better views and watch in amazement as the famous funicular railway glides up the 373 metres to the top.T http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/Wan-Chai/blog-400339.html Dear friendsThis morning we leave our hotel in Hong Kong for a 3 days and 2 nights escape in the Venetian Casino and Resort Hotel Macau.We read about the Venetian Hotel in the weekly travelpart of the Algemeen Dagblad a Dutch newspaper. The hotel is open since 2007 and is the largest casino and resort hotel in Macau Taipa Island.Bear booked this escape as a farewell UMCG present for Monkey.It http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Macau/Taipa-Island/blog-399807.html Dear Friends Sunday May 17th. The weather is great a little bit hot for walking and climbing 32 C. and the humidity is very high 86.Cheung Chau Island is just two kilometres long. The island is the most densely populated outlying island of Hong Kong. Surprisingly and charmingly the island also has temples beautiful and very popular beaches and interesting nature trails that wind over hil http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/blog-400331.html Dear friendsToday we go to Sai Kung a small village in the New Territories. It's a long trip because you have to change the MTR twice and when you arrive at Diamond Hill you have to take the local bus 92 to Sai Kung. It's a trip of around two hours.Sai Kung is the starting point for serveral beautiful hikes around beaches sea and woodlands. But we decided to quit our hike today because in the v http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Sai-Kung/blog-399794.html Dear friendsToday we visit the beautiful island of Lantau. We go by cable car from Hong Kong to the impressive bronze Big Buddha the very old monastery Po Lin and we hike trough the mountains of Lantau.The cable car was built in 2007. It takes about 25 minutes from the mainstation Kowloon to reach the Ngong Ping 360 village. Until 2007 you only could reach the monastery and the Big Buddha by boa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Lantau-Island/blog-399541.html Dear friendsPeople of Hong Kong love the nature and the natural enviroment around Hong Kong the Islands and the beaches.We visit today a part of the Wetlands of Hong Kong in the New Territories. The weather is great again but the huminity is very high. Around 86.Information privided by the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong. Thanks a lot for using the information i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-399543.html Dear FriendsSaterday May 2nd we visit the Bun Festival on Cheung Chau Island.The weather is beautiful and we went early in the morning to the island and with us thousands of other people.The information about the Bun Festival is provided by the Hong Kong Tourist Board. Thanks for that. If you want to know anything about Hong Kong and the surroundings of Hong Kong visit their great site.Informat http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/blog-399380.html Dear FriendsToday we visit the Dolphin Encounter of Ocean Park. Learning about the dolphins and playing with the dolphins was a great experience.We can tell a lot about this afternoon but you better look at the pictures.The pictures are telling the whole story.Stay tuned for new traveladventures.From Hong Kong and Ocean Park with love.Monkey and Bear. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/Wan-Chai/blog-399369.html Dear friendsThe next coming days we are staying at the Miao family guesthouse. It's realy perfect to stay and sleep with the local people.Let you inform about the Miao Minority people. Read the article below.The information about the Miao minority is provided by www.china.org.cn. Many thanks foor the information.The Miao ethnic minority With a population of 8940116 the Miao people form one o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guizhou/Kaili/blog-399098.html Dear friendsIn this travelblog an impression of the Sister Meal festival and other Miao festivals we visited during the last 7 days. We have had a great time lots of fun and we learned a lot about the Miao people.The Sister Meal festival is for the Miaos the most important festival every year. Why Here is the information. Thanks to Tony Wang.The Sister Meal Festival.The festival repr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guizhou/Kaili/blog-399029.html Dear friendsToday we are going for a two day trip to the Giant Buddha in Leshan en the holy mountain Mount Emei.The weather is rather good but during our way to the top of the mountain Emei 3200 metres it became foggy and rainy.To reach the top of the mountain takes a long time. First a two and a half drive by special bus then you have to walk and climb many stairs for around 45 minutes and t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Sichuan/Emei-Shan/blog-397848.html Dear FriendsAfter a good sleep in the nighttrain from Xi'Chang to Chengdu we arrived at 06.30 hours in Chengdu.At the station we met our charming and lovely tourguide Sylvia. From the trainstation we went directly to our fine boutique hotel Buddha Zen Hotel.A great hotel with lovely rooms built in traditional Chinese style. The pricequality in this hotel is very good. When you visit Chengdu ch http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Sichuan/Chengdu/blog-397836.html Dear friendsWe started our second day in Xi'Chang early. The weather was not so fine again so we make the decision to create a new travelplan for today.Let's forget the mountains and let's go to the countryside of Xi'Chang and the Green Lake. When Marco Polo visited this place he called the lake 'The Jade Lake'. Round the lake and the countryside of the lake is very fertile. Lots of crops and fru http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Sichuan/blog-397819.html Dear friendsYesterday early morning we left Lugu Lake and went by 4wheel car to an other very beautiful place called Xi'Chang Sichuan Province.We have to say goodbye to our new friend and tourguide James and met our new tourguide for the coming few days Sophy. This part of our trip was very good organized by our travelagent in Holland urlhttpwww.discoverchina.nl and the local travelagen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Sichuan/blog-397530.html Dear friendsThis is our second travelblog of the Lugu Lake area. Enjoy the pictures.See you next time and stay tuned.From Lugu Lake with love.Monkey and Bear.Lieve vrienden en vriendinnenDit is de tweede travelblog over het Lugu meer en de schitterende omgeving.Geniet weer van de foto's en stay tuned voor meer reisavonturen.From Lugu Lake with loveMonkey and Bear http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Yunnan/LuGu-Lake-/blog-395749.html