Showing posts with label in. Show all posts
Showing posts with label in. Show all posts

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Booking a Holiday, Tour or Vacation in Myanmar

Booking a Holiday, Tour or Vacation in Myanmar
Word Count:
597
Summary:
In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, one of my jobs is to ensure every client has the best tour possible, so here are my top suggestions for sites to take in during your holiday Myanmar formerly known as Burma.

Keywords:
holidays, in, myanmar, tours, what, to, see

Article Body:
In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, one of my jobs is to ensure every client has the best tour possible, so here are my top suggestions for sites to take in during your holiday Myanmar formerly known as Burma.
1. Yangon is the capital city of Myanmar and is a typical Asian city with it’s beautiful green tropical trees and beautiful lakes. The wonderful thing about Yangon is that it has not been spoilt by modern development although it is progressing gently at it’s own pace. The city is the main entrance to the country and also houses the principle seaport.
Yangon is home to many stunning pagodas, one of the most stunning being The Shwedagon Pagoda which stands on Theingottara hill. This golden shrine is gilded from top to bottom which makes it glisten in the sun an absolutely awesome spectacle.
Not as ancient but of no less beauty is the 20 year young is Karaweik Hall stands in the Royal Lake (Kandawgyi Lake). A mythical creature known as the Karaweik bird is what this structure has been based on and as it too is gilded from top to bottom it is a beautiful sight to behold as it shimmers on the lake.
2. Located in Bagan and erected in the 1100’s is the Dhammayangyi Temple which is a Buddhist temple.The temple remains unfinished to this day. There are other temples in Bagan but the Dhammayangyi is the most popular because of its mass which makes it unique. It is shaped like a pyramid which features very fine brickwork. Some people believe that the temple was built by an evil king.
3. Mandalay is Burma's second biggest capital and is also the  cultural and religious centre of Buddhism. This is displayed by more than 700 pagodas.
 In Manadalay you will find over 700 stone slabs located at the foot of Mandalay Hill. Together they are inscribed with the entire Buddhist scriptures which are better known as the Pali Canon. This has earned the reputation as the biggest book in the world and is known as the official "Buddhist Bible.
Mandalay Palace is a place not to be missed on a visit to Mandalay. There is an 8 meter high brick wall surrrounding the palace and a wide moat  which has plenty of goldfish. Considering that the palace was completely destroyed by fire in World War II and completely rebuilt it remains a popular attraction for many tourists every year.
4.In the Mon State you will find the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda. What helps to make this pagoda very intriguing is the story that accompanies this amazing feat of nature. The pagoda is  7.3 and is perched atop a golden rock. The rock itself is right on top of the Kyaikhto mountain.

The story that accompanies the rocks precarious balance and how it can stay in this position is because of a Buddha hair which has been placed precisely inside the pagoda.
Apparently it is believed that a King who had received the Buddha's hair from a hermit was told to hunt for a rock that looked like the hermits head. The hermit instructed the King to search for a boulder whose shape resembled the hermit's head. Once the right rock was discovered the hair was placed into the pagoda on top of it.  Legend has it that the King had supernatural powers as his mother was a dragon princess and his father was an alchemist.
This is considered to be a highly sacred place and people come from all over to visit this unusual pagoda.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Booking a Holiday, Tour or Vacation in Myanmar

Booking a Holiday, Tour or Vacation in Myanmar
Word Count:
597
Summary:
In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, one of my jobs is to ensure every client has the best tour possible, so here are my top suggestions for sites to take in during your holiday Myanmar formerly known as Burma.

Keywords:
holidays, in, myanmar, tours, what, to, see

Article Body:
In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, one of my jobs is to ensure every client has the best tour possible, so here are my top suggestions for sites to take in during your holiday Myanmar formerly known as Burma.
1. Yangon is the capital city of Myanmar and is a typical Asian city with it’s beautiful green tropical trees and beautiful lakes. The wonderful thing about Yangon is that it has not been spoilt by modern development although it is progressing gently at it’s own pace. The city is the main entrance to the country and also houses the principle seaport.
Yangon is home to many stunning pagodas, one of the most stunning being The Shwedagon Pagoda which stands on Theingottara hill. This golden shrine is gilded from top to bottom which makes it glisten in the sun an absolutely awesome spectacle.
Not as ancient but of no less beauty is the 20 year young is Karaweik Hall stands in the Royal Lake (Kandawgyi Lake). A mythical creature known as the Karaweik bird is what this structure has been based on and as it too is gilded from top to bottom it is a beautiful sight to behold as it shimmers on the lake.
2. Located in Bagan and erected in the 1100’s is the Dhammayangyi Temple which is a Buddhist temple.The temple remains unfinished to this day. There are other temples in Bagan but the Dhammayangyi is the most popular because of its mass which makes it unique. It is shaped like a pyramid which features very fine brickwork. Some people believe that the temple was built by an evil king.
3. Mandalay is Burma's second biggest capital and is also the  cultural and religious centre of Buddhism. This is displayed by more than 700 pagodas.
 In Manadalay you will find over 700 stone slabs located at the foot of Mandalay Hill. Together they are inscribed with the entire Buddhist scriptures which are better known as the Pali Canon. This has earned the reputation as the biggest book in the world and is known as the official "Buddhist Bible.
Mandalay Palace is a place not to be missed on a visit to Mandalay. There is an 8 meter high brick wall surrrounding the palace and a wide moat  which has plenty of goldfish. Considering that the palace was completely destroyed by fire in World War II and completely rebuilt it remains a popular attraction for many tourists every year.
4.In the Mon State you will find the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda. What helps to make this pagoda very intriguing is the story that accompanies this amazing feat of nature. The pagoda is  7.3 and is perched atop a golden rock. The rock itself is right on top of the Kyaikhto mountain.

The story that accompanies the rocks precarious balance and how it can stay in this position is because of a Buddha hair which has been placed precisely inside the pagoda.
Apparently it is believed that a King who had received the Buddha's hair from a hermit was told to hunt for a rock that looked like the hermits head. The hermit instructed the King to search for a boulder whose shape resembled the hermit's head. Once the right rock was discovered the hair was placed into the pagoda on top of it.  Legend has it that the King had supernatural powers as his mother was a dragon princess and his father was an alchemist.
This is considered to be a highly sacred place and people come from all over to visit this unusual pagoda.

Monday, November 29, 2010

5 Countries to visit before you die

5 Countries to visit before you die
Word Count:
626
Summary:
In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, I am often asked what, in my opinion, are the 5 MUST see countries.
These are therefore my top 5 destinations…

Keywords:
Holidays, in, Egypt, China, Jordan, Thailand, and, Hong Kong

Article Body:
1 - Egypt. King Tut, The Pyramids, The Valley of the Kings. The list is endless. But it’s just not the history and the culture, it’s the people too. Egyptians are some of the kindest and most generous people on the planet. They will welcome you into their homes in a second and even if they have almost nothing, they will share it with you.
An afternoon on the Nile with an Egyptian felucca captain sailing your boat as the sun sets over the Nile in Luxor is a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.
2 – China. China is not somewhere people immediately think of when planning a holiday…but they should, and hopefully after the Olympics in Beijing they will. Even if you could only afford 7 to 10 days, an itinerary that takes in Beijing, Xian, a Yangtze River Cruise and Shanghai will be a great introduction.
And for an unforgettable experience, juts visit Guilin. Guilins landscape is amazing and totally unique. It can’t necessarily be called Mountainous as such, but the peaks that do rise, rise almost vertically up into the mist.
If you get a chance take a ski lift up to one of the peaks and just stare in awe at the view, and if you are feeing adventurous, take a kart down a toboggan style run (about 3,000 feet in length) !
3 – Jordan. Handily located, if you plan it right you can visit Egypt and Jordan together to make a real trip to remember. Amman is a great city full of atmosphere, Petra is marvellous, but surely the can’t miss site is the Dead Sea. The only ocean in the world with so much salt in it, you actually float !
This alone makes Jordan a must see country and on top of what I have already mentioned, don’t forget the Wadi Rum, Aqaba, Jerash and the Kings Highway. A week in Jordan is good, but 10 days is better.
4 – Hong Kong. Although there is much more to Hong Kong than just shopping, if you do love to shop, then Hong Kong is the place for you. A stroll along Nathan Road and a visit to the Temple Street market just HAS to be done. And make sure you have your bargaining hat on as haggling is as big a part of the experience as the purchases themselves.
There lots more to Hong Kong too. The great thing is that despite it being a modern city, there is tradition around every corner. Don’t forget to take a trip to Victoria Peak and enjoy the stunning views and remember that even if it’s misty, there are 2 guys at the top who will take your picture and transpose it onto a picture of what you should see if the weather where not so poor ! I also suggest a couple of half day visits out to Lama and Lantau Islands too. A great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the craziness that is Hong Kong.
5 – Thailand. Thailand suffers a little from it’s reputation of being a very hedonistic destination and while it is true that the is a very wild side to Thaialnd (especially certain areas of Bangkok, Phucket etc) there is also an amazing culture to immerse yourself in.
There really is everything there, adventure, culture and even for the not faint hearted, a place about 1 hour north of Thailand where you can go in, yes go in, with real live tigers. No cages, no chains, just you and around a dozen tigers. For me it was a thrill of a lifetime and without doubt it is just one of the many reasons that Thailand is in my top 5 of places you need to visit in the world