Monthly Archives: July 2019

Chengdu – Home of Pandas, the Blight Marriage Market, and the Changing Faces Opera

Posted on July 29, 2019 by rockieontheroad

I wasn’t expecting much from Chengdu. As far as I was concerned it was just a transfer point from Lijiang to Lhasa. Boy, was I mistaken! I really wasn’t that interested in Pandas but the little firecracker of a tour … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Blight Marriage Market, Changing Faces Opera, Chengdu, Panda, Sichuan, Sichuan Opera, Wenshu Monastery | Comments Off

Dali & Lijiang, China (June 23 – 26)

Posted on July 26, 2019 by rockieontheroad

From Guilin, I flew to Dali and was met at the airport by Linda, my Dali guide who promptly proudly informed me she was Bi. Our first stop was to look at Erhai Lake (also called Ear Lake – because … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Black Dragon Pools, Dali, Dali’s ancient town, Dongba, Erhai Lake, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang, Naxi ethnic minority, Naxi Ethnic Museum, Thong Sheng Temple Complex, Three Pagoda complex, Tibetan minority, Wind Horse Tours in Chengdu, Xizhou Village | Comments Off

The Chinese Countryside: Guilin, Yangshuo, Fuli, and Longji (June 19 – 23)

Posted on July 21, 2019 by rockieontheroad

This portion of my China tour began in Guilin city but honestly, all I did in the city was spend the first and last night in a downtown hotel and eat a couple of meals. The city was just a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chinese Countryside, Fuli, Guilin, Husband Mountain, Karst Mountains, Li River, Longji, Longji Rice Terraces, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers Terraced Mountain, Thousand Layers to Heaven Mountain, Yangshuo | Comments Off

Shanghai, Suzhou, & Hangzhou (June 15 – 19)

Posted on July 19, 2019 by rockieontheroad

Day 1: Shanghai My three-week tour of Southern China and Tibet began in Shanghai. Shanghai is a relatively new city by Chinese standards at only about 150 years. Shanghai is also the largest city in China at either 25 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged French Concession, Grand Canal, Hangzhou, Huang Pu River, Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Gardens, Meijawa Tea Plantation and Tea House, Old British Concession, Pingjiang Street, Shanghai, Shanghai Bund, Shanghai’s Yu Garden, Six Harmonies Pagoda, Suzhou, the Linyin Temple, UNESCO, West Lake | Comments Off

Jeju Island, South Korea (June 7 – 11)

Posted on July 13, 2019 by rockieontheroad

Jeju Island is located just off the southern tip of the South Korean mainland. After a short flight, I arrived on what is known as Honeymoon Island in South Korea. The island has a reputation for natural beauty with pristine … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Jeju Island, South Korea | Comments Off

Seoul, South Korea (June 4 – 7)

Posted on July 12, 2019 by rockieontheroad

My visit to Seoul began as a somewhat misadventure. It started out fine – I managed to find and board the correct high-speed train from the airport to Seoul Central Station. And things were looking pretty good until my roller … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bukchon Hanok Village, Changdeok Palace, Deoksugung Palace, DMZ, Dora Observatory, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gyeongbokgung Palace/Folk Museum, Imjingak Park, Jongmyo Royal Shrine, Korean BBQ, Seoul, South Korea, Sungnyemun City Gate | 2 Comments

Kyoto, Japan – (June 12 – 15)

Posted on July 9, 2019 by rockieontheroad

I began my Kyoto tour with a series of temples – no surprise there! My first visit was to Ryoanji Temple originally a country house for the Tokudaji Clan. It was bought in 1450 to be used as a Zen … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chion-in Temple, Japan, Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Kyoto, Rokuon-hi Temple, Tenryu-ji Temple, Yasaka Shrine | Comments Off

Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) May 31 – June 4

Posted on July 3, 2019 by rockieontheroad

I was very fortunate in that I met a lady from Taipei on my first day in Sydney, Australia on a tour of that city. While seeing the sites of Sydney, Mrs. Fan offered to be my free tour guide … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bao-An Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Chinese Taipei, Guandu Temple , Hsing Tian Temple, Longshan Temple, National Palace Museum, Shilin Market, Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, Taipei Confusius Temple, Taipei Zoo, Taiwan, Ximending | Comments Off