Can I bore you with my trip pictures?

[Sundial]

We just got back from a combination cruise and land trip to Japan and China. We visited Tokyo and Hiroshima in Japan and Dalian, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, and Hong Kong in China. We had a fantastic trip and saw so many wonderful things. I wanted to share just a few of my pictures with you. This first one was taken at the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Tokyo is such a clean city and everyone is so polite and helpful! We found it very easy to get around by subway.

 

[Sundial]

This one was taken at Miyajima outside Hiroshima. This is a lovely city and everyone is working really hard to promote tourism there.

 

[Sundial]

This was taken at the Forbidden City in Beijing. This former residence of the emperor has many huge courtyards that seem to go on and on.

 

[Sundial]

This picture was taken at the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China. What an amazing structure and it is much steeper in places than I ever realized.

 

[Sundial]

This was taken at the terracotta warrior museum in Xian. It is absolutely amazing to see all of these full size terracotta warriors and horses that they have unearthed and restored. There are many more still to be uncovered and restored.

 

[Sundial]

This was taken at a dinner show with music and dancing. Incredible talent and wonderful costumes!!!

 

[Sundial]

A lovely garden in Shanghai.

 

[Sundial]

A street market in Hong Kong. What a shopping mecca this city is!

 

[Sundial]

Last one I promise. I loved the contrast of the boats on the harbor with the high rise buildings in Hong Kong.

 

[KimberlyH]

Not at all boring, more like beautiful and interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

[sunkist]

Ooo! Neat pictures. I recongnize a few of these places from movies and stuff!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Welcome back! I was just thinking of you! Glad you had a great time, looks fab. Soooooooo what did you buy..........

[:p]????

cheers--Sharon

 

[mrssalvo]

sundial the pictures are not boring at all. keep them coming. what a beautiful place japan is. My parents went there when I was in HS and really enjoyed their trip. it looks like you all did too.

 

[justjulia]

Breathtaking. What nice shots. !

 

[Kaleigh]

Omigosh, Sundial please keep them coming!!! I have always wanted to go to Japan. You have to tell us all about it, and please post away with your pics!!! Welcome home!!!!

 

[whatmeworry]

What a fun trip! I love those pictures. I''ve been to Japan lots of times so those first two pictures bring back some fun memories for me (and how lucky that you got the picture of the shrine when the tide was up). I''d love to go to China in the future. Definitely keep those pictures coming.

 

[hlmr]

Welcome back Sundial!!!!

What fab pictures and I especially like the pictures of the shrine and the Imperial Palace grounds. Beautiful!

Which was your favourite port?

 

[kcoursolle]

wonderful pictures, thanks for sharing them with us.

 

[Dee*Jay]

These pictures are fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

 

[lizz]

Very cool pics, thanks for sharing them!

 

[Allisonfaye]

Great pictures. I would love to hear more about your trip if you have time. What was the culture like? What were you most surprised by? What did you like the most? The least?

 

[Cehrabehra]

beautiful! congrats!!! Welcome home!!

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Did you go to the Edo Museum in Tokyo? You probably would have loved that. Its amazing! I loved Tokyo when i lived there. AMAZING!! More pictures!!!!

 

[Sundial]

Thanks so much everyone, I'm glad you like the pictures. This one was taken at a mosque in Xian, China.

Sharon the shopping in Hong Kong is amazing! It was my husband's birthday while we were on our trip and we had some shirts and pants custom made for him there. I also found some terrific handbags. The jewelry was mostly jade and pearls which is not my cup of tea, but they had beautiful pieces. We did get some momentos from the trip for our home as well.

Whatmeworry we were fortunate to be at the Miyajima Shrine at high tide and it was such a magical sight. I imagine that it looks quite different when the tide is out.

Hlmr it would be too hard to pick just one favorite port. They were all fascinating in their own way.

Allison we were impressed with how courteous everyone was in Japan especially in a big city like Tokyo. We could take some lessons here in the US! In mainland China we found it interesting how outspoken most people were about voicing their opinions on the government. Times are certainly changing there. We were surprised how lush and green both Tokyo and Hong Kong were despite having such large populations. I think what we enjoyed the most was learning more about some of the history in this region. Their civilizations date back so many centuries. Our least favorite thing was the heavy brown haze that hung over some of the cities in China. It gives you a new appreciation for protecting the environment.

Alexis how wonderful that you lived in Tokyo! I'm afraid that we didn't make it to the Edo, there was only so much time to take everything in. We did visit the Shanghai Museum though which was incredible. We also caught one act of a kabuki play while we were in Tokyo and found it fascinating.

 

[Sundial]

This is another picture taken in Tokyo. Sadly many things were destroyed during the war.

 

[anacgarcia]

beautiful pics, beautiful places!!!

 

[sean_morrison44]

those pictures are great!. i love seeing scenery. sounds like you had a fun trip

 

[FireGoddess]

Wow, gorgeous! Would love to see more. Japan always seems so serene and calming in pictures I''ve seen. Makes me want to go there!!

 

[Sundial]

Date: 10/23/2006 12:44:12 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
The pictures are amazing. I especially love the great wall and the terra cotta warrior pictures. HOW INCREDIBLE!! What''s the story behind them???

SDL as I understand it these were both built around 200 years BC. The Great Wall was intended to keep out invaders, but although it runs for 4,000 miles it is not continuous so enemies were still able to get in. The terracotta army was intended for one of the emperors to take into the afterlife for fighting battles. They were not discovered until the 1970''s and the Chinese are slowly excavating and restoring them. They were originally painted bright colors, but the paint fades when they are exposed to air. The history in China is fascinating!

FG we saw some very pretty and serene places in Japan, but rush hour in Tokyo certainly wasn''t one of them!

 

[Kaleigh]

So Sundial, did you buy any pearls while you were there??? Dying to know...