Culture - Traveling Thru History

Visiting Bath

Erin — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 08:20:26 +0000

Bath was designated by UNESCO in 1987 and is the only city in the UK to be declared a World Heritage site. Once a Roman spa town called Aquae Sullis, the Romans built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills, turning Bath into the elegant retreat it still is today. Located about an hour and a half from London, Bath has a variety of fascinating sites that span early Roman times to late Georgian. The juxtaposition of such different styles of architecture nestled in a valley surrounded by rolling green hills really makes Bath unique. Walking the streets of Bath is like taking a step back in time to the beautiful Georgian period of elegance and innovation with sprinklings of different eras mixed in. THE ROMAN BATHS If the architecture doesn’t do it for you, consider the Roman Baths. The first shrine at the site of the hot springs was built by Celts and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva. When the Romans took over the site and built a temple sometime between 60–70 AD, they dedicated the temple to both Sulis and Minerva in hopes of appeasing both populations. Over the next 300 years, the bathing complex was gradually built up until the Roman civilization went into decline and eventually left Bath in 407 AD. A scant population continued to live in the city, but over time the walls and grand buildings fell. The Saxons claimed Bath in 577 AD and turned it into a fortified city. Around that time, the original temple was destroyed. Flooding and silt deposits covered the temple ruins and the original springs. The temple surrounding the baths was eventually built over, to remain in obscurity until 1880 when they were rediscovered. New buildings were built over different portions of the springs during the following centuries. The 12th and 16th centuries saw the addition of King’s Bath and Queen’s Bath, though the current building over the springs is from the 18th century. The temple ruins have been incorporated into the current building design, allowing visitors the opportunity to visit the actual baths used in Roman times, view the temple ruins, and sip the mineral-rich thermal waters. If you desire to try out those waters, you can also enjoy luxurious relaxation in a more modern thermal spa in the city. JANE AUSTEN For those literature-minded visitors, Bath was home to Jane Austen from 1801-1806. Visit where she lived, check out the Jane Austen Centre, and take a walk on streets she would have ambled down. One of Jane Austen’s residences in Bath was No 4 Sydney Place, where she lived for three years. While it is now a private residence, visitors may take a photo of the front where a sign is seen designating it as a residence of a famous former occupant. Jane also lived with her mother and sister at 25 Gay Street for around 1-1.5 years, though the Jane Austen Centre is not there, either. It is in a similar apartment down the street at 40 Gay Street. BATH ABBEY Another famous site in Bath that shouldn’t be missed is Bath Abbey. Bath Abbey was founded in the 7th century and has been modified and rebuilt over the centuries. The fan vaulted ceiling was added in the 1530s and restored to the original style during the late 1860s. One of the unique attributes of this ceiling is that along with being visually stunning, this particular architectural component serves a functional purpose. The fan element is used as a method of distributing the weight of the roof to the support columns and providing structural stability. An interesting fact about Bath Abbey is that the stained glass currently in place is not the original. Unfortunately, the original windows from the early 1500s were removed and sold when King Henry VIII began dissolving monasteries in 1539. All stained glass in the Abbey were added in the late 1860s when Bath started becoming a popular tourist destination. PULTENEY BRIDGE Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon is one of the most photographed examples of Georgian architecture in the city and one of only four bridges in the world to have shops across its full span on both sides. Designed by Robert Adam, the bridge took five years to build between 1769-1774. The architecture is classical, with pediments, pilasters and tiny leaded domes at either end. Another claim to fame this bridge boasts is being the scene of Javert’s suicide in the 2012 film version of Les Misérables. THE ROYAL CRESCENT The Royal Crescent is another famous and cherished site to visit in the city. This building is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent shape. Designed by the architect John Wood, the Younger, and built between 1767-1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building. Although some changes have been made to the various interiors over the years, the Georgian stone façade remains much as it was when it was first built. I could go on and on about the fascinating things to see in Bath, but there are just too many. There are world-class museums, festivals that draw visitors from all around the world, breathtaking views, beautiful gardens and parks, a variety of art galleries, fantastic eateries, eclectic shops, and plenty of historic marvels. Whatever your interests are, Bath has plenty for visitors and locals to explore. TIPS: Plan to spend at least an entire day in Bath. There are far too many things to see in just a few short hours. If you are interested in architecture, book one (or more) of the many architectural tours operating in the city. Arrive early in the morning to watch the city come alive. Make the trip to Alexandra Park to get the best views over the city. Stop at Sally Lunn’s House to try the most famous local delicacy, the Sally Lunn bun. Visit Green Park Station for locally produced food and artwork. Plan for 2-3 hours at the Roman Baths if you want to read all the signs and view all the displays. Make the trek to the bottom of the Roman Baths for a free sample of the spa water. Take advantage of the many free walking tours that operate around the city. WHEN TO VISIT: Overall, there isn’t really a bad time to visit Bath. In the spring, the flowers are blooming and the weather is relatively calm. May is a good month to visit as temperatures are moderately cool, rainfall is the lowest of the year, days are long, and flowers are in bloom. September is also a good time to visit with warmer temperatures than May and low rainfall, though the days are shorter and there are not as many flowers. WHERE TO STAY: Bath boasts almost 300 places of accommodation, including more than 80 hotels, over 180 bed and breakfasts, and two campsites. WHERE TO EAT: I won’t profess to be foodie enough to recommend which places there to eat are the best. There are over 100 restaurants and over 100 pubs and bars. You will find anything from quaint cafes to cultural dining experiences to locally sourced restaurants to award-winning upscale dining. Whatever your preferences are, you will find something to your liking in Bath. HOW TO GET THERE: Railway. The most direct route is the Great Western Railway from Paddington Station. The train makes five stops and will reach Bath Spa Railway Station in just under an hour and a half. Flying. Bristol Airport. Bristol Airport is located about 20 miles from Bath. Transit from Bristol airport will take about an hour. The Air Decker bus will take you to Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station where you can catch the train to Bath. The Bristol Airport Flyer coach service will take you to Bath with stops along the way. Gatwick Airport. Gatwick Airport is located in South London, approximately 140 miles east of Bath. Transit time varies. You can take a train from the airport to Reading Train Station where you can pick up a train service to Bath. Heathrow Airport. Heathrow Airport is 100 miles east of Bath. Transit from Heathrow will take about 2-2.5 hours. National Express coach service goes direct from the airport to the center of Bath. Sightseeing tours. Many tours make stops in Bath. It should be noted that, depending on the tour, the stop in Bath will be anywhere from 1-3 hours.

The post Visiting Bath first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

Biking Around the Xián City Wall

Erin — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 06:50:31 +0000

I really love traveling internationally. There is so much to see, do and learn. It’s so fun being in other cultures and seeing how other people live. The most amazing part of international travel is that there are TONS of things you can do in other countries that you really can’t do in the US. Like climb around 12th century ruins, explore castles and actually SEE ancient mixed with modern. It’s really great. When we were in China, we got to have a pretty fun experience. I was a little iffy about it at first. I mean, I wanted to do it, but my thought was, “Okay, we’re going to go bike around a wall. It’ll be fun and unique and we’ll get to have a cool little story about how we road bikes in China on an old city wall, but really, what’s so great about biking around a wall?” What I didn’t realize, though, was how MASSIVE that old city wall is and how surreal of an experience it would be. The city of Xián is over 3,000 years old. The original city wall was started in 194BC and completed in 190BC. It was either rebuilt or modified for further fortification during the Tang dynasty, which lasted from 618AD-907AD. During that time the wall measured 13.74 kilometres (8.54 mi) in length, 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) in thickness at the base and encompassed a city that covered 14 square miles (36 square kilometres) Later, the wall was rebuilt on this second foundation during the Ming dynasty of 1368-1644. The size of the wall during each rebuilding measured 59ft wide at the bottom, 49ft wide at the top, 39 feet tall and 8.5mi long. No wonder it took 4 years to build! When we arrived at the Xián City Wall, what impressed me most was the size of the wall. That thing is HUGE! I thought it was going to be quite a bit smaller than it really is. Walking inside the wall is pretty neat, too. When you walk inside, you really get to see the magnitude of the wall and feel how secure the ancient inhabitants felt when they lived inside it. To help you feel even more old-timey and like you’ve stepped into the past, they have pretty cool little guards to greet you as you walk through the gate. Don’t mind the cafe sign. I’m sure they had signs like that in the past. haha. This is a map of the entire wall. It doesn’t seem quite so big looking at the map, but seriously. This place is huge. It took us the full two hours to go around it with hardly any stops. The last quarter of the ride we were biking as fast as we could so we wouldn’t have to pay a fine for returning the bikes late. It’s hard to describe what it was like riding a bike around the city wall. It was fun and just felt so surreal. Here we are on modern bikes riding around on top of an ancient fortification, going past buildings that go back further than I can count! It really was amazing. After you climb up the stairs to the top of the wall and rent your bike (at either the north or south gates), you are free to ride around the entirety of the top of the wall. Of course, there is a 2-hour time limit, but they will gladly extend your rental for a small fee…………..every 5 minutes you are late. lol. If you don’t think you can do the whole wall in two hours you can just drop your bike at one of the other bike stations around the wall and you’re good to go. After they return your deposit, of course. But I recommend trying to get the entire circuit. We arrived about 2 minutes past our time, but the guy was really nice and wrote down that we returned it on time. So, but nice to the bike wrangler. There’s also an option to ride a tram. We didn’t see any trams while we were there, but that would probably be a good option for people who have trouble walking long distances or who have little kids. Having someone else drive you around seems like it would be a bit more relaxing, but would probably take away from the adventure. And, really, it was an adventure. We were pretty much in awe our entire ride and the first building we came to, we just HAD to take a picture in front of. But it couldn’t be just any picture. It had to be an action shot! And then we did our still shot. And, yes, that stuff Troy is wearing is all his camera gear. You’d think he’d be losing weight, lugging all that around…………..but, no. He likes to eat too much. lol I think on of my favorite things about the experience was being able to see the old mixed in with the new. It was pretty neat to see this ancient Chinese architecture surrounded by all of these modern buildings. I felt like I was stopping to take pictures every 10 feet. There are just so many amazing views and neat things to see from the wall. I read some reviews about the ‘attraction’ of visiting the Xián City Wall and it amazed me how people said there was nothing to see and that it was just ‘okay’. Seriously? It was amazing! It was such a neat experience and there were a lot of interesting things to see. There is just something surreal about hanging out on the top of a structure that’s over 3,000 years old while being surrounded by skyscrapers and hearing cars honking just below the wall. It’s like stepping back into the past while still holding onto the present. The buildings on the wall were pretty cool, too. They all had signs next to them, describing what they were for, which I really liked. They were mostly barracks and storehouses for the troops that were once stationed on the wall or places for them to warm up or dry off when weather was bad. Some were office buildings, which I thought was interesting. I would have thought those would be inside the wall, but perhaps they were offices for military officials who had complete confidence in the structure’s ability to withstand enemy attacks. Some other interesting things we saw on our ride were: This cool building. I’ve googled and googled to figure out what this is, but I have no idea. Maybe one of my Chinese-speaking friends can tell me? There was this cute little street market by the East side of the gate. It was fun watching people wander around down there. They are working on restoring the Guangren Lama Monastery by the northwest corner of the wall. Was kinda bummed that we were there before it was completed. I bet it will look great once the restoration work is done. Another building that I’m not sure what it is, but I like how it looks. Slanted ramp to bring supplies up to the top of the wall, yet keep it from getting too slick from rain. Kinda cool. This is where ancient artillery was stationed for the defense of the city. There are several of these spots around the wall. It still amazes me how well this was constructed. And I just love neat it all looks. Fun snake sculpture on the wall to commemorate the Year of the Snake. Once we got to the snake (about 3/4 of the way around the wall), we realized that we only had less than 10 minutes left on our rental! I can’t remember how much the late penalty was, but we certainly didn’t want to pay it. We were closer to one of the other bike stations, but we really wanted to be able to say we biked the entire wall, so we decided to race the last bit. It was a rough 2 miles, but it was a lot of fun darting around people and trying to ride as fast as we could. Everyone must have thought we were pedaling like crazy people, but we had such a great time bumping along the bricks. And we were so glad most of our remaining ride was downhill and that the wall wasn’t too terribly crowded. Unfortunately, we didn’t make our time, but the bike checker was nice and put that we were in on time since it was only maybe 2-3 minutes past. After we turned in our bikes and started heading towards the gate we’d come in, we found the reason why the last part of our ride hadn’t had many people. Down at the bottom of the stairs in the courtyard, there was a demonstration getting ready to start! Once we had secured a decent place to watch the performance from, I popped out my little camera and recorded it. The video is a bit jumpy because it was super windy and crowded. I kept getting pushed by people………….and at one point a kid started peeing right next to me and I had to jump to avoid getting peed on. Good times. :/ Gotta love China. Always something interesting. lol Price: To get inside the wall, it is 54 yuan for adults and 27 yuan for children under 4ft. For entrance and the Forest of Stone Steles Museum, 100 yuan. To rent a bike for 2 hours, it is 45 yuan for a standard bike and 90 yuan for a tandem bike. Both have a 200 yuan refundable deposit. Sightseeing tram is 80 yuan for the regular and 120 yuan for luxury. We didn’t see them while we were out, so I’m not sure what the difference is. Hours: Warrior Parade Performance : 11:00, 14:00, 17:00 (peak season only) Relieving Guard Ceremony: 10:00, 15:00 Thanks for reading my blog! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below. I’d love to hear what you think!

The post Biking Around the Xián City Wall first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

New Year’s Travel Resolutions From International Travelers

Erin — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 10:39:22 +0000

It’s hard to believe we’re already over two weeks into the new year. It seems like just yesterday we were all celebrating the start of the year and now, here we are, two and a half weeks into it. It seems this year is going to be another fast one. As is customary with every New Year, we all make resolutions. Eat better, exercise more, be more kind, do better in school, etc. Those are staples for my New Year’s Resolutions, as I’m sure they are for many people. This year, though, I wanted to have more goals than just the typical ones. I want to things a bit different this year. For my resolutions I decided to add some for travel. Being able to travel is a wonderful opportunity and I think there are things I could do with it that I’ve neglected in the past. RESOLUTION: Take the time to slow down and appreciate the places I get to see I love to travel and have the wonderful opportunity to do it often and I think sometimes I take it for granted. Normally our trips are fast-paced and very much a whirlwind. I think we miss out on a lot traveling like that. So, this year I have resolved to slow down a bit more when I travel and really take the time to appreciate the experiences I’m having. I’d like to be able to learn more about the people and how they live along with understanding their culture better. After thinking about and deciding what I wanted to do differently as I travel this year, I started wondering if there were other travelers out there who were making travel-related goals for themselves. I asked around a bit and was quite interested in the responses I got. Stu & Eloise from Am I Nearly There Yet? RESOLUTION: Explore more of Europe 2016 is all about European travel for us! We’ve spent the past 4 years in Asia and in Australia – so we’re taking full advantage of being back in the UK for a while! We definitely missed being so near to other countries – it’s crazy that we can fly to Holland in the same time it takes to fly to the next big city in Australia! We’re thinking of multiple, short trips – working as we go, focusing on developing our businesses and focusing on our digital nomad lifestyle. First destination: Iceland! Bring it on! Patty from The Savvy Globetrotter RESOLUTION: Focus on destinations where my dog can go with me My travel resolution for 2016 involves taking more trips with one of my favorite travel companions – my canine companion. Although my dog and I have been on several road and plane trips in the ten years we’ve been together, many destinations I enjoy traveling to are, unfortunately, off-limits. Whether the flight is simply too long for him or the destination is just not pet-friendly enough, my furry friend is not always able to accompany me. This is especially unfortunate as he is an enthusiastic and well-behaved traveler who loves a good adventure. While packing for my trips, I often find him sitting in my suitcase with a big, eager smile on his face. I’m not sure if it is a stowaway attempt or he’s just trying to charm his way along but it has worked. I plan to focus many of my travels for 2016 on dog-friendly destinations my adventurer can enjoy with me. Inma from A World to Travel RESOLUTION: Push myself further Go on an epic snowboarding trip as I used to do during my twenties, and a scuba diving one. Basically, reach higher mountains and deeper oceans! Claudia from My Adventures Across the World RESOLUTION: Visit Gili again 2015 has marked the year of my first trip to South East Asia. I have been to Indonesia, and I have wandered around Java, Bali and the Komodo Islands. One of the biggest regrets I have is not having taken the chance to spend some time in Gili Island. To be honest, before going to Indonesia I had not even heard about them. Then, as I met more and more travelers who were headed there, I became curious about them and started reading and looking at pictures. They seem like my kind of place: no cars, few commodities, lots of nature and time to relax, think and enjoy nature at its best. If there is one resolution I have for 2016, that would be traveling to Indonesia again just to go to Gili. Margherita from The Crowded Planet RESOLUTION: Incorporate more walking into our trips My resolution for 2016 is walking more. I’ve always been a fan of hiking – I spent many years hiking every weekend and in 2013 I walked the Camino de Santiago, from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic Ocean. When my husband and I started blogging, we started falling out of shape and exercising less, so our resolution for next year is trying to stay as active as possible and planning a long-distance walking trip that will take us across Finland and part of Sweden for a total of 450 km – we are aiming to conclude our trip in Stockholm in time for TBEX 2016. We decided to plan a long walking trip with lots of wild camping because we love being close to nature, and when you’re on a long-distance hike the world kind of ‘slows down’ – just what we need after a hectic time blogging and travelling. Charles from McCool Travel RESOLUTION: Travel more while spending less and get back in shape My travel resolutions include visiting more places in 2016 while spending less money. That will require some stealthy and resourceful techniques, like home exchanges. Another major resolution is to lose some weight, which I honestly find easier to do when I travel. Stefan & Sebastian from Nomadic Boys RESOLUTION: Spend more time exploring the places we visit Our travel resolution for 2016 is to travel a lot slower than we have been doing. We spent the past 17 months travelling in Asia, which was awesome. But trying to maintain and grow a blog at the same time is a lot of work alongside all the travel planning, exploring, photography etc etc. At most we’d base ourselves in a place for 1 month before moving on and that was never enough. So, for our next trip to Latin America in 2016, we plan to do it over a greater period of time and basing ourselves in places for much longer. One particular way of doing this, which we’ve heard a lot about is house sitting. Lauren from #ljojlo RESOLUTION: Go to Antartcita Travel Resolutions for 2016….well there is tonnes that come to mind but only one that stands out, ANTARCTICA. Antarctica is the continent I so desperately desperately (yes two desperatelys) want to get to however I can. Therefore, the travel resolution for 2016 is to save enough money to be able to get myself on a boat from Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina over to the exquisite white continent. Hannah from That Adventurer RESOLUTION: Explore more of the UK countryside In 2016 I want to spend more time exploring the UK’s beautiful countryside! There’s National Parks, lakes, hills and endless open fields that are waiting to be explored and it’s so easy to forget about your own back yard. My main adventure in 2016 will be tackling the Coast to Coast route by bike! This route takes you from Whitehaven on the West Coast to Sunderland on the North East Coast of England and is doable in a weekend (although I might give myself an extra day!). But, before tackling it, I’m going to have to get on that rickety old bike of mine! Me, again! RESOLUTION: Bring awareness to poverty around the world I think this is my big goal this year. Most of my travels have been centered in Southeast Asia and living there really opened my eyes to a way of life I hadn’t truly understood. I knew life there would be quite different, but it’s not until I was actually there and saw firsthand how poverty-stricken some villages are that it really hit me how blessed we are in the United States (and all Western countries). There’s so much suffering and need around the world. One of my other resolutions for 2016 is to help bring awareness to the countries that still don’t have access the clean water and basic medical care and to find some way I can help. Now that you’ve read all of our resolutions for this year, I’m curious to hear what other resolutions people are making. What changes are you planning to make in your life this year?

The post New Year’s Travel Resolutions From International Travelers first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

30 Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur

Erin — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 23:28:34 +0000

Kuala Lumpur is a great city to visit. I absolutely love it there and think everyone should visit at least once in their lives. There is a lot of history in KL and quite a lot of unique things to see, though it’s not always easy to figure out what those things are. When we first moved to KL and were looking for things to do, the most common things found were KL Tower, Petronas Tower and Batu Caves. While these things are fun and worth doing, there is sooooooooooooooooo much more to do there. So, to help you have a full experience of the neat things in Kuala Lumpur, I’ve compiled a list of things to do in six different categories. Whether you are visiting for a week or two or there for a quick weekend layover, here are some interesting things to spend your time on. WILDLIFE & OUTDOORS BUKIT LAGONG RESERVE RAINFOREST AND CANOPY WALK This place is was started as a plant research center back in 1992 and is now a famous preserve that spans 3,775 acres. There are easy paths to wander around with four jungle treks for those looking for more of a challenge. In the forest are rivers, waterfalls, the remnants of an old Orang Asli settlement as well as a plethora of trees, bamboo, plants and wildlife. You can walk, jog, picnic, bicycle, bird-watch and visit an insect house and herbal botanic garden. If heights don’t bother you, there is also a canopy walk that takes you 98 feet above the forest floor. For preservation reasons, only 250 people are allowed on the canopy per day, 200 advance tickets and 50 walk-in. To reserve your canopy tickets, email FRIM One Step Centre at frim_enquiry@frim.gov.my. As a side note, Malaysia gets pretty hazy at certain times during the year, which results in the reserve closing. Please check here for the daily API readings (posted at 7am) before heading to the reserve. If the API readings are above 150 for Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur, the reserve will be closed. HOURS – 9:30am-1:30pm, closed Monday and Friday – advanced booking required PRICE – RM10 Adults, RM1 Children. There are also camera fees for professional equipment. LOCATION – The reserve is located NW of Batu Caves in Northern KL. If you want to take a taxi, I’d recommend going to KL Sentral and purchasing a taxi coupon. This ensures that the driver cannot overcharge you. If you want to hail a taxi, be sure the drive turns the meter on. You can also take the KTM Komuter from KL Sentral to Kepong Sentaral Station. Kepong Sentral Station is AFTER Kepong Station. From there you can get a taxi for about RM 7. Just be sure the driver uses the meter. KUALA GANDAH ELEPHANT SANCTUARY We really enjoyed our trip to Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. This place is an elephant rescue where elephants who are injured in the wild or are damaging farmlands can stay until they’ve either healed or a new home can be found for them. They have a video where you can learn more about what they do, an exhibit about elephants and the history of elephants in Malaysia along with beautiful grounds to wander around. Oh, and a small restaurant where you can get ice cream, snacks and drinks. As for the actual elephants on site, you cannot ride them, but you can feed them and watch them play in the water before the handlers do a small demonstration (maybe about 5-7 min). Then you can feed them again. Be sure to bring a snack for the elephants as the provided fruit gets snatched up quickly. I would allow at least half a day for this destination. HOURS – 9:00am-4:45pm PRICE – Donation LOCATION – The sanctuary is located by Lanchang, Pahang, and is about a 2 hour drive. To get there, drive on the Karak Highway towards the east coast and exit at Lanchang. There are signs that will show you which way to go. These are the GPS coordinates if you’d like to use those: 3˚ 35’34.4”N and 102˚ 08’37.7”E. You also can reach the center by train if you stop at Bandar Jengka or Termeloh and take a taxi from there. if you choose the train and taxi route, add an extra hour each way to your travel time. LAKE GARDENS PARK This park is also known as Taman Tasik Perdana or Perdana Botanical Garden. I really love Lake Gardens Park and went there several times while living nearby. There is a beautiful lake with walking trains, bike paths, covered pavilions to sit under, picnic tables, benches, pavilions in trees, meticulously sculptured gardens, several play areas with large toys for kids and there are several animal exhibits, though those cost to get in. BUT, you can still see the deer through the fence and can feed them if they come near. There is also a cafe, public restrooms (pay to use), bike rentals (RM3 for 30 min) and a trolley tour of the park (RM2 for adults, RM1 for children). Duration of your visit depends on what all you want to do. For a quick tour, 1-2 hours. For a leisurely visit, 3-4 hours. HOURS – 7:00am-8:00pm PRICE – Free for the park, entrance fees for extraneous attractions. LOCATION – 10-minute walk from KL Sentral, minutes from the Bird Park and the National Museum, right next door to Tun Abdul Razak Memorial House. Taxi is the best way to get there if you don’t want to walk from KL Sentral. KL BIRD PARK While a bit on the pricier side, this is a nice place to visit. There is a lot of wildlife around the park along with lovely landscaping and beautiful plants. There are a number of bird feeding demonstrations throughout the day along with a full-on bird show. We didn’t get to see the bird show, but I’ve heard it is quite entertaining. If you want to get up close and personal with some of the birds, you can purchase a ticket to get a photograph with birds perched on your shoulders and head. And for the learning part, there is an indoor informational section that teaches about the different bird species and the area. Plan to spend 1-2 hours. HOURS – 9:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM48/25 Adults, RM38/12 Children (lower prices are for those with a MyKad ID card) LOCATION – 15-minute walk from KL Sentral, minutes from the Lake Gardens Park and the National Museum, just up the street from Tun Abdul Razak Memorial House. Taxi is the best way to get there if you don’t want to walk from KL Sentral. CHILLING FALLS We had a lot of fun at Chiling Falls. The hike isn’t too strenuous, but the water does get waist-deep on a 6′ adult and can be a little fast at times, so if you’re not steady on your feet, you may just want to hike the first little bit. If you’re ready for a muddy hike through lots of foliage and crossing rivers, you won’t be disappointed. This hike is beautiful and very worth it. The pool under the lower waterfall is deep enough to swim in and there are monkeys that hang out there sometimes. Wear sturdy shoes, bring bug spray and a small backpack with water and snacks. The drive is about 1.5 hours each way and the hike takes about 3 hours roundtrip (excluding stops), so plan on this taking at least 6 hours. HOURS – 8:00am-6:00pm, Friday-Sunday PRICE – RM1 per person LOCATION – This hike is located inside the Sungai Chiling Fish Sanctuary. If you go to Kuala Kubu Bharu (do NOT go to Kuala Kubu Baru) and then continue on to Fraser’s Hill (Bukit Fraser), you will pass Selangor Dam and reservoir. Shortly after passing Selangor Dam you will cross a small steel bridge. There is a parking area on your left just after the bridge and the entrance to the park is on the right side of the road. Back to Top MUSEUMS ISLAMIC ARTS CENTER The Islamic Arts Center is pretty great. It is currently the largest Islamic museum in SE Asia and houses over 7,000 artifacts. They have a revolving exhibition in one section and a static exhibition in the rest of the complex. The revolving exhibit when we were there was about the history of Malaysia’s independence from Great Britain. The static exhibits showcase ancient Islamic seals, miniature replicas of Islamic buildings from around the world, beautiful Arabic manuscripts, wall carvings, mosaics, metalwork, qur’ans, prayer books, room replicas from the ancient Ottoman empire, portraits, ancient trinkets, swords, jewelry, armor, glassware, chess boards and clothing. There are so many amazing things to look at there. And there’s a cafe as well as a gift shop, so you can rest a bit before buying something to bring home to remind you of your visit. 🙂 The time you spend depends on whether you want to go for the experience or to learn about the culture. If you just want to make a cursory tour of the place, plan about 1.5-2. If you want to REALLY look at the stuff and read about it, I’d plan maybe 3-4 hours. HOURS – 10:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM14 for adults, children 6 & under are free LOCATION – The Islamic Arts Museum is about a two-minute walk from the National Mosque, about 10 minutes from Lake Garden Park and about 5 minutes from the Bird Park. To get there, you can take a taxi from anywhere or you can take the KTM Kmuter to the Kuala Lumpur stop and then either walk or take a taxi. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the station. TUN ABDUL RAZAK HOUSE They completely remodeled this place while we were there and I have to say that it looks really nice. All the rooms are set up with authentic period furniture with interactive touch screens that give quite a bit of information. There are also signboards with pictures and additional information. It’s really quite well put-together and is worth a short visit. Plan to spend about 30-45 minutes there. HOURS – Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun: 10:00am-5.30pm, Fri: 10:00am – 12:00pm, 3:00pm – 5.30pm, Closed on Mondays PRICE – Free LOCATION – Adjacent to Lake Garden Park. 1-2 minutes from the Bird Park. To get there, you can take a taxi from anywhere or you can take the KTM Komuter to the Kuala Lumpur stop and then either walk or take a taxi. It’s about a 5-10 minute walk from the station. NATIONAL MUSEUM This museum is pretty fun. It has a lot of neat cultural items and an entire building dedicated to replicas of ancient houses, tools, weapons and daily use items. The museum is a decent size and has exhibits dedicated to early Malaysian civilizations, the development of the Malay kingdoms, what life was like during the Colonial era and important events since Malaysia became independent in 1957 along with an outdoor exhibit of various modes of transportation from throughout Malaysia’s history. There is a gift shop and a cafeteria on-site. Plan to spend 1-2 hours here. HOURS – 9:00am-6:00pm PRICE – RM5 Adults, RM2 Children 6-10, Free Children under 6 LOCATION – Short walk from KL Sentral. To get there you can walk over a freeway overpass (not as dangerous as it sounds, I did it several times) or you can take a taxi or RapidKL bus No.115 (RM2 per day). This is also a stop on the Hop-On Hop-Off Tour, so you can get there that way as well. KUALA LUMPUR CITY GALLERY This place is pretty neat. It may be small, but it’s worth a quick stop if you’re in the area. There is a small exhibit on the history of the city as well as information about important historic places around town. There are some really old maps of the city, scale-model buildings, a seasonal exhibit corner and a scale-model light-up city that has a short demo reel along with some other really interesting things. The demo reel with the light-up city lasts about 2 minutes and...

The post 30 Things To Do In Kuala Lumpur first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

The World Heritage Sites of London

Erin — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 15:00:39 +0000

Did you know London has the honor of being home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites? Come check out the sites which have been honored with the distinction of being of extreme cultural and historical significance.

The post The World Heritage Sites of London first appeared on Traveling Thru History.