Tag: Travel

  • Converted 1994 Asia Travel Journal – DONE!

    I have FINALLY converted an ancient Dreamweaver coded Travel Journal to WordPress!

    Travel Journal to Asia in 1994

    It was good to clean up some of the code, and get “it” back to a base standard in html!

    Part of the joys over jumping various web platforms over the years…

    In re-linking the various jpeg image files, I realize that I do need to go back and re-scan some of the old slides!

    So if you are interested, please take a look and let me know what you think!

    – Andrew
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  • Tiananmen Square and The Great Wall

    Note – All images are scanned from slide film.

    Tiananmen Square

    • Tiananmem Square Overview
    • Monument to the People’s Heros
    • Museum of Chinese Revolution & History
    • Working People’s Cultural Palace
    • Great Hall of the People

    13th Ming Emperor’s Tombs

    • Map of the Tombs
    • Walking up to the tombs
    • Walking up to the tombs 2

    It is very hard to show pictures of the Tomb because they are all underground.

    At the entrance, you walk down about 100 feet of stairs, and then opens up into a series of large vaults.

    In these vaults are the various items buried with the Emperor.

    Back above ground, one is treated with a great view of the surrounding country side.

    • Looking Out
    • Looking Out – Detail 1
    • Looking Out – Detail 2

    Lunch in a ‘tourist trap’

    Lunch in the upstairs portion of the building.

    A tour bus of Chinese tourists came in toward the end of the meal.

    Shopping around the International Store.

    The Great Wall of China

    The drive north-west of Beijing/Peking

    There is some beautiful mountains that you drive through to get to the wall. I just kept looking out the window in the amazement of nature.

    I was also amazed to see portions of the wall traversing the tops of the mountains. Here was this extremely rugged terrain, and on top of it all, this stone wall!!

    Simply put, AMAZING!!

    Robert did have a problem with the tickets because of his nationality.

    Merchants selling picture books, buttons, and table cloths all along the wall!!

    The higher I walked, the more and more I was amazed.

    The Wall just stretches as far as the eye can see.

    • Great Wall Tower
    • The Great Wall 01
    • The Great Wall 02
    • Walking up some stairs
    • The Great Wall 03
    • The Great Wall 04
    • The Great Wall 05
    • The Great Wall 06

    Drive back to Beijing

    I saw a small fire in the under brush that no one seemed to care about. I did not see anyone tending the flames!!

    Formal Dinner

    Dad was the host for this meal

    – Andrew
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  • First day in Hong Kong

    20261001 – Update – Many years have passed since I wrote my nightly notes there in our motel room in Hong Kong. Years later, back in the States, I posted them here to this site.

    I have added and updated content and technical aspects under the hood.

    It’s also been a few years since I’ve updated this website, so please bare with me.

    Note – All images are quick, low-res scans from slide film on a flatbed scanner. One of these days, I’ll re-scan at hi-res the better ones. As they say, ‘Content is King’, so…

    View from the Hotel Balcony

    This was my first real view of Hong Kong, and it was amazing. There were so many sights that were new to me, and processing them was difficult as I jumped from one thing to the next.

    Main Assignment for the Day:

    – Get my Visa into China

    Walking around Hong Kong

    I was overwhelmed as I walked around.

    Interesting Building 02
    Interesting Building 02
    Between Buildings
    Between Buildings
    Close-Up on the Bank of China
    Close-Up on the Bank of China

    Cable Car to the top of Mt. Victoria

    We took a very steep cable car ride to the top of Mt. Victoria, where we walked around the top.

    The view from on top of Mt. Victoria 02
    The view from on top of Mt. Victoria 02

    At one point, you can see the other side of Hong Kong.

    The view from on top of Mt. Victoria
    The view from on top of Mt. Victoria

    We then took a taxi from the top, all the way down, and into Kowloon, where dad was getting new glasses.

    At one point, I remember crossing a bridge, and seeing a big banner sign saying in English “Real Chinese Food”, and it struck me as very odd in such a location.

    Looking over Hong Kong
    Looking over Hong Kong

    Walking around Kowloon

    I had a “Fast Food” Chinese meal!

    Dad and I walked along the water front.

      Looking back at Hong Kong
      Looking back at Hong Kong
      Side of a Museum
      Side of a Museum
      Museum Sign
      Museum Sign
      Hydro Foil
      Hydro Foil

      Took the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong

      Star Ferry
      Star Ferry

      Sat on the Motel porch
      and watched the life before me

        The Museum from Hong Kong
        The Museum from Hong Kong
        Construction 01
        Construction 01
        Construction 02
        Construction 02

        On the way to dinner, I saw forests of apartment buildings!!

        I have been to New York city numerous times, especially since my companies headquarters was located there, and my father was born and raised there too.

        But the was something different about how the builds where built that reminded me more of a forest then a collection or group of building. I was also told, that area was one of the most densely populated places in the world.

        Dinner on the Floating Restaurants

        These were the restaurants features in one of the James Bond 007 movies.

        Sitting in the Emperor's chair
        Sitting in the Emperor’s chair

        While waiting for our table, a Chinese man, very eager to try his English with me, started with several small words, and then a simple phrase, and then “I’m a SEX MACHINE!“

        Trying not to laugh right in his face was one of the hardest things I things, I’ve ever done!

        – Andrew
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      • Tour of Tokyo

        Bus tour w/Yuri

        Drove past the Emperor’s Place

        Edo Period Museum

        Beautiful scaled models of Old Tokyo City

        • Scale Model 01
        • Scale Model 02
        • Scaled Model 03 (Boat)

        Lunch near Red Gate

        Group Lunch

        An elderly man tried to speak to me in English

        Shopping after lunch

        Exchanged money w/Yuri
        My “local bank”

        Geisha Theater

        Daimo de jour!!

        Shopping in Harajuku

        Bought: Tea pot & T-shirts

        Very LARGE dinner at Ikebukuro in downtown Tokyo

        Actually a feast!!

        Back at Akasu home

        Yuri and her brother looked up in dictionaries what the tea set said
        Writings of an ancient poet

        – Andrew
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      • Culture Day – Japan

        Note – All images are scanned from slide film.

        Culture Day (Japan)

        This morning I woke up around 04:00 A, and I have been puttering about the room. Getting the presents together to
        take over later.

        07:00 Breakfast

        09:00 Meet Mr. Akasu in the lobby

        Back to his home for the first time

        • We exchanged gifts
        • We watched the Waterloo Gardens tape

        First experience on the Japanese train system

        See the young men walking around in full decorative dress with wooden shoes that sounded like horses on
        a cobble stone road.

        Bus tour took us by…

        • Emperors place
          • Walked around the Emperor’s Place…
            • 500 yrs to build
            • 2013 Dwarf Pine trees in the Main Compound
            • Over 3 miles in circumference around the compound
          • Monuments
            • Samurai Warrior
          • The small stones around the gates where used to detect when someone approaching
            • Guard Gate 01
            • Guard Gate 02
        • The Diet (Japanese Government Building)
        • Russian Embassy
        • Tokyo Tower
          • Tower 1
          • Tower 2

        Dinner at the Akasu’s

        Agadashi and Delivered Sushi!!