Showing Results 1-12 of 26 |  Sort by:     
Page 1 of 3  |  Go to page    Next» LAST»»
VPG-DVD-157 - YUNNAN Kunming is located in the Chinese province of Yunnan in south west China. The Buddhist temple of Ykan Ton Si dates back to the Tang Dynasty. The design of the city's largest temple complex was influenced by many diverse ethnic groups. The highlight of the complex is a lake in the middle of which a number of bridges lead to an octagonal pavilion. The Temple Of Total Penetration (yes, that's it's name!) is a tranquil and peaceful haven amid the busy alleys of Kunming's old town. In the west of Yunnan Province there are magnificent views from Xi Shan Mountain across Dian Lake and nestling among the rocks there are numerous temples that were once the scene of ritual sacrifice. On the downward journey the temples loom larger and larger while earthenware images of Buddha depict various stages of life. Yunnan's most famous site is the unique Stone Forest of Shi Lin. Its limestone rock originated from a long since dried--up ocean when the elements set to work on creating its fantastic and bizarre forms. The most amazing formations were given dramatic names such as The Sea Of Fire, Dragon's Tooth and Heavenly Sword. Pagodas, columns and strange flowers appear to rise from the rock and to facilitate access, tunnels and paths have been cut into the rock face. The Venice Of The Far East is the nickname of the ancient Chinese city of Lijiang in the northwest of Yunnan Province. The picturesque centre of the old town of Dayan is an architectural gem. Three rivers and several small creeks flow through the historic cit and there are various splendid stone bridges date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Buy Shan is a typical village of the region. Just as it was hundreds of years ago with farmers slowly leading their ox wagons through the village. The houses were built over a period of more than two hundred year between the Ming and Qing Dynasties in 14 and 16 A.D. Yunnan Province - place of simplicity, exquisite culture and spectacular natural wonders!
Vista Point YUNNAN China
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m38s
Views: 26  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-203 - YANGON Yangon is a river city and the capital of Myanmar. A country surrounded by India, China, Laos and Thailand with a fascinating mêlée of tribes and cultures plus a tranquil harmony of churches, pagodas, Hindu temples and mosques. Here, contrast is all, and that makes Yangon unique! The Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda contains one of the largest prone Buddha statues in the world. Its length makes up for its lack of artistry as it is seventy metres long. Over six hundred monks live in the adjoining monastery that was founded in 1907 for the study of Buddhist scripts that are known as 'Palikanums'. Three seasons determine the climate of this subtropical country: the cool of winter, the heat of summer and the monsoons when it rains for most of the afternoon and entire regions are flooded. But then follows the lush green sight of endless paddy fields. In Yangon the early morning is the best time to travel to the nearby city of Bago which was once the capital of the Second Burmese Realm. It was thought by Europeans to be the most magnificent city in the East, a fact highlighted by its many splendid monuments. The city of Yangon is like travelling back in time to the colonial days of British Rangoon and hopefully this fascinating city will continue to be a golden fairy tale behind a tantalising bamboo curtain!
Vista Point YANGON Myanmar
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 27  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-231 - VIENTIANE Since the sixteenth century Vientiane has been the capital of Laos and is situated in the heart of Indochina. The city originated at the point at which the first navigable section of the Mekong River joins with the Gulf Of Thailand. Vientiane was once a group of rural settlements and even today contains several village-like districts each with its own temple and traditional marketplace. At the end of the nineteenth century the French began to renovate the city's most important buildings and made Vientiane the administrative capital of their new colony and gave it a French look. There are some fascinating places to visit outside the city such as the Cultural Park Of The Laotian People, a large area on the banks of the Mekong River. Historic Vientiane also has some fine reconstructed buildings such as the Wat Impeng on the western bank of Pagoda Street. Artistic wooden carvings on the windows and doors, along with the paintings and stucco work on the walls, feature various legends from the life of Buddha. Some signs of affluence are beginning to appear and in future years Vientiane may become yet another Asian metropolis with skyscrapers, smog and manic rush hours. It is now poised to leap into contemporary times as it gradually emerges from its atmospheric curtain of bamboo.
Vista Point VIENTIANE Laos
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m29s
Views: 20  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-197 - SHAN STATE North of Burma's central plains is the exotic and fascinating Shan State, a beautiful landscape in South East Asia located on the eastern side of Myanmar. Once forty Shan monarchs ruled there but they lived in hostile times as Burmese kings and Chinese warlords fought against them to gain control of their fertile land. We begin our journey at Inlay Lake. The magical beauty of this body of water has attracted and fascinated people since time immemorial and this unique lake is home to the Intha people. The next leg of the journey leads to a far more tranquil section of the lake that features floating gardens that are around a hundred metres long and two metres wide and consist of a densely interwoven carpet of water hyancinths. Mandalay, 'The City Of Art', is located in the centre of Shan State. It was founded in 1857 and up until the British conquered it in 1885 it was the capital of the kingdom of Burma. The Mahamuni Pagoda is the centre of worship and is also where the Mahamuni Buddha is kept, the country's most highly worshipped Buddha statue. Around twelve kilometres beyond Hsipaw is the legendary Bagyo Pagoda. Surrounded by a magnificent wall it is thought that the sanctuary is more than seven hundred years old. An important festival takes place each year around Tabaung, the time of the full moon in February and March, and is the highlight of the town's cultural calendar. The Shan people in the north of Myanmar have most certainly retained their cultural heritage and Shan State is an exotic combination of both nature and culture and a land of beauty and joie de vivre!
Vista Point SHAN STATE...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m24s
Views: 18  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-189 - MANDALAY Mandalay, 'The City Of Art', is located within the centre of Myanmar, that was formerly known as Burma. It was founded in 1857 and up until the British conquered it in 1885 it was the capital of the kingdom of Burma. Two thousand four hundred years after the death of Buddha , King Mindon ordered the one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants of Amarapura to relocate here. The well preserved Shwe Inbin Monastery is one of the last examples of the traditional monasteries whose splendour once made Mandalay famous. The complex has all the architectural elements of a typical Burmese monastery but it is its beautiful wood carvings that are the most striking. To the north of the city is the two hundred and thirty six metre high Mandalay Mountain that dominates the plains below. The tree covered mountain is dominated by the towers of many temples and as Buddha once lived on this mountain it is considered to be extremely sacred and thus contains several pagodas and shrines. Amarapura, the 'Immortal City', is situated in the south. It was the first of the country's royal cities and today it is a small town in which its inhabitants earn their living from weaving. On the western hills are some of the most elegant and splendid monastery complexes such as the Umin Thonzeh Pagoda where forty five Buddha figures stand in a semi-circle, dignified and benign. Once known as the Centre Of The World and today the religious and financial centre of the region, Mandalay lies at the heart of Burmese culture.
Vista Point MANDALAY Myanmar
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m24s
Views: 17  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-133 - MACAU After four hundred and sixty-six years, Portugal handed back the city of Macau to China. It is small and museum-like, a fine example of colonial Portugal on the South China Sea. The Fortaleza Do Monte is a typical Portuguese fortified complex strategically located on a hill above the old cathedral in the heart of the city. Its many old canon and mighty fortress walls are reminders of those times when invasion was a constant threat. The old centre of the city is the triangular Largo Do Senado, Senate Square. Its wonderful colonial buildings with their light-coloured facades were built at the end of the 19th century and completely renovated in the final decade of the 20th. Macau's largest Buddhist temple, Kun Iam Tong, dates back four hundred years to the Ming Dynasty when its original foundations were built. Beyond its main gate just off a busy street in the north of the city, is a peaceful oasis of silence and contemplation, a mystic place in which stone lions, golden Buddhas and all who visit are surrounded by serene, aromatic wisps of smoke. The beautiful Jardim Lou Lim Ioc Park is situated in the northern, less touristy business district of the city. It was designed in the 19th century by a wealthy Chinese trader, Lou Kau. This marvellous oasis is an idyllic setting with a lotus pond, rocks, grottos and waterfalls. Excursions are available on restored motorised junks that leave from the City's harbour several times a day. Taipa is the largest of the two islands that belong to Macau. The tangled and narrow alleys in the centre of Vila Taipa abound with rural character and Portuguese street signs are painted on azulejus. The island's shops and light-coloured houses would be equally at home in Portugal. Although the Macau of today has much contemporary flair it continues to enjoy a rich colonial inheritance that is well worth seeing.
Vista Point MACAU China
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m44s
Views: 26  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-184 - KATHMANDU VALLEY Kathmandu is a melting pot of both race and religion, a metropolis in the heart of the Kingdom of Nepal, a country of snow-covered mountains inhabited by the gods. Kumari Chowk is the residence of the living goddess, Kumari. For this role a young girl is duly selected and is disallowed from leaving the palace until puberty. Her task is it to affirm the power of the king. Age old traditions are celebrated throughout the year such as the Festival Of The Children that symbolises fertility and sexuality. Patan is Nepal's second largest city and has retained much of its original character due to its three hundred monasteries and temples. This beautiful former centre of one of the earliest three kingdoms contains the Hindu Kumbeshwara Pagoda one of the country's oldest buildings dedicated to the god, Shiva. The tower-like Mahabuddha Temple is adorned with several terracotta figures and ornaments and is different to conventional Nepalese architecture. In earlier times the Kwa Bahal Monastery was the administrative centre of trade in Tibet. Its shining gilded copper plates soon gave it the name, The Golden Temple. Changu Narayan, the gem of Nepal, designated as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, is the oldest sanctuary in Kathmandu Valley. Situated 1,450 metres on a mountain north of Bhaktapur it is home to many skilful artists and wood carvers. Hidden in a canyon and located next to a mountain creek is the Dakshinkali Temple. Each year this sanctuary is visited by more than four hundred thousand pilgrims. This place of worship is dedicated to one of the mightiest goddesses of this region, the Southern Kali. The customs of the people in the Kingdom On The Roof Of The World may seem somewhat strange but this land of jungle and eternal snow has developed according to its own rich traditions and beliefs. Pure magic!
Vista Point KATHMANDU...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m25s
Views: 24  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-160 - BHAKTAPUR Bhaktapur, also known as 'the city of the pious' is the third of the ancient royal cities in the thirty kilometre long Kathmandu Valley in the Kingdom of Nepal and also a Unesco World Heritage Sight. On both sides of Durbar Square are many precious art treasures but the city is also fully-functional and a 'car free' open air museum! The medieval city derived from a fortress complex and was later transformed into a palace area. At the western end of Durbar Square is Dvarikanath Mandir, a replica of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. Today a huge pair of lions flank the entrance to the National Art Gallery and there are images of Hanuman and Narasimha. Vatsala Devi Mandir is a temple with a square, three-tiered base. This sacred building has a corridor set around a central Shikhara tower and its stairway is flanked by elephants and two fantastic horses. The number of the city's small temples, shrines and dwellings of the gods is many and complex and they can be found at each crossroads and in every courtyard and doorway. Bhaktapur has also been immortalized in the movie, Little Buddha. For those interested in culture the Kingdom of Nepal is a dream destination and Bhaktapur is a truly atmospheric journey into a rich and golden past.
Vista Point BHAKTAPUR Nepal
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m14s
Views: 25  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-141 -BANGKOK Bangkok is synonymous with lively chaos but Thailand's great metropolis is also a compelling experience for the senses and a fascinating city full of contrast. We begin our sightseeing tour early in the morning about a hundred kilometres south west of the city centre at the floating market of Damnoen Saduak. Here, men and women travel on the canals by sampan amid a fertile landscape. Fruit, vegetables, flowers and all manner of goods are available and many of the boats have a kitchen in which fresh food is prepared to satisfy hearty appetites. Back in the city we visit some of its most important sights such as the Wat Phra Kaeo, The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most important place of worship for the Thai people. Bangkok's most important landmark is also its most beautiful temple complex, a wonderful work of art comprising numerous splendid buildings. Today the Royal Grand Palace is used for national ceremonies and coronations. During the city's early years it was originally built as a residence for King Rama. The magnificent residence of the former god king shines out in all the typical splendour and elegance of the Far East, a Siamese heaven on Earth! In the 19th century Bangkok contained several canals known as 'Klongs' and most of them have subsequently been replaced with streets but a few have survived. Travelling on the canals is a wonderful way to take in the sights and for centuries life on the city's waterways has changed very little. Bangkok is a typical Asian city with much exotic hustle, bustle and excitement. It is truly a city that never sleeps!
Vista Point BANGKOK Thailand
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 11  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
OTT-DVD-132 - The legendary Menam Chao Phraya is often referred to as, 'The Royal River,' and is the largest and also the most important river in Thailand. For several centuries the everyday life of Bangkok, formerly known as Krung Thep, has been closely associated with its canals. The most important sanctuary in the city's historic royal palace in Bangkok is Wat Phra Keo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, with its highly visible gilded Chedi. The devotion to Buddhism of the Royal Thai Chakri Dynasty is displayed here in impressive style. One treasure in particular stands out, the Emerald Buddha, the temple's most sacred object. Boat tours through the Klongs, narrow and extensive canals, are a good way to enjoy the city's sights. Even though the Klongs are not as important as they were a century or more ago they are an atmospheric reminder of the past. It is not surprising that Bangkok was once referred to as 'The Venice of the East'. Even though shipping is no longer important on the three hundred and seventy kilometre long river, the Menam Chao Phraya is frequented by hordes of tourists. In addition to numerous historic buildings, the boat passes by many districts in which poverty is rife. Around sixty kilometres north of Bangkok the boat arrives at a natural island in the middle of the Chao Phraya. From the landing stage it is only a few steps to the former royal summer residence of Bang Pa In. A few kilometres upriver is the ruined city of Ayutthaya, the legendary capital of a kingdom that once influenced a huge area of southeast Asia for more than four hundred years. Due to the many historic sites and fascinating sanctuaries that were built along the banks of the Menam Chao Phraya, this great 'royal' river has played a vital role in the cultural development of Thailand, a land that even today still exudes the exotic ambience of a golden age.
On Tour... THE ROYAL RIVER...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 10  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
OTT-DVD-121 - On Tour...  BENEATH THE HIMALAYAS Car Ride Through NepalBENEATH THE HIMALAYAS Beneath the Earth's tallest mountain peaks is the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Pokhar is located in the centre of Nepal and captivates by its tranquil calm. Its inhabitants are extremely tolerant and here both the Buddhist and Hindu faiths exist side by side. The Phewa Lake contains many fish and is also a holiday paradise. Whether Mount Everest or Annapurna, the Himalayas fascinate all who see them. Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, is a one thousand year old city steeped in religion, mystique and tradition, a vibrant yet reflective 'home of the gods' and everywhere there are temples, pagodas and shrines. The city of Bhaktapur was founded in the 9th century A.D. and contains twelve Hindu monasteries. It was featured in Bertolucci's film, 'Little Buddha.' Patan is a city of great beauty and is like a living museum of art and where the octagonal pavilion of Chyasilin Deval is dedicated to Krishna and the meditational atmosphere is augmented by wisps of smoke that rise dreamily above sacred images. Changu Narayan is one of the most important Hindu sanctuaries in Kathmandu Valley and is dedicated to the god, Vishnu. Of particular interest is the captivating Aruda Narayana Temple with its painted wooden sculptures, many shrines and heavily gilded roof. The journey comes to an end at the foot of the Himalayas in an enchanting world in which the gods are very much revered and very much alive!
On Tour... BENEATH THE...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m26s
Views: 16  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
SHF-DVD-34313 - NepalNepal is the birthplace of Buddha, has the largest river reserve in the world, and if it were flat it would be the same size as Canada! Join me as I take you on a tour through the old forgotten corners of Katmandu to see Sadhus-Nepal's holy men, take in a snake show on the streets, and witness a Hindu funeral ceremony.We will also go on a trekking trip starting at the highest airstrip in the world and ending at the Base Camp of Mt. Everest at 18,880 feet. Then I will go on a harrowing white water raft-trip on one of the wildest rivers on earth! Finally, we will rent motorcycles and drive seven days across Nepal to the Royal Bardia National Park, the largest tiger reserve in the world, where we will track the Bengal tigers on foot and meet the colorful tribal people who live in the area.Mike Shiley is an award-winning filmmaker, freelance photographer, and journalist, developing exclusive stories in Iraq for ABC world News Tonight, Nightline and Good Morning America as well as ABC affiliates KATU-Portland, OR, KMGH-Denver, CO and WFTS-Tampa, Fl.
Nepal
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 197 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m43s
Views: 13  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
Page 1 of 3  |  Go to page    Next» LAST»»