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VPG-DVD-109 - BALI Bali - island of the gods and gateway to Paradise -- a relatively small island, east of Java across the Bali Strait. In recent years, luxurious hotel complexes have appeared, tastefully re-creating the island's ethnic traditions. The capital of Bali, Denpasar, is the commercial centre of the island with good shopping facilities and a fascinating variety of entertainment. Colourful dance and drama play an important part in the lives of the Bali people and almost every village has its own dance group, the favourite dance being the Barong. In the north of the island, the 1800 metre high Gunung Batur volcano is still active, its slopes covered in lava fields that extend deep into its crater. Hindu temples abound, the Kehen being one of the most beautiful terraced temples in Bali and the Pura Besakih, the most revered. As in ancient times, rice is still cultivated in the traditional way and ox and plough traverse the fields. Sun drenched beaches, cloud-kissed volcanoes, exquisite ethnic architecture and dreamy temples - it's no wonder that Bali is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in East Asia.
Vista Point BALI Indonesia
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m48s
Views: 39  | Comments: 0
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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: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m38s
Views: 28  | Comments: 0
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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: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 30  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-216 - VALLETTA Valletta is the capital city of the Mediterranean island of Malta and is also known as The City of Palaces. It was once inhabited in turn by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Turks and in 1530 the Order of the Knights of Malta moved its main residence to this section of the island. Malta's pre-historic epoch is demonstrated by its primeval stone temples and graves. They belong to the Menhir period that extended to the British Isles. The St. John's Co-Cathedral was built in1577 by Gerolama Cassar as a monastic church of the Order of the Knights of Malta. At the command of Pope Pius the 7th, in 1816 it was designated as a cathedral and was given the same privileges as the bishop's seat in Medina, thus its somewhat strange title of 'Co-Cathedral'. Situated on the northernmost point of the peninsula is the famous Saint Elmo Fort, a dominant feature of the coast. Throughout the centuries it has been witness to many bloody battles and much courageous resistance. It reached its zenith during the time of the Knights of Saint John who expanded the fortress and made it almost totally impregnable. Its walls successfully fended off the Turks and later the French blocked off the harbour entrance to the British fleet. During the Second World War anti- aircraft artillery were positioned on the fort's upper levels to defend against both German and Italian bombers. The Orient and the Occident have both left their traces in Valletta a picturesque location carved from stone. The former City Of Knights in which the future joins with the past.
Vista Point VALLETTA Malta
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 25  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-212 - TAIPEI Taipei is a pulsating metropolis in the north of the South Asian island state of Taiwan, a land of gods, spirits and temples. With around three million inhabitants it is the largest city in Ilha Formosa, a beautiful island that is located a hundred and thirty kilometres from the Chinese mainland. The famous Grand Hotel is the most impressive building in Taipei and is in the typical Chinese palace design of the Ming Dynasty. The large interior hall of the fine building is supported by massive red pillars and it features a magnificent open staircase with marble banisters. The south western edge of the city was where wealthy trader, Lin An Tai, once had a huge residence. It is one of the most well preserved examples of a building in the style of a classical southern Chinese residence and designed according to the strict rules of Feng Shui and Chinese Geomancy. The Confucius Temple is a place of contemplation and a replica of the Temple Of Qu Fu, Qu Fu having been the home town of Confucius. A large wall surrounds both the temple and its inner courtyard. This silent place is one of five temples in Taiwan dedicated to the great Chinese philosopher who founded a religion that even today has many followers. Taipei is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, a modern Asian metropolis that is full of ancient traditions as well as futuristic flair.
Vista Point TAIPEI Taiwan
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m22s
Views: 19  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-209 - SIEM REAP Siem Reap is a relatively small town three hundred and fifteen kilometres north of Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. Here, growing tourism has created a boomtown because Siem Reap is close to Angkor, the ancient capital of a huge and mysterious jungle realm. The Temples Of Angkor are the remains of various religious buildings that were built by more then ten kings of the Khmer realm between the 7th and 16th centuries A.D. The gigantic roots of kapok trees cling to the moss-covered walls of the temple complex and everything is dominated by the encroachment of nature. The monastery was once home to five thousand including more than two thousand monks and over six hundred female dancers who played an important part in the sacred rituals and ceremonies of that time. The fishermen on the tributaries of the Tonle Sap live peacefully together in large families. They are not particularly interested in commerce or trade as their lives are dominated by Buddhism. In the Middle Ages Angkor was the largest city in the world. The majestic silence amid the temples and dense jungle vegetation seems to highlight Angkor's immortal splendour and its magnificent contribution to Asian history and culture.
Vista Point SIEM REAP...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 22  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-200 - RAJASTHAN Rajasthan, Land Of Kings and one of the most unique and colourful provinces in northern India on the border with Pakistan. The barren desert landscape was once the home of the Rajputes that ruled over the land for more than a thousand years. Our journey begins in Jaipur, the Pink City, where the buildings consist of the reddish stone of the surrounding landscape. Much to the surprise of tourists the local people continue to use the elephant as a means of transport in this splendid trading town. However, modern traffic with its cars, tuk-tuk taxis and countless bicycles has also found its way into this fairytale-like city. An artificial lake suddenly appears in the centre of which is the beautiful Jal Mahal Castle. Amid the arid, rocky landscape is the original residence of the Rajputes clan, the Amber Fort that is strategically situated within rock walls. The small town of Churu is flanked on both its south and west sides by sand dunes. It is believed that it was founded in 1563 by the Jats. It subsequently became important as the supplier of caravans for the Poddar family that brought the village a long period of prosperity. The white temples of Ranakpur are the sanctuaries of the Jains, situated in a picturesque valley to the west of the Aravalli Mountains north of Udaipur. Rajasthan is the Land Of The Maharajas in all its splendour: a living fairy-tale beneath the desert sky.
Vista Point RAJASTHAN India
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m28s
Views: 22  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-187 - PATAN Patan is a city of a thousand golden rooftops. The former royal city is situated in the thirty kilometre long Kathmandu Valley, Nepal's national treasure. It is located to the south of Kathmandu and its official name is Lalitpur, 'The Beautiful City'. Around a hundred and sixty thousand people live in what is almost tantamount to an open-air museum that transfers all who travel there to another world. It is dominated by more than a hundred and fifty former monasteries that have since been transformed into family homes. Legend has it that the main image of worship, Shiva Linga, within the Kumbheshvara Temple was the point around which the city was built. The upper floors of the temple are more narrow and slender than is customary. They look like a delicate adornment of the roof rather than the more usual tapering tower structure. Due to its splendid carvings the Vishveshvara Temple is well treasured among the other pagoda temples in Durbar Square. In 1990 it collapsed during a monsoon but has since been completely restored along with its countless ornate wood carvings. The Bala Gopala Temple is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Malla architecture. It is thought to be a replica of a sanctuary in the Indian Mathura. Here, the god Krishna spent his youth as a herdsman, thus the name of the temple contains the words Bala and Gopala that mean 'Child' and 'Herdsman'. Patan is the second largest and oldest city in Kathmandu Valley, the heart of the country's traditional arts and crafts and a truly atmospheric gem of evocative architecture.
Vista Point PATAN Nepal
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 26  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-215 - NORTH VIETNAM In colonial times the Europeans referred to North Vietnam as Tongking. Today the Vietnamese people call it, Bac Bo. Hanoi is North Vietnam's lively capital city. It was here that in 1882 the French created their administrative headquarters and main capital city. Compared to other southeast Asian cities that have developed into modern metropolis' at breathtaking speed, Hanoi could be described as being a provincial city. The Hoh Chi Minh Museum, a three storey concrete building, was inaugurated in May 1990 to commemorate Hoh's one hundredth birthday. Den Dao Quan is one of the most beautiful Taoist temples in Vietnam and an oasis of tranquillity. It is a place dedicated to the worship of benevolent spirits and for those who believe in divine and spiritual natural powers. Haiphong is the most important industrial harbour town in North Vietnam and has a population of one and a half million. Under French rule thousands of workers built this city at record speed and the harbour was enlarged, making it the largest in Indo China. Hoa Binh is one of the north's less attractive provincial towns but this, the former centre of a prehistoric Bronze Age culture on the Black River, is the gateway to the mountains of the north. Located within a remote and mountainous landscape, the village of Ban Lac Thai is a peaceful place set within an elevated and fertile valley. It is believed that the Viet are related to the Thai people and originally separated from the Muong tribe when they cultivated the Red River Delta. Everywhere the Thai folk offer hand made arts and crafts for sale such as knitted blankets, woven cloth and numerous bags. From the nostalgic capital of Hanoi as far as the mountain tribes of the north, North Vietnam is a country of charm and beauty with natural wonders and ancient cultures full of age-old traditions and new hope for the future!
Vista Point NORTH VIETNAM
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m33s
Views: 25  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-123 - NEPAL At the foot of the huge peaks of the Himalayas is Pokhara and it is from here that we begin our journey through Nepal. At one time this high valley contained seven fresh water lakes named Pokhari and they gave this holiday paradise its present day name. In the past, Pokhara was an important trading link between India and Tibet but the trading of salt and wool came to an end after Tibet closed its doors to the outside world. Its population is extremely tolerant and both the Buddhist and Hindu faiths coexist side by side. A safari by elephant is a real adventure as the mahuts skilfully lead the ambling giants through the bush. Travelling through the jungle on the back of an elephant offers good protection from rhinoceroses and other predators. Kathmandu is a melting pot of both race and religion, a metropolis in the heart of the Kingdom of Nepal. In the centre of the city is the ancient palace of Hanuman Dhoka. More than seven hundred thousand people live in the metropolis of Earth's most ancient kingdom. It was only a few decades ago that ancient Nepal opened up its borders. Until then, due to the command of the ruling Gurkha Dynasty, the 'Home of the Divine' was totally isolated. Patan is Nepal's second largest city and has retained much of its original character due to its three hundred monasteries and temples. It is also one of the oldest settlements in Kathmandu Valley and during the 15th century was the capital of one of three kingdoms. Two huge lions guard the entrance of the former royal palace that originated from a monastery complex. Bhaktapur is the third ancient regal city of the thirty kilometre long Kathmandu Valley that has always been a prosperous trading route between China, Tibet and India. Our journey through this fairytale land ends at the foot of the mighty Himalayas amidst a wonderful world in which the gods are still very much alive!
Vista Point NEPAL
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m20s
Views: 31  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-162 - MEXICO CITY Mexico City is a vivid metropolis and cosmopolitan city situated on a plateau in the central highlands at an altitude of 2, 286 metres - where the food is spicy and the Tequila flows freely! The city's fascinating history is reflected in both its art and architecture with age old charm, Indian roots and elegant buildings. Until the Spanish conquest the Templo Mayor was the setting of coronations and human sacrifice. The remains of the walls within which thousands of priests once lived are only a few steps from the buildings of the country's former Spanish conquerors. Construction of the country's largest cathedral, the Catedral Metropolitana, took two hundred and fifty years. The lower section is quite plain but the upper section is of Baroque and Neo-Classical design. Spanish administrative buildings and private houses in the heart of the city have replaced the temples of ancient Mexico and has resulted in a synthesis of both old and new architectural styles. An elevator ascends the Torre Latino America, an earthquake-proof tower that was built in 1958. A viewing platform provides a wonderful panoramic view that includes the Palacio De Bellas Artes and the Juarez Monument. Located fifty kilometres from Mexico City are the ancient remains of Teotihuacan that was once a centre of trade, art and ritual ceremonies. At its zenith in 500 A.D. it was as large as Rome and its Sun Pyramid is one of the greatest building achievements of ancient times. In 1988 Unesco attributed this complex as being 'one of the most important cultural centres of Mankind'. The author Pablo Neruda once said: 'No other land on Earth possesses such remarkable human profoundness than Mexico and its inhabitants'. For surprises, sights and history galore, Mexico has to be at the top of the list!
Vista Point MEXICO CITY...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m5s
Views: 17  | Comments: 0
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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: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m24s
Views: 18  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
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