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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-217 - WACHAU Our journey across Wachau begins in Stein, a town district of Krems, one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in Austria. The sole 'Gateway Into The Wachau' is a unique region of the Danube between Krems-Stein and Melk. A total of a hundred and thirteen houses encapsulate the medieval city that was built along the Steiner Road on the banks of the Danube. Today the town's facades and entrance-ways are decorated in traditional style and compliment the impressive Renaissance splendour of the buildings. A little further on and the river valley narrows and becomes even more beautiful. The blue-white church tower of Dürnstein proudly welcomes those who visit the town. It is a landmark of the Wachau. This small medieval town nestles picturesquely along the rock walls above the Danube and it lives and breathes the history that made it world famous. The beauty of the landscape is overwhelming. Colour dominates the soft hollows between the rocky slopes that flank the Danube Valley and the shining green of the summer months leads to a spectacle of colour that leads up to the wine harvest, a true spectacle of nature! Thirty-six kilometres of the Danube Valley with magnificent cities, castles and historic ruins, a Baroque monastery and an old vine-growing culture. The Wachau, a priceless gem situated alongside the far-stretching waters of the Danube.
Vista Point WACHAU Austria
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m20s
Views: 25  | Comments: 0
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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-169 - PROVENCE Marseille is the most important city in Provence.and is situated on the south coast of France. From a distance, one of Marseille's main landmarks rises high above the harbour: the seafarers' church of Notre-Dame-De-La-Garde. With abundant internal furnishings, Byzantine arches, golden mosaics and numerous votives it is a splendid structure inspired by Byzantine Romanic design. The most impressive religious building in Marseille is a fortified monastery church that dates back to the 5th century, the mighty Abbaye Saint Victor. Deep down in the rock is an Early Christian crypt and a number of stone sarcophaguses that contain the remains of various holy martyrs that date back to the Roman persecution of the Christians. A boat trip from Cassis leads to one of the most beautiful coastal areas in Europe, Les Calanques, a unique nature reserve where shining white limestone cliffs plunge more than four hundred metres into the deep blue sea and extend for twenty kilometres. Sur Le Pont D'Avignon is a world famous French song that is familiar to both young and old alike. It is a song of dance on the bridge of the Pont Saint Bénézet but it is more likely that the people here once danced under the bridge, as that is the location of its bars! A place of radiant light and sweet aromas with villages that nestle in the rocks like eagles'nests and with cities that have an historic past. Provence is indeed a captivating land full of fascinating contrasts.
Vista Point PROVENCE France
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 24  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-224 - PHNOM PENH Phnom Penh is the reawakened capital of Cambodia and former Land Of The Khmer, now a wonderful place with all the charm of a bygone age. The Wat Ounalom Monastery is the centre of Cambodian Buddhism and home of the patriarch and around two hundred monks. The monastery once contained more than forty buildings that were either damaged or totally destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. During the second half of the nineteenth century Phnom Penh became a French colonial town with wide streets, shops, government buildings, hotels and villas all in colonial style. The Mekong has its origin in China on the edge of the Tibetan High Plateau and for almost five thousand kilometres it crosses China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. During the rainy season the river is at its highest and not only floods the land but also creates a miracle of nature. The Tonle Sap changes its direction and the surplus water of the Mekong flows into the Tonle Sap Lake that has ample room for the extra water. After the monsoon period the water drains out of the lake back into the Mekong when everyone celebrates the Festival Of The Turning Water. Today, one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in Asia is gradually recovering from the tragic events of the past. It is as though Phnom Penh is now keen to enjoy everything that was forbidden during the Vietnam War and the savage rule of the Khmer Rouge.
Vista Point PHNOM PENH...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m29s
Views: 30  | Comments: 0
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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-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
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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: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m25s
Views: 26  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-230 - IRELAND Ireland is one of Europe's most green and mysterious islands and everyone who visits this isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean is given a very warm welcome. Dublin is the capital of the Irish Republic and it is a city of musicians, poets and dreamers, as well as being a financial centre. Its many old buildings indicate its long and dramatic past. It was founded by the Vikings within a wonderful valley where the River Liffey flows into the Atlantic Ocean. South west of Dublin is Kildare, the heart of Ireland's horse racing. In 1902 the Irish national stud, Tully House, was founded there. Rich and eccentric Scottish brewery heir, Colonel William Hall-Walker, had the idea of a creating unique horse breeding scheme that would be based upon astrological calculation. The Wicklow Mountains are a natural paradise of mountains, swamps and lakes, beautiful valleys and a fascinating mountain landscape to the south of Dublin. Jerpoint Abbey near Thomastown dates back to the twelfth century. It is one of the most beautiful Cistercian ruins in Ireland. The Cistercians built the monastery in characteristic style and one of the stone sarcophaguses is said to contain the bones of Holy Nicolas who was buried there by the Crusaders. Although much of it has remained unspoiled, Ireland has undergone much change. It is a land of great natural beauty, healthy commercial success and excellent hospitality: a wild green island set in the wild Atlantic Ocean!
Vista Point IRELAND
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
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VPG-DVD-131 - FIRENZE Florence is the capital of Tuscany, a city of art and joie de vivre. With its magnificent tower the Palazzo Vecchio is a communal palace that has been the city's political centre since the beginning of the 14th century. Originally it was the seat of the city's Republican rulers but soon afterwards the MEDICI dynasty settled there, the cleverest and most powerful of the handful of families that ruled over the city. In front of the palace's façade there is a double life-sized statue that is a copy of Michelangelo's‚'David', and in the Galleria Dell` Accademia there are several further sculptures by the great artist that idealised and glorified the strength of the Renaissance people. The three-sided Gothic cathedral and the Campanile are tightly packed into the city centre's Cathedral Square and the Santa Maria Del Fiore Cathedral is a replica of St. Peters in Rome and the Cathedral of Milan. The bronze 'Tower To Paradise' adorns the city's most sacred building, the Battistero, its mighty inner-dome, in Byzantine style, being supported by strong Roman columns while, in a gigantic mosaic, Christ the 'Judge of the World' features alongside angels and battles with the devil. San Lorenzo was the Medici's cathedral and one of the earliest creations of the Florentine Renaissance. To make way for it, an entire section of the city was torn down, a process that cost the Medici a large sum of money. Close to the Holy Antonius Cloister there is now a monastery and a museum and everywhere there are striking frescos by the artist Monk, Fra Angelico, several of which are on view in the monastery and its surrounding buildings. It could be said that the world obtained its taste for culture from Florence, a city in which art and culture unite in beautiful completion.
Vista Point Florence Italy
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m16s
Views: 20  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-228 - DAMASCUS Damascus is the capital of Syria and is a symbol of culture in the Near East. A hundred kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, the strategically located city was once the capital of the Umayyad. Cannons, the busts of various presidents and military vehicles are displayed in the large courtyard of the Takiyeh Mosque, an ancient Dervish monastery complex. Built in 1554 and designed by Ottoman master architect, Sinan, it also includes an adjoining inn for the numerous pilgrims who travelled to Mecca. Damascus has always been much prized: by the pharaohs and the Babylonian monarch, Nebukadnezar, and later, Alexander The Great. Then came Persian, Roman and Islamic emperors followed by the Crusaders and Mongols. The Kalaa Citadel is situated on the periphery of the old town that was once surrounded by huge walls. It was from here that Saladin fended off the attacks of the Crusaders. The Romans built a fort here that was constantly extended with impressive walls and towers and located directly outside the city wall, the River Barada was also of strategic importance. Although the Mongols destroyed the inner buildings, the fortress walls survived. The Suq is an important part of every Islamic city, a market that originated in ancient times. Thousands of shops in numerous interconnected lanes form the commercial heart of Damascus. In the Gold Suq everything glitters, bracelets, rings and even a large variety of kitchen utensils. Damascus has for thousands of years been a place desired by the powerful. Yet it has managed to survive and is still the most beautiful capital city in the Near East.
Vista Point DAMASCUS Syria
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m25s
Views: 9  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-140 - CHENGDE The Qing emperors knew exactly where to shelter during Peking's hot summer months: in the Valley Of Coolness, at that time a beautiful forested river valley two hundred and fifty kilometres north east of Peking. In former Rehe, today's Chengde, is the old summer residence of the Manshu Dynasty that took more than a century to construct. The Forbidden Palace and its park and gardens are now open to the public. Just as in Peking the emperor went about his official business in the southern front hall with the royal living quarters situated in the rear section of the complex. The huge garden with its many ponds and bridges is encircled by a ten kilometre wall beyond which are several large valleys. The garden covers five hundred and sixty hectares and is the largest Imperial park complex in China: a unique architectural work of art. The temple monastery of Xumi-Fushou-Miao is one of the most impressive buildings in the city. Translated, the temple's name is, "Happiness And Longevity Of The Summer Hill". The temple was built in 1780 to mark the visit to China of a senior Tibetan religious dignitary, the sixth Panchen Lama, and is a replica of what was his own monastery in Tibet. The Mahayana Pavilion is the centre of Buddhist religious belief, namely, Sumeru Mountain. Thus the five-storey building is located in the middle of an architectural mandala. The magnificent opulence of the Pavilion was a reflection of China's vast wealth. Each one of the architectural elements that are situated close to the Mahayana Pavilion adhere to the disciplined structure of the Buddhist Universe. In the 18th century China had become the greatest and most prosperous Empire in the world. The magnificent summer residence of the Qing Emperor and its surrounding buildings are a glorious and remarkable demonstration of ultimate power.
Vista Point CHENGDE China
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 210 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m33s
Views: 14  | Comments: 0
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