The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the oldest institutions in the country; it was founded in the year 1884 to promote the sport of horse racing. It catered largely to the colonial British administrators during its period of inception. Today it is a non-profit organization that provides horse racing, sporting and betting entertainment to the people of Hong Kong. It has been the largest tax payer as well as the largest charity contributor in Hong Kong of recent times, as well as proving recreational and socializing events to its 20,000 odd members.

At the beginning the Hong Kong Jockey Club was composed largely of upper class British expatriates and only a handful of Chinese members. The club changed its status from amateur to professional in 1971 and is involved organizing annual horse races during the Chinese New Year. Following Queen Elizabeth’s royal patronage in 1959 the club changed its name to the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club conducts over 700 horse races annually at its two tracks at Happy Valley and Sha Tin. Following the transfer of sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China the volume of bets and the number of horse races declined marginally. But many believe that equestrian events are enjoying a renaissance in Hong Kong with records crowd since 2007.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club was also instrumental in organizing the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The world class racing track of the club at Sha Tin was utilized for the purpose and also hosted the events for the Paralympic Games. Located close to the Hong Kong Jockey Club is a hotel in Hong Kong known as the Cosmo Hotel. This is an excellent choice for racing enthusiasts as it provides excellent transportation links to the country’s race courses as well.

Located between the Philippine and the South China seas in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is an exceptionally charming archipelago of 7,107 enchanting islands, covering an area of 300,000 sq km, and consisting of Mindanao, Luzon, and Visayas, thereby forming the nation’s main island chains.Acknowledged as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, the Philippines boasts of an array of attractions comprising beautiful islands, fantastic beaches, astounding volcanoes, unique wildlife, awe-inspiring landscapes, and world-renowned diving destinations.

With hundreds of awesome tourist destinations, the Philippines cater to all types of vacationers, such as honeymooners, nature lovers, adventurers, and wildlife explorers. Baguio, Bataan, Bohol, Cebu, Davao, Tagaytay, Bicol, Palawan, and Ilocos, are just few among many of the tourist destinations in Philippines. Despite these attractions, a visit to Philippine is incomplete without taking a tour to Manila.

Manila is one of the world’s largest metropolitans. Nestled on the Luzon – the largest island of the Philippines, Manila is the capital city and is considered a gateway to charming Philippines. Graceful with the magnificent views of the enchanting Manila Bay as well as its astounding golden sunset, Manila has now become one of the premier tourist destinations.

Manila’s attractions, among many others, are Intramuros, one of the oldest parts of Manila, packed with ancient churches and buildings; Fort Santiago, (the Shrine of Freedom), erected on the ashes of burnt fort of a Muslim king; Malacang Palace, a gracious villas which was once the summer house of the governor general; American Cemetery and Memorial, which contains graves of those who died in the second world war; Manila Cathedra, a Romanesque edifice; and Coconut Palace, a museum exhibiting varied styles of home interior furnishing and designing. Manila also boasts of a great number of parks and gardens, each of which are unique and excellent to relax with friends and relatives. Some of them are Rizal Park – Asia’s largest park, which is dedicated to the national hero, Jose Rizal; Paco Park, dating back to the colonial period; and Japanese Garden; and Greenbelt Park.

Aside from these parks and gardens, Manila has to its credit some enchanting public spaces including the Baywalk, offering superb views of the sunset, Rajah Sulayman Park, Plaza Miranda, Remedios Circle, Plaza Balagtas, and the Manila Broadwalk. For those who want to explore the influence of Chinese culture in the Philippines, a great option would be to take a visit to China Town, which is much sought after for its shops, restaurants, and exotic stalls. Besides, worth mentioning are the ancient churches of Manila, such as, the San Agustin Church, dating back to the 16th century; Quiapo Church, alternatively known as the Church of the Black Nazarene; Black Nazarene; Manila Cathedral; Bonifacio Shrine; and Quiapo Church.

Above all, Manila renders great opportunities to enjoy a variety of activities. For instance, taking a short excursion to Tagaytay to spot the renowned Taal Volcano would be a great experience. Likewise, a tour to Pagsanjan through a canoe ride would be equally enthralling. Further, while your stay at Manila, don’t forget to take a trip to Laguna, which is much favored for its hot sulphur springs. Equally fascinating is the nightlife of Manila, with night clubs in such happening areas as Pagsanjan, P Burgos, and Kalayaan streets.

With these amazing as well as umpteen attractions, people flock to Manila year-round. No matter you want budget or luxury accommodation, Manila has hotels and resorts to cater all levels of people. Many of them are located within the heart of the city, and hence are within the proximity to all world-class tourist attractions. Accommodations, especially luxury ones, are replete with air conditioning, data port, automatic wake-up call, voice mail, and satellite TV. Mostly, such facilities as business center, private parking facility, currency exchange facilities, and internet access, are also made available.

A vacation to Manila can be made truly memorable through effective planning. But, sometimes it may be chaotic to schedule such things as arrangement of accommodation, activities to be done during vacation, and traveling within the place after having reached the place. To cope up with these problems, one can make use of the service of tour operators or travel agents.

They can arrange you everything from accommodation and food to traveling and sightseeing requirements. Nowadays, some of the top-rated hotels and resorts also render services in the form of packages. Packages usually cover accommodation, traveling within the place, and food. All you have to do is to enter their website, and share your interests as well as likes and dislikes. Just feel relaxed and wait for a refreshing vacation in Manila!

As you start making plans for your family vacation, make sure you include China in the list. China offers guests rich history, spectacular scenery, colorful folklore, and diverse culture. When traveling to China with family members, it is wise to consult a professional tour operator to design the family tour route that is fun and appropriate for your children without forgetting about the parents.

With a family vacation package, the tour operator will help book all accommodations and handle everything from airfare to hotels, meals, tours, admission fees, and local transportation. This specially-designed family vacation tour package allows you to discover country’s best-known cities and most famous sites with your entire family.

This article presents our 10 days delight family vacation tour to China and our tour took us to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin and Hong Kong. The local sightseeing in each city was very well organized but it was also flexible – we could take more or less time at the various locations, miss out or add in attractions as we desired.

Day 1 Arrival / Beijing

Upon arrival in Beijing, Our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Day 2 Beijing

Visit the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Tonight dinner you will enjoy Beijing duck.

Day 3 Beijing

Visit the Badaling Great Wall and one of the Mind Tombs. In the evening, you will enjoy the Peking Opera performance.

Day 4 Beijing – Xian

Take the Hutong Rickshaw tour in the morning. Take an afternoon flight to Xian. Arrive in Xian. Be met & transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day. Tonight you will have a Dumpling Banquet.

Day 5 Xian

Visit the Terra Cotta Soldiers Museum and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Tonight you will enjoy the Tang dynasty culture show.

Day 6 Xian – Shanghai

Visit the Shanxi Provincial Museum, the Ancient City Wall and the Bell Tower. Take an afternoon flight to Shanghai.

Day 7 Shanghai

Visit the famous Jade Buddha Templ and the 400-year old Yu Yuan Garden. Then proceed to visit the Bund. Tonight you will enjoy the acrobatic performance.

Day 8 Shanghai – Guilin

Be transferred to the airport for the flight to Guilin. Visit the Reed Flute Cave and the Elephant Trunk Hill.

Day 9 Guilin – Yangshuo

Enjoy a relaxing day of cruising on the scenic Li River. Tonight you will stay in Yangshuo overnight.

Day 10 Guilin – Hong kong

Today you will drive back Guilin to visit Seven Star Park and then take a flight to Hong Kong.

The capital of the peoples republic of China is Beijing. It was formlery known in English as Peking or Peiking. It is hosting the 2008 summer olympics and is one of the four great ancient capitals of China.

As the capital Beijing has also been the site of political turmoil in recent years. Tiananmen Square a well known landmark in the city was the site of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1976 and then the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 which ended in the Tiananmen Square massacre.

The Great Wall of China passes through Beijing. The Great Wall extends for a good 3000 miles from Shanhaiguan. Today travellers go to The Great Wall to walk on the only man made structure visible from space and to look out from one of the guard towers onto the barren mountains.

Badaling is the section closet to Beijing and offers some of the best views, but it is always crowded.

Mutianyu is another restored section. This section is a more rigours climb but have cable cars to reach the top. A less crowded section is known as Simatai but is 100 kilometres northeast of Beijing and takes a day trip. All section have tour but the most popular is Badaling.

Forbidden City

In the centre of Beijing is The Imperial Palace which was the residence of the emperors for five hundred years from the 15th century to the 20th century. It was the symbolic sea of the imperial power. It is better known as The Forbidden City. Many of the buildings of the Palace have been rebuilt or repaired. The architectural covers an area of 2350,000 square feet and has 9,999 rooms. It is the biggest complex in the world .The forbidden City has three primary Halls of State. The Hall of Supreme Harmony The Hall of Middle Harmony and The Hall of Preserving Harmony. The Outer Court the emperors governed from their thrones and hold court session with the ministers also The Outer Court was used for ceremonies such as birthday and weddings. The Inner Court was where the emperor dealt with state affairs.

Urban Beijing is known for being the center of pirated goods and anything from the latest dvds to the latest designer clothing can be found in markets all over the city.

Most night clubs are in the area around Sanlitun or near the workers stadim.

Wudaokou, in northwestern Beijing, is also a bustling nightlife center. There are more Koreans and other foreigners, mostly students, in the area.

Sitting in La Mansarde on a slow lunch day.

ottage is the villagers’  own farmyard which is far away from the urban area. It is a good choice for weekend break, romantic holiday and sightseeing trip with your family. Many factors have influenced it’s rise in popularity over the last few decades, including increased leisure time.

 

A Holiday Cottage is usually self catering, meaning the people who rent the cottage for their stay run the house as if it were their own. But some offer delicious rural cuisine upon request. This gives them the freedom to eat in, eat out, stay in bed all day and generally come and go as they please. In contrast to this, accommodation in a bed and breakfast or hotel usually involves some sort of restriction on the time of day guests need to vacate their rooms for cleaning and so on.

 

Young children and babies can be more easily accommodated for in a holiday cottage where the parents do not feel such pressure from other families (e.g. in a hotel resort) who may not have young children. The fact that guests are on holiday in a home together, often with three generations in larger houses, brings a much different atmosphere to the holiday.

 

Holiday Cottages are nowadays found the length and breadth of beijing,China with many destinations from town houses to forests. Holiday Cottages have become more popular in recent years, gaining a higher profile . You will find more cottages in the suburbs of beijing such as shunyi district,fangshan district,mentougou district, yanqing,huarou district, miyun and other areas.

 

Escape from the ablare city,  go on a holiday in a quiet countryside,hamlet, village, stay  at a farmyard,farmhouse, gite, cottage will relax yourself, get fresh air and have fun. Discount available for stay over one week. book now  and get more information at http://english.51766.com

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Ras Ethiopian (Beijing)

a nice diddy from a top flight Beijing cover band

Top Ten Sights to See on a Holiday in Asia

Asia is a huge place, bestriding the tropics and stretching from the mountains of Eastern Europe to the Siberian tundra, from the port of Vladivostok to the tip of Papua New Guinea. With the continent encapsulating such a vast area it’s hard to decide where to go and what to see. We look at the top ten sights to see and places to go while on a holiday to Asia, helping you narrow down your search.

10. The Mongolian Steppe

Our count down starts with some of the natural wonders that are on offer on an Asian Holiday, and the Mongolian Steppe is first. Staying in yurts, horse riding in unspoilt natural beauty and camel trekking in the Gobi desert are some of the highlights which are completely and wonderfully removed from anything in everyday life.

9. Mount Everest

The second of our natural wonders is Mount Everest. As the highest peak in the world, standing in the shadow of the mountain is absolutely awe inspiring and often life changing. One of the most incredible sights on our list, Everest is fairly low down because of its inaccessibility; to truly appreciate Everest’s beauty means climbing up to base camp or to the summit, which isn’t an option for most travellers for obvious reasons.

8. Seoul

As you would imagine, Asia has a huge number of villages, towns and cities, and the next five places in our list are taken up with some of the continent’s most incredible and exotic cities to visit.

Seoul is the first city in our top ten, and simultaneously one of the oldest and one of the newest. The city can trace its creation back to 18 BC, but most of the city was obliterated during the Korean War. Some important buildings, areas and historic palaces have been restored, but most of Seoul is populated with brand new buildings. Seoul is worth a visit because of its scale, scope and dynamism. Almost half of the population of South Korea live in the administrative limits of the city, and the city’s actual ground plan is huge – it has the second largest metropolitan area of any city in the world, and encompasses a vast amount for museums, bars, restaurants, stadiums and three world heritage sites!

7. Beijing

Beijing is often called the “Northern Capital” of China, and is the next city on our list. Beijing is a melding of old and new; a place where the skyline includes the Birds Nest Stadium and the Temple of Heaven, the CCTV tower and the Tian’anmen. The merging of the cultural, political, religious and economic forces in the city makes it a fascinating destination for any Holiday to Asia.

6. Hong Kong

Hong Kong is interesting as a destination for any holiday in Asia from its unique position in the world. As a special economic zone with huge cultural and political imperatives from China and Britain, the conurbation is a blend of the two cultures. As a city it is blooming and developing a singular personality, creating something completely new from the remnants of older regimes.

5. Toyko

The capital of Japan also mixes old and new, but with a pronounced slant towards the new. The atmosphere is electric and active, with a culture and society that is wonderfully alien (from a western point of view). It’s definitely worth a visit on an Asian holiday, even if it’s solely for the unique nature of the experience.

4.Moscow.

Moscow is almost the exact opposite to Tokyo. While not completely stuck in the past, the city does remain a gargantuan edifice of historical and religious importance, rooted in architecture that is incredible to behold. St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin in Red Square are often the focus, but the entire city has been designed with grandeur and influence in mind since the reign of the Tzars. A powerful and awe inspiring part of any Asian holiday.

3. The Forbidden Palace, China

The last three entries on our list are the work of human endeavour, famous structures that often took decades to build and many lives to create. They remain some of the most awe inspiring sights to see on any holiday to Asia, and are once in a lifetime experiences.

Number three on our list is the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. A part of Beijing’s attraction, the Palace is an amazing site in its own right. The Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty until the end of the Qing Dynasty (1368 – 1912), the group of buildings is huge, often given the name the forbidden ‘city’ rather than just ‘palace’ due to its scale and the facilities it encompassed. No one could enter or leave the palace without the Emperor’s permission, and the inner city became a symbol of China’s power and majesty.

2. The Trans-Siberian Railway

More of a whole journey than a destination in its own right, the Trans-Siberian railway straddles the spine of Russia in an epic and famous link between Moscow and Vladivostok. Passengers on the long distance train are embarking on their Asian holiday as soon as they step onboard, and whether they stopping along the way or just experiencing the journey, it will be a trip they never forget.

1. The Great Wall of China.

Though the idea of seeing the wall from space is a complete fallacy, it is easy to see why so many people believed it to be true for so long. The Great Wall of China is number one on our list, and given its scope, its awe inspiring presence and its great fame (which it more than lives up to) it is easy to see why. One of the top attractions in the world, let alone on a Holiday in Asia, the Great Wall of China is an absolute must see site.

When you visit Beijing as a tourist, the capital city of China, you will inevitably be taken sightseeing by your tour guides to view monumental and historical attractions like The Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City and The Ming Tombs amongst many others.

However, more and more of the residents of Beijing are saying that there are many less well known tourist attractions that you must visit and these lesser known places, on their own accord also have many charms and delights for tourists.

For example, Cui Jian, a famous Chinese rock star who performed on a Rolling Stones act in Shanghai in 2006 was known to have said, “I am not at all interested in all that historical kingdom culture, stuff that shows this was once the greatest kingdom or something like that”.

Cui recommends that tourists when visiting Beijing should also soak up the atmosphere in the 798 art district in Beijing’s eastern Dashanzi instead. This1950s period factory zone has been transformed into a bohemian community of art galleries, cafes and bistros, outdoor sculptures, colorful graffiti painted on factory walls among many other interesting features.

Another Beijing resident, Wu Jianxin, who is an owner of a private wine club, grew up near Houhai, which was once a quiet lakeside village, which is now being overrun by noisy bars and boat rentals for tourists. Wu likes to take leisurely strolls in Baiyun Guan or White Cloud Temple.

This Taoist temple ground has a certain mystical charm about it and without the tourist crush like those in the major attractions,is a wonderful place to just enjoy a leisurely paced sightseeing. A sight to behold when you are in the 800 year old Baiyun Guan are regular traditional ceremonies and rites being performed by Taoist monks. This ancient temple is also the headquarters of the Chinese Taoist Association.

Li Jing, who is a designer by profession, prefers to take his walks in the Nanluoguxiang area. This area has well preserved stretch of backstreets although situated in downtown Beijing, is almost unknown to many tourists. These backstreets are home to many local bars, hostels and boutiques. The area exudes the ambience of old Beijing when contrasted against the city’s modern superstructures.

For tourists who like to bring home unconventional souvenirs should visit Jindian Consignment Shop. Here, you will not find the usual replica dragons or jade chopsticks which you can find in souvenir shops all over Beijing. Instead, you will discover unusual and remarkably quaint souvenirs to bring home, such as old bus passes, Chinese antique clocks and flying pigeon bicycles (whatever that is).

Having visited Beijing on a number of occasions myself, I have to disagree with the locals who only recommend the less well known tourist attractions. My recommendation is to see everything Beijing has to offer including the major tourist attractions many of which will leave you awestricken.