Steve's sandbox

Tag: sightseeing

  • Cosmo de Bono: Holiday Travels in Taiwan – December 2023

    台灣假期旅遊 – 陳白宇

    這個月我有兩個星期的假期，所以有很多時間去旅行。因為我最近在台灣旅行了很多地方，所以我打算把上個月遊玩過的地方都寫下來。大部分的地方都在台北，但我也去了位於台灣島最南端的墾丁和東海岸的花蓮縣。希望你們能喜歡閱讀我寫的事，也能欣賞一些照片！

    寶安和孔廟：
    這是台北相鄰的兩座寺廟。我花了 30 分鐘搭地鐵到達那裡。孔廟有一些漂亮的花園，建築風格是傳統的中國風格，但也有一些台灣的影響。我在大學一年級時學習了很多儒家思想與文言文，因此參觀孔廟並在廟裡閱讀中國古典文獻是一件非常有趣的事情。

    寶安廟是朋友介紹給我的，因為很漂亮，但不像台北的其他廟宇那麼熱鬧。由於有人在祈禱，我需要小心地拍照，但是寺廟真的很優美。這座寺廟有好幾層，所以我上了寺廟的頂層，俯瞰周圍的城市。
    貓空：
    貓空纜車位於動物園旁邊。缆车从底部到顶部需要 20 分钟。缆车车厢的地板是玻璃的，看得到下面的树。我在缆车上遇到了一对友好的台湾老夫妇。他们主要讲客家话，所以很难沟通，因为我听不懂他们说的话！在缆车顶端，我徒步穿过一片森林，去看一个小瀑布。那天真的很热，所以我给自己买了一个冰淇淋，然后在缆车顶上的一家当地茶馆里欣赏风景。

    墾丁
    我想在學校放假時離開台北，所以我訂了一張去台灣南部墾丁的火車票。我必須先搭火車到高雄，然後從高雄坐兩小時的巴士到墾丁。墾丁是海濱地區，面積不大，但有一個非常熱鬧的夜市。那裡有很多魚和油炸食品。在墾丁的一天，我去了當地的森林健行區，雖然健行比較累，但風景很美！

    花蓮縣和太魯閣峽谷：
    上週，我和一些在台北度假的家人朋友相約去花蓮縣的太魯閣峽谷一日遊。花蓮位於東海岸，島嶼的中間。這裡的地理環境非常好，海岸線也非常迷人，但這裡的公共交通非常少，所以我們不得不找了一個導遊，由他開車接送我們往返。島上有許多河流、寺廟和健行路線。我們在原住民餐廳吃了午餐，食物還不錯。天氣很熱，但沒有 9 月或 10 月那麼熱。我們早上 6 點離開台北，14 個小時後才回來，所以第二天我已經筋疲力盡了，但這是我在台灣最喜歡的目的地。
    我在这篇文章中附上了很多照片，希望你门能了解这些地方的风貌。未来几个月，我还计划在台湾进行更多的旅行。总之，我在台湾度过了一段很好玩的时光，也开始欣赏这座神奇的岛屿。

    我在這篇文章中附上了許多照片，希望你門能了解這些地方的風貌。未來幾個月，我還計劃在台灣進行更多的旅行。總之，我在台灣度過了一段很好玩的時光，也開始欣賞這座神奇的島嶼。

    This month I had 2 weeks of holiday so had a lot of time to travel and go sightseeing. Because I’ve done a lot of travelling within Taiwan recently, I’m going to write about all of the places that I’ve seen in the last month. Most of the places are in Taipei but I also went to Kenting which is in the southernmost part of the island and also Hualian County which is on the East Coast. I hope you enjoy reading about my travels and seeing some photos!

    Baoan and Confucius temples:
    These are two temples that are both next to each other in Taipei. It took me 30 minutes on the subway to get there. The Confucius temple had some pretty gardens and the architecture was traditional Chinese but with some Taiwanese influence. I studied a lot of Confucianism in my first year at university so it was interesting to see a Confucian temple and also be able to read the classical Chinese texts in the temple.

    The Baoan temple was recommended to me by a friend as it’s beautiful but not as busy as other temples in Taipei. I had to be careful taking photos as there were people praying but the temple was really beautiful. It also had several floors so I went to the top of the temple and looked at the surrounding city.

    Maokong:
    The Maokong gondola is next to the Taipei Zoo. The gondola takes 20 minutes to go from the bottom to the top. The cabins have glass floors so that you see the trees below you. I met a friendly old Taiwanese couple in my gondola. They spoke mainly Hakka so it was difficult to communicate! At the top of the gondola, I went hiking through a forest to see a small waterfall. It was really hot that day so I bought myself an ice cream afterwards and enjoyed the views from the top of the gondola at one of the local teahouses there.

    Kending:
    I wanted to leave Taipei for my school holiday so I booked a train ticket to go to Kenting in the south of Taiwan. I had to take the train to Kaoshiung and then took a two-hour bus to get to Kenting from Kaoshiung. Kenting is a beach area and is quite small, but there is a really lively night market. There was a lot of fish and deep-fried foods. On one of my days in Kenting, I went to a hiking area in a local forest which was beautiful although the hiking was rather tiring!

    Hualien County and Taroko Gorge:
    Last week I met up with some family friends who were on holiday in Taipei and we made a day trip to the Taroko Gorge in Hualien County. Hualien is on the east coast and in the middle of island. The geography is amazing and the coastline is stunning but it has very little public transport so we had to get a tour guide who drove us there and back. There were lots of rivers, temples and hiking paths. We had lunch at an indigenous restaurant and the food was pretty good. The weather was hot but not as hot as it had been in September or October. We left Taipei at 6 am and got back 14 hours later so I was exhausted the next day, but this is my favourite destination in Taiwan.

    I’ve attached lots of photos to this post so hopefully you can get a sense of what these places were like. I’ve also got many more trips within Taiwan planned for the coming months. Overall, I’m having a fantastic time in Taiwan and am starting to appreciate this amazing island.

  • Living in St Petersburg – with Russian people: Mercedes, June 2017

    Doesn’t St Petersburg remind you of Venice? With its many canals and beautiful buildings, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in the European capital.

    Жить в Петербурге – с русскими людьми.

    Для моего последующего отчета я хотела бы рассказать вам о том, с кем я живу здесь в Петербурге в моем общежитие.
В моей квартире я живу с иностранными студентами, но большинство из них – из русскоязычных стран. Например, я живу с Аллой и Мадиной. 
Алла из Приднестровья и Мадина из Таджикистана. Они лучшие друзья, которые помогли мне все эти пять месяцев. С ними я всегда смеюсь, потому что они просто очень смешные девушки! Мне очень нравится болтать с ними, когда я возвращаюсь из университета, мы можем разговаривать с ними вечно. Конечно, это иногда трудно говорить, потому что я не свободно владею русским языком и они не свободно говорят по-английски. И так, мы нашли лучшее решение говорить « по-рунглийски » – это на русском и английском одновременно. Я считаю, что я улучила свой русский язык, так как я много болтать с Аллой и Мадиной. И сейчас мы с ними очень хорошие друзья. 
Алла изучает политологию. а Мадина изучает юриспруденцию. Они очень умные девушки и они много учатся. Мы говорим на разные темы: об учёбе, жизни, политике, религии, и о наших целях и мечтах. Конечно, мы не совсем согласны друг с другом, но мне нравится дружить с разными людьми из разных культур, потому что это помогает мне лучше понять наш мир. 
Я буду очень скучать по моим любимым соседям и я думаю, что я буду плакать до того, как я уеду. Я надеюсь, что мы увидимся еще раз в будущем. Я так благодарна и рада, что встретила двух отличных девушек. Я хочу вернуться скоро в Петербург, чтобы увидеть Аллу и Мадину и увидеть больше этого великого города. Алла и Мадина, спасибо большое за вашу доброту и ваши смешные моменты, которые я никогда не забуду!

    A full moon from the rooftop of Loft Etazhi Project. I recommend this place. It has everything, from clothes shops, to street food, and cocktails!

    English:

    For my final report, I’d like to talk about who I live with here in St Petersburg in my student halls.
In my flat, I live with international students, but most of them are from Russian speaking countries. For example, I live with Alla and Madina who are from Transnistria and Tajikistan respectively. They are the best of friends, and they have really helped me with everything I could ask for here over the last five months. I’m always laughing when I’m with them, simply because they’re just hilarious girls! I live to chitchat with them when I come home from university, and we always seem to talk for hours. Of course it’s sometimes difficult to communicate with one another, because I’m not fluent in Russian (yet!) and they aren’t fluent in English. And so, we have stumbled upon an easier way to speak and that is in « Runglish » – which is just Russian and English at the same time. I feel like I’ve improved my Russian, and that’s thanks to chatting away with Alla and Madina. Now we’re really good friends.

    Kazan Cathedral in the sun!

    Alla studies political science and Madina studies law. They’re incredibly intelligent and they study alot. We talk about all kinds of things: our studies, lives, politics, religion, our hopes and dreams for the future. Of course, we dont always agree with each other, but I like making friends with different people from different cultures, because that way I can better appreciate the world around me.
 I’m really going to miss my lovely neighbours and I think that I’ll cry before i leave. I hope that we’ll see each other again in the future. I’m so grateful and happy to have met two great girls! I want to come back to St Petersburg soon, to see Alla and Madina and to see more of this great city. Alla and Madina, thank you so much for your kindness and your funny moments with I’ll never ever forget!

  • First impressions of St Petersburg and what I love here: Mercedes Jaskolka, Russia – April 2017

    Первые чувства и эмоции о Петербурге и что я люблю.

    РУССКИЙ ЯЗЫК:
    В конце концов я освоилась в Петербурге и я чувствую себя комфортно и счастливо здесь. До того, как я сюда приехала, я нервничала и волновалась. Однако, мне не о чем было волноваться. Случилось так, что люди в этом городе очень гостеприимные и отзывчивые. Я была потрясена, потому что у нас стереотип в Англии что все русские люди недружелюбные. Санкт Петербург – очень красивый город и мне повезла жить у учиться здесь. Я должна сказать, что когда я прилетела, первый день, повсюду было обилие снега. Я считала, что главный цвет города – белый! Мне было всегда холодно. Я думаю, что снег придает городу красивую атмосферу и делает город лёгким и изящным. Но, я видела людей, которые шли по реке у мне это кажется очень странным и опасным. Может быть это нормально для русских. Сейчас, погода лучше иногда светит солнце и небо ясное и лазурное без облаков. мне больше нравится, когда солнце упивается закатом солнцу. Потому что Санкт Петербург находиться в северном полушарии, его самый красивый заход солнца в мире.
    В основном, я предпочитаю вести ночной образ жизни, и смотреть на достопримечательностей ночью. Я обожаю гулять по городу с друзьями во время город спокойной и умиротворенный. В Петербург прекрасная архитектура. Зимний дворец – это моя самая любимая достопримечательность, потому что он прекрасен! Но это зависит от предпочтений. В Петербурге также много красивых храмов таких как: Спас-на-Крови и Казанский собор. Это прекрасные достопримечательности с большой историей.
    Недалеко от Невского проспекта – можно увидеть самую известную и очень старую пышечную на Большой Конюшенной, которая была открыта в 1958 году. Там можно попробовать очень вкусные Петербургские пышки.
    Есть еще масса интересных вещей, которыми я хотела бы поделиться, а еще больше, узнать много нового об этом чудесном городе. Итак, до следующего раза! Мерседес

    A beautiful Petersburg skyline

    If you look out from the Peter and Paul Fortress at sunset, this is all you can see for miles. So quiet and peaceful.

    ENGLISH:

    I’m finally settled here in St Petersburg and I’m feeling comfortable and happy in my surroundings. Before I arrived, I was nervous and anxious. However, I had nothing to worry about. It turned out that people in this city are really welcoming and happy to help you out. I was quite shocked, because there is a stereotype in England that all Russian people are unfriendly.
    I have to say that when I arrived, on the very first day, there was snow absolutely everywhere. I thought to myself that the only colour in this city is white! I was always so cold. I do think that the snow gives the city a beautiful atmosphere, making the city seem light and elegant. I did see people walking along on the (frozen) river, which seemed really weird and dangerous to me. Perhaps this is just everyday Russian life! These days the weather is much better and sometimes the sun is shining and the sky a clear azure colour, and not a cloud in sight.
    I much prefer watching the sunsets here. Because St Petersburg is in the northern hemisphere, we get some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.
    I actually prefer to do a lot of things at night, like going sightseeing. I adore walking around the city with friends during the calm and peaceful nights. St Petersburg has some beautiful architecture. The Winter Palace is my favourite sight to see, because it is just so stunning. But, it all depends on your preferences. In St Peterburg, there are also many beautiful churches such as The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, and the Kazan Cathedral. These are wonderful sights with a lot of history.
    Not too far from Nevskiy Prospekt* you can go and see the most famous and oldest piishki** shop on Bol’shoi Konushennoi street that has been open since 1958. There you can tuck into some delicious Petersburg piishki.
    There are so many more interesting things that I’d like to share with you so that you can learn more about this wonderful city. So, until the next time! Mercedes

    * Nevskiy Prospekt is the main street in the city centre. Everything you want you will find on Nevskiy.
    ** piishki/пышки translates to a donut.  However, they’re not any old donuts, they’re made from a traditional recipe and are a native delicacy to St Petersburg: a must-try! I wanted to emphasise how special and unique they are so I transliterated the original Russian word into English.

  • February 2015 – Suzhou and Hangzhou – Emily Martin, February 2015

    苏州和杭州

    新年快来了，我决定尝尝中国文化最普遍，最陈词滥调的方面之一：旅游团。我趁北京大学的大量补贴来订票去风景美丽的南方城市苏州和杭州。并且，南方的温和气候比北京的凄冷冬天顺意得多。

    我们坐子弹火车所以5个小时以后我们达到苏州。 我们的引导员自己对我们介绍， 他叫李叔叔。李叔叔和热情老师十分相似，全旅行和小学旅行十分相似。我们吃饭，睡觉和如厕的时候都在时刻表。我们不能偏离李叔叔用红旗帜表明的路线。更好的是李叔叔介绍每个旅游景点，从早到晚我不操心安排自己旅游。

    最有意思景点之一是朱家角 —有几百年历史，为运河著称的集镇 ， 有人叫这个城市‘中国的威尼斯。’虽然朱家角的风景很漂亮，虽然杂技表示 ， 一位‘蚕男’爬上被风摇晃的高竹子，很好玩儿，拥挤在接到的大量人是最扣人心弦的方面。我一辈子只经验这么多人圣诞前夕那天在伦敦购物。对我来说， 最好玩儿的景点是在千岛湖包一只小船以参观几个小岛。在这个大湖上是一前多小岛，那个湖的面积约为573平方公里。居然， 千岛湖完全人造， 建立在水坝后面。

    在我的看法，在旅行团观光比看苏州和杭州的景点本身有趣。虽然景点很古色古香，挤挤插插地观光在历史性城市的街道刻骨铭心。这个经验完美地表示现代中国的重要方面之一：人口增长。

     

    Zhujiajiao (Venice of China)

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Suzhou and Hangzhou

    With Chinese New Year just around the corner, I decided to try another common (and much stereotyped) aspect of modern Chinese culture: the group tour. Taking advantage of Peking University’s generous subsidies, I booked a place on an organised trip to the scenic southern cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Furthermore, the mild weather in the south gave me a much needed break from Beijing’s bitterly cold winter.

    After a 5 hour journey on the bullet train, we reached Suzhou and were introduced to our guide, ‘Uncle Li.’ Uncle Li was reminiscent of an enthusiastic teacher and the whole tour was reminiscent of being on a school trip, all our meals, bedtimes and even bathroom breaks were timetabled and deviating from the route marked by Uncle Li’s red flag was frowned upon. On the upside, we were given a full introduction and historical tour of every attraction and I barely had to think for myself for the duration of the trip.

    One of the main attractions was Zhujiajiao – an historic water town nicknamed the Venice of China. While the water town was very pretty, and the organised show – an acrobatic ‘silk worm man’ climbing up an enormous bamboo pole swaying in the wind – very entertaining, it was the sheer number of people lining the streets that was breath-taking. I’ve only ever experienced the same level of crowding on a misguided trip to Oxford Street on Christmas Eve. For me, the best attraction was a boat trip on the Thousand Island Lake (Qiandaohu). Aptly named, this lake has over 1000 islands, and covers an area of 573 km². Remarkably, it is completely man-made, built as part of a dam project for hydroelectric power.

    In many ways, the experience of going on a group tour was more interesting than the sightseeing itself. While the attractions were good, the experience of shuffling through the streets of an historic town packed in like a sardine is unforgettable. This was the perfect illustration of an important element of modern China: population boom and overcrowding.