Out of Norm Travels

Ayutthaya, Thailand  (อยุธยา), full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (พระนครศรีอยุธยา), is an ancient capital in the Central Thailand, some 85 km north of Bangkok. One of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and historic second capital of Siam after Sukhothai for some 400+ years, it was founded around 1350. Ayutthaya is an island at the confluence of three rivers: the Chao Phraya River, the Lopburi River and the Pa Sak River.In its heyday, The Royal Court of Ayutthaya exchanged ambassadors far and wide, including with the French Court at Versailles and the Mughal Court in Delhi, as well as with imperial courts of Japan and China. Based on UNESCO information, The Historic City of Ayutthaya was chosen as it bore excellent witness to the period of development of a true national Thai art. Here are some of the picturesque temples you can see when you are here:  till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Laghu Samrat Yantra, the Small Equatorial Sundial, Jaipur Observatory (Jantar Mantar), Jaipur Rajasthan, India (all rights reserved) The  Jantar Mantar  monument of  Jaipur, Rajasthan  is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments, built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh, in the early 18th century.  Combining religion, science and art, the Jantar Mantar is the name given to a series of five, magnificent structures built in Jaipur, New Delhi, Ujjan, Varanasi and Mathura. It features the world's largest stone sundial and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations.  I must confess that I did not really appreciate the importance of the visit to this location but upon my return and having gone through my photos, I now understand that this is the MOST significant, comprehensive, and best preserved of India's ...

This is part 1 of my Thailand adventures in 2014 when I made a trip down to Phanom Rung Historical Park . So what's so special about this place? This is located in the northeastern Isaan, Buri Ram province of Thailand. Phanom Rung (Thai: พนมรุ้ง ), or full name, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung (Thai: ปราสาทหินพนมรุ้ง – Phanom Rung Stone Castle is the largest and the most beautiful Khmer site in Thailand that was built over the 10th to 13th centuries from sandstone and laterite and dedicated to Lord Shiva , a supreme Hindu deity. It is said that the architectural design of this complex symbolizes Mount Kailash, his heavenly dwelling located in India. It consists of 3 naga bridges. Going through the walkway, you can reach the first naga bridge. There are 70 sand stone posts on either side of the walkway. The third naga bridge takes the visitors to the main sanctuary. Here is a photo of the layout of the temple grounds.   After restoring the temples for close to...

The magnificence of the Great Wall never fails to amaze me. Although this is not my first visit, I continue to   be struck by its aura with my first intake of its breath-taking views.  The Great Wall snakes as it hugged the terrain it was built on and with every step I took on the Great Wall, I am deeply humbled to know that I am stepping on bricks or foundations that were laid down more than a thousand years ago. It is truly a mark of imperial grandeur of the Ming Dynasty and badge of achievement for mankind. H ere are my favorite photos as well as a timelapse to commemorate my visit to this Wonder of the World:      Previous entry of my earlier visit to the Great Wall: http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2012/06/beijing-china-walk-up-to-great-wall-of.html?m=1 Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

List of World Heritage Sites that I have visited over the years.... China - Great Wall of China - (Sep 2015 visit) http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2015/10/out-of-norm-travels-sep-2015-journey-to.html  and (2012 visit) http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2012/06/beijing-china-walk-up-to-great-wall-of.html China - Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China - http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2013/08/out-of-norm-travels-longmen-grottoes.html India - Hill forts of Rajasthan, India http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2014/08/out-of-norm-travels-trip-to-rajasthan.html India - Jaipur, Rajasthan, India - http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2014/08/out-of-norm-travels-trip-to-rajasthan.html India - Jaipur,  Jantar Mantar,  Rajasthan,  India -  http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2016/01/out-of-norm-travels-rajasthan-jantar.html  Indonesia - Borobudur Temple, Indonesia - http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot...

The ancient Kingdom of Sukhothai (Thai: สุโขทัย ) - Sukhothai is from Sanskrit sukha (सुख "happiness") + udaya (उदय "rise, emergence"), meaning "dawn of happiness".   According to the Lonely Planet, the Sukhothai (Rising of Happiness) Kingdom flourished from the mid-13th century to the late 14th century. This period is often viewed as the golden age of Thai civilisation, and the religious art and architecture of the era are considered to be the most classic of Thai styles. The remains of the kingdom, today known as meuang gòw (old city), feature around 45 sq km of partially rebuilt ruins, which are one of the most visited ancient sites in Thailand. Wat Mahathat translates as “great relic”, and it is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Thailand.      Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai    Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai  Wat Si Chum Temple is a 13 th century temple enshrining the largest Buddha image in Sukhothai measurin...

Cruise along Ha Long Bay -  Vietnamese:  Vịnh Hạ Long , literally means 'Descending Dragon Bay' is  one of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site  in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam which is a  3 hour transfer from Hanoi to the Habour The official information from Wikipedia is that Hạ Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km 2 , including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone which has undergone 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem. There are many cruise operators that you can choose from as Ha long bay is one of the most popular tourist destinations when you come to Vietnam. Choosing Pelican Cruises over the rest is easy as it is one of the newest 4-star cruises (operations started in 2012) sailing in Ha Long Bay. I was really please...

I was reminded of my long outstanding India blog entry when I was recently faced with the question of "What would be the personality of India through my lens?" That got me thinking....  Out of the thousands of photos taken during that trip, I vividly recalled the spectacular colors of Rajasthan as I traversed her lands from Jaipur  (Pink City of India) ,  Junagarh Fort at Jaisalmer  (built with distinctive Yellowstone of that area),  Jodhpur (The Blue City) with its  impressive Mehrangarh fort,  and its special places like Karni Mata temple (aka Rat Temple where I had my personal up and  close encounter with the small creatures),  Jaisalmer Fort (with its  intricate hand-carved sand stone latticed balconies and archways)  and last but not least, the  Pushkar Camel Fair (one of India’s unique spectacle that  attracts some 300,000 people and up to 20,000 camels, cattle and horses) .  I also had my first taste...

Flying out from Beijing to Luoyang ( simplified Chinese :  洛阳 ;  traditional Chinese :  洛陽 ;  pinyin :  Luòyáng)  is certainly not high on the travel itineraries of many - quite a few not having even heard or visited this place, not even those hailing from China.  It is thus with much anticipation that I took an internal flight to this city  located in the Henan p rovince  which was once 1 out of the 4 Great Ancient Capitals of China (other 3 are Beijing, Nanjing and Changan (Xian)) to spend the night. My main aim was the visit to Luoyang Grottoes, which was listed by UNESCO in 2000 as a World Heritage Site.  Luoyang Grottoes simplified Chinese 龙门石窟 traditional Chinese 龍門石窟 pinyin Dragon's Gate Grottoes - I can only say " MAGNIFICENT".....I have never seen so many thousands of Buddhist statues carved into limestone caves.   One advice to  travelers  is to start early in the morning and spend more time at th...

Borobudur Temple  is one of the most well-known Buddhist UNESCO heritage site in the world - it dates back to 8th century. Other than Great Wall of China ( that was completed earlier in June ), this is also on my "must-see" places.  Borobudur itself has 6  platforms topped by three circular platforms. Walking around the thousands of relief panels & Buddha statutes, I am both  marveled  and humbled by the breath-taking view of the magnificent and s pectacular  monument. I can only imagine and wonder how long it took for craftsmen long gone to build such a beautiful piece of artwork . It is with effort that you climb up the structure and  definitely  one to be undertaken when you go to Borobudur although w alking and climbing can b e quite hot by late morning/early afternoon. Plenty of water & an unhurried mind is required to take in its full beauty.    Another  UNESCO World Heritage site of  Prambanan Temples ...

This is a tick of my "to-do" list - Climb the Great Wall of China. There was never a doubt in my mind that I will do this climb & I was fortunate enough to do it again before I turn half century old.  Unlike my recollection of my first trip up along the Great Wall where I had little time to explore the Great Wall, this trip was arranged specially to ensure that I got to travel from one end of the Wall to another. As a result, I got to spend a significant time taking photos of the journey up along the Wall (without the thousands of best friends that would get their head into the picture). I specifically avoided the more popular Badaling section is where hordes of tourists are ferried when it comes to climbing the Great Wall.  This time the climb was carried out at the JingShanLing section of the Wall - where the old section of the Wall is still standing. This meant that in most areas my group of 3 was very much walking up along the Wall on our own with not many other t...