Category: Travels and Destinations

Beautiful views of West Lake (西湖) from the top of Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society (西泠印社) in Hangzhou (杭州) China.

Walk by the Waters: Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society (西泠印社) overlooking West Lake (西湖) in Hangzhou (杭州) China

Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society (西泠印社) is located on the largest island in West Lake (西湖) – Gushan (孤山). Gushan connects the lake shore by Xiling Bridge (西泠桥) and Bai Causeway (白堤) and is on the Hop-on-hop-off round-the-lake sightseeing car route. Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society site is actually a compact yet refined and elegant exquisitely landscaped garden on a 38m tall hill overlooking West Lake.

mylivingmylife February 14, 2024

The Night of City Balcony (城市阳台), Hangzhou (杭州) China.

Walk by the Waters: Qiantang River (钱塘江), Hangzhou (杭州) China

The 589km long Qiantang River (钱塘江) is the largest in Zhejiang (浙江) Province. Qiantang River actually refers to the downstream Hangzhou section of the river whereas the upstream section of the river is named Fuchun River (富春江). The famous “Qiantang River Big Wave” (钱塘江大潮) is a natural wonder of the world caused by the interactions of gravitational pulls of the seawater by the Sun and the Moon, the Earth’s rotation, and topography of the Qiantang River and Hangzhou Bay.

mylivingmylife January 31, 2024

West Lake (西湖) in the late autumn early winter when trees turn autumn’s bright yellow.

Walk by the Waters: West Lake (西湖), Hangzhou (杭州) China

The 6.4km2 West Lake has a perimeter of around 15km. West Lake is actually very shallow, with an average depth of 1.5m. The deepest part of the lake is around 3m.
West Lake is divided into sections by Su Causeway (苏堤) which runs in the north-south direction across the lake and Bai Causeway (白堤) in the northern part of the lake. The causeways, lined by trees and flowerbeds, 4 man-made islands on the lake, as well as the many pagodas, temples, pavilions, gardens, and bridges, make West Lake so uniquely scenic in different ways in different seasons and in different weather conditions.

mylivingmylife January 17, 2024

Cascading water walls in the Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane.

Walk by the Waters: Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane

The 16-hectare Roma Street Parkland is located within a short walk from Brisbane city. Opened in 2001 after over 100,000 shrubs, 1200 mature trees, 1800 unique species of plants, and 250 ferns were planted, the Parkland is an inner-city green oasis built within a concrete jungle, an excellent getaway for people working in the Brisbane city.

mylivingmylife December 20, 2023

Jetty and Pontoon at The Spit, Gold Coast.

Walk by the Waters: The Spit, Gold Coast

The Spit is the 5km long peninsula that stretches all the way up in the northward direction to the Gold Coast Seaway separating the Coral Sea from the Gold Coast Broadwater. The Spit is the gateway between Gold Coast Broadwater and the open ocean.
Mariner’s Cover Marina, Marina Mirage Shopping Mall, and Sea World Resort are located on the Gold Coast Broadwater side of The Spit. The ocean side of The Spit is relatively undeveloped compared to many other beautiful Gold Coast beaches.

mylivingmylife October 25, 2023

2 Days of Visiting Free Attractions in Townsville

Townsville is a major service centre for northern Queensland and the main centre for government administration outside Brisbane. If you have 2 days in Townsville and you have a car to drive around, some tourist destinations in Townsville are free to visit. You just need to drive there. Even parking is free too.

mylivingmylife October 11, 2023

A bird’s eye view of Brisbane River, City Botanic Gardens, and Brisbane city skyline from the top of Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Brisbane.

Walk by the Waters: Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park, Brisbane

Cliffs Park in the Brisbane suburb of Kangaroo Point is a unique park located by the bank of Brisbane River and right next to Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Kangaroo Point Cliffs comprise a 20m to 25m tall vertical rock face that extends most of the length of the Cliffs Park. The cliffs are the remains of 150 years of quarrying activities and are a heritage-listed site.

mylivingmylife September 13, 2023

The Brisbane Sign with Brisbane city skyline in the background.

Walk by the Waters: South Bank, Brisbane

South Bank, a suburb located on the southern bank of Brisbane River and just south of Brisbane CBD, is Brisbane’s lifestyle and cultural precinct.
Here in South Bank, you will find the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, State Library of Queensland, Queensland Museum, and Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
The Brisbane Sign and the Wheel of Brisbane are in South Bank too, along with many eateries, restaurants, cafes, bars, and hotels.

mylivingmylife August 16, 2023

The Strand Rockpool at the northwestern end of the Strand, Townsville.

Walk by the Waters: The Strand, Townsville

Within a walking distance north of Townsville city centre, the Strand is a 2.2 km beachfront promenade that features flat bike and walkway paths, swimming beaches, picturesque picnic spots, and lookout points, waterfront restaurants and cafes, and family-friendly parks and playgrounds. There are many tourist attractions on or close to the Strand including the 15-hectare Jezzine Barracks and Kissing Point Fort heritage precinct and the Strand Rockpool at the northwestern end, and the Strand Water Park, Breakwater Marina and Anzac Memorial Park at the southeastern end of the Strand.

mylivingmylife August 2, 2023

The Big Townsville Sign with Townsville city skyline and Castle Hill in the background.

Walk by the Waters: Ross Creek, Townsville

Located halfway between the tip of Cape York and Brisbane, Townsville is a coastal city in northeastern Queensland with a population of 234,283, according to the 2021 census.
Townsville is a major service centre for northern Queensland and the main centre for government administration outside Brisbane.

mylivingmylife July 19, 2023

Waterfront walking path on Newcastle Foreshore with views of Newcastle harbour.

Walk by the Waters: Newcastle Foreshore, New South Wales

The between Newcastle Foreshore and Nobbys Lighthouse starts at the waterfront walking path alongside Wharf Road next to the 11-hectare Newcastle Foreshore Park, a popular venue for many community events. Following the footpath in the northeast direction alongside Wharf Road towards Nobbys Lighthouse, you will walk past Nobbys Beach on the east side and Horseshoe Beach on the west side.

mylivingmylife June 21, 2023

Sunset at Queenstown Bay Beach, Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand South Island.

Walk by the Waters: Queenstown, New Zealand

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Lake Wakatipu is beautiful and distinctly different in the 4 seasons of the year.
A good way to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the lake and the surrounding mountains is to take a cruise on TSS Earnslaw, which is a 1912 vintage steamship, or the Spirit of Queenstown cruise ship.
Another way to enjoy the beautiful Lake Wakatipu is to walk by the shoreline near Queenstown town centre, which is small and very walkable. It is an awesome free thing to do in Queenstown.

mylivingmylife June 7, 2023

Lake Wakatipu at Kelvin Heights, Queenstown New Zealand South Island.

Walk by the Waters: Kelvin Peninsula, Queenstown New Zealand

Kelvin Peninsula, located southeast of Queenstown town centre, extends into Wakatipu Lake. Kelvin Heights, located on the Kelvin Peninsula and is a 20-minute drive from the Queenstown town centre, is part of the Queenstown urban area. The section of Kelvin Peninsula Walk Trail around Queenstown Golf Club and near the Wakatipu Yacht Club at the tip of the peninsula offers the best lake and mountain views and popular picnic and swimming spots in the warmer months.

mylivingmylife May 24, 2023

Wellington’s iconic “Wellington” sign and “Solace In the Wind”, a bronze naked man sculpture.

Walk by the Waters: Wellington Waterfront, New Zealand

Just a stone-throw away from Wellington CBD, Wellington Waterfront is itself a tourist attraction. Wellington Museum, TSB Arena, Circa Theatre, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Max Patte’s “Solace in the Wind”, a bronze naked man sculpture, the “Wellington” Sign, and Waitangi Park are all located on Wellington Waterfront. Visitors can walk on walking paths, boardwalks, and pedestrian bridges from Wellington Museum to Freberg Beach on Oriental Bay, all times right next to the water away from vehicle traffic.

mylivingmylife April 26, 2023

Auckland Botanic Gardens, Auckland, North Island of New Zealand.

Walk by the Waters: Auckland Botanic Gardens

Auckland Botanic Gardens is approximately 25km, or a 35-minute drive, southeast of Auckland city centre, in Auckland’s suburb of Manurewa. Auckland is located in the North Island of New Zealand. Here visitors will find more than 10,000 plants of which many are self-sustaining and require minimal intervention in Auckland’s mild South Pacific climate without pesticides.

mylivingmylife April 12, 2023

Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, located on the Symphony Lake in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Walk by the Waters: Singapore Botanic Gardens

The 0.82-square-km Singapore Botanic Gardens was established in 1859. Although not huge by comparison with many others, Singapore Botanic Gardens is very compact, containing 3 water bodies, many walking paths, many themed gardens, and the very well-known and popular National Orchard Garden.

mylivingmylife March 15, 2023

Walk by the Waters: Singapore River

Singapore River is a 3.2 km long river that feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. Used to be an important hub of commerce, many warehouses by the banks of the river near the river mouth were built and were used to store spices and other produce. Today, some of these warehouses were restored and converted into entertainment and dining venues.

mylivingmylife March 1, 2023

Walking path at Gardens by the Bay – Bay East, with views of Marina Reservoir, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, and Singapore Flyer.

Walk by the Waters: Marina Barrage, Singapore

Marina Barrage is a 350 m long dam built across Marina Channel to keep out seawater to form the Marina Reservoir.
As well, Marina Barrage enables flood control to reduce flooding in low-lying areas around the reservoir. During heavy rain and low tide, gates at the dam can be opened to release excess stormwater into the sea. During heavy rain and high tide, pumps at the dam can be operated to drain excess stormwater into the sea.

mylivingmylife February 15, 2023

Sentosa Island’s Fort Siloso Skywalk on the northern end of Sentosa Island has magnificent panoramic views of Sentosa Cable Car, Bungy Jump Skybridge, Siloso Beach, Palawan Beach, and the South China Sea.

Walk by the Waters: Sentosa Island, Singapore

The 5-square-km Sentosa Island, located just 15 minutes from Singapore CBD, is packed with many attractions and more attractions are being built to bring new and returned visitors to this island resort getaway. There are 2 golf courses, a deep-water yachting marina, resort hotels, sandy beaches, theme parks such as Universal Studios, Fort Siloso Skywalk, Bungy Jump Skybridge, and many more attractions, as well as many entertainment, dining, and shopping venues.

mylivingmylife February 1, 2023

Kallang River’s Kallang Basin area has been developed into a sporting precinct. Dragon boats are seen at a water sports centre.

Walk by the Waters: Kallang River, Singapore

The 10 km-long Kallang River is Singapore’s longest river. Kallang River starts at Lower Peirce Reservoir in the centre of Singapore, and flows through several housing and industrial estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Toa Payoh, Bendemeer, and Kallang Bahru, before meeting Geylang River at Kallang Basin and Singapore River at Marina Bay in the south of Singapore.

mylivingmylife January 18, 2023

Forster is a beautiful coastal town within the Mid-North Coast and the spectacular Barrington Coast region, a 3-hour-45-minute drive north of Sydney a beautiful coastal town, and a 35-minute drive from Taree Airport, the nearest airport.

Walk by the Waters: Forster Foreshore

Forster is a beautiful coastal town within the Mid-North Coast and the spectacular Barrington Coast region, a 3-hour-45-minute drive north of Sydney and a 35-minute drive from Taree Airport, the nearest airport. Tuncurry is Forster’s twin town located just across the other side of the Wallis Lake entrance from the Pacific Ocean.

mylivingmylife January 4, 2023

Fishing by the river bank of Khappinghat Creek in Saltwater National Park.

Walk by the Waters: Saltwater National Park, New South Wales Australia

A small coastal reserve surrounded by rainforest, Saltwater National Park is about a 30-minute drive east of Taree on the Barrington Coast 4-hour drive north of Sydney.
Saltwater headland, just north of Saltwater Lagoon, has an interesting headland walking track where walkers can take a short, leisurely 300 m stroll through the thick rainforest to reach the headland lookout at the end of the track. The lookout has magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean, Saltwater Beach, and Khappinghat Creek river mouth, and is a great place to go whale watching.

mylivingmylife December 21, 2022

A view of Double Bay Marina and Point Piper foreshore from Double Bay Beach.

Walk by the Waters: Double Bay Foreshore

Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney located between 2 other coastal suburbs – Darling Point and Piper Point and is just about 4 km east of Sydney CBD. These beautiful coastal suburbs have some of the most expensive multimillion-dollar apartments. You can visit Double Bay by a 20-minute scenic ferry ride from Circular Quay.

mylivingmylife December 7, 2022

A symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty is a must-visit US iconic sight on Liberty Island in the New York Harbour.

New York City: The Statue of Liberty

A symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty is a must-visit US iconic sight on Liberty Island in the New York Harbour. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the US in 1886 and was created by the French sculptor and painter Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

mylivingmylife November 23, 2022

The well-known Lucky Bay is the most popular beach in Cape Le Grand National Park. The white sand is so white like snow that made Lucky Bay the winner of the whitest beach in Australia. Combined with crystal-clear blue waters, Lucky Bay is unbelievably beautiful.

Western Australia South West Edge Road Trip Part 5 – Cape Le Grand National Park and Wave Rock

The white sand of Lucky Bay beach is so white like snow that Lucky Bay was voted the winner of the whitest beach in Australia. Combined with crystal-clear blue waters, Lucky Bay is unbelievably beautiful.

mylivingmylife October 19, 2022

Twilight Beach of Esperance, shielded by rocky islands, is a stunning beach with glaringly white fine sand and calm crystal-clear water for visitors to chill out, in the water or on the beach.

Western Australia South West Edge Road Trip Part 4 – Albany to Esperance

Esperance’s 40-km breathtaking Great Ocean Drive loop which starts and ends in Esperance town centre and reaches Australia’s most stunning beaches all of which are within a 30-minute drive from Esperance town centre.

mylivingmylife October 7, 2022

Elephant Rocks are rocks that look like a group of elephants, and that was how the place was named. From Elephant Rocks, visitors can follow the staircase down between the rocks to Elephant Cove. Elephant Cove is stunningly beautiful when viewed from high atop the Elephant Rocks – white sand and clear blue water dotted with round-shaped rocks jutting out of the beach and water.

Western Australia South West Edge Road Trip Part 3 – Rainbow Coast

Western Australia Rainbow Coast stretches over 150 km from Walpole in the west, through Denmark, to Albany in the east. Why called Rainbow Coast? It is because visitors see rainbows very often in the wetter months of Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Rainbows can appear in sunsets, sunrises, on a misty morning, and when there are rains out in the ocean.

mylivingmylife September 14, 2022

A view of Cape Leeuwin and the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse visitor centre from the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in Western Australia.

Western Australia South West Edge Road Trip Part 2 – Margaret River to Point D’Entrecasteaux

Margaret River is an inland town named after the 60 km long Margaret River that flows past the town in the western direction into the Indian Ocean. The Margaret River Region, a famous holiday destination for many, actually refers to the region beyond Margaret River town stretching from Busselton along the coastline down to Augusta. This region is known for its spectacular beaches and surfing spots, exquisite caves, beautiful forests, extensive walking trails, and award-winning wineries.

mylivingmylife August 31, 2022

Point Peron lookout bridge, at Point Peron near Rockingham, offers amazing views of the rugged limestone cliffs and the panoramic views of the Indian Ocean.

Western Australia South West Edge Road Trip Part 1 – Perth to Gracetown

Western Australia South West Edge refers to the southwest region that stretches from south of Perth towards Albany then east from Albany to Esperance. The coastline from Perth to Albany stretches more than 700 km by the Indian Ocean. Continuing from Albany to Esperance is another approximately 500 km of coastline by the Great Australian Bight, which is part of the Indian Ocean.

mylivingmylife August 17, 2022

Chongqing 重庆 is the start point of Yangtze River Cruises 长江游轮 that sail through the magnificent Three Gorges 三峡 of the Yangtze River 长江 and the cruise journeys end at the humongous Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 which supplied about 10% of China’s electricity at the time of completion.

Central and Western China Travel: From Chongqing 重庆, Yangtze River Cruise 长江游轮, Zhangjiajie 张家界, To Chengdu 成都

Is it feasible to visit Chongqing 重庆, Three Gorges 三峡, Zhangjiajie 张家界, and Chengdu 成都 in Sichuan 四川, all in a short single trip? That was my motivation for planning independent travel in China to include these 4 destinations in Central and Western China.

mylivingmylife June 15, 2022