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.
Chongqing 重庆 city is a financial centre, manufacturing hub, and transportation centre in central and western China. Chongqing city’s downtown centre is located on the Chongqing peninsula surrounded by Yangtze River 长江 and its branch Jialing River 嘉陵江. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport 重庆江北国际机场 is a major aviation hub serving this region and is one of the top 50 busiest airports in the world. Chongqing city is well-connected to other major Chinese cities via China High-Speed Railway (HSR) Network 中国高铁网.
Chengdu is located in the central part of the Sichuan Province 四川省 in southwest China and is the capital of the Sichuan Province. With a population of around 14 million, Chengdu is the fifth largest city in China, after Shanghai 上海, Beijing 北京, Shenzhen 深圳, and Guangzhou 广州.
Chengdu is famous for being the home of giant pandas 大熊猫 that are immensely popular and well-loved around the world. Giant pandas are protected under Category 1 of the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Law of 1988 and are considered the national treasure of China.
A 1-week Central Canada road trip itinerary in Central Canada may start from Toronto and may include Niagara Falls and major cities such as Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, as well as other cities Gatineau, Hamilton, Kingston on the road trip route without too much detour.
Canada’s largest city Toronto, like Canada’s capital Ottawa, is in Ontario Province where a third of Canada’s population lives. Toronto is located by the coast of the massive Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls is a 2-hour drive along the coast in the eastern direction. Ottawa is a 4-hour drive northeast of Toronto. Its central location makes Toronto a good base to start a road trip in Central Canada.
From Ottawa, a 3-day road trip to Montreal and Quebec City may include picking your own apple during apple harvest season at Verger Labonté on Perrot Island, which is a 30-minute drive southwest of Montreal, then Montreal downtown Underground City, Old Montreal, and the nearby Montreal Old Port waterfront, Mount Royal Park, Jean-Talon Market, and finally an evening visit to Montreal Botanical Gardens for “Gardens of Light” held at the time of my road trip. You may use Montreal as a base and have a day-trip driving to Quebec City, 3-hour away from Montreal, and back to Montreal on the same day. The Quebec City day-trip may include Plains of Abraham, Old Quebec, Quebec Old Port, and Montmorency Falls.
Hamilton is home to more than 100 waterfalls and is often called the City of Waterfalls. If you are fascinated by waterfalls, this is the place to visit while you visit the magical Niagara Falls.
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and is Canada’s sixth-largest city. While Ottawa is a city in Ontario Province and Gatineau is a city in Quebec Province, the 2 cities are really just separated by the Ottawa River, on the 2 sides of the riverbank. The total metro area population of Ottawa-Gatineau is about 1.4 million and Gatineau’s population constitutes about 25% of the total population. Gatineau is often considered part of “Greater Ottawa”.
Kaohsiung (高雄) is a hidden gem for travellers. It is a coastal city in southern Taiwan that has mild tropical weather and because of that, there is an abundant supply of good quality local tropical fruits. The city’s affordable and efficient mass rapid trains (which started operations in 2008) and light rail trains (which started operations in 2016) have made many tourist attractions in the city a lot more accessible. Food prices were very affordable in 2019. Visitors can have a reasonable lunch or dinner meal at less than 200 Taiwan Doller (~A$10 or ~US$7) in 2019. Be sure to visit the night markets (夜市) while in Kaohsiung where you can find many delicious Taiwan snack or small dishes (台湾小吃).
Denham is the westernmost town in Australia. Located on the western shore of Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area, Denham is within Western Australia’s 1,100 km breathtaking Coral Coast which stretches from Cervantes, a 2-hour drive north of Perth, to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.
Monkey Mia, a 9-hour drive north of Perth or a 4.5-hour drive if you drive north from Geraldton, is not a town but a huge Conservation Park located on the eastern shore of the Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
Monkey Mia is famous for its RAC Monkey Mia Resort, located right within Monkey Mia Conservation Park, and its wild dolphin experience.
Palm Beach Parklands is a beautiful open space overlooking Currumbin Creek at the south end of Palm Beach. Palm Beach Parklands and the popular Gold Coast surf spot Currumbin Alley is separated by Currumbin Creek.
The best point to start your Kalbarri waterfront walk is Zuytdorp Memorial which is a lookout point providing 360-degree top-down views of the best part of the Kalbarri town centre, Murchison River mouth, the beach area, and the Indian Ocean.
The Carnarvon Fascine refers to Carnarvon’s central waterway linking the Carnarvon community to the Indian Ocean coast. The name “Fascine” comes from a flood protection method using a pile of sticks to hold back floodwater.
The Carnarvon Fascine waterfront area is a great spot for a relaxing evening walk.
Emu Point is within the suburb of Mount Clarence in Albany, which is a 5-hour drive or 420km southeast of Perth. Located at about 9 km northeast of Albany city centre, Emu Point is a beautiful seaside spot at the channel linking Oyster Harbour and King George Sound.
If you choose to go for a relaxed walk at the Albany Waterfront on Sunday morning, try to make Albany Boatshed Markets the start point and endpoint of your walk.
You can walk from Albany Boatshed Markets in the western direction, past Albany Entertainment Centre, to ANZAC Peace Park, and back to Albany Boatshed Markets and finish with a coffee or a breakfast at the markets.
Alternatively, you can cross over the overhead pedestrian bridge near the Albany Entertainment Centre to Albany city centre to explore the city centre on foot.
Busselton foreshore area, where Busselton Jetty is located, has recently been transformed to be a draw point on its own merits with a visitor centre, a nautical-themed playground, an amphitheatre stage, cafés, restaurants, retail outlets, and many other features. If you have not visited Busselton Jetty in the last 3 years, you should come and find out about the new redevelopment.
Bunbury is 180km or about a 2-hour drive south of Perth. With a population of over 31,000, the coastal city is a beautiful place to live, work, or visit.
If you visit Bunbury and like to go for a walk close to the water, then you will enjoy walking from Marlston Hill Lookout Tower to Bunbury Lighthouse, then walking paths alongside Ocean Drive by the beach to allow you to walk and enjoy the magnificent views of the Indian Ocean at the same time.
York is a charming small rural town located by the Avon River 97km east of Perth. It is a lovely place to visit on a day trip out from Perth or it can be a destination or a brief stop on your road trip from Perth to Kalgoorlie, Wave Rock (Hyden), or Esperance. If you would like to go for a relaxing walk by the water, Avon Park by the Avon River is a good place to go in York.
The opening of the new World Tarde Center complex represents a new chapter in US history. It is my wish that it is also a new chapter of world peace.
Geraldton foreshore area, just a short stroll from Geraldton city centre, has flat well-connected walk paths from The Esplanade to Batavia Coast Marina Waterfront. You will enjoy the beautiful views of the Indian Ocean and the cool sea breeze while you walk or jog.
Philadelphia was founded in 1682. The USA Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia on 4th July 1776. Therefore this 339-year-old city is older than that of the United States.
It is very easy and convenient to get around using Philadelphia’s subway and above-ground trolley to attractions such as Reading Terminal Market, Chinatown, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center, and Love Park.
Boston is a very walkable city. The popular neighbourhoods, scenic districts, and landmarks such as Downtown Boston, Chinatown, Back Bay, Charles River, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and Boston Harbour are all within a 1.5km radius circle.
Driving on the Pacific Coast Highway to explore the Pacific Coast of California near Los Angeles is a good alternative to visiting popular tourist destinations such as the Disneyland Resort, Universal Studio, and Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The famous Three Gorges 三峡 on Yangtze River 长江 is best seen on a Yangtze River Cruise 长江游船. I went for the 4 days 3 nights downstream Yangtze River Cruise which sailed from Chongqing 重庆 to Yichang 宜昌. The cruise ended at Three Gorges Dam 三峡大坝 constructed within the largest of the Three Gorges 三峡, Xiling Gorge 西陵峡. The cruise travelled a total distance of approximately 650km.
The incredibly beautiful and dramatic Niagara Falls, with a height of 52m, is made up of three separate waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, Bridal Veil Falls, and American Falls on the US side.
The Hallelujah Mountains (meaning “Floating Mountains”) – the floating islands – in the blockbuster movie Avatar gave moviegoers a superb cinema experience and long-lasting impressions. The floating islands scenes were inspired by the quartzite sandstone pillar formations of Zhangjiajie Scenic Area 张家界风景名胜区. You have to be here to be amazed how the work of nature and how the power of water erosion of the land could create such spectacular landforms consisting of stone pillars, deep valleys, peak forests, natural bridges, and more.
For people visiting Melbourne and went to Moomba Festival Parade on 9 Mar 20, it must have been a surreal and strange experience. Why? Because after this parade, which thousands of people attended, the world had changed so dramatically. The change had so profoundly impacted all our lives in so many ways.
Tianmen Mountain 天门山 (Pronounced in Mandarin as “Tian-men-shan”) – translated literally it means “The mountain of the door to heaven”. How appropriate! Especially when you view it at the start of the stairway leading to Tianmen Cave 天门洞. As you walk up the stairway, it is really like you are walking towards heaven!
Toronto Island Park, in Lake Ontario, is a group of 15 islands inter-connected by pathways and bridges. The island park is a very popular destination for a day-outing for the locals.