Who is taking pictures?

Moscow: Foreign Affairs Ministry

2012-03-06T08:39:00.000+01:00

We took the underground again. Now, we visited a very touristic area in Moscow. There it's the Foreign Affairs Ministry headquarters. Under the Stalin government were built seven skyscrapers in Moscow. They were named the Seven Sisters (Сталинские высотки).

Moscow: Gorky Park and Fallen Monument Park

2012-03-01T06:47:00.000+01:00

Next morning we went in direction to the south of Moscow to visit a cinematographic place, Gorky Park. It's a peaceful park with some attractions for children and a very well known place in Moscow for music concerts. And very near from here is the Fallen Monument Park, a little park with some of those communists statues that were pulled down when Soviet Union collpased. However there're no many communist statues because most of them were broken. Something remarkable with communist monuments and, above all with Lenin monuments, is the respect of these statues. Rather than we thought, there are still many communists monuments in Moscow. It seems that they consider part of their history and they're respected. Not so the Stalin monuments and other russian premiers.

Moscow: Duma

2012-02-28T07:16:00.000+01:00

Again, we came back to the center of Moscow. We got the underground to visit the State Duma. It's located at Novy Arbat. Near from Duma you can have a very nice view of one of the skyscrappers in Moscow, now a Radisson Hotel.

Moscow: Museum of cosmonautics

2012-02-23T07:13:00.000+01:00

A little far from the historical centrum of Moscow is located the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics. It's dedicated to the russian space conquerors and is always visited by children and schools. The museum is at the base of a big monument and contains models of rockets and space materials, including a model of MIR (Мир) space station. A must for space fans.

Moscow: Kremlin

2012-02-21T07:09:00.000+01:00

After arriving Moscow (Москва́) we tried to find our hotel. Of course, that was a big problem. We don't speak russian and normally russian people don't speak english. Besides, we didn't print the hotel name and address in cyrillic. Consequently, we spent hours to get to our hotel. So, the fourth day in Russia we only could make a quick walk by Red Square and come back quickly to hotel.

Next morning we began in Red Square as well to visit the Lenin mausoleum and Kremlin. The entrance to mausoleum is free of charge, but you have to leave your luggage and cameras in the nearest building (and this is not free). It's remarkable that Kremlin, a place that was a symbol of the communism for years is plenty of churches.

Saint Petersburg: preparations for Moscow

2012-02-16T21:50:00.000+01:00

So, the third day in Saint Petersburg we emptied our pockets of papers and tickets, made our luggage and left that beautiful city early in the morning by the sapsan (Сапсан) train, the high speed russian train. It took no more than four hours from Saint Petersburg to Moscow. We decided to make the journey during the morning instead of doing by night to enjoy the views. Unfortunately, the views weren't as beautiful as we thought.

Saint Petersburg: The Hermitage

2012-02-14T08:32:00.000+01:00

So, we returned from Peterhof to Saint Petersburg to visit the Hermitage (Эрмитаж), one of the biggest museums in the world. Of course, it's necessary to keep four or five hours if you want to make a quick visit to the Hermitage. If you're student you'll get a very good discount with the international student card. I remember that I saved myself more that 10 euros in the ticket entrance. Or you can wait until half an hour before closing and you'll get in free of charge, but only half an hour (and I think that it's only allowed for russian people, I'm not sure).

Saint Petersburg: Peterhof gardens

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

At Peterhof you can visit the palaces or walking by the gardens, but don't forget to buy a bag of seeds to feed squirrels and birds. If you're lucky they will eat directly from your hand.

Saint Petersburg: Peterhof Palace

2012-02-06T21:26:00.000+01:00

On the second day we took a bus to arrive Peterhof (Петерго́ф) Palace. This complex is a series of palaces and gardens sometimes compared with Versalles in France. Perhaps, one of my favorites places in Russia. We spent all the morning there. The ticket entrance is not cheap but the day we visited it was in maintenance and it was free of charge to get in for us.

Saint Petersburg: The underground

2012-02-02T08:06:00.000+01:00

As tourists in Russia we got shocked by the underground. First of all, the elevators are very steep; the railway is very deep because mostly goes bellow Neva river; the stations are magnificent and very clean; some of them ressemble bunkers, you walk by the station and suddenly notices that the doors in the wall open. Then you realize that you're not in a corridor, but in a station. Besides, in the underground everybody realizes the big quantity of people that lives in Russia. In fact, you alway should know where to go before get in the underground because inside the stations you can't stop. If you do you'll be carried by crowd.

Saint Petersburg: Field of Mars

2012-01-31T07:49:00.000+01:00

From the Church of Savior on Blood to the Field of Mars. It's a big extension next to Neva river. It was built to commemorate the first russian general that defeated Napoleon. There's a little monument to the revolution heroes with a flame in the center. We walked by this park several times and always saw the flame surrounded by people trying to warm themselves.

Saint Petersburg: Church of the Savior on Blood

2012-01-27T08:40:00.000+01:00

Outside of the fortress. We walked to Mikhailovsky Castle (Михайловский замок, Mikhailovsky zamok) and the famous Church of the Savior on Blood. This church was built by czar Nicholas III in memory of his father Nicholas II who was killed here. It ressembles to the Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

Saint Petersburg: Neva wharf

2012-01-24T09:02:00.000+01:00

In Peter and Paul Fortress there's a little wharf. From here you can get a magnificent view of Neva (Нева́) river. Saint Petersburg is crossed by several rivers and canals. Some of the bridges over Neva river are opened at night to allow maritime transit. We visited Saint Petersburg on April and one of the things that most impressed us were the pieces of glass floating over the river.

Saint Petersburg: Peter and Paul Fortress

2012-01-19T17:55:00.000+01:00

The Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропа́вловская кре́пость, Petropavlovskaya Krepost) is the origin of Saint Petersburg. The entrance to the fortress is free of charge, but if you want to get in the buildings inside you must pay. We decided to buy a combo ticket to get in different places in the fortress. However, in my opinion, the most interesting one is the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where the Romanov tzars are burried. And, if you're interested in austronautics, you can visit a little cosmonautic museum with an authentic Soyuz (Союз) capsule.

Russia travel between Saint Petersburg and Moscow

2012-01-17T09:28:00.000+01:00

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On April 2011 we decided to spend some days between the russian cities of Saint Petersburg and Moscow. Our tour begins on Saint-Petersburg and takes six days. But, previously to the travel there were lot of formalities. If you want to make tourism in Russia you needs a russian visa, but it isn't issued on the Russian Embassy. In Spain, only some travel agencies issue the visa. Besides, you must be accepted by a hotel or friends in Russia with a wrtitten letter to get your visa.

China: the tour map

2012-01-12T08:34:00.000+01:00

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Finally, the last post about our tour in China. It was a 23 days travel from Beijin to Shanghai. During this travel we knew a little of this enormous country and their people.

During writing these posts I've known some friendly travel blogs. I would like to acknowledge to some of them and some people who has helped me to disclose my little blog:

@jexweber from fotonazos who has kindly published some of my photographs in one of his posts.
@paris_eva from diariodelviajero. The blog was recommended in one post.

The next tour is Russia and it begins next week.

Shanghai: Pudong

2012-01-09T22:46:00.000+01:00

We finished our chinese tour in Shanghai (上海). Shanghai is very different from the rest of China. Streets are very clean, people don't spit and, for the first time in China our hotel had bathroom in western style. Definitely, I feel that Shanghai is an alien city in China. Anyway, Shanghai still have very nice views. My favorite view in Shanghai was Pudong from the ship in Haungpu river. Another very famous view is The Bund, at the opposite side of the river

Shanghai: Hongcun

2012-01-05T07:41:00.000+01:00

From Huangshang we made a quick trip to Hongcun (宏村). If you have watched the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon then you know this lovely town with narrow streets.

Shanghai: Huangshan

2012-01-03T09:15:00.000+01:00

Another day, another flight. We left Zhangjiajie to arrive Shanghai by plane. From Shanghai we took a bus to get another natural park, Huangshan (黄山). It ressembled the mountains in pictures in western chinese restaurants. Although it's a very nice scenary, after having visited Zhangjiajie we were disappointed by Huangshan.

Zhangjiajie: Natural Park

2011-12-28T15:43:00.000+01:00

From Jishou we took a bus to Zhangjiajie (涨家界) city. We were astonished that after kilometers of little villages seen we finally arrived a city where live more that 1 million people. Early in the morning of next day we left Zhangjiajie city to get Zhangiajie town and the scenic area of Zhangjiajie Natural Park. We loved the area, the natural park, the monkeys that asked for food, the Bailong elevator (an outdoor elevator in the side of a cliff)... And, by the way, the mountains of Pandora in the film Avatar were inspired by the Zhangjiajie mountains.

Dehang: quick visit

2011-12-26T11:17:00.000+01:00

We left Yangshuo by train (Guilin Train Station) towards Zhangiajie, but before we wanted to visit the little town of Dehang. So, we took a train to Liuzhou and another night train to Jishou. Night trains in China can be hard seat, soft seat, hard bed or soft bead. However, soft seats as well as beds were run out. So, we make the trip in a hard sit. Not as bad as we thought. From Jishou we took a bus (round trip) to Dehang. Dehang and Fenghuang are two touristic towns in Hunan province. We decided to visit Dehang because it's less touristic, although we had to pay a little fee in the entrance of town.

Yangshuo: Li River

2011-12-21T07:48:00.000+01:00

Other nice trip in Yangshuo is to take a junk boat by river Li. It was a quiet travel in a river plenty of tourists and surrounded by karst mountains similar to those in Dragon Ball.

Yangshuo: Longsheng Terraced Rice Fields

2011-12-19T06:29:00.000+01:00

From Yangshuo we rented a trip by bus to Ping'An (round trip). Longsheng is famous by their rice fields in the slope of the mountains. The agencies try to sell you some additional shows, but clearly the most interesting is trying to hike by the fields.

Yangshuo: some days of relax

2011-12-16T08:30:00.000+01:00

Another nice town is Yangshuo (阳朔). We arrived Yangshuo after taking a bus to Kunming, a flight to Guilin and, finally, a bus to Yangshuo. By the way, somebody almost stole my wallet in the Guilin bus station. Guilin thieves are very skilled and yes, they work with long chopsticks. Fortunately, the ambience was very different in Yangshuo. The little town of Yangshuo is a very well known backpaper destination with lots of different activities to do and "relax". Yangshuo is plenty of little hostels and after asking in different places we decided for The Golden Harbor Inn. The owner, Mr. Ou, is a very nice person who helped us to organize some trips.

Dali: Three Pagodas

2011-12-14T11:53:00.000+01:00

Next day, early in the morning we visited the Dali's famous Three Pagodas. The entrance fee was a little expensive. However, apart from the pagodas there's a complete compound of buddhist temples that we visited in one hour.

Dali: chinese and western tourists

2011-12-07T09:04:00.000+01:00

We arrived Dali (大理) in a rented minivan by night. Next morning, we were surprised to notice that western tourists were as large as chinese tourists. The ancient town of Dali reminded me the Lijiang old town. Out from the town we visited other interesting scenes like the Er Hai lake. The best way to visit the lake is by the public ferry, a non-expensive way of transport. But, be careful and don't make the mistake of buying the two hours cruise by the lake, much more expensive.

Lijiang: The Tiger Leaping Gorge

2011-12-05T14:09:00.000+01:00

Our lovely hosts in Lijiang hostel, The Lijiang Garden Inn (by the way I highly recommend it) organized us a trip to The Tiger Leaping Gorge, an impressive canyon on the Yangtze river. It was a three hours trip from Lijiang to the gorge in a very bad road. Fortunately, it was worth it.

Lijiang: the ancient town

2011-12-01T21:14:00.000+01:00

From Chengdu we took a flight to Lijiang airport. Lijiang (丽江) is an old town in the Yunnan province with old houses and charming canals. I feel that it was one of the most beautiful towns that we visited in China. There's a little fee to access the ancient town, but nobody pays it. We arrived to our hotel by night. Next day, early in the morning we rented some bikes to reach a charming Buddhist Monastery.

Chengdu: not only pandas

2011-11-28T08:46:00.000+01:00

When leaving the Panda Base we arrived to a nice lake plenty of carps. It's a very well known hobby in China to breed fishes. And, as everything in China, fishes are huge.

Chengdu: Panda Base

2011-11-24T12:33:00.000+01:00

Again in Chengdu. We went to sleep to our hotel. Early in the morning, we took a bus to the Panda Base. Unfortunately, we mistook and got the bus in the wrong direction. So, finally, we had to take a taxi. Anyway, you can consider to take a taxi in China as a good idea. If you travel in a group of four people, a taxi trip can be as cheap as a trip in bus. Finally, we arrived to our destination, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a kind of zoo where live giant pandas as well as red pandas. As a curiosity, you can have a photo with a giant panda for 1000 RMB (Sept. 2011).

Leshan: The Giant Buddha

2011-11-21T08:47:00.000+01:00

We left Jiuzhaigou by plane. And we arrived to Chengdu airport the same day. Too much flights, but we had no much time to stay in every place. From Chengdu we rented a minibus from Chengdu bus station to Leshan. The weather in Leshan and Chengdu was very warm and humid. After, paying the entrance fee, climbing steps and crossing a kind of jungle we arrived to the magnificent Buddha of 71 meters. Like everywhere in China we quickly found ourselves surrounded by a big number of chinese tourists. Contrary to what we thought, chinese people make a lot of tourism. In fact, during our trip we found many more chinese tourists than western tourists.

Jiuzhaigou: Jiuzhaigou Valley

2011-11-17T11:06:00.000+01:00

Next day, we got up very early in the morning to queue in the entrance of Jiuzhai Valley Natural Park. One advice: don't make queues in China, it doesn't worth. As soon as the doors got open everyone sneaked in the queue. Once we were in the Natural Park we got a bus up to the mountains. We used the bus to descend in some parts. In other parts we walked.

Jiuzhaigou: Pengfeng village arrival

2011-11-15T12:00:00.000+01:00

From Beijing we took a plane to Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟). Jiuzhaigou is situated in the Sichuan province and I think that it's one of the most beatiful places in world. Its airport is more than 3000 meters altitude. Quickly, we went to Pengfeng village (a place plenty of hostels) to prepare the visit to Jiuzhai Valley.

Beijing: The Great Wall

2011-11-08T08:34:00.000+01:00

Finally, the Great Wall (万里长城). In our thrid and last day in Beijing we took a bus to Mutianyu (幕田于), a very touristic portion of the wall and very well restored. Mutianyu is 70 km far from Beijing and our bus (we left Beijing from behind the bus station of Dongzhimen) took three hours to get here. From Mutianyu to the Great Wall we got a cable way while to get down we got slides. Yes, I'm not joking, slides! I think that the best option is to get the cable ways you have left hand and walking by the Great Wall direction right hand. We didn't and we had to walk the same portion of the Wall twice (going and return) to get down to Mutianyu.

Beijing: Temple of Heaven

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

The next stop in our travel was the Temple of Heaven (天坛) in Tiantan park. Unfortunately, we arrived late and it was already closed. In China, places open very early (sometimes before 6.00 am) in the morning and, usually, close before 5.00 pm.

Beijing: Qianmen street

2011-11-02T20:47:00.003+01:00

In our first night at Beijing we walked by Qianmen (前门) street, a famous pedestrian and comercial street in the south of Tiananmen Square. It was very curious to see the old 1924 tramway running down the street.

Beijing: The Forbidden City

2011-11-01T17:31:00.000+01:00

This is the first post in blog. My intention? Remember the places where I've been with some photos. I begin with Beijing (北京) and the Forbidden City, perhaps the main touristic attraction in Beijing. Next to Tiananmen square. A place where we spent more than four hours in our Beijing visit. By the way, we got a very nice view of the Forbidden City from Beihai Park (北海公园).