Asian Travel Blog

China’s northernmost major city, Harbin is a delight for those who love to see a great range of architecture. The city was actually founded as late as 1897 as a camp for the Russian engineers who were building the Trans-Siberian Railway. The demand for workers brought in people from across Russia, Poland and from within Manchuria itself. Russian influence on the city continued due to the fact that after the 1917 Russian Revolution monarchist refugees escaped to Harbin, and the Russian influence is still clearly visible in many ways from the architecture to the food. During World War II the city was captured by the Japanese, and subsequently taken by the Chinese in 1946. Harbin has thus grown from a remote Russian outpost to the tenth largest city in China.

Harbin lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River, and has been alternately called Oriental Moscow, Oriental St Petersburg and Oriental Paris due to its unique European-influenced architecture. It is indeed one of China’s most beautiful cities.

One of the city’s most impressive streets is Zhong Yang Street, which has a fabulous array of varied European architectural styles, including Baroque and Byzantine façades, traditional Jewish architecture, small Russian cake shops and bakeries, fashionable French clothes stores, and Japanese restaurants. Nearby is the Russian Orthodox St. Sophia Cathedral, which has now been made into a museum.

Harbin has an Old Quarter near the Songhua River which is mostly made up of buildings that were constructed by the Russians at the turn of the 19th century. Most of these are built in Baroque or Byzantine style with intricate spires and cupolas, and painted in eye-catching shades of yellow, white, green, and red.

Harbin is also famous for its Russian influenced cuisine, and, unlike the rest of China, has plenty of bakeries producing a variety of differnt types of bread. Harbin is also known for its tasty European-style sausages.

Harbin has been holding an annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival since 1985, and this starts on January 5th and lasts one month. It is one of the world’s four largest ice and snow festivals.

So if you are looking for somewhere unusual to escape to in January, you could consider Harbin.

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The Indonesian island of Bali has long been a popular tourist destination. The culture of the island has flourished under Chinese and Indian influences, with Buddhism and Hinduism being introduced around about 800BC, and Islam being introduced later on. Bali came under Dutch control in 1909, from when there was a steady stream of European professionals, artists, tourists and intellectuals, and some Dutch influence remains today. By the 1930’s Bali was well-known as an exotic and sophisticated resort.

As well as golden beaches, great food and nightlife, Bali offers exciting attractions such as Goa Gajah Bedulu’s Elephant Cave, which is one of the southern region’s most famous tourist sights. In addition to the caves running through the mountain, the complex above the Petanu River includes temples, statues, pavilions and three pools for bathing. On the outside of the entrance to the cave is the dramatic, carved head of a devil. Once you get inside the cave, it is really dark, so you are well advised to take a flashlight. Inside there is a niche with a statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who is the son of Shiva.

The Taman Burung Bali Bird Park, in Batubulan, has more than a thousand birds of both Indonesian and worldwide origin. The park is set in magnificent gardens, with lush tropical plants and beautiful water features. The park is also has an excellent restaurant where you can sit out and eat, enjoying the natural environment and the birds.

Another must-see of Bali is the Gitgit Waterfall, which is the most impressive waterfall on the island, and can be found not far from the town of Singaraja, which is on the north coast of Bali. If you enjoy walking, it is a pleasant walk through the jungle from Singaraja to the waterfall, but don’t forget to wear decent footwear if you want to do this.

In my next post I will tell you a little about the delightful cuisine of this fabulous island.

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The Heian Shrine, (“Heian Jingu”), is a famous Shinto shrine located in the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, and is not far from the city center. The torii, which is a traditional Japanese gate found at the entrance to to Shinto shrines, is one of the largest in Japan.

Japan is predominantly Buddhist, but Shinto is a native Japanese religion, and the two religions seem to happily co-exist side by side, with the Japanese generally making their weddings Shinto, and their funerals Buddhist.

One of the major sights of Kyoto, the striking thing about the Heian shrine is its eye-catching colors of vermilion painted woodwork, and contrasting green-tiled roofs.

The shrine was built in 1895, and hosts the Jidai Matsuri, “Festival of Ages”, which is one of the three main festivals of Kyoto, and which takes place on October 22nd every year. Portable shrines are carried through the streets starting from the old Imperial Palace and ending at the Heian Shrine, and it is an amazing sight to see so many people in traditional, colorful Japanese dress. Around 2,000 people take part in the procession, and so it stretches for some kilometers in length!

The shrine also has beautiful gardens with ornamental ponds, irises, water lilies, cherry trees and other eye-catching detail. The best times to visit the gardens are in the spring when there is a profusion of cherry blossom, and fall, when the leaves have turned to gold and red.

Kyoto has plenty of top hotels, as well as more modest places to stay such as backpackers’ hostels, and a Hostelling International Hostel.

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