Fort Santiago

The Mother of all Churches, Cathedrals and Basilicas of the Philippines. The Manila Cathedral-Basilica is the Premier Church of the Philippines because of all the Churches in the archipelago, it was the one chosen to become the Cathedral in 1581 when the Philippines was separated from the Archdiocese of Mexico and became a new diocese with its episcopal seat in Manila. As the Church of Manila, it was established by the secular priest Juan de Vivero in 1571 under the patronage of Mary, La Purissima e Inmaculada Concepcion. Fr. Vivero was given the special privilege and sole faculty by the Archbishop of Mexico to take care of the spiritual welfare of the new Philippine colony. http://manilacathedral.com.ph/about_us

Quiapo Church, also known as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, is the site of the annual January Black Nazarene procession. One of Manila’s most famous churches, Quiapo Church gets very crowded every Friday when thousands of devotees come to light a candle in supplication to the Black Nazarene, a life-size image of Christ believed to be miraculous. The present cream-colored edifice was built after the original Mexican Baroque structure burned to the ground in 1928. Quiapo is also famous for the Black Nazarene. The Feast Day of the Black Nazarene (also known as Quiapo Day) is celebrated every January 9th. http://www.quiapochurch.com/

Still near Fort San Pedro and Sto. Niño Church is another Catholic church that you should not miss to visit while in Cebu City. The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, also called as The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and St. Vitalis, is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu. http://faq.ph/12-places-to-visit-in-cebu-city/

Just a quick walk from Fort San Pedro, you can already reach the Minor Basilica of the Holy Child, commonly known as Santo Niño Church. Considered as the oldest Roman Catholic church in the country, it was built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebu was found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. http://faq.ph/12-places-to-visit-in-cebu-city/

Visit Fort San Pedro or Fuerza de San Pedro to have a glimpse of Cebu’s rich history. The work on the fort was first started on May 8, 1565 by Spanish and indigenous Cebuanos under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi. http://faq.ph/12-places-to-visit-in-cebu-city/

Towering at almost 3,000 meters above sea level, Mt. Apo is the highest mountain in the Philippines. Aside from being the highest peak in the Philippines, this wonderful creation is so blessed by nature. https://discovermtapo.com/9000-feet-above-ground/

The evolution and richness of Philippine history ensembles a simplest framework of how social change significantly takes place to effectively initiate its highest form of realization.-Socio-cultural development. http://www.poklat.com/davao_museum_and_ethnography/

More often than not, the setting of the place that we are bound to explore has a strong bearing on our entire vacation experience. So if you’re looking for a place somewhere in Davao that is worthy of your time and money, then Samal is your perfect escape. http://www.samalguide.com/about-samal/

Primarily an upmarket residential area, sun-drenched Repulse Bay has a relaxed resort-like feel to it. Its wide, wave-lapped beach is popular with both locals and visitors and is great for strolls in the early morning, daytime sun soaking when the bathers are out in force, or lingering at sunset when all has turned mellow. This crescent-shaped stretch of sand is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong. It is also home to the Hong Kong Life Saving Society clubhouse, which is built in traditional Chinese style, with a ceiling decorated with magnificent swirling dragons. Towering twin statues of the deities Kwun Yam and Tin Hau dominate the picturesque gardens that lead down to the beach. The nearby colonial-style building, The Repulse Bay houses designer shops and award-winning restaurants, and resembles the luxury hotel built in 1920 that originally occupied the site. Most of its grounds were redeveloped into luxury apartments more than 20 years ago, and only the original arcade remains. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/au/see-do/great-outdoors/beaches/repulse-bay-beach.jsp

It is one of the very few places in Hong Kong that still hangs on to its old fishery ancestry customs and traditions and a real treat to visit any time of the year. It is hard to imagine that only 20 short minutes away from the sparkling skyscrapers and maelstrom of Central, you can find yourself in a different kind of sparkle: Gleaming white sand beaches with crystal clear blue waters; Contrasting brilliant green hills; Sleepy fishing villages; Fantastic fresh seafood in the waterfront... Whether for a day or only a few hours, Lamma Island is a great option for an escape from the tumult of the city. There are no vehicles or public transport here, except for service vehicles. It's either walking or bikes... a nice change of pace! https://www.hong-kong-traveller.com/lamma-island.html

With the best waterfront view of the harbor and convenient transportation, millions come every year for the skyline, harbor and mountain scenery, to watch the daily Symphony of Lights, and catch the fireworks shows on various holidays such as New Years. The Avenue of Stars Hong Kong is probably the most popular area of Victoria Harbour. Victoria Harbour is the most popular area of Hong Kong for tourists, and Hong Kong is by far the most popular city for tourism in the world. So the Avenue of Stars promenade is one of the most popular places in the whole world! https://www.chinahighlights.com/hong-kong/attraction/avenue-of-stars.htm

Enjoy the very best views of Hong Kong’s stunning skyline aboard the Aqua Luna red-sail junk boats. During the day you can visit the Avenue of the Stars, the famous Golden Bauhinia, the vibrant Hung Hom neighbourhood and the Maritime Museum. Aqua luna does a circuit every hour so if you hop off you can hop on again later. Or join the Symphony of Lights cruise that has the best seats in town for Hong Kong famous lights and laser show that illuminates the harbour and the city. https://aqualuna.com.hk/media/pressCoverage

Standing 44-metres tall, the old Clock Tower was erected in 1915 as part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway terminus. The once-bustling station is long gone, but this red brick and granite tower, now preserved as a Declared Monument, survives as an elegant reminder of the Age of Steam. It has also been a memorable landmark for the millions of Chinese immigrants who passed through the terminus to begin new lives not just in Hong Kong, but in other parts of the world via the city’s harbour. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/in/see-do/highlight-attractions/top-10/clock-tower.jsp

If there is only one thing you can do in Hong Kong, go to The Peak. If you have many things to do here, still go to The Peak. The highest point on Hong Kong Island, this has been the city’s most exclusive neighbourhood since colonial times — back then it was the cooler air that attracted the rich and famous; in the post air-conditioning era, the views of one of the world’s most spectacular cityscapes keep them coming. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/in/see-do/highlight-attractions/top-10/the-peak.jsp

Located on the tip of Hong Kong’s peninsula by Victoria Harbour, Tsim Sha Tsui is famous for its iconic view of the city’s harbour. This neighbourhood should be your top priority if you’re a first-time visitor! Tsim Sha Tsui is one of the busiest districts in Kowloon, and there’s plenty to see and do here. The shopping scene is varied, ranging from designer boutiques to local bric-a-brac stores. It’s also a good place to find a range of museums, galleries and live performances. But perhaps what it’s best known for is its view of Hong Kong’s harbour; here, you can watch the junk boats sail across Victoria Bay against the backdrop of an expansive glittering skyline. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/hong-kong/articles/the-top-10-cultural-things-to-do-and-see-in-tsim-sha-tsui/

When the sun goes down, the traders have already laid out their wares and the opera singers and fortune tellers begin to emerge. Welcome to the Temple Street Night Market, a popular street bazaar, named after a Tin Hau temple located in the centre of its main drag, and a place so steeped in local atmosphere that it has served as the backdrop to many a memorable movie. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/in/see-do/highlight-attractions/top-10/temple-street-night-market.jsp

Discover the heart of Hong Kong — Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour is probably the most popular tourist area in the world! Find out why, and how to enjoy it! Victoria Harbour is an almost ideally naturally sheltered channel between Hong Kong Island and the Hong Kong mainland. The channel is deep enough for the biggest ships and sheltered by the high mountains on Hong Kong Island from storm winds. It is also naturally curved like a semicircle around the north shore of Hong Kong Island so that high waves are blocked out. Islands to the east and south and a narrow opening on the eastern inlet further shelter the harbor. This sheltered area was one of the British Empire's biggest military and trading ports, and it is now both the world's premier tourist area and one of the world's busiest commercial ports. Two big cruise ship ports bring in tens of thousands of eager shoppers and sightseers each year, and the transportation connections to the harbor area are among the world's best and quickest. The new tourist attractions and facilities really interest tourists and make the harbor area more ideal for combining shopping, recreation, cultural experiences, and education together for an enjoyable trip. https://www.chinahighlights.com/hong-kong/attraction/victoria-harbor.htm

As one of Hong Kong’s most famous and popular temples, Wong Tai Sin Temple is not only famous among locals, but also very well-known among Chinese from all around the world. This has mainly to do with the history and myths behind this unique temple. http://www.nextstophongkong.com/sik-sik-yuen-wong-tai-sin-temple/

Enter a magical kingdom inspired by fairy-tale dreams and explore 7 lands—Adventureland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A.—filled with beauty, excitement and Disney Characters. In this Disneyland you can sail around the world and rocket into outer space, blast through mines, explore brave exotic jungles and take a tour to mysterious museum. Or you can catch beloved Disney Characters on parade and terrific life shows packed with music and laughter. You can also celebrate the Chinese New Year, Halloween and Christmas season in this setting bursting with holiday magic! https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/

Eighteen Peaks (Shibajian) Mountain runs in a north-south arc through Hsinchu County. It is a forest park in a lunar shape cultivated during the Japanese Colonial Era. It extends about 7-8 km embracing Zhudong City and its southern suburbs. It got its name because it has 18 peaks. The highest is 131.79m and the lowest is 50m; and the average gradient is 40%. As the mountain is covered with thick forests and exudes the fragrance of flowers, one can feel the kind of freshness when walking on the trails. Therefore, the shaded trail of the mountain has become one of the local people's favorite spots for recreation and exercise. To ensure the safety of people exercising there, the city government has in recent years applied a no entry policy for cars between 00:00 to 08:00 everyday. Visitors can walk down the mountain from Hsinchu Commercial & Vocational High School along Bo'ai Street. At the peak stands the Jieshou Kiosk. There are Guanyin statues in the forest which are also attractions of the spot. https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002109&id=6582

Chung Ying Street (also named Zhong Ying Street) is located at Shatoujiao Town in Yantian District of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It lies at the border of Mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangdong/shenzhen/chung-ying-street.htm

Come to Taoyuan to challenge the limitation of your sense at the first skywalk in Taiwan! Xiao Wulai Skywalk is located in Taoyuan Fuhsing Township, rose beside the Wind-Rolling Stone and suspended above the Xiao Wulai Waterfall. To fulfill tourists’ dream of walking in the air, Taoyuan City government spent NTD 8 million on it. The shape of skywalk was in a concise design with geometrical pattern, and tempered glass construction in the bottom. The walkway extended in the sky for 11 meters. Standing on the glass platform, 70 meters high above the bottom of waterfall, tourists can admire the beautiful valley and spectacular waterfall scenery with only NTD50. You are welcomed to come and sense the whole new sight with courageous challenge of 70 meters high. https://travel.tycg.gov.tw/en/travel/attraction/723

The museum building was reconstructed from Hsinchu Civic Hall that was built as the Japanese royalty residence and a banquet hall in 1936. After Taiwan restored in 1945, the building was utilized by Takeover Committee, American army consultant delegation, and Hsinchu military police station. http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002109&id=3189

The East Gate sits on a granite base pierced by an arched walkway. On the upper half of the gate is a building originally constructed of wood and later rebuilt in concrete. The building is supported by 24 columns on which sit a double-eaved roof with a short upturned ridge that adds to the power of the design. In front of the gate is a stone stele recounting the history of the construction of the Hsinchu City wall. There is also a public square that joins both traditional and modern elements at the front of this major Hsinchu landmark. http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002109&id=6694

Hsinchu City god Temple (Chenghuang Temple) is regarded as the highest-ranking of all City God temples in Taiwan, due to the superior spiritual power of its City God in protecting the town. In front of the temple is a market with a lot of small stalls selling delicious Taiwanese snacks, including rice noodles, meat balls, thick cuttlefish broth, and Zhuqian Biscuit (Zhuqian is the original name of Hsinchu). Hsinchu is famous for a number of specialty foods, especially Hsinchu rice noodles, which are produced in Nanshr Village, Hsinchu City. Another famous product of Hsinchu is shiangfen, a traditional cosmetic powder which was used by women throughout Taiwan before the arrival of foreign-style cosmetic products. The powder is also used in offerings to Qiniangma, the guardian spirit of children. Only one store, run by the Tsai Family in Julian Street, still produces this powder. Although there are many stalls from which Hsinchu meatballs can be purchased, many are concentrated around the Chenghuang Temple. http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002109&id=447

Built in 1933, the Yule Theater was the first air-conditioned theater in Taiwan. The 500-person capacity theater joined both ancient Roman and Arabian motifs to present a vision of grandeur intended to display the national power of the then occupying Japanese government. The mission of the museum is to preserve the cultural experience of the Guomin Theater and to serve as a shared image space for city residents. In addition to promoting and showing alternative and older movies, the museum archives, displays, and researches cinema-related items and promotes cinema education. https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002109&id=6882

Shimen Reservoir is reputed for its beautiful lake and mountain views all year round. Connected to over a dozen tourist attractions, the Reservoir offers green parks, bikeways, lake yachts, dam, spillway, wharf, Xizhou Park, Maple Park, Nanyuan Ecological Park, and so on. Shihmen Reservoir is also a great place to admire the magnificent beauty of flowers and leaves. Fiery maple leaves and snow-white plum blossoms catch your eye in the wintertime. When spring comes, the peach, cherry and azalea bloom to compete for visitors’ attention with their captivating beauty. In the rainy season, Shihmen Dam will discharge its water, providing a spectacular view that attracts a great number of tourists. https://travel.tycg.gov.tw/en-us/Travel/Attraction/664

If you want to rank the "stars" of recreational farms in Taoyuan, Tomita Garden Farm will for sure to be one of the top on the list. Well-known idol dramas, "Heaven's Wedding Gown", "Green Forest My Home", "Bump Off Lover", "Hooping Dulcinea", and "Bitter Sweet" were all attracted by the great flower field and European landscape of the farm and came to shoot some scenes here. As a result, it also attracts many fans to visit the farm. Once there was a Malaysian tour group that came straight from the airport by bus to see where the epic scenes were shot and then returned to tour Taipei. The owner of the farm based the blueprint on Hokkaido Tomita Farm (Japan) for the design. The two hectares big rainbow flower field has lavender, cosmos, sunflowers, rainbow snapdragon, etc. The flower seasons run through the whole year. The rose garden next to the parking lot seems to exhibit romance between lovers. In addition to the beautiful and breathtaking cluster of flowers and grass, other popular photo spots include the outdoor landscaping, the crystal church, vintage cars, carriages and Mediterranean windmills, etc. Many newlyweds and couples often take photos here as well. https://travel.tycg.gov.tw/en/travel/attraction/716

The Cihu Memorial Sculpture Park is situated near the Cihu Parking Lot. In the park there are some 100 bronze statues of Chiang Kai-shek’s donated by various localities of Taiwan. This also lets tourists from around the world remember the past glorious feats of Chiang Kai-shek. Among the statues are familiar-looking standing and half-bust bronze statues, which were donated mostly by schools and government organizations. There are also statues of CKS seated and horse-riding. Every statue has its own artistic value. Interconnected foot trails lead to various statues in the park. There are also elegant Chinese garden-style gardens with bridges and water below them. https://travel.tycg.gov.tw/en-us/Travel/Attraction/718

As China's biggest privately owned green porcelain museum, it is located in Luohu District and houses more than 2,000 pieces from the Shang to Qing Dynasty, fully presenting ancient China's porcelain history. http://english.sz.gov.cn/tis/201608/t20160830_4383184.htm

Located north of Guancun, Jida, and in the valley of Southeast Banzhang Mt, Bailiandong Park is famous as the home of an ancient monk who lived in seclusion and planted white lotuses everywhere. A relic of the Paleolithic Period, the park was built during the Reign of Emperor Ch’ien-lung (Qianlong) (1735-96) and is the first cave museum in China. It contains a large number of fossils from ancient humans and mammals. The fossils of relics suggest that the White Lotus caveman made clothes and used fire to cook some 50,000 years ago, framing the White Lotus Cave Culture. With clear streams flowing down to a central lake and the lush green mountain, curiously shaped rocks, caves, pavilions and barbecue site, the park is an ideal venue for Chinese and western anthropologists to do scientific research and for visitors to go on outings on the weekend or exercise at any time. http://subsites.chinadaily.com.cn/zhuhai/2016-04/28/c_51739.htm

Shenzhen Safari Park is China's first zoo that lets animals live in natural habitats. There are nearly 10,000 wild animals of more than 300 species, most of which are rare and protected species, including eight tigons and ligers. http://english.sz.gov.cn/tis/201608/t20160830_4383184.htm

The ongoing 90 million yuan ($14.48 million) Haibin Beach renovation encompasses Lovers Post Office, Happy Hour Pagoda, Watch Tower, support-service facility, Happy Square at the main entrance, Music Fountain and more. The beach is a more-than-ever romantic venue for wedding photographs. http://www.cityofzhuhai.com/2016-04/20/c_51428.htm

As the Hutoushan Park is situated near Taoyuan downtown area and is on high ground, it is a good place from which to view the Taoyuan Terrace and the night view of Taoyuan Dist.. In the park there is a lotus pond and cherry trees, as well as a children’s playground and an area for barbeques. At the halfway point of the mountain, there is also the “Taoxin Pavilion”to mark the friendship of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in the Chinese classic “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” This is a popular place for citizens’ recreation. The Environmental Park on the mountain was originally a garbage dumping ground which now has become a new park following renovation. Since one can have a good view of Taoyuan Dist. at night from there and look at the starry sky , when night falls, many lovers go dating on the mountain and spend a romantic night there. https://travel.tycg.gov.tw/en/travel/attraction/696

Dann Forest Park is an ecological park with a forest-like environment. Park roads are lined with trees such as camphor, cajuput, ficus and maples. Bushes and flower beds are planted throughout the park to help make the park into a lush, green space. The park is likened to the lungs of Taipei. https://www.travel.taipei/en/attraction/details/524