Tag Archives: statues

Around 550BC Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. He first defeated the Medes and from there the empire grew conquest by conquest. It became larger than any empire had been before. Cyrus himself built a palace at Pasargadae. His successors preferred other locations. Darius I founded a new capital…

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On the outskirts of Budapest, about a half an hour drive from the centre, lies Memento Park. It is a memorial park where they’ve gathered different statues from the communist period. They come from all over the country and give you a peak into Hungary’s history. You can wander around…

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One of the top attractions in Vientiane is not actually in Vientiane. Buddha park is about an hour away by public bus. Buses leave frequently from the central bus station. Just look for bus 14. It’s really easy since the buses display their destination and price in English! When me…

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Sometimes being a tour leader can be stressful. You’ve got people asking you all kind of questions you don’t know the answer to. You have to find out those answers, show them the way, give them suggestions for things to do, arrange train tickets… and then also make sure you’ve…

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This work of art comes from Taipei. On a visit to the Sun Yat Sen memorial hall, I noticed this garden at the side of the building. The stern-looking statues are surrounded by all these pink flowers. A pretty sight. For more entries in the weekly photo challenge, check out…

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Fairytales teach us about the world. Every story tells about morals and teaches a lesson. We know Hansel and Gretel and Little red riding hood.  In Singapore kids learn a very different lesson; don’t go to hell.

The Buddhist values are passed on to the younger generation via stories. To get an idea of these stories you can walk through Haw Par Villa, a park full of statues. Its design comes from the beginning of the 20th century and displays scenes of the Chinese mythology. It is very graphic and doesn’t leave much room for your own interpretation.

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