Travel blog
The Celeste River of Costa Rica is located in the canton of Guatuso, specifically in the province of Alajuela and in the well-known Tenorio Volcano National Park, in the Arenal and Tempisque conservation area. The river is formed by the confluence of others, the Buena …
About 130 million years ago, the current island of Madagascar separated from the African continent to settle in the Indian Ocean and lay off its other half, India. Due to this division, the African island has one of the most curious and richest natural ecosystems …
Arashiyama is a beautiful tourist destination to the west of the city of Kyoto, especially known for its beautiful bamboo forest. However, Arashiyama offers you many more options for tourism, leisure and entertainment. From seeing macaques in semi-freedom to taking a boat ride or enjoying a visit in a rickshaw.
Arashiyama is an ideal destination to go from Kyoto in the morning and return well into the entrance after visiting places such as the following:
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, the Tenryuji Temple is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Kyoto. Built in the 14th century, the temple is famous for the beauty of its Zen garden and its refined ornamental care. During spring and fall it is one of the best places in Arashiyama to enjoy Hanami and Momiji.
Considered as another of the most important temples in Arashiyama, the Daikakuji Temple stands out for its refined architecture but especially for the beauty of the visits from its artificial pond (Osawa) considered one of the oldest in all of Japan and for the beauty of your pagoda. Its construction dates from the year 896 and served as the residence of the former emperor of Arashiyama.
Also known as the Moss Temples or Koke-dera, the Saihoji Temple stands out for the beauty of the environment covered entirely with mosses.
Built in the year the Seiryoji Temple is known for its statue of Buddha or Shaka Nyorai, considered one of the most important national treasures in Japan.
Also known as the Temple of the 1,000 Buddhas, it takes its name from the large number of stone Buddha figures and honors people who have died without any relatives.
Probably the most tourist attraction in Arashiyama is strolling through its incredible bamboo forest. Also known as Sagano Bamboo Forest.
The visit consists of walking along the small path that crosses it and enjoying the beauty of its impressive bamboos, the play of colors and lights that are generated by the sun’s rays and hopefully even the sound generated by the breeze when it hits the bamboos. , causing the place to have been recognized after a popular vote as one of the most important natural sounds in Japan.
See the views from Togetsukyo Bridge:
The Togetsukyo Bridge or The Bridge that crosses the Moon is one of the best places to see the visits of the surroundings of Arashiyama.
Iwatama Park:
Also known as the Itawama forest, this place is famous for hosting a colony of macaques.
Stroll through Saga-Toriimoto:
One of the most traditional corners left in Arashiyama is the famous Saga-Toriimoto street with its traditional houses or Machiya and cafes and restaurants.
Scenic Train to Sagano:
One of the most popular things to do from Arashiyama is to visit the nearby town of Kameoka using the tourist train or Sagano Torokko.
The route, made in classic wagons with wooden seats, is of spectacular beauty, crossing the banks of the Hozugawa River and passing through spectacular forests.
Arashiyama and the traditional Cormoran fishing
One of the most visited attractions during the months of July, August and September is to contemplate the traditional fishing with Cormorant or Ukai.
During the night and accompanied by torches to bring the fish to the surface, the fishermen use cormorants for fishing. To prevent the animal from swallowing the best pieces, it carries a tied ring around its neck that only allows it to eat the smallest pieces.
What used to be an art more than 1,200 years old has become a tourist spectacle where an animal is being used for human enjoyment. As responsible tourists we must avoid contributing to any type of animal abuse.
In case you have your JR Pass, the best way to go to Arashiyama is by taking the JR Sagano from Kyoto station to Saga-Arashiyama station.
In case you do not have the best way to do it, take the Kyoto City Bus 28 (30 minutes / 230 Yen from Kyoto station. Another very popular way to go is to take the tram or Keifuku Randen Tram Line at Omiya station / 220 Yen) and enjoy the beautiful views of the trip.
Manarola is the penultimate town that makes up the Cinque Terre walking from North to South, after having known Monterosso, Vernazza and Corniglia; just before reaching Riomaggiore. What characterizes Manarola? Its liveliness, its fantastic restaurants and its architectural beauty,so many colorful houses nestled in the …
Located in southern China, its spectacular rock formations and careful lighting make these caves seem like a magical place, almost from another world. The Reed Flute Caves are part of almost every tourist itinerary in the Guangxi Zhuang region. They are located a few kilometers …
Bali, the island of the gods, known for its beaches and temples, but also for its famous tiered rice fields.
The mountainous structure of the land makes rice cultivation not an easy task, but this is something that the Balinese solve with tiered rice fields, the result of cooperation between nature and man.
Some of the terraces have taken several centuries to build, but today they make up a green landscape worthy of the most beautiful of postcards.
The diet of Bali and Indonesia is based on rice. Indonesians eat 2 to 3 times a day with rice, which is why rice crops are very important to Indonesians. In Bali still many rice plantations are for family or village consumption.
On our trip through Bali, you will be able to observe many rice plantations, today I want to explain to you what the rice plantations are like in Bali, and the best stepped rice plantations to visit on your trip in Bali.
The mountainous structure of the land makes it more difficult to plant rice, but the Balinese solved this by creating tiered rice fields.
The construction of some rice fields has taken several years, but today we can enjoy a beautiful landscape.
The system generally used is called «Subak», it consists of channels where water is transported from springs and is transported to the different rice fields, all working as a cooperative. We must remember that the cultivation of rice requires a lot of water, since the fields need to be always humid, semi flooded.
After approximately 210 days, the rice will be ready to be harvested. Then the land is prepared again for the next planting, so that per year you can sometimes have up to two harvests.
The Balinese are very spiritual, so also with the rice plantations, the Balinese have Dewi Sri, the Goddess of rice, to whom the peasants pay homage with the small temples in the middle of the plantations.
The rice fields of Jatiluwih, are my favorites, it is located one hour from the city of Denpasar or Kuta. We can see a landscape of rice terraces that end on the horizon. This place is so fascinating that it is even considered a World Heritage Site. In my opinion it is the best of the tiered rice paddies in Bali.
The rice fields or Tegalalang rice terraces are without sweat one of the most famous in Bali, since they are near Ubud, a place chosen by most travelers in Bali.
The Tegalalang paddy fields are located between Tampaksiring and Ubud. Depending on the season or time of rice cultivation, the terraces will be of an intense green, golden color or mirrors of water with the first shoots, but it is always a good time to visit these rice fields and enjoy a walk among them.
The Rice Paddies mentioned above are the most famous, touristic and best prepared for photos, but in Bali you can find hundreds of rice fields. In Ubud, Tabanan and Canggu you will find several rice fields that you can see along the way.
It is in the rice terraces where you can see the true soul of Bali. Far from the beaches, the shops and the bustle of tourism is where the farmers focus on their hard work and the people are much more pleasant and uncorrupted. They are happy with what little they have and transmit that happiness to those who are lucky enough to visit them.
As I have said in several other articles, public transportation in Bali almost does not exist, so the ways to get to see these two fantastic rice fields are:
Motorcycle (scooter): It is the easiest way to travel in Bali, if you can get used to the traffic in Bali. You can rent a motorcycle (scooter), almost anywhere, generally hotels offer.
Private Excursion: It is one of the favorites for travelers in groups or couples, they can hire a day trip, which includes the rice fields of Bali.
In the south of Vietnam, and a few kilometers from the Cambodian coast, is Phu Quoc. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam with a total area of 574 km2. Around 103,000 people inhabit the island. There is …
Nestled between walls and with the Sierra de Guadarrama as a backdrop, Pedraza breathes the worn air of the centuries. Few, very few, are fortunate to be considered one of the best preserved medieval towns not only in Segovia or Castilla y León, but also …
What makes Alberobello one of the most important tourist destinations in southern Italy, and Puglia, are its Trullos.
These are white cylindrical buildings with ceilings shaped like a stone cone. These houses make it look like a fairytale town and have incredible places. It is listed as world heritage by UNESCO.
The town is very small and can be traveled in a few hours. It is best to walk quietly and go through the two neighborhoods of trullos: the Rione Monti and the Rione Aia Piccola.
There are private homes, but most have been converted into souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels and can be visited without consuming or buying anything. There are several that have incredible viewpoints to see the sunsets.
There are many special teals to see, such as the Sovrano which is the largest teal, the Siamese teal or the church teal.
El Trullo is a house built with limestone walls and a cone-shaped roof. It is a type of architecture typical of the region that can be found scattered in the fields and some villages. Most of the trullos in Puglia are used as deposits for olives.
It is connected with these houses. During the Middle Ages, Count Acquaviva forced the peasants to clean the land and cultivate the land.
To avoid taxes it was necessary that Alberobello did not appear as an inhabited center, so people began to build Trullos, which could be quickly dismantled if needed.
The Trullos were generally built without using mortar and because of the great thickness of their walls the structure remains firm and the internal temperature is pleasant both in summer and winter.
The roof is a cone-shaped dome with a decorative needle in the tip. The ceilings are decorated with symbolic paintings with religious significance.
The interior is very simple, it consists of a main hall in the center and in some cases with small curved bedrooms.
The most picturesque areas of Alberobello are those made up of Trullos, more than a thousand of them. One of these areas is Rione Monti, which consists of small narrow streets.
It is a very striking area and offers many attractive points in sight.
The people in Rione Monti are very friendly and their vendors will try to show you their crafts, ceramics, snowballs with teal inside, terracotta whistles, and other souvenir augers.
Many of the Trullos de Rione Monti are small bars and restaurants where you can taste exquisite local wines accompanied by local cheeses, cold meats and olives. Some of these places have terraces where you can admire the panorama of the town from above.
The Sovrano Trullo, built over 200 years ago, is also worth a visit. It is the only Trullo built on two floors, and is considered the best teal. It is here where perfection in construction of this type of architecture was achieved.
It was declared a National Monument in 1923, and today it is a museum where you can admire its technical construction and decorations.
The other interesting area to meet in Alberobello is that of Aia Piccola. It is as picturesque as Rione Monti, but less visited, and therefore, quieter. It is a residential area of quiet streets and full of trullos.
Another place that we must see is the Basilica dei Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano, the largest church in Alberobello, which is located in the heart of the city, surrounded by buildings of recent construction and trullos.
Among the museums of Italy that you can visit, we can mention the Museum of the Territory, which is inside a set of trullos and contains different pieces of work and ancient works of art.
It also contains two rooms where life is recreated within a trullo during the medieval period.
Other interesting museums to visit are the Olive Oil Museum, the Wine Museum and the Museum of Handicrafts.
There are charming hotels, charming hotels and owners who fall in love. We can opt for a hotel or apartment, but a good option is to sleep in a trullo.
The offer is not very wide and the prices are not very cheap but it is an experience that deserves to be lived.
Cesky Krumlov is a medieval jewel located in the southern region of the Czech Republic (South Bohemia), thanks to its fairytale castle and its hundreds of houses, it has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The amazing thing about this city is …