This was my 1st road trip in New Zealand. It started from Christchurch (A), 2 nights in Queenstown (D) and 1 night in Franz Josef (G). We tried to squeeze in as many places as possible in 4 days and i will provide as much information as I could which was requested by some of my visitors.

Preparation: *important

• Map of cause NZ’s Map
• Book your accommodations
• Plan your route, so that you don’t miss any exciting place.
• Car
• Check your car’s conditions (Oil, Water, Air, registration, WoF (Warrant of Fitness), wipers & etc.)
• Prepare your food. (drinks, bread, fruits, junk food & etc.)
• Warm clothes
• BBQ kits (if you’re planning for BBQ)

Panorama View – Click to enlarge

Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The church at Burkes Pass, St Patrick’s built in 1872 was the first church built by pioneers as a joint community effort, by Anglicans Presbyterian and Catholic settlers. Also a joint venture between Presbyterians and Anglicans, St Columba in Fairlie was built in 1879. The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames stunning views of the lake and mountains.    [source]

Lake Tekapo with snow capped mountains as background

Then, we continued our journey to Queenstown which took about 4-5 hours.

On our way, we visited AJ Hackett Bungy, The pioneers and inventors of modern day bungy jumping and extreme personal challenges. We didn’t try bungy jumping as we were planning to try something more extreme and more exciting…… stay tuned next post.

::::::::To Be Continued::::::::

……stay tuned for my next post…………What’s neXt ?? eXtreme ChallenGe~~~~

This time the destination was Manila, Philippines. YES!  “Maynila” for the Filipinos which is the capital city of the Philippines.

Everything You Need To Know About The Philippines!

However,too bad I had only 2 days in Manila as i wasted 2 days for transiting in Japan. So, i “googled” around and found some must-visit places in Manila.  Let’s see…….oh yah, This is my 1st oversea trip with my babe, D90.

===========Day 2============

Dropped by Rizal Park, was the site of the execution of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

Most important day for Filipino, the Independent Day.

The main tourist site of Manila is Intramuros,(Spanish for ‘within the walls‘).

INTRAMUROS, the old capital of Manila, was built in 1571. It remains a monumental, if ruined, relic of the Spanish period in Philippine history. It is a city within a city, separated from the rest of Manila by its crumbling walls. This ancient capital had well-planned streets, plazas, the Governor’s Palace and churches. However, many buildings were reduced to shambles in World War II.

Dr. Jose Rizal, Philippines’ national hero

::::On my way back::::

“Salamat” means Thank you in Tagalog (Filipino)

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Everything You Need To Know About The Philippines!

Next, we visited Oedo-Botania which is one of the shooting scenes of Korean Drama-Winter Sonata.

===Beach===

===Korean War Museum===

====The eNd====

I met Mr. Cao in my trip who is a professional photographer and experience journalist. He taught me how to take a good shoot (framing) during the trip. Thanks    O(∩_∩)O

On one of the top peaks

According to tour guide, you need to imagine when visiting stone forest.  Otherwise, whole trip will be just dummy rocks.  So, Do you notice a cat and a mouse ???? (=@__@=)？

Zoom in >> a mouse

What is this? Try to imagine then ….       (⊙o⊙)…

The rock of Ashima 【阿诗玛】

The rock of Ashima resembles a girl of the Sani people, a branch of the Yi ethnic group, with a kerchief on her head, and a bamboo basket on her back. The shape and expression are both surprisingly lifelike. Ashima was a beautiful girl in a Sani folk tale. She is a symbol of the hope for freedom to choose who to marry, and a happy life for the Sani people. This is a story of a young couple who fall in love, but cannot marry each other

Scenic View

==ThE EnD==

The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people [source]

Entrance of Lijiang Old Town.

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After our dinner, we watched the LiJiang traditional performance which has won numerous international awards namely, “LiShuiJinSha” 【丽水金沙】. The show was awesome, it portrayed olden Nakhi Empire and its people life. The decoration, sound system, lighting, performers and so on were InCreDiBle.       ( ⊙ o ⊙ )！

awesome performance !

We were told that the day view and night view of Lijiang Old Town are totally different.   (⊙_⊙)？ Thus, after the show, we proceed to Lijiang Old Town to have a look. Indeed !!! Amazingly, all buildings in old town have been decorated with lights and so on. I was crazily taking photos here and there but too bad….without a DSLR….  (+﹏+)~

Lonely, quiet street.

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If you have any chance to visit LiJiang, i would highly recommend you to visit Old Town of Lijiang !!!  \(^o^)/~

::====TheEnd===::

Early in the morning around 6am, we visited Dali’s Ancient City. The Ancient City is centered around the ancient city of Dali, first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Then, we traveled Erhai lake 【洱海】 with a boat and visited a small island.

On the small island,  there were people selling baked fresh fish, fried prawn and so on.

One of the uncles & aunts that i met in my trip treated me bAkEd fish. I was so shy to take..@_@..They were from FuJian, China. They chatted with me throughout the trip and introduced me other friends in the trip. They were too friendly and made me don’t feel lonely in the whole trip even though i was alone. 10s a lot.

Next, i visited 【白族】 Bai minority’s residence. An unique and classical house.

The famous Bai minority’s tea : 【白族三道茶】 . There are 3 different taste of teas. First, Bitter following by sweet and ended with little spicy and sweet.  “一苦、二甜、三回味“

While enjoying the tea, there was traditional performance presented by Bai minority.

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Coming up next ……… Lijiang – 丽江