As Mongolia’s capital for a few hundred years, you would expect there to be more Ulaanbaatar historic sites. However, not many places remain to reflect this history. The Soviets or Communists destroyed most of the city’s historic palaces, temples, and … Continued
Beijing, as a capital city of some kind for more than 1,000 years, has been a locus for people from all over China and all walks of life to descend upon. As part of this influence, religious peoples too have … Continued
Precariously hanging on the side of Hengshan, one of China’s five sacred mountains, a 1,500-year-old monastery seems to cling to the rock as effortlessly as a gecko on a wall. The Hengshan hanging temple is as natural on the rock … Continued
After being entranced by Varanasi on the river, our next day we spent touring the city and nearby Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism. Baranas Hindu University Varanasi has just as many variations on its name as there are Hindu gods, … Continued
As the sun crept lower and the shadows longer, I sat on a wooden bench under the magnificently decorated ceiling of a former emperor’s main boat dock at his manmade lake with bats flitting about after bugs. The auspiciousness of … Continued
The main draw for Dunhuang and why the town gets any real attention is because of the Mogao Caves, a series of ancient grottoes that have been preserved by the desert with a brilliant collection of statuary and frescoes that … Continued
Hundreds of thousands of hand-chiseled Buddha effigies and the first Buddhist temple in China also call Luoyang home. These were our destinations for day two. Longmen Grottoes A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Longmen Grottoes are an impressive monument to … Continued