YeinJee's Asian Journal » World Heritage Sites

Rafflesia, world’s largest flower, Kinabalu National Park

Yein Jee — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:37:16 +0000

Rafflesia is the world’s largest flower, found naturally in South East Asia. There are 27 species of Rafflesia; the largest is Rafflesia arnoldii, which could grow over 100cm in diameter and 10kg in weigh [wiki]

Rafflesia is infamous for its rotten-meat like smell; but I’ve seen the flower twice on different occasions and never smelled anything that resembled the fact.

Sharing a few Rafflesia photos from Poring in Kinabalu National Park during my Sabah trip in March 2009; the bloomed Rafflesia I saw was about 60-70cm in diameter…

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Rafflesia, world’s largest flower, Kinabalu National Park from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Going to Kinabalu, Sabah

Yein Jee — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:30:53 +0000

Will be having an adventurous holiday in the Sabah State in East Malaysia; leaving on Thursday (Mar 5), followed by a trip to Penang State to visit my sister and nieces.

The blog will not be updated for at least a week, probably two depending on internet availability; see you all again then. Meanwhile, sharing some Flickr photos of Mount Kinabalu, a 4000+ metre mountain that I am going to climb in Sabah…

Mount Kinabalu from afar (Image by Austin)

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Going to Kinabalu, Sabah from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Halong Bay, Vietnam – random photos (2)

Yein Jee — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:30:12 +0000

Random photos of Halong Bay, Vietnam; taken during my July 2008 trip…

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Halong Bay, Vietnam – random photos (2) from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Sung Sot Cave, Halong Bay, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:28:00 +0000

Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises) is the largest and arguably the most beautiful cave in Halong Bay, Vietnam. The cave is located at the Bo Hon Island and got its name (grotte des surprises) from a French admiral who was surprised at how huge and majestic the cave was when he discovered it.

The limestone cave is now heavily developed for tourism, with granite pavements and coloured-lighting beautifying the cave. The nature elements of the cave seems pretty well preserved though, hopefully the in-flock of tourists won’t cause too much harm.

Photos from my July 2008 visit, including an aerial view of the iconic Bo Hon Bay which often featured on travel magazines and postcards…

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Sung Sot Cave, Halong Bay, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Halong Bay, Vietnam – random photos (1)

Yein Jee — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:25:51 +0000

Random photos of Halong Bay, Vietnam; taken during my trip in July 2008…

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Halong Bay, Vietnam – random photos (1) from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Mt Kinabalu, March 2009

Yein Jee — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:18:29 +0000

Will make my second attempt to conquer Mt Kinabalu in March 2009.

Mt Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu) is located at Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. At 4,095 metres, it’s the highest summit in Malaysia and the fourth highest in South East Asia.

Near the summit of Mt Kinabalu… (Image by Matthew)

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Mt Kinabalu, March 2009 from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Floating village, Halong Bay, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:19:21 +0000

The floating village is a cultural heritage and tourist attraction in Halong Bay, Vietnam. People have been living in these houses for hundred of years with fishing as the main income activity. Some photos below, taken during my trip in July 2008…

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Floating village, Halong Bay, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

First glimpse of Halong Bay, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:35:38 +0000

Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long, lit. Bay of the Descending Dragons) is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Quang Ninh province of northern Vietnam, famous for its scenic landscape with thousands of limestone isles in various sizes and shapes.

Halong Bay has become an international travel hotspot in recent years; there must be more than 200-300 junks and cruises that depart daily from the port, with thousands of travellers visiting the destination each day.

The weather was perfect during my July 2008 visit. My guide told me that the clear blue sky are normally seen only for two-three weeks in one whole year. Sounds exaggerated, but my Hanoi friends later reaffirmed the statement… one of them had been to Halong for five times and had never seen such a clear weather. Lucky me :)

Some photos from the seaport and first glimpse of Halong Bay…

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First glimpse of Halong Bay, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 3 – Hue

Yein Jee — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:05:16 +0000

Interesting culture and places in Hue, Vietnam; as featured in the 3rd episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3.

Hue City

Huế is a historic city in central Vietnam and was the imperial capital of Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Hue is located about 1100km from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s capital city. It took about 25 hours of bus ride to travel from HCMC to Hue.

Complex of Hue Monuments

The Complex of Hue Monuments is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the complex comprises of 16 historic monuments from the Nguyen Dynasty. Among the monuments that featured in The Amazing Race Asia were the Khai Dinh Tomb, Minh Mang Tomb and Hue Citadel (the pitstop).

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Amazing Race Asia 3 – Ep 3 – Hue from YeinJee's Asian Journal