South Asian Trip

     I decided to go on one more trip on my travels around the world, ending in southern Asia.  I began in the country of India, visiting many more beautiful architectural and historical monuments.  I started by visiting an iconic location, one I had wanted to see for a long time, the Taj Mahal.  The mausoleum made of white marble was truly astounding!  I moved on to a holy Hindu site, traveling to the Gagnes River.  It was very disgusting, to be honest, as the river is incredibly polluted.  I felt like
moving back to buildings rather than nature, so I traveled to Qutb Minar, the tallest brick minaret in the world.  Surrounding the main tower was a complex of tombs, each of which was very interesting.  Before going offshore, I visited one last building, the Lotus Temple.  Despite being thirty years ago, it is surprisingly modern, and absolutely amazing!  I ended my stay in India by going to Elephanta Island and exploring all of the carved stone caves and temples.  It was an exciting adventure!
     For my final location, I visited Bangladesh, landing in Dhaka and branching out from there.  I walked through the Lalbagh Fort, a historical unfinished fort.  It is composed of three main structures, including a mosque and a tomb, although more structures have been found.  One of the most interesting parts was walking past a section of the wall that was partly damaged.  Next, I visited the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban, the country's house of parliament.  As it is a government building, public access is limited, but I was able to enter the wondrous architectural wonder.  The windows were

placed in positions to make light shine in amazing ways!  I ended my visit to the capital by touring the Bangladesh National Museum, full of all measures of art, history, and otherwise.  I really enjoyed the displays of animals in the natural history section.  I later took a short travel north, in order to see a large monument I had heard of, the Jatiyo Smriti Soudho, a tribute to their veterans and shoulders.  I ended my world trip by going to St. Martin's Island, relaxing and touring their reef.  I have had many fun trips!

East Asian Trip

     I began my East Asian adventure in Taiwan, visiting all sorts of beautiful landscapes and incredible locations.  To begin, I visited Taipei 101, an immense skyscraper that was the tallest in the world from 2004 until the construction of the Burj Khalifa in 2009.  I was able to see the mass damper that protects the building from earthquakes, it was an amazing structure!  I then made my way through a few natural areas, such as the Sun Moon Lake.  It is the largest body of water in the country, and the amazing shape of the lake is what gives it its name.  One side resembles the sun while the other resembles the moon.  I spent some time at the beach inside Kenting National Park, one of the oldest national parks in Taiwan.  I also chose to relax in the hot springs for awhile, as the warm waters soothed my body.  To conclude my trip to Taiwan, I walked through the National Museum of Marine Life.  I loved the kelp forest exhibit and the colorful coral reef assortment, but my favorite by far had to be the penguin tank!  They were so adorable!
     For the second location of my trip, I visited Japan.  There were many natural wonders with just as many modern to match.  I ventured to Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, and walked around the active volcano.  It was huge!  I then chose to visit Arashiyama, a famous bamboo grove.  As I walked between the massive stalks, it was much alike walking through a city with tall buildings.  I couldn't believe how large the bamboo got!  I moved on to a couple temples, including Kinkaku-ji, an amazing building covered almost entirely in gold leaf, and Todai-ji, a temple with an immense statue of Buddha inside.  They were incredible!  In the essence of architectural interest, I also made my way towards the Tokyo Tower, a tower very similar to the Eiffel Tower, yet just as fascinating on its own.  To finish my travels in East Asia, I decided to pay my respects to those who lost their lives during World War II by visiting Hiroshima, one of the locations of an atomic bomb dropping.  I even stood on the spot where the bomb hit, looking around and seeing all the life that had returned after so much destruction.