In the following, I am going to tell you and to show you why I consider the authorities of Harbin to be among the most clever in the world.
But a brief introduction into where and what Harbin is may be in order first.

Harbin is the capital city of the North-Eastern province of Heilongjiang – China. Over 5 Million people live in Harbin. So one may think it’s just another big city in China. And in a way it is.

But Harbin is also China’s No.1 winter tourist destination. And one of China’s highest rated tourist attractions.

While you won’t see many Western tourists (yet), the city is bustling with visitors from all over China, as well as from neighboring countries like Japan or Korea.

Let me start with some photographs first before I tell you the whole story:

So what makes Harbin to be such a draw ? Why would anyone want to visit a major metropolis with such an uninviting climate ?

Harbin is cold. Very cold indeed. After all, it’s just a few hundred kilometers from the border with Siberia.

During Winter, which lasts from October to March, temperatures around minus 20 degrees are common. It occasionally can go down to minus 35 degrees.

Over periods of history, the Russians in one way or another helped to shape Harbin’s architecture and culture.

And this Russian influence can still be felt all over Harbin. There many corners of Harbin that do not look Chinese at all.
But I am rambling on too much. Let’s see some more impressions on Harbin first before I reveal why I think those ‘Harbiners’ are smart fellas. 

The Russian influence is best seen in and around Harbin’s famous Saint Sofia Cathedral and the surrounding avenues.
Some of those buildings being old and others newly built, yet incorporating a rather Russian / European style.

But this Russian influence is certainly not enough for turning this bitter cold place into a major tourist magnet.
So what is it then ?

About 30 years ago the authorities there have been brainstorming on how to make Harbin attractive.
And they came up with what turned out to be an ingenious idea.

Through city center of Harbin runs a huge river, the Songhua. Which from end of November until at least end of February completely freezes over. The ice becomes so thick that trucks can safely drive on the river.
And this river provides a limitless supply of ice.

So they came up with the idea to build impressive large structures from ice and turn them into a tourist attraction.
And born was the Snow & Ice Festival of Harbin. And it is impressive indeed.

So let’s see some more pictures. 

There are snow and ice structures and sculptures all over town in Harbin. But the three main attractions are the ‘Snow part’ on sun island, across the river from Harbin’s main square. Here all the structures are built from snow. So it’s all white on white. This one is officially called: Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Fair – 太阳岛国际雪雕艺术博览会

This part you should explore during the daytime. You should have at least two hours to see it all. The area is huge. You won’t have a problem spending the entire afternoon there.

Don’t worry if it gets too cold. There are many small coffee and tea houses where you can warm up.

The Ice part, officially called: Ice and Snow World – 冰雪大世界 is a few kilometers away on the outskirts of Harbin. This part is best visited from shortly before dusk and during the night. Why ? Because all the Ice structures are illuminated from inside.

The ice structures here are a mix of replicas of famous buildings from around the world and some fancy structures – hard to describe, but lovely too look at.

This year they even had a giant Buddha statue and the place was turned into an ‘ice temple’. But not just a replica – the real thing in that sense that devote Buddhist are saying their prayers there and offer incents.

And one of the reasons why I came to Harbin’s snow and ice festival already for the 2nd time is because it’s also great for children. Most of the ice structures can be walked in or upon. And many have slides for kids to have fun.

And then there is another version of the ice festival part right in the center of town in a park. Official name: Ice Festival, Zhaolin Park – 冰雪游园会, 兆麟公园

This one is considerably smaller, yet still worth exploring. Also, better go there after it gets dark.
In the following a few photographs from the Ice Festival in Zhaolin Park.

Let me start this by exclaiming: If you have not been to Amsterdam you have not seen Europe.

A pretty strong claim. Yes, I know.

But seriously: Amsterdam is for sure among the most beautiful cities in Europe. Easily on par with Venice, Rome or Paris.
A must-visit destination in Europe.

I recently went there to visit my son, who is attending University there. And I came together with my 8-year-old daughter. So, a true family holiday. But that is not the point here.

The point is Amsterdam ! Well, rather than me singing a hymn here let the photographs do the singing instead.

Yes, definitely.

Because this 8 day trip being a family holiday I did not really have the time and opportunity for serious photographing – whatever that may be…

All the photos you see here are rather ‘touristy’ photos which I took while wandering about in Amsterdam.

My habit of getting up early came in also quite handy because the place is even more beautiful in the very early, quiet morning hours.

Shall we see some more photographs ?  
 

No ?

Not to worry, you are in good company. Very few people know this pleasant city.

I predict within the next 5-10 years Kaohsiung will rise to fame and become a major tourist destination in Asia.

Let me share with you some impressions from there first. You will understand why I predict such a bright future for this city.

So what brought me to Kaohsiung ? I had visited Taiwan back in 2011. And during that visit I stayed in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

Although Taipei did not blow me out of my shoes I quite liked it there. And I promised myself to return one day for more Taiwan experiences. So this time I wanted to see another place in Taiwan.

As you may know I like cities, so my choice was Kaohsiung Taiwan’s second largest city.

To understand what Kaohsiung is you need to understand its past and its plans for the future.

It used to be among the top 5 largest and busiest ports in Asia. But with the diminishing importance of industrial output that was not to last.

So a clever city government decided that they wanted to prepare the city for a bright new future. And part of this effort was to turn the city into a very livable place – hoping that companies from the service industry would settle here. And also to attract visitors.

Firstly, they cleaned up the air and today Kaohsiung has excellent air quality. They also undertook major ‘greening’ of the city.

And it shows. Big wide boulevards lined with trees and flowers. Lots of lovely parks and generally a very nice atmosphere and a very modern feel. And I saw deep-blue skies most of the time.

Over 2 Million people live in Kaoshuing and it looks like a major metropolis, yet it still has a rather relaxed and laid-back feel to it.
 

When I started writing this post I thought I will start it with telling you that I have found South East Asia’s most beautiful city.

But after some thinking, I changed my mind. Why ?  Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. And tastes do differ. Some people may even call me ‘nuts’ when I say that Hanoi is a beautiful city.

And indeed, I found a better way to describe this endlessly fascinating city.  

Hanoi has a lot of personality. It has a very distinct character. In my opinion, it is the city in Asia with the strongest character (and charm).

I’d like to compare Hanoi with a bronze art object that has over the years decayed and taken on so much patina that it has turned into something different.

Ok, I shut up for a moment and let you enjoy some photos.

Hanoi is full of beautiful historic buildings with very attractive architecture.  But, the majority of those buildings have deteriorated and are in dire need of repair and renovation. Many of them may also be already beyond repair.

And it is exactly this decay and deterioration that makes Hanoi so attractive. This rusty charm with surprises around each corner makes this place so fascinating. 

Those who prefer glitzy, shiny, clean cities may want to stay away from Hanoi. This is not for you !

I had been in the South of Vietnam already and visited Saigon during TET. And I liked VietNam so much that less than 3 weeks later I decided to come back for more.

Let me start with the worst side of Hanoi first: Air pollution ! During my 12 days in Hanoi, the air pollution index was every day in the range of what is considered as health hazardous.

Consequently, the sun never came out, and it was foggy and hazy all the time.

This high level of air pollution made it also less pleasant to explore the city on my bicycle. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, Hanoi will clean up its act. 

So now that we have the bad aspect of Hanoi out of the way let’s turn back to pleasant sides of this wonderful city.

I had no idea what to expect in terms of photographic opportunities. Unlike other photographers, I do not prepare myself or do any serious research. I prefer just to wander out and look…  

In Hanoi immediately after my first hours of walking around inner-city Hanoi, I felt like a kid in a photographic candy store.

This city is extremely photogenic. In fact, I think I could spend much more time taking pictures of Hanoi. And I am certain I will return for more. 

On many street corners of Hanoi time seems to have stood still. Things have changed very little, and the way of life of the people is very similar to what it used to be for a long time.

Due to Vietnam’s political proximity to the former Soviet Union, there is still some Russian influence felt and one can find the occasional ‘Russia shop.’ There you can buy all sorts of Russian merchandise – first and foremost vodka.

The East German connection during communist times also left its unique impact in Vietnam.  German beers and beer brands and German butcheries.

While places like Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul feature well-known German wheat beer brands Hanoi has its own brands. Brands that I as a well-versed connoisseur of German beers have never heard of. And those beers taste good. I believe the Vietnamese had learned that from their former communist brother state East Germany.

Add to this some French food heritage in the form of dirt cheap, finger-licking good cheeses such as Camembert or Brie. And French style baguettes everywhere.

All this in addition to the super delicious Vietnamese food and a street food bonanza only rivaled by Thailand.