Saturday, June 25, 2011

Dazong Lake Scenic Area

Dazong Lake Scenic Area is located in Yancheng, Jiangsu province in China.This lake is said to be the deepest lake in the Northern part of the province.


The board in Chinese at the entrance.It shows the entertainments that are available here and the most popular one is boating.


The mini waterfalls near the entrance


A great relief to see English on the sign boards


We were eager to see the statue of Budha standing shining and tall far, far away....


The board explaining about the reed boat - which is one of the star attractions in this place. 
It says - 
The Dazong lake has a spacious surface and net gatherings.The ancestors go fishing and tripping on this lake.The local people use reeds, a specialty of the Dazong lake. to make reed boats.People used it until the 50's of the last century.This reed boat is not only a handicraft, but also a symbol of tourist resort in the Dazong Lake.

Boards like these are seen in front/ near all the attractions in this area and hence makes the trip very interesting.



The reed ship....


Budha's statue and the Pagoda visible at a distance




Taken from the speed boat ride that we took. The ride was awesome not to mention very thrilling.



Another attraction here is the rice wine making area.People are here to explain how the famous Chinese Rice wine is prepared/ brewed. It's in Chinese but if you have a guide or translator, you will find the process very interesting.




Rice wine stored in Earthen pots. If you are brave enough, you can also sample the wine in the shop nearby. You can also buy some wine if you like.


Model of another ship


Throughout the area there are small shaded rest areas to relax. The roads leading to them are neat . I found this very helpful as Lil Angel was in the stroller and the poor girl would have had a body ache if the roads had been bumpy.


The archways leading to some areas were brightly decorated


It is a large area and though we kept on walking we could never get close to the pagoda which was on the other side of the lake.


And the Budha too was elusive...

Too tired to walk in the hot sun, we satisfied ourselves with this view of Budha. None of us were in a mood to walk around to the other side of the lake to see Budha and the Pagoda.

In case you like to visit this place here are a few pointers....


  • The best time to go here is in spring and summer.
  • Arm yourself with an umbrella / hat / sunscreen and most important of all a baby stroller if you have a little one coming with you.
  • There are restaurants , tea houses and snack bars all along the way. But if you are a vegetarian be sure to pack some food.
  • Be prepared to spend a whole day here as the area is very large and there are a lot of things to see. 
  • You can relax a little and let the children play around. There is a place for children with the games they love  - swings, see saws etc.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Covai Flower Show -2011

The 4th Covai Flower show began yesterday at the TNAU Botanical Garden premesis..Cultural programs,dog show,special orchestra using house hold articles are also a part of the event.Visitors can take part in flower arrangement,Flower Rangoli,Flowers and fashion competition.

Here are some clicks from the beautiful show...

 The entrance to the show

The display starts from the entrance itself.Starts with the Bonsai Gallery...

 Bonsai gallery





 Thulasi Pharmacy had a stall for medicinal plants

Medicinal plants for display and sale


 Medicinal plants on display with related details

There are 99 flowers that are mentioned in the Kurinji Paatu sung by the poet Kapilar[Tamil Literature].
A colorful board displays all the 99 flowers with the pics...
If you are interested to know more about these flowers,click here

A beautiful floral depiction of  the Army ,Navy and Airforce

Mother India in flowers

The Police band entertaining the visitors

The photo gallery...

Stunning photo of nature on display....

Entrance to the Mist Garden.
There was no mist when we went,though....

The entrances decorated with floral balls...

The pillars decorated with bouquets

 The floral gallery

 Beautiful Roses
 A whole variety of flowers...

 Orchids

 Flower arrangement

One of the display in the  Specialty flowers section

The dry flowers gallery

Model of an engine with two carriages decorated with flowers

 Mickey mouse...

 The place was lit with serial lights and flood lights as the evening progressed

 A live orchestra enthralled the audience with movie songs

The green grass around the galleries provide a perfect spot to relax

There are a lot of stalls selling things for kids and adults.
Everything from balloons to graters are on sale here.
A few health care shops ,book stalls ,branded grocery items are also present.
Fresh and dry ornamental flowers and bouquets were on sale too

A model of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in flowers
 The insect gallery was one of the attractions.
It was so crowded that I could hardly take pictures.
 I made a second trip around the flower gallery to enjoy the flowers ....

 A small enclosure decorated like a temple with some idols inside

 Ornamental cabbage
 Stalls with fruit and vegetable details and some shops selling dry flower bouquets

 A lovely fountain in the grassy area that children and adults enjoyed.
The cool breeze carried the vapors chilling the environment further...

 View of the Sunken Garden
There are a lot of food stalls selling everything from Coffee,sugarcane juice to snacks like bajjis and bhel puris...
On the way out is a separate area for kids to play.Joy ride for young and old are there to enjoy at affordable costs..


If you live anywhere in and around Coimbatore don't miss this lovely event.It's a nice way to spend the evening in a beautiful environment at an affordable cost!

Date- 29,30,31 January 2011

Tickets - Adults- Rs.10/-
Children below 16 - Rs.5/-

Video camera- Rs.25/-
Camera - Rs.10/-




Venue - Botanic Gardens
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Marudhamalai Main Road,
Coimbatore

[There are special buses plying from the various parts of the city for this event. Two wheeler and four wheeler parking is also present]