Expedia® travelers have ranked AYANA Resort and Spa Bali among the world’s best hotels on this year’s Expedia Insiders’ Selectâ„¢ list. The list formally recognizes individual hotels worldwide that consistently deliver excellent service, a great overall experience and offer notable value.  The full list represents just 1 percent of the world’s top hotels from the more than 110,000 hotel properties offered on Expedia.

“Delivering our guests superior service is a top priority at AYANA,” said General Manager Charles de Foucault. “We are delighted that our efforts have been acknowledged by Expedia travelers so soon after our rebranding just one year ago, and we look forward to extending our high level of service to even more guests.”

The 2010 Expedia Insiders’ Select? list is based on more than 1 million independent traveler hotel reviews collected by Expedia, combined with a value rating and the local market expertise of more than 400 Expedia employees in local markets worldwide. With an overall score of 94.6 percent, AYANA was one of just 5 hotels in Bali ranked in the 5-star category to make the list.

This honor follows several other accolades since AYANA rebranded in April 2009. Most recently, the 77-hectare property was voted the #1 Spa Hotel in the World in the 2010 Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Awards; made the Conde Nast 2010 Gold List (Best Hotels in Asia); was ranked #18 in the World’s Top 20 Best Hotels for Value by Travel + Leisure readers; and won Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort in the 2009 World Travel Awards. AYANA has been nominated in this year’s World Travel Awards for the World’s Leading Spa Resort, Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort, and Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa.
For more information on Expedia’s Insiders’ Selectâ„¢ program, visit www.expedia.com/insidersselect.

About AYANA Resort and Spa

Named after a ‘place of refuge’ in Sanskrit, AYANA is perched on limestone cliffs up to 30 meters above the Indian Ocean near Jimbaran Bay on Bali’s south-western peninsula. The property enjoys majestic views and a secluded location across its 1.3 kilometer coastline, yet is just 15 minutes from Bali’s airport. The 368 guestrooms comprise 78 private pool villas and a 290-room hotel.

Resort highlights include the 22,000sqm Thermes Marins Thalasso spa with one of the world’s largest Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pools and the Spa on the Rocks villas set amidst the Indian Ocean. There are five purpose-built wedding venues; the avant-garde Champa Garden for grand-scale events; four freshwater swimming pools including a children’s pool; a salt-water, infinity-edged Ocean Beach Pool at the cliff’s base, accessed via an inclinator; 13 dining venues; 18-hole golf putting course; tennis pavilion; jogging/cycling path; fitness center; children’s center; boutiques; comprehensive meeting facilities and business center; and resort-wide WIFI.

As the elite the Guilin landscape. the Lijiang  River is a bright pearl among China`s beautiful mountains and rivers. Originated in Mao`er Mountain at Xing`an County. northeast of Guilin City. the Lijiang River winds its way southeast for about 437 kilometers via Guilin City. Yangshuo City to Gongcheng Estuary of Pingle County in Guangxi Province. The 84-kilometer-long segment from Guilin City to Yangshuo City resembles a green silk belt. winding among the peaks and the chains of mountains. The miraculous peaks. green mountains and blue waters mutually embellish. just as a 100-kilometer-long scroll. For several thousands of years. a great number of bookmen and scholars have been intoxicated with it. A segment of the mountains and waters of the Lijiang River are printed on the back of the new version paper currency RMB 20.

The voyage of the Lijiang River from the Guilin City to the Yangshuo City is about 83 kilometers. and it can be divided into the following three segments:

The first segment is from Guilin City to Yangdi (total 46km; 4 hours’ voyage). The scenic spots are a bit far from the waterway. The scenic spots near Guilin City include the Elephant Trunk Hill, the Pagoda Hill (Sword Hill), etc. Two hills named ” Chuanshan” on the east bank and ” Guishan” on the opposite west bank resemble a pair of fighting roosters.

The second segment is from Yangdi to Xingping (total 17km; 40 minutes’ voyage). This segment has the most beautiful landscape of waters and hills. Many scenic spots are on both banks of the Lijiang River. For example, the ferry precipices of the Half-Side Ferry seem cut by knife, which is seldom seen in the world; the peaks are standing upright on both banks and the flying waterfall is being suspended highly at the Erlang Gorge; the precipice of the Mural Hill is even straight as if cut by knife, interlaced and decorated with the colors of white, yellow, gray and black, etc. After boating out of the Siwang, one can see nine horses on the precipice of the Mural Hill, so it is commonly called as the Nine-Horse Painting.

The third segment is from Xingping to Yangshuo (total 20km; 2 hours’ voyage). When you can see the highest Green Lotus Peak in Yangshuo, you will reach Yangshuo City soon. Seen from the front side, the Green Lotus Peak is as smooth as a mirror, so it is also called the Jianshan (mirror hill).

One of the advantages to visit the Lijiang River is that the tourists do not need to worry about the change of the weather, since the views of the Lijiang River have different characteristics in different weather conditions: Tourists can view the inverted images of green peaks in sunny days ; view the clouds and mists covering the hills in overcast days and view the misty rain of the Lijiang River in rainy days. Even in the overcast and rainy days, the mist over the water is wreathing, the chain of mountains is gleaming, drifting clouds are moving among the miraculous peaks, and the rain curtain is covering the waters and hills as the lengthwise yarn, looking like many splash-ink watercolor paintings.(via MySpace.cn)

Only 60 km away from China`s huge capital Beijing there is this lovely little village called Chuandixia. This village is known for its well preserved 689 Ming and Qing dynasty-style houses owned by 76 families.

These houses are built on the side of a hill. surrounded by mountains and forests. Steep stairs and lanes paved with rocks are simple and unadorned.

The village was rated as a village of great tourist value and has been placed under national level cultural relics protection. It is a great place to take photos. Almost every family at the village now receives tourists.

The village is also near spots like Shuanglong Gorge. with its rivers and falls. the Pearl Lake and the Longmenjian grand canyon.

To get there: take bus 929 from Pingguoyuan subway station to Chuandixia village.
Tel: 010-6981-9333

The Beijing National Stadium,also known as the National Stadium,the “Bird’s Nest” is a stadium finished form the Olympic Games in Beijing.The “Bird’s Nest”,the main venue for Beijing’s Olympic Games,is perhaps the most iconic structure of the 2008 Olympics.It is located east of the Beijing Natinal Aquatics Centre.

The stadium will host the main track and field competitions form the 2008 Summer Olympics,as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics.The capacity will then be reduced to 80,000 after the Games.It has replaced the original intended venue of the Guangdong Olympic Stadium.the stadium is 330 meters long by 220 meters wide,and is 69.2 meters tall.The stadium uses 258,000 square meters of space and has a usable area of 204,000 square meters.It was built with 36 km of unwrapped steel,with a combined weight of 45,000 tons.The stadium will cost up to 3.5 billion Yuan.

The National Stadium is dubbed the “Bird’s Nest” because ofits innovative grid formation.The twig-like structural elements and the bowl-shaped roof are the masterpiece of the project,yet they pose great challenges to technicians and workers who need to make the building stand on its own feet.The constructors have made decisive efforts to let the “Bird’s Nest” support its own weight without relying on any of the supporting structures.

The large steel skeleton of the project weights 42,000 tons,with the roof and the hanging parts around it accounting for 11,2000 tons.To bear such a heavy load,78 supporting structures were temporarily installed and distributed in different points under stress.Through accurate calculation and careful argumentation,experts came to understand that the unloading process of the supporting frameworks should be divided into seven steps and each step should abide by the sequence of outer circle,middle circle,inner circle,middle circle and innercircle.In other words,35 mini-steps are needed to complete the whole process.

To unload a supporting structure,or to load the insitu steel skeleton,a lifting jack is used.Jacking pads with a height of 100mm to 200mm are placed on the top of the supporting structures.When the lifting jack rises,it replaces the structure to bear the load of the steel skeleton,and a jacking pad is removed.Then the jack descends slowly to give the remaining load again to the column,thus repeating a total of 35 times until the steel skeleton is able to bear its own weight.

Accuracy is required during the process.The maximum descent of the outer circle is limited to  68-286mm,the middle circle 161-178mm and inner circle 208-286mm.If the descent of the steel structure,which relies on its own supporting capability,exceeds the extent,or cracks appear somewhere in the skeleton,then problems might exist in the design,manufacturing or construction stages in the past three years.In a word,the unloading process is a proof of “the Bird’s Nest” Quality.

Singapore will be hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will receive some 3,600 athletes and
800 officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), along with estimated
800 media representatives, 20,000 local and international volunteers, and more than
500,000 spectators. Young athletes – aged between 14 and 18 years – will compete in
26 sports and take part in Culture and Education Programme.

The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games aims to inspire youth around the world to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. It will create a lasting sports, culture and education legacy for Singapore and youths from around the world, as well as enhance and elevate the sporting culture locally and regionally.

For more information, please visit www.singapore2010.sg

The Savoy will once again lay claim to its long-standing status as London’s premier social destination when it unveils the culmination of a circa GBP100 million restoration programme in early 2010 – the most expensive hotel refurbishment in London’s history.

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Paying homage to its original Art Deco heritage, The Peace Hotel Shanghai, managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will once again lay claim to its long-standing status as China’s most iconic hotel and premier social destination when it unveils the culmination of its restoration programme in 2010.

The newly revitalised Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai will offer approximately 269 deluxe guestrooms and suites with a selection of eight restaurants and lounges. Included among these is the much-loved Jazz Bar, a Shanghai institution since the 1930s. In addition, a lobby lounge on the ground floor, a mezzanine-level sushi, wine and cigar bar as well as a heritage Chinese restaurant on the 8th floor and the Peace Grill Restaurants on the 9th floor will offer a new level of elegance and comfort befitting of today’s discerning travellers. The 9th floor will also host the famed Peace Hall, where the property’s iconic sprung-wooden dance floor still evokes memories of old Shanghai cabarets and gala parties.

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Located in the west of Henan Province in central China, Luoyang city occupies an very important geographic location. It’s in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is encircled by mountains and plains. Thus, Luoyang was selected as the capital city by 13 dynasties starting from the Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC) . In the period following the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), and particularly during the Sui (581 -618 AD) and Tang (618-907 AD) dynasties, the city experienced a period of growth and prosperity and ranked as one of the international metropolitans of the time.

Its long history endows Luoyang with a profound sense of culture. The city is the cradle of Chinese civilization where many Chinese legends happened, such as Nvwa Patching the Sky, Dayu Controlling Flood and the Chinese Ancestor Huangdi Establishing the Nation. The city is also famed as the ‘Poets Capital’ as poets and literates of ancient China often gathered there and left grand works, including Book of Wisdom (Dao De Jing), Han History (Han History) and Administrative Theory of Admonishing Official (Zi Zhi Tong Jian). Religious culture once thrived here. Taoism originated there and the first Buddhist temple set up by the government was located there. Luoyang is also the hometown of many of the scientific inventions of ancient China, such as the seismograph, armillary sphere, paper making, printing and the compass.

Regarded as one of the three most famous treasure houses of stone inscriptions in China, the Longmen Grottoes are located in the south of Luoyang City. They are between Mount Xiang and Mount Longmen and face Yi River.

The grottoes were started around the year 493 when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) moved the capital to Luoyang and were continuously built during the 400 years until the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). The scenery measures 1,000 metres (about 1,094 yards) from north to south where there are over 2,300 holes and niches, 2,800 steles, 40 dagobas, 1,300 caves and 100,000 statues. Most of them are the works of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Lots of historical materials concerning art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture are kept in Longmen Grottoes.

Fengxian Temple is the biggest grotto in Longmen Grotto. It was built in the Tang Dynasty with a width of 36 metres (about 118 feet) and a length of 41 metres (about 136 feet). There are nine major figures of various facial appearances and temperaments in the temple that were built in accordance with the Buddhist rite and their relationships by the artists.

The most impressive figure is the statue of Vairocana Buddha sitting cross-legged on the eight-square lotus throne. It is 17.14 metres (about 56.23 feet) in total height with the head four metres (about 13 feet) in height and the ears 1.9 metres (about 6.2 feet) in length. Vairocana means illuminating all things in the sutra. The Buddha has a well-filled figure, a sacred and kindly expression and an elegant smile. According to the record on the epigraph, the Empress Wu Zetian together with her subjects took part in the ceremony of Introducing the Light (a Buddhist blessing that the Buddha opens the spiritual light of himself and shares it with others).

At the sides of Vairocana there are two statues of Vairocana Buddha’s disciples, Kasyapa and Ananda, wearing prudent and devout expressions. The figures of Bodhisattvas and devas can also be found in the temple. Some have dignified and genial expressions, while others are majestic and fiery. The various appearances and delicate designs are the representations of Empire Tang’s powerful material and spiritual strength as well as the high crystallization of people’s wisdoms.

Wanfo Cave, completed in 680, is a typical chronological cave of the Tang Dynasty of two rooms and square flat roofs. Its name is due to the 15,000 small statues of Buddha chiseled in the southern and northern walls of the cave. The main Buddha Amida sits on the lotus Sumeru throne, having a composed and solemn face. The wall behind Amida is carved with 54 lotuses upon which there are 54 Bodhisattvas in different shapes and with various expressions.

In addition, there are lifelike reliefs of pretty and charming singers and dancers on the wall. The singers are accompanied by various kinds of instruments and the dancers dance lightly and gracefully to the music. The whole model in the cave has created a lively and cheerful atmosphere. On the southern wall outside the cave is carved a statue of Kwan-yin of 85 centimetres (about 33 inches) in height, holding a pure bottle in the left hand and deer’s tails (as a symbol of brushing off the dust in spirit) in the right hand. This figure is well designed and is regarded as an example of Bodhisattva statues of Tang Dynasty in Longmen.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, Shanghai. The tower, surrounded by the Yangpu Bridge in the northeast and the Nanpu Bridge in the southwest, creates a picture of ‘twin dragons playing with pearls’. The entire scene is a photographic jewel that excites the imagination and attracts thousands of visitors year-round.

This 468 meters high (1,536 feet) tower is the world’s third tallest TV and radio tower surpassed in height only by towers in Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia. However, even more alluring than its height is the tower’s unique architectural design that makes the Oriental Pearl TV Tower one of the most attractive places anywhere.

The base of the tower is supported by three seven-meter wide slanting stanchions. Surrounding the eleven steel spheres that are ’strung’ vertically through the center of the tower are three nine-meter wide columns. There are three large spheres including the top sphere, known as the space module. Then there are five smaller spheres and three decorative spheres on the tower base. The entire structure rests on rich green grassland and gives the appearance of pearls shining on a jade plate.

Visitors travel up and down the tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people at the rate of seven meters per second. The elevator attendants recite an introduction to the TV Tower in English and Chinese during the rapid 1/4-mile ascent. Once you reach your destination, you will be amazed at the variety of activities available as the various spheres and columns actually house places of interest, commerce, and recreation.

The inner tower is a recreational palace, while the Shanghai Municipal History Museum is located in the tower’s pedestal. The large lower sphere has a futuristic space city and a fabulous sightseeing hall. From here, on a clear day a visitor can see all the way to the Yangtze River. The base of the tower is home to a science fantasy city. The five smaller spheres are a hotel that contains twenty-five elegant rooms and lounges. The pearl at the very top of the tower contains shops, restaurants, (including a rotating restaurant) and a sightseeing floor. The view of Shanghai from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you. When viewed from the Bund at night, the tower’s three-dimensional lighting makes it a delight of brilliant color.

It is amazing that this ultra-modern tower combines ancient concepts such as the spherical pearls, with 21st Century technology, commerce, recreation, educational and conference facilities. All of this and it really is a TV and radio tower that services the Shanghai area with more than nine television channels and upwards of ten FM radio channels. Truly, ‘oriental pearl’ is the most suitable name for this tower.