Hanoi still retains much of its fading architectural glory as the capital of French Indochina (1902 to 1954)… Bell Époque buildings and wide boulevards, Chinese grandeur and stark Soviet modernism… interrupted by tranquil lakes bordering ancient temples and pagodas. Most striking is the Italianate Presidential Palace and the humble stilted hut beside it where President Ho Chi Minh chose to live instead, as a rejection of the colonial past. But the heart of this complex culture is in its famous cuisine of European, Thai, Chinese and Cambodian influences – which you’ll sample at lunch at a gracious French villa.
The Emperors of ancient China, like the Pharaohs of Egypt, didn’t believe that you can’t take it with you… and were often buried with their wives, servants, and fabulous treasure, which is why Emperor Qin Shihungdi devised an army of terra cotta soldiers to guard his underground tomb in Shaanxi. The project (begun in 210 BC when he was still a boy) took 36 years and 700,000 workers, producing 8,000 life-size clay figures of soldiers, chariots, horses, and servants (each figure an individual, no two exactly alike). The tomb is off limits, but a private talk with a conservation expert at the Terra Cotta Army Museum reveals why they are still steadfast after centuries on feet of clay.
The hermit who advised Maharana Udai Singh to build his palace on the shore of Lake Pichola in 16th century India could never have envisioned the eye-popping city-within-a-city that would spring from his inspiration. In fact, the gleaming white City Palace in Udaipur took 300 years to build, and is made up of eleven separate palaces (each built and named by a successor… the Palace of Mirrors, the Pearl Palace, the Palace of Joy…) set within a labyrinth of courtyards, gateways, hanging gardens, shrines and temples… and if the intricately carved towers, balconies, and cupolas aren’t enough to dazzle you, wait ‘til you see the inside. Experience Asia with Tauck Tours
List of Tauck Asia tours
New! Indochina: Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos
Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand
New! Spotlight on Vietnam
China, the Yangtze River & Hong Kong
New! Essence of Japan
A Portrait of India
Spotlight on India
