In Shandong Province in eastern China, a $48 million restoration of the Temple of Kongfuzi (Confucius) began on July 18 in the city of his birth, Qufu, and is expected to take three to five years. Kongfuzi was an important politician, philosopher and religious leader in ancient China whose work inspired the philosophical system and religion known as Confucianism.
Primarily to photograph the country and people of Bhutan in a new and different way, three friends and I booked an 11-day private tour through Third Eye Travel (Fremont, CA; 800/456-3393, www.thirdeyetravel.com).
For all four of us, the total cost of the April 14-24, 2014, tour was $3,900, which included internal flights, hotels, taxes and service charges, all meals, private driver, guided touring and site entry fees.
A bomb set off at the Erawan Hindu shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 17 killed at least 20 people and injured 125. Tourists, mostly from Southeast Asian countries and China, were among the dead and injured. A suspect was identified via security footage, but, as of press time, no motive had been determined for the attack.
The shrine, built in the 1950s, contains a 4-faced golden statue of the god Brahma, known locally as Than Tao Mahaprom. Among tourists, it is one of the most popular religious sites in Bangkok.
In mid-May 2014, my husband, Bob, and I began a ’round-the-world trip using the frequent-flyer miles we had accumulated during 10-plus years of commuting. Our second of six booked stops was Amman, Jordan.
30 days, 29 nights. Departures April 16 & Sept. 17, 2016. Highlights: In UZBEKISTAN, Samarkand, Bukhara/ancient walled city of Khiva/in TURKMENISTAN, ancient city of Nisa/in IRAN, Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan/in Yazd, Zoroastrian Fire Temple/in ARMENIA, Monastery of Geghard/in GEORGIA, 10th-century city of Mtskheta/4x4 trip to Gergeti Trinity Church/in AZERBAIJAN, Baku, Gobustan Open-Air Museum. Land and internal air, $11,260 ppdo/single supp., $1,435… or Leg 1 (19 days, Central Asia & Iran), $6,650/$695, or Leg 2 (21 days, Iran & Caucasus), $8,250/$1,150.
A suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on June 26 during afternoon prayers, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 200 others. A Kuwaiti spokesperson reported that as many as 2,000 men and boys were present in the mosque at the time. It was the first terrorist attack on a Shia mosque in Kuwait.
Najd Province, a Sunni, Islamic State-affiliated group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The self-proclaimed Islamic State had called for an increase in such attacks worldwide during the month of Ramadan.
