Chiang Mai is proud of the city's 700- year history, which has rich traditional relics and unique culture. It is located 700 km north of Bangkok and is situated among the highest mountains in the country. Chiang Mai means “the new city” in Thai. King Mengrai founded the city as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom on April 12,1296. Therefore, Chiang Mai not only became the capital and cultural center of the Lanna Kingdom, but was also to be the center of Buddhism in northern Thailand. King Mengrai , a very religious leader, founded many of the city's temples (寺庙) that remain important today.

    It is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience both historical and modern Thai Culture. The city has old temples next to modern stores. It has more than three hundred temples, among which some are the most beautiful and honorable in the entire Buddhist world, giving the city an atmosphere (氛围) of calmness.

    The old city of Chiang Mai has various dialects, architecture, traditional values, festivals, handicraft and classical dances. In addition, it has hill tribes and their wealth of unique culture. Chiang Mai city features old-world beauty and charm as well as modern enjoyment and convenience. It is also filled with natural resources including mountains, waterfalls and rivers. Nowadays there are many activities and attractions both in the city and the surrounding province, including river rafting , elephant riding and golf.

    The quality of living is excellent. Accommodation and food are of the highest standard at a very low cost. Entertainment is plentiful with numerous festivals, outdoor activities and great nightlife. A number of elephant camps, numerous outdoor activities, a variety of handicraft workshops, various cultural performances, and breathtaking scenery make Chiang Mai one of Asia's most attractive tourist destinations.

    What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isn't a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles, Loe and her family grow, can(装罐)and preserve much of the food they consume.

    Loe is a master food preserver, gardener and canning expert. She also operates a website, where she shares her tips and recipes, with the goal of demonstrating that everyone has the ability to control what's on their plate.

Loe initially went to school to become an engineer, but she quickly learned that her enthusiasm was mainly about growing and preparing her own food. “I got into cooking my own food and started growing my own herbs (香草) and foods for that fresh flavor,” she said. Engineer by day, Loe learned cooking at night school. She ultimately purchased a small piece of land with her husband and began growing their own foods.

     “I teach people how to live farm-fresh without a farm,” Loe said. Through her website Loe emphasizes that “anybody can do this anywhere.” Got an apartment with a balcony （阳台）? Plant some herbs. A window? Perfect spot for growing. Start with herbs, she recommends, because “they're very forgiving.” Just a little of the herbs “can take your regular cooking to a whole new level,” she added. “I think it's a great place to start.” “Then? Try growing something from a seed, she said, like a tomato or some tea.”

    Canning is a natural extension of the planting she does. With every planted food. Loe noted, there's a moment when it's bursting with its absolute peak flavor. “I try and keep it in a time capsule in a canning jar,” Loe said. “Canning for me is about knowing what's in your food, knowing where it comes from.”

    In addition to being more in touch with the food she's eating, another joy comes from passing this knowledge and this desire for good food to her children: “Influencing them and telling them your opinion on not only being careful what we eat but understanding the bigger picture,” she said, “that if we don't take care of the earth, no one will.”

Top attractions

    Amsterdam is most famous for its artistic heritage. This tradition is proudly on display in the Rijksmuseum (translates as State Museum). Once you've taken in all that has to offer, artists, history fans, and families shouldn't pass up the chance to visit the Van Gogh Museum —containing around 700 paintings and drawings by Vincent and his contemporaries (同时代的人), including Gauguin, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec.

    Amsterdam is also home to the Anne Frank Museum, where Anne hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. On a lighter note, taking a canal cruise through its extensive waterways is a rewarding way to see the Dutch capital.

    Art lovers get their kicks at:

    ♦♦ The Van Gogh Museum Rijksmuseum Museum het Rembrandthuis

    Food and drink

    Cheese lovers love Amsterdam. You can find an excuse to eat cheese at any time of the day here. Gouda is Holland's favorite, developing a more intense flavor the longer it's aged. Find a selection at the markets，try a cheeseboard at dinner time, or just order cubes with mustard for dipping to accompany a drink.

When you're hungry for non-cheese food groups, you'll find Michel in-starred restaurants, vegetarian, and organic restaurants that accompany an array of global cuisine. For old-fashioned and modern Dutch food, try these Amsterdam restaurants: Moeders, Haesje Claes, Loetje, Greetje, and De Silveren Spiegel.

Don't leave without tasting:

    ♦♦ Patat (hot chips with toppings) Stroopwafel (waffle cookie) Chocomel (chocolate milk)

    Amsterdam Fast Facts

    Approximate flight times:

    ♦♦NYC/Newark 7 hours 20 minutes Philadelphia 8 hours Boston 7 hours

    ♦♦Miami 9 hours 45 minutes Los Angeles 10 hours 15 minutes

    Entry requirements: Passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area and have 2 blank pages for entry stamp.

    Ocean Dome

    Leave it to Japan to create the largest indoor theme park on the beach. The beauty of it is that it can be enjoyed no matter how warm or cold is outside. You can see power from waves, a volcano that erupts every hour. The dome clear sky ceiling makes you think you are enjoying hot weather even in winter.

    Nitendo Amusement Park

    Like it's not strange enough to be a grown up addicted to Nintendo games, here comes a park ready to let you experience exactly the same games live. It may sound cool and it may be safe. But surely spending time in such a place can only show that you have a funny taste in experiencing gaming.

    Alien Apex Resort

    Located in Roswell, a known spot for alien related events, this one is the place for the fans of alien life to enjoy themselves. One can get abducted(绑架) here, enjoy seeking help and have fun. Strange enough is that anybody would want to……

    Suoi Tien Park

    Buddhist theme park, this one comes with Bible like story, heaven and hell, a lot of real thrills and of course some unusual fun including bats, crocodiles and crazy rides. It is a cool experience for crazy fans and it can really be something you would like to visit as a young person

    Digger Land

    Seeing the hard work of the digging machines can be actually full of education for kids. This park has everything any amusement park would have but dirt is dominant(最突出的). You can be sure your kids will enjoy getting dirty by doing crazy things involving digging with excavators(挖掘机) or operating heavy machines.

    When the sun sets in Hong Kong, the city skyline comes alive. Billboard（广告牌）lights flash, and light up the crowded streets. The colorful lights from the tall buildings are one of the city's main attractions.

    “Oh, my god. The lights are so amazing. We love it. It's so nice.” said one visitor.

    But this appreciation is not shared by everyone in Hong Kong. Lat year then government reported a record number of complaints. The curtains may be drawn. But residents argue the bright light outside is hard to escape. “We receive some complaints about the light pollution. They find it very hard to sleep or they have disturbance from the light outside.”

    Scientists at the University of Hong Kong spent 18 months studying levels of light pollution and collecting more than 5 million measurements. They found Hong Kong one of the world's worst “victims”. The lights pollution condition in Hong Kong was extremely severe. Particular in cities, the night sky brightness, as well as the lights, is a few hundred times over the level of that of a night sky without light pollution. In cities such as Seoul, London, Shanghai and Paris, billboard lighting is under control. And there are punishments for people who go against the law.

    But in Hong Kong, there are no laws. A volunteer regulation called Charter of External Light（户外灯光约章）encourages visitors to switch off between 11 p.m. and 7 p.m. The critics say it's not enough to make a difference. The government says 4800 businessmen have signed up to the Charter so far. And it's satisfied that it's working.

    But not everyone is convinced and some residents are taking upon themselves to act. Zoe Chow led a campaign to have a commercial building switch off their midnight. She won but she believes the lights will eventually turn back on. “I know that the building has signed the Charter of External Light. But it is voluntary, not mandatory（强制的）.

    Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don't agree with them.

    Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources, we are short of others, for example, fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.

    In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps(水龙头) when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day, if we do our best.