February 19, 2009
A Peek through the Windows of the World
Around the world in 80 days? How about in a day? Sounds impossible? Well, I did, only that I toured the miniature landmarks. With only an hour's train ride from Guangzhou, a day in Shenzhen is possible to visit the Windows of the World.
From the train station that connects Shenzhen to other Chinese cities, it's only one floor down to the metro station. It was convenient because it's only a single ride from end to end of the metro subway to get to the theme park. While leaving the metro station, I felt myself exiting a glass pyramid, only to find out that it was the replica of one at the Louvre Museum. Imagine my surprise emerging from a famous landmark that also doubles as a metro entrance/exit.
The next scenery I saw just took my breathe away. Cascading waters, a fountain, flowers, and giant world-renowned statues greeted me. The tip of the Eiffel Tower at the backdrop gave a glimpse of what there is to come. For an entrance of ¥120 (about US$17.15), it was a bit pricey but it was worth every yuan.
One has to climb the entrance of the Windows of the World to see what the theme park can offer. Reaching the top of the stairs, the coliseum of the World Square with the giant globe, columns of different famous structures and a relief wall of famous landmarks came to view.
I loved the sculpture park where statues from various continents were displayed in a garden. Of course, I didn't miss downtown Manhattan that still has the twin towers, along with the Statue of Liberty, the Washington DC and the Grand Canyon. I would have wanted to climb the statue of the risen Christ resembling the one in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There's also the statues of Easter Island in Chile and the pyramid in Mexico.
My favorite area was the tourist sights of Europe. Vatican City was there, one of the places I plan to visit in my lifetime. Of course, there are the famous churches all over Europe, the colorful St. Basil's Cathedral in Russia, Acropolis, the Colosseum, and Stonehenge, to name a few.
The pyramids of Egypt have a camel where tourists can ride and have their picture taken. Others can ride in the rapids at Grand Canyon, get wet at the Niagara Falls and take the elevator to the top of Eiffel Tower.
Of the international landmarks, Asia couldn't be left behind. Angkor Wat stands grand beside Indonesia's Borobodur, one of the places that I have been to. I've also visited Bangkok's Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Singapore's Merlion. I think those were the only three places featured in the theme park that I have actually visited.
Ah, my feet hurt after touring the Windows of the World. My camera's battery went empty. My only promise was that I'll try to visit every tourist spot featured in the Windows of the World. Yes, it opened a window for me to dream big and enter doors of opportunity to see the world.
Posted by clairealgarme at February 19, 2009 02:03 PM