Things to Do in Washington Dc

An eerie world where everything has been carved from salt blocks, the Wieliczka Salt Mine is made up of a labyrinth of tunnels, the deepest of which lies 1,075 feet (327 meters) underground. The ancient UNESCO World Heritage site is a major part of Poland's salt mining history, one of the country's most popular attractions, and one of the world's oldest salt mines, having produced table salt from the 13th century until 2007.

The Basics
Three of the mine's nine levels are open to visitors. Explore these upper areas and see underground lakes, pits and chambers that have been made into detailed chapels, and an array of statues and monuments, all carved from salt. The mine's claim to fame is its ornate Chapel of St. Kinga, made entirely of salt—from the chandeliers to the altarpieces—over the course of 30 years. Wieliczka is a popular site for travelers to Krakow, often visited on a half-day trip with a tour guide or combined with a trip to the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

When in the midst of the modernity and commercialism of Hong Kong, it’s easy to forget all about the rich cultural and religious heritage of the city. Wong Tai Sin Temple, a Taoist temple commemorating the fourth-century monk by the same name, exemplifies traditional Chinese architecture and is a great place to experience Hong Kong’s more traditional side.

Devotees of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian faiths come here to pray for good fortune, as the temple makes all wishes come true according to local folklore. On busier days, you’ll see dozens of fortune tellers setting up shop to offer their services to visiting worshippers. The structures of the temple follow the principles of feng shui, with buildings to represent each of the five elements.

A visit to the Wong Tai Sin Temple will give you a good idea of what a living, functioning Chinese temple looks like, and the landscaped gardens in the rear of the complex make for a tranquil escape from the otherwise very busy Kowloon.

Taipei’s Xiahai Chenghuang Temple, also called the City God Temple, houses the largest concentration of deity statues of any temple in the country. Though the temple is dedicated to Chenghuang, the protector of cities, young single locals come here to visit another deity, that of the Chinese version of Cupid, to pray for a marriage partner.

As one of the busiest temples in Taipei, Xiahai Chenghuang Temple attracts more than just lovesick youth. You’ll see students leaving pink paper offerings on the alter in hopes of divine intervention on their exams and older citizens paying their respects to Chenghuang himself to help tip the balance of their good and evil deeds for a more favorable outcome in the afterlife.

Visiting the temple offers a fascinating look at how religion plays out in Taiwanese day-to-day life. The Xiahai Chenghuang Temple is particularly interesting for its blend of Daoist beliefs and practices with local Taiwanese folk religion.

Wild Wild Wet, one of Singapore’s largest water parks, has everything you’d want and expect in a water-themed amusement park. The park opened in 2004 as Singapore’s first. The park’s nine rides and attractions range from the adrenaline-pumping Torpedo, a water slide that includes a seven-storey free fall, to the relaxing 1,099-foot (335-meter) Shiok River, where guests can float leisurely around the perimeter of the park.

Except for a few slides, Wild Wild Wet is more appropriate for young children than for thrill-seeking teenagers. The Professor’s Playground, an exclusive kids area, is fashioned after a science laboratory and filled with pint-sized slides, fountains and wading pools.

Bring plenty of sunscreen, as shade in the park is limited and tends to get snatched up early. Expect huge crowds on weekends and Singaporean holidays. Since Wild Wild Wet is located just a few minutes from the Changi Airport, it’s a good way to spend a few hours between checking out of your hotel and catching your flight.

The hot springs of Wulai, south of Taipei, have long been known for their health-giving properties. International travelers and Taiwanese alike come here to relax and soak themselves. You can test Wulai’s bubbly bounty for yourself in one of the numerous hotels here which offer pools and other facilities – most are available for day visitors as well as overnight guests. There are also some free open-air springs.

Wulai is also renowned as a centre of indigenous Taiwanese culture, associated with the Atayal aboriginals – enjoy their unique cuisine in the town's restaurants and then investigate their way of life in the Wulai Atayal Museum. The surrounding countryside, with streams, falls and lush green hillsides is well worth exploring if time allows.

The retirement home for President Woodrow Wilson his wife Edith, this Georgian Revival house on Embassy Row earned its National Historic Preservation Site status for both its inhabitants and its architect. It was designed in 1915 by Waddy Butler Wood, the man behind a slew of D.C.’s finest private homes, as well the Masonic Temple, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and headquarters of the Department of the Interior.

Washington’s only presidential museum, the home has been maintained much as it looked at the time of Wilson’s death here in 1924; Edith continued to live in the house until her own death in 1961. In addition to an 8000-volume library and a slew of personal artifacts and memorabilia, Woodrow Wilson House features an elevator installed to accommodate the former president, who had suffered a semi-paralyzing stroke in 1919.