Tag Archives: World Wonder

Mexico, North America

Mexico: Visiting a Friend in the Riviera Maya

This January we decided to go visit a friend who had been working as a SCUBA instructor in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  So, with 2 days notice, we booked flights, and took off for the week to hang out on the Mayan Riviera.

Playa del Carmen is about 45 minutes away from Cancun.  We easily hopped on the airport shuttle, and met our friend Andrew at the bus station on Quinta Avenida.  (FYI: Quinta Avenida is one of the busiest most obnoxious shopping streets ever–more on that later!)

As neither of us are really “beach” people, we needed a plan to enjoy the most of our stay in the resort filled paradise.  We quickly learned how to take the colectivo busses (5 pesos each) so we could travel to and from Andrew’s apartment.  With three of us, traveling by car was a cheap convenient option for longer distances, so we decided to rent a car to explore some of the sites in the state of Quintana Roo.

CHICHÉN ITZÁ
UNESCO Designation at Chichen Itza
UNESCO Designation at Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World AND a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Lucky for us, these Mayan ruins were close enough to Playa Del Carmen that we were able to make a day trip to the site.  We hopped in the car and quickly learned to spot the GIANT Mexican Speedbumps AKA “topes” along the way!

El Castillo, Kukulcan Pyramid - Chichen Itza Mexico
El Castillo, Kukulcan Pyramid – Chichen Itza Mexico

El Castillo, the iconic Kukulcan pyramid of the Yucatan, is definitely the main attraction of Chichen Itza.  The structure has all sorts of astronomical importance for when and how the sun hits during equinoxes and solstices.   Google it up if you’re interested.

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On the way from Chichen Itza back to our home base, we stopped in the sweet little colonial town of Valladolid.  It would have been nice if we’d have had more time to explore all that the town had to offer as it was a super cute place.

People would have to sit face to face and have a conversation.
San Servacio Church, Valladolid
COBA

For our second day with the rental car, we decided to head to Coba.  Coba was the largest and most powerful Mayan city before the rise of Chichen Itza.  These Mayan Ruins also have the largest pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula.  As a visitor, I enjoyed the atmosphere of Coba much more than Chichen Itza.  Though there were dozens more touts which is a definite draw back to any site, the pathways through the jungle, and the trees/shade made up for it.

The tallest pyramid on the Yucatan Peninsula.
La Iglesia, Coba
Maybe another time?
TULUM
Pelican - Tulum Beach
Pelican – Tulum Beach

We made it to the beach at Tulum, but due to time constraints missed visiting these ruins.  After having seen the two previous archeological sites, we weren’t super disappointed at missing Tulum.  The beach itself was beautiful.  Such fine sand, almost like confectionary sugar, and some pelicans bobbing along on the waves made me a happy gal.

The Caribbean Sea, Tulum
The Caribbean Sea, Tulum
BEST OF THE REST
Cruise Ship Cozumel
One of the many cruise ships plaguing the Cozumel coastline.

We were left with a few days to fill up, and I had heard great things about Cozumel from friends and coworkers.   Cozumel is a short ferry ride from Playa del Carmen, and is supposed to be a fun way to spend the day.

SUCH A  DISAPOINTMENT!

Cozumel is touts on steroids, and beyond that, it is horribly packed with cruise ship passengers.  Visiting Cozumel was a huge waste of time and money.  If you’re there for SCUBA, I’m sure you’d have a great time.  We did not.

After the shit-show of Cozumel, I was certain Xcaret would be a horrible experience as well.  We are not fans of zoos/aquariums in general.  The reviews online were utterly horrendous! Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised.  For us, it was actually an alright facility.

Note: We did not participate in any of the water activities.  If you’re into snorkeling or swimming with dolphins/sting rays feel free.  That’s not my cup o’ tea.  Guaranteed my opinion would have changed to the negative had I taken part in any of those activities.

Scarlet Macaw - Xcaret
Scarlet Macaw – Xcaret

We were able to see baby Sea Turtles at various ages as part of the Sea Turtle Conservation program.  The Butterfly Garden was kind of neat.  We saw dozens and dozens of birds, parrots, macaws, flamingos etc.  Xcaret is part of conservation efforts for Scarlet Macaws.

Red Forehead Parrot – Xcaret
Flamingos at Xcaret

This vacation really was a different experience for us.  Typically, we don’t stay in one city for more than 3 or 4 days, and we’ve never had a host or home to settle in.  Being able to set a home base definitely made for a more enjoyable adventure in Mexico.

Mmmm tacos.
Mmmm tacos, before adding the delicious toppings.

We were able to experience several things that we would have missed out on otherwise–like using colectivos, going to the movies, eating at the same little taco stand, drinking Horchata, and even just relaxing in the evenings playing card games.

All in all it was an enjoyable winter interlude in Mexico.  Thanks Andrew for the hospitality!

~j

Jordan, Middle East

Petra: The Rose-Red City

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UNESCO Designation
UNESCO Designation

It wouldn’t be right to travel to Jordan and not visit Petra.  Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985, and is probably one of the most impressive archeological sites I’ve ever seen.  The photos included could never capture the magic of the Rose-Red City.

Brief History

Around 300-100BC, Petra was a Nabataean trade route for spices, textiles, and incense.  Merchants had established a rich and powerful centre of commerce.  Eventually, due to a number of reasons–earthquakes, annexation by Rome,  trade decline etc., the area was abandoned around 1300AD.    It was “rediscovered” in 1812 by a Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

Petra Map
from http://www.petramoon.com/petraindepth.htm
The Siq
The Siq, Petra
The Siq, Petra

Once through the ticket gate at the Visitor Centre, there is a bit of a walk (maybe 700m?) on the Bab el-Siq to reach the actual start of  The Siq.  The further 2km walk along  this cavernous pathway is an unbelievably beautiful prelude to the Treasury.  Visitors have the option of riding a donkey, or taking a horse-drawn buggy, but that would steal so much from the experience.  The Siq is full of details.

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First Glimpse

And, all of a sudden, after gawking at the walls of The Siq, there is an end, and this is what is peaking through the narrow crack.  Absolutely stunning!

The Treasury, Petra
First glimpse of The Treasury, Petra
The Treasury – Al-Khazneh

Petra’s crown jewel is definitely The Treasury.  If you’re looking for an in-depth dissection of all of the Hellenistic features on the façade of this building, you’ve come to the wrong place!  (Although it is interesting info, information, you can find it on google yourself.)

The Treasury Al-Khazneh, Petra
The Treasury Al-Khazneh, Petra

What you see is not even the full height of the structure.  There is a lower level below a grate to the left of the seated people.  The exterior is so intricately detailed and ornamented, that it is still impressive after thousands of years of erosion.  FYI: The urn at the top is riddled with bullet holes thanks to Bedouin treasure seekers who believed the it was full of the Pharaoh’s gold.

The grate in front of the Treasury, Petra
Below the grate in front of the Treasury, Petra
Bullet holes in the urn of the Treasury, Petra
Bullet holes in the urn of the Treasury, Petra
The Monastery – Ad Deir

Our ultimate goal for Day 1 was to make it to The Monastery – Ad Deir.  If you take a look at the map, that is a lot of ground to cover, with plenty of structures to explore along the route.  Here are some of the stops we took along the way:

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Walking the path to The Monastery is supposed to take about an hour.  THAT IS A LIE!  It takes way longer.  It is a pretty fantastical pathway with alternating sand and stone portions, along with more than 800 rock-cut steps.  Depending on the time of day, the sun may or may not be roasting portions of the pathway.   At points it is really narrow which makes for dodging the donkeys a little harrowing.   The walk was a little more than I had bargained for in the heat, but it was worth the effort.

The Monastery, Petra
The Monastery, Petra
The High Place of Sacrifice

On our second day in Petra, we noticed even more details while walking through the Siq.  It really is amazing.  Beyond looking at some of the ruins we had already seen, Jon wanted to walk to the High Place of Sacrifice.   The High Place is at the top of Jebel Attuf mountain, which is about a 1000m climb.  Our guide book said, “The ascent, while gradual, requires stamina and a good head for heights, and is best attempted in the early morning.” Thanks for the tip Eyewitness.

If I had known what was at the top, for the amount of time/effort spent getting to the High Place of Sacrifice, I would NOT have bothered, and would have spent my time better exploring elsewhere in Petra.

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Being able to experience Petra was definitely a highlight of our Middle East adventures.  This is an ancient city like no other, and easily deserves the designation of one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.   Cross one more off the list…

Be sure to stay tuned for our Wadi Rum experience of camping with the Bedouin!
~j

Peru, South America

Machu Picchu

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Machu Picchu PeruMachu Picchu was easily the best place we visited on the entire trip. We spent 10 hours just walking around the site and taking photos and chatting with other people there. Photos just don’t do it justice. I could fill your brain with history of the site, but you could google it yourself. We poached some info from the guided tours, and learned quite a bit of stuff. Here’s your few facts:

Machu Picchu Entrance signHiram Bingham III discovered the site in 1911. The switchback highway that you have to take to get to the site (if you don’t do the Inca Trail) is called the Hiram Bingham highway. You can only wonder what state Machu Picchu was like when he arrived almost 100 years ago.

I bet Llamas weren’t at the entrance to greet his expedition team!

There is a carved rock sundial in Machu Picchu–the Intihuatana. The Quechua name translates as “hitching post of the sun.” If you measure the angles of the Intihuatana they are 13 degrees. FYI: Machu Picchu is 13 degrees from the equator.

Intihuatana

The sundial measures solstices and equinoxes accurately. Not that atypical of a sundial, but it proves that the Incans had intricate knowledge of the solar system. The dial is also aligned perfectly north, and a magnetic compass when held to the stone will go all wacky as the rock is magnetized. Intihuatana is one of the only sun dials still existing from Incan times. Spanish conquistadors destroyed all symbols of Incan religion. Luckily they didn’t find Machu Picchu.

The site is extremely organized; it would have been an efficient little city. The people would have been completely self-contained with agricultural terraces growing enough food to feed the population of Machu Picchu. Buildings are believed to be homes, storage sites, prison cells, baths, and communal areas. All of them are built without mortar, and the stones are made to fit together perfectly. ps: Jon tells me that people were imprisoned for laziness.

The Temple of the Condor (left photo) is supposed to look like a condor in flight. The natural rock in the background looks like wings, and the rock in the foreground is carved to look like the head of a condor. Word is that the Incans used this site for sacrifices. Another interesting rock formation (right photo) was pointed out by some dude we ran into a few times. The rock was carved to look like the mountain range behind it.

Spiny WhorltailObviously we saw plenty of Llamas as we wandered, but that wasn’t all. There were little song birds flying everywhere, and so so so many little lizards! (Really, Spiny Whorltail Iguanas if you’d like to get technical and nerdy. Gotta love google!) One of the people we were talking to showed us a photo of a tarantula she’d just taken. We didn’t see any. She was super relieved that it was a tarantula she’d seen and not a lizard. Bizarre!

Everyone at the site seemed to really appreciate the experience. Usually there is at least one jackass story from every site we visit, but here, everyone was just well, normal if you will. People were really nice too, even suggesting to take photos for each other. Seriously, we must have taken 50 photos of other people and been offered just as many times.

Machu Picchu Peru7We ran into Becky and Ryan, a couple we’d me at the hostel. We also ran into everyone we’d met on the train. Craig, Michael and Michael were still going–that’s them in the photo walking on the stairs. We ran into Andy and Angela for lunch. The three, Andy, Angela and Chad, had hiked to the site in the morning to watch the sunrise. All in all, one of the best days of the trip–an absolutely gorgeous setting, great weather, awesome people.

What more could you ask for?
~j

Europe, Italy

Colosseum

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Columns Colosseum Rome

We were lucky the day we went to the Roman Colosseum and Palatine Hill because it was Ladies Day and I got to go for free. Yay me!

Colosseum Rome
Colosseum Rome

Whenever we visit historical sites, my brain won’t stop wondering what the buildings actually looked like in the height of their use, and what happened that made the civilization abandon the site. I need to do some serious book learning about the Colosseum to find some answers.

Apparently the roof used to be covered with fabric as there were over 200 masts attached on the 4th level. And, there weren’t just Gladiator style events. The Colosseum was also filled with water to have mock sea battles. A book was available when we were there that flipped through what the Colosseum would have looked like in the past, and now I’m kind of kicking myself for not buying it. Who carries unnecessary books around while on vacation?!

Included in the entrance fee for the Colosseum is an entrance to Palatine Hill which has the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus. There is a ton of Roman mythology surrounding Palatine Hill. Read up on Romulus and Remus if you don’t believe me.

Palatine Hill Rome
Arch of Titus Palatine Hill Rome
Orange Tree Palatine Hill
Palatine Hill Rome
 I didn’t expect to see pine trees, palm trees, orange trees or cactus in Rome (which is dumb given its proximity to the Mediterranean!), but there were plenty of all.

And I managed to find this video on Youtube with a reconstruction. The music is uber-cheesy, but the visual (minus the digital flock of birds flying by every 10 seconds) is good.