Tag Archives: UNESCO

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

New Zealand, Oceania

Milford Sound

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Milford Sound MapTraveling  by bus from Queenstown to Milford Sound and back again made for a long day!  Not having our own transportation , we went with a day tour.  If you’re from a coastal rainforest area, Milford Sound might not be very impressive to you.  I found it worth the visit.  There were plenty of stops along the way that broke up the trip nicely.

Milford Sound, in Fjordland National Park, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This unique area receives more than 6.5m of rain annually.  (That’s about 21 feet of rain a year for all of you non-metric folks–more than three times your height unless you play for the NBA!)  Such high rainfall creates a layer of fresh water over the salt water sound.  Stained by tannins washed down from the forest, the fresh water layer restricts light to all but the top 40m.  This creates a rare opportunity for deep water eco-systems to be much closer to the surface than normal.   Milford Sound is a popular area for SCUBA for this reason.

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Though Milford Sound receives up to 180 days of rain annually, we had a beautiful sunny day for a cruise on the water.

Happy Travels,
~j

Update

Welcome Back Me!

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Wow…nothing like a 6 month hiatus from writing.  Welcome back to the interwebs to me! Slowly but surely I will fill in all of the New Zealand entries.  I promise!  For now, here’s an update…
 
We’ve been planning our next trip for a very long time, and have finally been discussing it publicly, at work etc.  For the next adventure we’re off to Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank.  This has received a lot of mixed reactions when we tell people.  Most wonder, “Why would you want to go there?!?!”  Why WOULDN’T I want to go there?!?  To be fortunate enough to be able to travel to countries rich with that much history and global/religious significance–I’d be crazy to say no! 
 
Sure, at first I was a little hesitant.  Nothing good is ever said on the news about Gaza and Israeli conflict.  And, yes, traveling to the “Middle East” might not be a first time travel destination, or for someone who is wary, or who has only experienced all-inclusive, or cruise ship travel, but I don’t think it will be any different than any other travel for us.  We will be meeting people, seeing sights, experiencing culture and foods that are new and different, taking photos and enjoying life.  Yes, we’ll be in a more potentially volatile area than we’ve been in before, but that doesn’t mean there will be issues.  Just because there were riots in Vancouver, BC–would that prevent you from going there?
 
That said, I will note, we hadn’t planned on the Arab Spring for our vacation in the Arab spring.  If you’ve been watching the news (Not local, but international.  We like RT.) you’ll see that there has been some conflict going on recently.  FYI: This has not increased travel warnings from our government, nor have these warnings surpassed the levels for countries we have already visited without issue (ie: Cambodia.)
 
For the amazing sites and history alone, I’d do this trip in a heartbeat.  I’ll be able to add several more UNESCO sites to the tally.  Petra (where one of the Indiana Jones movies was filmed), Haifa’s Baha’i Gardens, the Old City of Acre, the White City of Tel Aviv and the fortress at Masada are all on the itinerary.  Besides the markets and souks, I’m especially interested in the religious sites and places of worship.  Though neither of us is religious or church-going, we’ve been raised with Christian holiday traditions in a predominantly Christian country–celebrating Christmas, Easter etc, so it will be interesting to see fervent worship on a large scale that is Jewish, Muslim, Baha’i and Christian.  Even if one was visiting Jerusalem as an atheist, one couldn’t deny that the religious prophets existed as men.   To be in places where people so significant to such a large portion of the global population has been is kind of awe inspiring. For example, being able to walk the Via Dolorosa is pretty profound.
 
I should be writing more.  The photos have been inspiring, and I’ve read a ton of travel books.  Of course, Google, Trip Advisor and youtube had all been awesome too.  Everything is planned and mostly paid for; now we just have to wait for take off.
 
You know all those things you wanted to do?  You should go do them. 
Asia, Cambodia

Cambodia: Two Days at Angkor Wat

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During our time in Siem Reap, we allotted two days to explore the temples of The Angkor Complex.  The Angkor Complex and surrounding area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Most people call the entire area Angkor Wat, but in actuality, Angkor Wat is just one of the many incredible temples in the area.

Angkor Temple Map
From: http://www.tourismcambodia.com/

Because we had a lot of ground to cover, we had to decide how to best plan our visit.  There are many options for transportation through the temple grounds–cycling, tuk-tuk, car.   You would be extremely inefficient and ridiculously limited  without transportation.  The complex is gigantic and spread out.

Monkey, Angkor
Monkey’s like Tuk-Tuks!

We decided that day one we would use a car, and day two we would use a tuk-tuk.   Our driver, Dora, was quite possibly the nicest person ever! He gave us so much information about the area, about himself, and about Cambodia in general that we decided to scrap the tuk-tuk day two, and go with him again.  He was awesome!  (FYI:  It really was nice having the air-conditioning.  We were spoiled Day 1, so that was a definite bonus!)

The Temples

The temples were built between the 9th and 15th centuries AD, starting with Preah Ko (AD 875-890), and ending with Bayon (AD 1175-1240).

Of all of the temples in the complex, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are the most impressive.  Angkor Wat is the said to be the world’s largest religious structure.  It is definitely the most famous and most ornate.  We started the day at Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom
One of the many faces of Bayon Temple of Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom is more like a city of temples, (see the map above) including Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Terace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants.   Our first impression was of the massive causeway and gates.   The Asura statues lining the causeway are all slightly different than each other.

Each one is different!
Asura statue at the Victory Gate, Angkor Thom
Scars of war – This Asura statue has been shot; that’s a bullet hole.

The temples are filled with details, from panels depicting various scenes of day to day life, to bas-reliefs of apsara dancers, to walls and walls of carved writing.  It’s overwhelming, and impossible to see all of it in two days.  Even writing this now, I’m finding it difficult to focus on just one thing.  Let’s let the pictures do the work!

Here are some of the lovelies we saw:

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Reconstruction & Restoration

Angkor was “rediscovered” in the 19th century, having been abandoned for centuries, and was once again lost to the world during the 70’s due to war.  Since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge in the late 90’s, the temples have undergone massive restoration efforts.   Mines (unexploded ordinance) had to be cleared from the area, not to mention an overgrowth of vegetation.

Restoration efforts were prominent, and globally funded.  Given the importance of Angkor archeologically, and to the Cambodians economically, conserving the site is of utmost importance.

Banteay Srei Conservation Project, Cambodia
West Gopura Restoration Project, Cambodia
West Gopura Restoration Project, Cambodia
Angkor Wat Causeway Restoration Project
Phimeanakas Temple Conservation Project
Scaffolding at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

There is so much to say about our time at the Angkor Complex.  So much history, so many interesting things and people that the photos will have to do a lot of the work.

If you have the opportunity to visit Cambodia, you won’t be disappointed.  The people were the most gracious hosts, and the small bit of scenery we saw was unbelievably gorgeous.

~j

Asia, Cambodia

Sua s’dei Siem Riep

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Just about half way through the trip, we left Vietnam for Cambodia.  The flight out of HCMC was delayed, our gate was changed 3 times, and then the power went out to the entire airport–pitch black, power outage.  It. Was. Out.  After an hour or so, the power came back on, and our gate was changed back to the one we started at…seriously?!?!

Eventually we landed in Siem Reap.  We arranged to be picked up at the airport through the guest house we were staying at.  SO AWESOME!  Our tuk-tuk driver introduced himself as Batman, and we were off!The Siem Reap Garden Inn was a tiny little piece of paradise. (The pool is new since we were there.)  Everyone we dealt with seemed genuinely interested in making our experience the best possible which is not something found everyday.  The level of service was probably something we won’t see again.

Beng Mealea road signSiem Reap is one of the most welcoming places we’ve ever been to.  It is an oddly dichotomous place in that is a major tourist hub with a 100% tourist related enterprise as the main focus.  And, then there are obviously Cambodians going about their day to day business.  Kind of like Las Vegas – there’s the Las Vegas strip, which most people from Vegas would avoid like the plague, and then there’s normal Las Vegas where people live, work, go to school etc.   We were lucky enough to see both sides Siem Reap.

As we had limited time in Cambodia, we had a lot of ground to cover.  Our first day was spent with Ta from Peace of Angkor tours.  This has got to be one of the most memorable vacation days we’ll ever have.  He took us to Kompong Khleang and along the Tonle Sap.  We also visited Beng Mealea, and climbed along the walls of the ancient temple.  Ta was fortunate to be one of first people to “rediscover” the temple, and said at the time, there were actually tigers on the temple grounds.

As promised quite a while ago, here are some of the photos from our day with Ta.

Cashew fruit and nut
The kids were super excited to have their photos taken.  This grandmother wanted hers taken as well.  Just before she posed for the camera, she was hacking away at the edge of the bowl with a machete.  At 78 years old, she was still sharp as a tack.  We had a great time visiting Kompong Khleang.  The stilt houses were absolutely fascinating.  The residents were insanely hospitable to us.  Due to Ta’s kindness, we were invited inside a stilt house to roast cashew nuts picked right from the tree.

We were privileged to see a wedding, where they asked us in closer to take photos of the bride and groom.  And, we also saw/followed a funeral procession for a while.  Richard, a person we were with, said we almost had “hatches, matches and dispatches,” covered.

We had an extraordinary tour through one of the villages outside of Siem Reap, and we were fortunate enough to float on the Tonle Sap River (which in itself is a crazy thing–yep, I’m a nerd!).  None of this experience would have been logistically possible for us without our guide, Ta.  He really made the day one we’ll never forget.

The second half of the day we were at another UNESCO Site, Beng Mealea.  This temple has collapsed walls, and jungle-ish overgrowth that gives it an appeal unlike the other temples we saw in Cambodia.  We were able to climb on the walls and take pathways that would definitely not have been acceptable in the bubble wrapped North American tourism sector.  It was pretty fantastic.  See for yourself…

Asia, Vietnam

To Hoi An and Beyond!

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Day 5 in Vietnam we left Hue, and drove to Hoi An for a day of sight seeing before heading onto Da Nang airport to fly to Ho Chi Minh City. As we had a deadline for the day, we arranged for a car as transport. Our driver, Van, didn’t speak much English, and I have very very basic garbled aka horrendous Vietnamese at best. Luckily, the trip wasn’t an unusual request; so, despite the language barrier, we were able to stop at a lot of sights along the way.
Hi Van Pass
The drive from Hue to Hoi An took us over Hi Van Pass, or Ocean Cloud Pass if you prefer the translation. The lengthiest stops were at Lang Co Beach and Marble Mountains. (FYI: At Lang Co Beach while we were taking photos, a guy appeared out of no where and tried to sell me old/out of circulation Vietnamese coins. I declined. Then he tried to sell me a loonie. Random!)
Marble Mountain Buddha
Lang Co Beach
Marble Mountains caught my interest a while ago. The Departures team ended up visiting the caves on one of the Vietnam episodes. The photos below are of some of the Buddhist shrines sculpted/carved into the mountains. Word is that the cave was used by the Viet Cong as a field hospital during the war. The photo doesn’t do the temple justice. It was as large as any fantastical cathedral, only this is a natural marble cave that has been a Buddhist shrine for centuries.

 

Marble Mountain Buddha - field hospital
Marble Mountain Buddha – field hospital

From Marble Mountains, we continued on to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a gorgeous little place! If you have time, and want to have clothing custom made for yourself, this would be the destination. There are so many amazing design shops it is indescribable. The core of Hoi An is really small, maybe three or four streets, so it is easy to visit with just a few hours time. The Japanese covered bridge is at the far side of the historic area.

Japanese Covered Bridge – Hoi An
Boats on the Thu Bon River

Here’s a little googled tidbit of history for you:

According to local folklore, the bridge was erected after Japan suffered a series of violent earthquakes which geomancers attributed to a restless monster lying with its head in India, tail in Japan and heart in Hoi An. The only remedy was to build a bridge whose stone piles would drive a metaphorical sword through the beast’s heart and fortuitously provide a handy passage across the muddy creek.

Inside the bridge’s narrow span are a collection of stelae and four statues, two dogs and two monkeys, which suggest that work began in the year of the monkey and ended in that of the dog. The small temple suspended above the water is a later addition dedicated to the Taoist god Tran Vo Bac De (“Emperor of the North”), a favourite of sailors as he controls wind, rain and other “evil influences”.

from: http://www.hoiantravelshow.com/japanese-covered-bridge.html

After a really long day we made it to Ho Chi Minh City.
Happy Travels,
~j
Asia, Vietnam

Hue: The Imperial City

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Once we returned to shore from Ha Long Bay, our next destination was Hue. To get there, we flew from Hanoi, in Northern Vietnam, to Hue, in Central Vietnam. It was a nice change to leave the bustle of Hanoi for the slightly less bustling Hue It was also a fantastic break in car sickness to fly instead of drive.

Our first interaction – we were scammed by the airport shuttle that was to take us to our hotel. Vietnamese culture is to avoid answering no, but it is kind of inconvenient when the question is, “Will you take us to the hotel?” and the shuttle driver answers, “Yes.” but really means, I’ll take you to somewhere near the hotel and then say get out, and leave you to figure out the rest of the way. The rest of the passengers with us were NOT impressed.

Unfortunately, the names of the hotels are confusing , eg: Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn 1, Holiday Inn 2, Original Holiday Inn. And #1 and #3 might be across the street from each other, while the original is around the corner. You get the picture. We did find the place, but what a rainy nightmare that was.Hue is a beautiful city. We visited several temples, tombs and the Imperial City. We also did a short river boat trip on the Perfume River at the end of the day.

Imperial City, Hue Vietnam
The Imperial City of Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction started in 1804 during the reign of Gia Long, and was completed in 1838 under Minh Mang. The Imperial City served as the center of government and court life throughout the Nguyen Dynasty. It has been damaged by natural disasters over the years, and still has visible scars, damage, bullet holes etc, from wars in 1947 and 1968.We went to the Minh Lau – Pavilion of Light, and Khai Dinh tomb. The Khai Dinh Honour Courtyard is probably one of the most recognizable with the stone sculptures of Mandarins, soldiers, elephants and horses.
Khai Dinh Tomb
Tu Duc Tomb grounds
The Tu Duc tomb probably had the prettiest grounds and walk ways. When we set out for the day, I figured the sites we’d see were ancient, but most of the construction was done in the late 1800’s. For the Tu Duc tomb, construction began in 1864 and was completed in 1867.
Tomb grounds, Hue Vietnam
Tomb grounds, Hue Vietnam
Lotus flower

One fantastic site for the day – the MASSIVE Buddha statue that was visible from Tu Duc Tomb. We never did get to visit it, but He fits right in with Cristo Blanco and Our Lady of the Rockies.

Buddha
Asia, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay: Sung Sot Cave & Ti Top Island

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We signed up for a 2 day 1 night trip through Ha Long Bay. Getting to the Karst islands, we had to sail through shipping lanes of the South China Sea. I was not expecting to see massive freighters in wide open ocean, but we did. There were also several ships that were dredging silt from the sea floor (to be used in making concrete was the explanation received.) As we traveled, we checked out our cabins, and the deck areas, and enjoyed the company of our fellow passengers. Then, we were served a crazy lunch. Who eats 10 courses for lunch?!? I will make an entirely separate post for the food on board the junk.

Shipping Lane South China Sea
Ha Long Bay Symbol
Ha Long Bay Junk

 After lunch, we visited the Sung Sot caves, which seemed a little too touristy, but still interesting to see. The grottoes have walkways set out, and lights to feature all sorts of formations. The entrance to the caves is about 25m above the water. Just to give you a feel for the size of the cave, we probably walked about 1.5km throughout the site and didn’t see all of it. There were probably a few hundred people in the cave, and it was not crowded by any means.

Sung Sot Cave, Vietnam
Sung Sot Cave, Vietnam

We also climbed to the pagoda on top of Ti Top island. I wasn’t too keen on this little side adventure because I felt hideous from the drive still, but I did it anyway. The history of the island is kind of interesting if you’re into the nerdy stuff. On November 22, 1962, a Soviet Cosmonaut, Gherman Titov visited the island with Ho Chi Minh. In remembrance of the visit, Ho Chi Minh named the place Ti Top Island.

Top of Ti Top
View from Ti Top

The only thing missing from our Ha Long Bay adventure was blue skies for the photos. We had white washed out sky the entire time. The scenery was still amazing. We took a smaller boat through to a grotto. Apparently there are monkeys that live on the cliff walls, but we didn’t see any. We did see a little fishing village and some locals out on boats. All in all a good experience. Yay for crossing off another UNESCO site.

Bird Ha Long BayThroughout Vietnam, I felt like a dollar sign rather than a person, and I haven’t felt that way in any other country. But, I experienced that feeling a lot in Vietnam. It is indescribable the aggressive level of service shop keepers try to give in the hopes of making a sale because the competition is so fierce. If the neighbouring shop is selling the same thing, they have to capture every dollar they can. This deterred me from buying in the bigger cities, Hanoi and HCMC. There were a few negatives of the trip, and that was one them for sure.

The other negative was the exploitation of the environment–ie: fishing with electricity which just kills EVERYTHING, or fishing and not throwing anything back so that the juvenile fish cannot grow or reproduce, or fishing with explosives, or fishing with lights at night. (We saw almost all of those taking place, not the explosives method, but it happens.*) I did try to ask the guide, as he was fishing for tiny squid with a spot light at night, if there were limits or regulations, and he looked very puzzled that something like that could be in place.
I’m certain there has to be some sort of regulatory body, but clearly it isn’t followed. This also makes one think before booking with a company that uses these practices. We look for reputable, safe, eco-conscious companies to support, and this instance was not in line with those values. The guide caught 1 palm-sized squid that was eaten in its entirety by the crew.
*Aside from the spot light fishing, all of the other methods were observed while on the Mekong River–NOT in Ha Long Bay. And, the captain of our Mekong boat called out the people fishing with electricity, but they paid no mind.
Asia, Cambodia

That’s downhill right?

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On one of the days that we’re in Cambodia we’ve planned to visit the Tonle Sap–a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Yes, UNESCO strikes again!

What’s so interesting about this body of water? Despite having over 400 species of fish, and just as many mammals, birds, and reptiles, the most fascinating feature is the direction of the river flow changes depending on the season. True story.

Tonle Sap MapDuring the dry season from November to May the Tonle Sap is a tributary of the Mekong. The River flows towards Phnom Penh. In June, heavy rain fall backs up the Tonle Sap and creates a large lake, and water is actually pushed from the Mekong into the Lake. At the end of the rainy season, the River changes direction again.

So, what makes this area worth visiting? (Besides being uber-nerdy?!) Well, the wildlife and scenery, the floating villages and stilt houses to name a few things. The sad part is that we’ll only see the region in the dry season, and not the other extreme. The depth of the lake changes from 1m to 10m during the rainy season. Check out the photo at the bottom of the Peace of Angkor page to see both seasons. We’re actually booked in with Peace of Angkor for the day to visit Beng Mealea and Tonle Sap. I hope it is a good one.