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August 25, 2005

Lake Titicaca

Filed under: Titicaca, Travel — Dave @ 12:03 pm

The immense Lake Titcaca (3,820 meters above sea level) is accredited with all manner of memorable trivia. Generations of school children have been taught that this is the highest lake with passenger boat services in the world, while its also South America’s largest lake and the largest lake in the world above 2,000 meters at over 170 kilometers in length and 60 kilometers in breadth. Most recently the lake was memorialized by the cultural giants Beavis and Butthead.

H. Bingham Train

We traveled to Lake Titicaca by train from Cuzco. It was a very nice trip with open air carriages and plenty of local flair. We were served a nice meal of local cuisine and drink. Be sure to buy your tickets in advance and reserve upper class. Everything in Peru is relatively cheap so we suggest you splurge for this particular part of your journey. Here is a picture of Lauren enjoying the train ride and the local band who amazingly came by every time I was about to fall asleep:

The great thing about the train is there are extremely large windows and an open air carriage where you can enjoy panoramic views of the countryside. There were many small towns and villages along the way and people seemed very friendly and open to tourists.

Some towns, including La Raya, had stalls set up right next to the train tracks. We’d stop over, check out the local weaving and products and quaff some Inka Cola.

A quick word about Inka Cola. This is Peru’s answer to Coca-Cola and tastes a lot like cream soda. Apparently its the only soda in the world that outsells Coca-Cola in their home country. A little too sweet for me! Now if they had a diet version…

The countryside reminded us of the great plains in the USA. Lots of open field with cows and crops. A far cry from both the urban atmosphere of Lima and regal colonial feel of Cuzco. The mountains are relatively barren save for interesting graffiti that would put that on the New York subways to shame:

Puno

Our first major city when we near Lake Titicaca is the port of Puno. Puno is the base from which to visit the islands dotted across Titicaca. This city was founded in 1668 near the site of a defunct silver mine. Few colonial buildings remain but the small streets are filled with trici-taxis and markets filled with local knick-knacks. Puno’s high altititude gives it extreme weather conditions. Nights are very cold but given the lack of clouds and high altitude, you can get sunburned quite easily.

We stayed at the Hotel Libertador Isla Esteves. It was by far the most progressive in the area with the amenities many of us as used to. The hotel sits on its own private island in the western part of the Lake. Its connected to Puno by a 6 kilometer road.

Islas Flotantes

The unique Islas Flotantes of the Uros people (often referred to the Uros Islands) are Lake Titicaca’s top tourist attraction. Always a small tribe, they began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the aggressive local tribes and Incas. The only way to get to the islands is to organize a boat to take you across Lake Titicaca to the Islas. Along the way you’ll notice the water is a deep crystal blue, the air is thin and fresh and there seems to be a never ending supply of reeds throughout the lake area. You’ll understand where the value of the reeds when you meet the local people.

Today several hundred people still live on these islands and eke out a living with fishing and tourism. The islands contain schools, post offices and huts where people sell souvenirs! Below are some pictures of the locals who were selling mostly weaved products.

The inhabitants of some islands have also built rickety observation platforms from which to survey the surroundings. One of the interesting things about these islands is everything is essentially man made from reeds – even the island themselves! As the underbelly of the island rots, they simply cut and thatch more reeds to the top of the island.

The reeds come in very handy as firewood and even as a snack! I tried one of them and I will tell you it reminded me of sugar cane…without the sugar. Essentially tasted like fiber soaked in water. Mmmm…tasty.

As you can imagine, fish are an important part of their diet:

The Uros also have a very elaborate bundled reed boat which reminded us of Chinese Dragon Boats. These boats can carry people for several months before they begin to rot:

Islas Taquile

This island has been inhabited for thousands of years and is a real, 6 kilometer island with a population of approximately 2,000.

The island is well known for its weaving and the social customs. The men wear woolen hats resembling nightcaps – which the men knit themselves. These hats signify social status. For instance, red hats signify married men, red-and-white hats signify bachelors, and different colors denote different social status. The women also weave waistbands for their men.

The island is its own world detached from the rest of civilization. The soil is red and rich and the air is crystal clear. The surroundings reminded me of the Greek Islands – but with a Latin American flair!

Here are some photos of the local men and women. They performed a nice small procession for us while we walked around the town and reviewed some of the woolen products they sell in their local stores:

Here are a couple of photos of me with the marriage waistbands:

Images near the local city square:

Archway leading to the ocean:

Tea made from the same leaves that create cocaine (to accompany my local meal):

Solar panels were pretty prevalent throughout the island:

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August 24, 2005

Iquitos

Filed under: Iquitos, Travel — Dave @ 1:09 pm

Iquitos is the world’s largest city that cannot be reached by road – only by air or sea. It is a crazy little town at the mouth of the Amazon and is distinctly different from the rest of Peru. When we visited, it felt like a place that time forgot that Buckaroo Banzai or Tarzan would visit in his free time. Tourists typically visit for an excursion into the rain forest or river trip down the Amazon.

Iquitos was founded in 1750s as a Jesuit mission. The settlement survived and grew slowly until it had 1500 settlers by 1870. Then came the great Rubber Rush (much like the California Gold Rush) which led to a 16 times increase in population by the 1880s. Rubber barons became insanely rich while rubber tappers lived like slaves. By World War I, the rubber bust began and the Iquitos economy tanked. Its been struggling ever since living mostly off oil and tourism.

We took a quick tour of the local town as well. Not much to see except for a few bars and clubs that reminded me of Mexico. However, one very cool place is run by an ex-Longhorn from University of Texas. He claims to have the coldest beer in Iquitos and is pictured below.

Jungle Lodges

Excursions into the jungle fall into three key categories: jungle lodges, cruises, and camping. We elected for the first category which is great for wildlife viewing. There are a wide range of options available and many of the lodges are far from Iquitos.

You typically have to take a boat or some form of river transport to get to your lodge as the area within 50 kilometers of the city is still considers “city jungle”.

As we would pass by in our boats, there was no shortage of local Amazonians gawking at the strange tourists from beyond. Although they probably shouldn’t have, some of our companions gave the local children chocolate…next up donuts!

After much investigation, we decided to sign up with Explorama Lodges. This is a well established company that owns and operates lodges and is a sponsor of ACTS (Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies) which has a lab at the famed Canopy Walkway. Our trip included a trip to the Walkway and several lunch and dinner buffets!

We stayed at Ceiba Tops, Explorama’s most modern and largest lodge. There are 75 rooms and suites with airconditioning! If you don’t want to rough it, this is the lodge to book.

Our camp site was literally crawling with jungle life. Snakes and other animals were right outside our doorstep!

Some of the nearby wildlife is truly breathtaking. We hope much of it will remain but alas with deforestation of the Amazon occuring at an alarming rate, much of what we saw may not be around in 50 years…or less.

Eighty kilometers away on the Amazon, near the Rio Napo, is the Explorama Lodge. This was one of the first lodges (1964) and is very “rustic”. That’s a euphemism for lots of bugs, open air toilets, air au naturael and lighting by kerosene. Below are a couple of pictures of this lodge.

At this lodge, you can really experience even more of the jungle environs. We took a quick walk around the area and saw some pretty amazing wildlife.

Witch Doctor

We had the opportunity to visit a real life witch doctor. He showed us all manner of potions and concoctions that presumably cured everything from the common cold, to snake bites, to male patterned baldness! Lots of herbs were grown near by and most of the animals used as ingredients were never too far away.

Nearby plant life where the ingredients are grown. Like having your own supermarket in your backyard!

Local Villages

We visited a local village near our campground where we had an opportunity to learn how to use blow guns. Needless to say I was pretty lousy. However, Lauren had a natural knack for it!

The main souvenir they sold was…you guessed it…blow guns!

Canopy Walkway

Canopy Walkway Until the 1970s, biologists working in the rainforest made their observations and collected specimens from the forest floor. Unfortunately, they weren’t aware that most of the action was occurring not at ground but above. When they ventured into the treetops, they discovered so many new species that the canopy became known as a new frontier in topical biology.

Now tourists can visit the canopy through a series of intertwined walkways. The walkway stretches over 500 meters through the rain forest canopy.

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August 23, 2005

Cuzco

Filed under: Cuzco, Travel — Dave @ 12:58 pm

Cuzco is the “archaeological capital of the Americas as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city”. We walked around the city a bit, visiting popular places like Plaza de Armas, which was the heart of Inca Cuzco and still the heart of the city today. We saw two flags flown there: the red & white Peruvian flag and the rainbow colored flag of Tahuantinsuyo (representing the four quarters of the Inca empire)… which also looks very much like the gay pride flag! The plaza is surrounded by colonial arcades. There’s also a prominent cathedral and church nearby on two sides. There were no shortage of street vendors selling postcards and paintings. It reminded us of Southeast Asia although the peddlars here aren’t quite as aggressive and there aren’t as many of them.

In order to get to Cuzco, the most convenient method is to fly. We took an early morning flight and landed in Cuzco in the late morning. The moment we stepped off the plane we felt ill. We had been dreading the possibility of altitude sickness since the beginning of the trip, and thought that our “symptoms” may just be psychological. It wasn’t very severe, but we felt a little light headed and short of breath. You also have to breathe more deeply to get the same level of oxygen in your blood. You can take altitude sickness pills (Diomox) but the side effects of the medication — increased urinary volume, numbness, tingling, nausea, drowsiness, myopia and temporary impotence — sound twice as bad as the effects of altitude sickness itself. Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude for Cuzco, so with any luck, we figured we’d be able to acclimatize in Cuzco for a few days.

We liked the architecture there. They have gorgeous tiled roofing and ornate wooden balconies that display beautiful carvings. The roads are narrow and paved with cobblestones which make it uncomfortable to walk. Some of the locals still wear traditional garb (hats and flared out skirts for women), and it is not all for the benefit of tourists, although some people particularly decked out in the native costume did approach us asking whether we wanted to take their picture. We walked along the alley of Loreta, which has Inca walls on both sides. The one on the right belongs to Amarucancha, or the “Courtyard of the Serpents”. The other is Acllahuasi, or the “House of the Chosen Women”. Despite the historical significance, they look just like…well, walls.

The city isn’t that large and after a day or two of walking, we saw pretty much everything there is to see. There are lots of small nondescript museums and churches but nothing particularly memorable. A lot of the cars still run on diesel making it all the more difficult to breathe as in the thin air environment.

Local policia keeping the peace:

Local Market

We also wandered through a local market that was very dark. Less than half the stalls were open. We did see some electric lighting overhead, but they had not been turned on. We enjoy going to markets because even though they’re not particularly clean, they have wonderful displays of what locals buy and eat. If you follow the old adage of “you are what you eat” then going to markets really gives you a sense of the local culture. We were originally concerned that the raw meat wasn’t refrigerated, but it reminds us of how it is in Hong Kong where we grew up. Not many stores were open, but the ones that were all sold the same thing: ponchos and carpet looking embroidery. We guessed it is what tourists buy around here. There are also a large number of jewelry stores around – all called either H. Stern (think Howard Stern) or Ilaria. We heard that Peru, and South American in general, is famous for gold & silver.

The only thing we bought today was food. We wanted snacks so we stopped at a bakery to buy a stick of fried dough (like a doughnut) rolled in sugar with a little bit of caramel on top. It was delicious and only cost Soles 0.30 (US$0.10)! We also stopped by a local polleria to eat rotisserie chicken with French fries. One dish of quarter chicken plus a bottle of the local Cuzquena beer plus a bottle of mineral water came up to only Soles 13.40 (US$4.43). We love how cheap and good food is here.

Hotel Monasterio del Cusco

If the Sheraton Lima was a roach motel, then the Hotel Monasterio del Cusco is the Taj Mahal. Here is the Lonely Planet description, “The minute you walk into this hotel, you know you are in a different league. Set in a restored convent, the Monasterio is indisputably Cuzco’s most beautiful hotel, with stunning public areas and over 100 exquisitely decorated rooms surrounding two colonial courtyards.” Upon arrival, they served us mate de coca, a coca-leaf tea that’s supposed to help with acclimatization. It is legal and doesn’t get you high even though coca is what cocaine is from. There’s music piping through the common areas at all hours of the day. It was (appropriately) Gregorian chants in the afternoon and classical music in the evening. The rooms are quite luxurious and you can pay to have extra oxygen pumped into them. After checking in, we weren’t feeling too well so we took a two hour nap which did wonders!

Inka Restaurant

We had dinner at a restaurant in Plaza de Armas called Inka Restaurant. Its close by to the hotel – which was especially heartening given we just read in the guide book that you shouldn’t stay out late at night since Cuzco is the mugging capital of Peru! The restaurant was nice but very crowded, and a tad touristy, because it is a recommended place in all of the guide books. About 75% of the menu items were Italian, American or Thai items. We prefer eating at local/cheaper haunts. Lauren had Peruvian chicken soup and our friend Jenny ordered chicken dish. I and my friend Eugene were a little more adventurous and were intent on trying the most exotic thing we could find on the menu. I ordered alpaca! It has the consistency of pork but tastes like liver. Eugene ordered guinea pig which was served diced. Eugene says they usually serve it whole roasted, as opposed to chopped up in pieces, so you know they’re serving the real thing and not cat meat instead (good thing that culinary etiquette has spread to Peru). It tasted like a cross between pigeon and rabbit. For dessert we had a “warm chocolate tart” and Lauren claims it was the BEST dessert she ever tried. It is a tart shell with warm, molten dark chocolate in the middle that you spoon over the scoop of vanilla ice cream that comes with it. Jenny also ordered a creme brulee which tastes like Chinese double boiled milk.

Train Station

One of our main tasks in Cuzco was to purchase and collect our train tickets to Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca near Puno. The concierge, Claudia, warned us that we shouldn’t go to the train station in person to get them even though we already had confirmed reservations. Instead, she suggested that somebody from the hotel do it on our behalf for a 10% commission. Thinking that we would be better off doing it ourselves, the four of us took a taxi down to the train station.

It was a disaster. There were crowds of people already there, so we suspected that there would be a long wait. The first thing we did was collect a ticket: E41. Then we compared it to the monitor which said that they were currently serving number E10. So the question was how long it would take to get from E10 to E41. There were plenty of other tourists there who had arrived earlier, so we compared notes as to the process for purchasing tickets. Apparently, you first had to speak to an agent to get your tickets (assuming you had a confirmation code), and then you needed to get into another line to actually pay for the tickets. To make matters more complicated, we only had a confirmation number for our Machu Picchu tickets. After haggling for an hour without making any progress on our tickets, the line inched up to E22. We were all so frustrated that we headed back to the hotel and told Claudia we’d take the 10% commission option. It literally took her two phone calls to accomplish what we were trying to do. Nice to see that the middleman is alive even in the high altitudes of Cuzco!

After that rather frustrating episode, we embarked on our day trip to visit the four ruins closest to Cuzco: Tambo Machay, Puca Pucara, Qenko and Sacsayhuaman. There are a number of ways to visit the ruins, and we decided to take a taxi to the furthest one (Tambo Machay), which is 8 km away, and then walk back to town. The taxi ride itself wasn’t expensive. It was Soles 50 (also written as “S/50″) and that included the excursion to the train station, but all the way there, we were all quite puzzled at the distance: it certainly seemed a lot further than 8 km. When we arrived at Tambo Machay, the driver asked whether we wanted him to wait for us. We told him that we would walk back to Cuzco. He laughed. That’s never a good sign when a local laughs at what you’re trying to do.

Tambo Machay

To see the ruin, we each needed to pay S/70 (they don’t take USD) for a Boleto Turistico (tourist ticket) that allows you to see a number of attractions around Cuzco over a week. The ticket is almost the size of a sheet of A4 paper and has pictures of each destination around the periphery. They punch each picture as you visit each place. It makes a great souvenir…too bad I lost mine.

Our friends Jenny and Eugene:

Tambo Machay contains a ceremonial stone bath and is also called El Bano del Inca. It was mildly interesting but if there were no signs, you might thinks its just a pile of rocks. Lauren was disappointed because we’ve seen similar ruins in Bath, UK, and those seemed much more impressive. It didn’t help that we couldn’t locate the fountain even though it is still functioning today. Legend has it that if you drink from the fountain, you will live to 100 years old. All we saw was this little trickle of water coming out the side that looked like drainage. Yep, that was the fountain.

Puca Pucara

We quickly made our way across the street to Puca Pucara, which is supposed to be a hunting lodge. The name means “red fort”. Some people speculate that it was also a fort, lookout point and resting place for travelers. Again, it looked like a pile of rocks to us – albeit an organized pile. The views of the Cuzco Valley were nice though and we were able to make out rectangular plots of land all over the hillside. We were all trying to guess what crops were being grown. We guessed it might be potato since (1) we couldn’t see anything above ground and (2) potato seems to be a common staple in Peruvian cooking.

Afterwards, the trip got much dicier. Instead of following the road, we were supposed to take a path that led directly back to town. Unfortunately, it was not well marked and we had to follow the rather vague description in Eugene’s guide book that mentioned something about heading “left of a soccer field”. We did something that resembled a path, and also a soccer field, so we headed in that general direction. We saw some horses and there was horse manure everywhere. That’s when I came up with the theory that we were on the right path as long as we followed the trail of fresh horse dung! My thought was that horses don’t just wander around on their own, and they only go where people lead them. I think my companions were very skeptical…

After trekking for a few minutes, we saw a couple of German tourists. “Puca Pucara?” they asked, and we pointed them to where we just came. “Salapunco?” we enquired, and they pointed in the direction of where they had emerged. We continued onwards (and downhill, quite thank goodness) admiring the foliage everywhere. At one point, we saw a pig and her litter of piglets. We think they were newborns because they were so small. They were also all different colors: pink, black, black and white, and brown. They were all sniffing the ground and chewing the mud. I had to kill the mood by remarking that it reminded him of “Hannibal”, which was on HBO the night before. After taking some photos, a couple of more pigs came trotting by so we hurried away in case they attacked us in order to protect the piglets.

We saw yet a pile of rocks in the distance, but the road split. After much debate, we decided to take the right fork which looked more well traveled, had fresh horse manure and had garbage! As we continued heading down the hill, we saw a local coming in the opposite direction. Jenny and Eugene both speak some Spanish, and successfully managed to ask for directions to Salapunco and understand the reply.

Salapunco

Salapunco means “Temple of the Moon”. It was by far the most unimpressive pile of rocks. The views from the top were quite nice and we looked around trying to find our next destination, Quenko, 1.5 km away. All we saw were a pack of horses, and some tourists in the distance. If in doubt, follow other tourists, and hope that they are not lost either. We headed up another hill and sure enough, Quenko was around the corner.

Quenko

You can always tell if you’re at a tourist destination because there are always vendors selling knick knacks. Quenko means “zigzag”, and these ruins house some zigzagging tunnels (hence the name) down below. The guidebook said that the flat part on top was used for ceremonies (we saw that) and that there were etchings of a puma, condor and llama (no idea where that was).

Our friends Eugene and Jenny:

Sacsayhuaman

One last stop before town, and before long, we were at Sacsayhuaman (sounds like “sexy woman”), which means “satisified falcon”. I’m glad it was the final thing we saw, because it made the day’s hike all worthwhile. Since the ruins are on top of a hill, you can see fantastic views of Cuzco. As soon as we got there, we went to the middle of the grassy field and lay down for 10 minutes in the sun! This large flat parade ground is used for Inti Raymi (”Festival of the Sun”) on June 24.

Sacsayhuaman is massive. On one side is a three-tiered fortress consisting of zig zag walls. The Incas thought that Cuzco was shaped like a Puma, with Sacsayhuaman as the head, and the 22 zig zag walls were the teeth. As large and impressive as it is, according to our guide book, what remains is only 20% of the original structure because the Spaniards tore down most of the walls and used the smaller stones to build their own houses in Cuzco. What’s left are massive interlocking boulders. The heaviest one is estimated to be 300 tons.

Here’s us in the field resting. Apparently there are a lot of public events in this area – but no sleeping until now!

Our traveling companions, Jenny and Eugene, went up the opposite hill called Rodadero. We took pictures of it, but we didn’t bother climbing it since it wasn’t as high, nor did it have views of anything. Its shape was quite distinctive though since there are polished rocks and a series of carved stone benches known as “throne of the Inca”. There was a musician on Rodero, and Eugene later told us that when he played his flute, the music would echo off the fortress and back.

From Sacsayhuaman, we took a series of stone steps all the way down to Cuzco which conveniently led directly right in front of Hotel Monasterio. After a brief rest, we went to a Japanese run restaurant called Pucara that servies Peruvian food. Aside from us, and perhaps one other table of diners, all the patrons were Japanese. It must be featured prominently in all the Japanese guidebooks for Peru. Like many Japanese restaurants, the menus have pictures of most of the dishes they serve and underneath each picture is a description of the dish in Spanish. We then had to compare the Spanish description with the regular menu which had both Spanish and English descriptions. Eugene ordered skewered beef heart, Lauren ordered spaghetti – and before you berate her for eating spaghetti in Perui, spaghetti is a Peruvian dish; we know this because we had it at a genuine Peruvian restaurant (also run by Japanese people) in San Francisco called Mi Lindo Peru, “My Beautiful Peru”.

Sacred Valley

The following day we registered with SAS Travel to do an all-day tour of the Sacred Valley, “El Valle Sagrado”, that started at 8:30am in the morning. There are dozens of tour companies in Cuzco, and SAS is supposed to be one of the more reputable ones. When we paid for our vouchers the night before at around 7 pm, only three other people had signed up, so we thought it would be a small, intimate group. We ended up being combined with a Spanish group so all 13 of us were crammed into a small mini-bus.

The road we took passed by all the ruins we say the previous day: Sacsayhuaman, Quenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay. We made a 20 minute pitstop at a small crafts market where the prices are supposedly cheaper than that in Cuzco. We took a quick look around, and were tempted to buy some souvenirs, but ended up not buying anything. We are generally very suspicious of the souvenirs and crafts markets we’ve found in Peru; everything looks the same, and we mean IDENTICAL. We suspect there is a great souvenir factory in Peru that churns out all this stuff. We have seen some more unique items, but they are typically sold in stores and cost a heck of a lot more.

Our next stop was the side of the road where we were able to look down into the Sacred Valley and take some really great photos. The Sacred Valley is very fertile, and there are three planting seasons per year. We think the guide said they grow corn in the Valley: all 57 varieties. Speaking of corn, we have never seen such massive corn kernels in our lives. They are about 4x the typical size of the kernels found in the U.S. We love corn, and love eating corn on the cob au naturel (without butter), but the monster corn we’ve eaten in Peru tastes only starchy, and not sweet. If it were sweet, we’d be tempted to buy the boiled corn they sell everywhere on the street.

Pisac

We then ventured down into the Valley, and the town of Pisac in particular. There is a massive crafts fair in Pisac every Sunday, and a smaller one on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we were quite excited that we got to visit on a Tuesday! There was some traditional produce for sale, but most of the stalls we saw sold souvenirs, albeit a larger variety. For instance, we saw some baby clothes that we now wish we had purchased for friends and family. We also saw some beautiful plates, painted gourds and ceramic tea sets: things that look really cool, but we’re sure we would have no clue where to place once I got back to the US. We were at this market for 45 minutes, and the only thing we bought was two sweaters for Lauren made out of alpaca fur for total of S/85. On the way back, we ran into Eugene and Jenny, who had purchased two pairs of earrings for S/70. We were all late for the bus, but managed to quickly duck into a bakery (quite by accident) to see a clay-oven bakery that made piping hot flatbread rolls. Diagonally across from the oven was a multi-floored guinea pig hutch. Later, we discovered that it is called a castillo de cuyes (miniature castle for guinea pigs). Those guinea pigs were the CUTEST cutie pies! They were small (but much larger than hamsters), furry and looked so innocent and friendly. Little did they know that they were to be skinned and eaten shortly. Jenny & I both sighed big, “Awww…”, and even Eugene said he’s glad he ate his guinea pig dish before he actually saw a colony of them all huddled together. FYI, guinea pig in Spanish is “cuy” (pronounced “kwee”).

Inca Pisac

Upon leaving colonial Pisac, we went to the archeological digs of Inca Pisac twenty minutes away up in the mountains. There are multiple trails all spiraling up the mountain, and we took the most popular one that led to the top. Now we’re not afraid of walking uphill, especially since I had finally acclimitized to the high altitude, but we were completely unprepared for portions of the trail where the dirt road and stairs going downhill were narrow, with the mountain on our right and NOTHING to the left… nothing that is, except a several hundred feet drop down into the Valley. In most other places we’ve been to, there is a big huge barrier preventing you from plunging to your death, but not at this place. Lauren has a tremendous fear of heights so naturally, she freaked out. She had to sit down and inch down on her hands and feet. The guide had to come and hold her hand. He walked on the steps beside her so that he stood between her and the chasm. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I am rooted to Mother Earth!”

Fortunately, the scary descending part of the trail was quite short, and before long, we reached the ceremonial center where we saw some Inca ruins, including a circular sun temple and a Intihuatana (hitching post of the sun). The archways are trapezoidal, rather than rectangular because they are more stable during earthquakes. Across the Kitamayo gorge from where we were standing, we saw hundreds of holes in the side of the opposing cliff walls which are Inca tombs. We have no idea how the Incas got to these tombs because they were high up and there was no discernable trail. Apparently, the stones used to build the temples/structures on the mountain we were standing on, came from a quarry on the top of the mountain with the tombs. In other words, people had to mine the quarry from the top of one mountain, roll these stones down into the valley, and they haul them all the way up another mountain to build temples. As incredible as this sounds, it is rather inefficient. We wonder why they didn’t just build the temples on the same mountain as the quarry; that would have saved a lot of time and effort. We think it may have to do with the “feng shui” equivalent of temple placement. Another thing that stood out was the numerous terraces carved into the mountain side. The Incas were really big into terracing, and you see it all over the place, including Machu Picchu. It maximizes the amount of arable land available and typical of most mountainous agricultural regions. We first saw this technique in Bali several years ago.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo was the next stop. Geographically, it is halfway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. This village still displays traditional Inca city planning and architecture. The roads are laid with cobblestones and are only 2 meters wide. The area is divided into square blocks called “canchas”, with each side 25 meters wide. The layout is very symmetrical and was designed for efficient hydraulics. Most people visit Ollantaytambo to visit the massive Inca fortress on top of a hill which has… you guessed it… terracing! Terracing provides several purposes: prevent erosion, planting for hanging gardens, defense mechanism and experimental agriculture.

Our friends Jenny and Eugene:

Across from the fortress is a mountain which has an interesting formation on the side which looks like a face. The Incas say that the face is that of the creator of the world. In case you’re wondering what it looks like, it reminds me of depictions of Zeus. There’s also a smaller face profile higher up, and to the side of the mountain, and on the day of the Winter solstice, the sun shines through the eyes. Or was it the nose? Some part of the face anyway. The other interesting thing about the mountain, is that there is a structure built right in the middle. The climb up to it must be quite treacherous because I couldn’t see proper stairs. According to the guide, archeologists who have investigated the building found food remains so they believe it is a food storage facility. If we were to built a warehouse, we would have built it closer to the foot of the mountain, but maybe they built it up there because the climate is drier. Perhaps there was also a smaller chance of having food stolen since it is such a pain in the butt to get to.

At the top the guide pointed out this very tall mountain which houses the pass of Warmiwanusca (aka “dead woman’s pass”) which is the highest point of the Inca Trail. FYI, instead of taking the train to Machu Picchu, many people choose to hike there from Cuzco. The most popular one is the 3-day Inca Trail. We would have loved to do the Inca Trail from a physical activity/cardiovascular perspective, but the thought of camping for 3 days without plumbing (hence no showers or real toilets) wasn’t as appealing.

Like all the other significant Inca structures with religious significance, the fortress is built from interlocking stones that fit perfectly together. No mortar was used to cement them together. Also, the stones are polygonal, not rectangular, and so the builders spent a lot of time chipping the sides so that they would fit. On a hardness scale of 1-10, the stones are rated 8.5, which is similar to diamond. The blocks were quarried 6km away across the river Urubamba. The stones are absolutely massive, the largest one found being 8m x 1.8m. The guide said that the stones were transported on rollers, although the Lonely Planet said they were moved by diverting the river around them. At the bottom of the fortress, back towards the exit, is a fountain. The sides are carved in a stair step pattern with three levels. The top level is represented by the condor (the heavens), the middle level is represented by the puma (earth), and the bottom one is the snake (spirit world). The guide was able to change the pattern of the water flow by dragging his fingers across the mouth of the spout. We had never seen that before.

Chincero

The last stop of our trip was Chincero. The only thing to see there was a dark colonial church. We weren’t able to take photos inside. The interior was quite gaudy, and reminiscent of some of the churches we saw in Italy. Lots of statues, paintings (painted by Peruvians but depicting western looking people), and a tomb (we have no idea who is inside). Outside the church was a small market with people selling souvenirs. Some of them were sold by little kids. One boy sold clay bulls which are often seen on the top of people’s homes. He said it cost S/5 for a pair, or S/2 each. We don’t think he’s taken math at school yet. It was very cold as evidenced by our gloomy faces in the picture below:

It was late by the time we got back to Cuzco upon arrival. When deciding what to eat for dinner, the first thing Eugene said was, “I don’t mind if we DON’T eat Peruvian food tonight!” So we went to a restaurant called “Blueberry lounge” which serves international cuisine. The boys each had a cheeseburger and the women had thai food (mee goring and tom yum gai). Lauren also had some great hot chocolate. She really likes the hot chocolate in Peru. It is very rich because they make it with real dark chocolate and not some cheap powder mix.

We were sitting in front of the TV, and although the sound was off, we could tell that there was nonstop news about a plain crash in Peru. It was a Tans Peru flight heading towards Iquitos. Not good, especially since we were flying to Iquitos the following week. Lauren was a little nervous, but was somewhat relieved that we were taking LAN Peru (a much more reputable airline), than the unreliable Tans Peru. Still…

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August 22, 2005

Lima

Filed under: Lima, Travel — Dave @ 5:05 am

For any visit to Peru, you have to go through Lima, a vast, polluted metropolis in the middle of Peru’s desert coastline. We arrived at Lima after 11pm and had to take a taxi into the city. All the tour books suggest to avoid this rather unsafe city, and the only reason why it’s on the itinerary at all is that it’s a travel hub for the country. Passing customs & immigration was quick, but after you hand in your declaration form, you are required to press a green button. Afterwards, an indictor light comes on. If it’s green, you can go right to the exit. If it’s red, you have to have your bags searched. Frankly, we thought the lights were randomized like Russian roulette.

There are no airport hotels, so our lodgings were at the Sheraton Lima in the city, approximately 20 minutes away. It’s categorized as a 4-star hotel, but it’s way too rundown to be classified as such if the hotel were in the USA. Once we checked in we received some free coupons for the Peruvian national cocktail, pisco sour. So we all headed to the hotel karoake bar to try it. It is made from pisco, a locally produced white-grape brandy, blended with lemon juice, ice, egg white, syrup or sugar, and topped with bitters.In our travels to and from the airport, we did manage to see some of the city not heavily trafficked by the tourists. (Although the city looks run down, the airport is relatively modern. They collect US$5/person airport tax and you have to pay in US dollars! We thought that was odd that they don’t even accept the local currency for tax). The weather in Lima is similar to San Francisco, including a layer of fog that surrounds the entire city most of the time. The buildings look old and typically span no more that one to two stories. The lines in the roads depicting lanes are very faint and cars constantly weave in and out to avoid potholes. At one point, our taxi driver slowed down to negotiate a speed bump, but the car behind us was much more creative and actually drove up on the sidewalk to avoid it. Interesting solution. Fortunately, people don’t drive that fast and there weren’t that many cars on the road. We couldn’t quite figure out why until we remembered that it was Sunday: this is a Catholic country afterall, and people may be staying at home right after mass.

Overall, Lima is an interesting city with top flight museums, a vibrant nightlife and music scene, striking architecture, richly historical neighbourhoods and genuinely friendly people. However, it can feel grimy and unsafe at night so I’d suggest you spend a day or two wandering the city when you arrive and leave the rest for when you return from your adverturous travels throughout the rest of Peru.

Church and Convent of San Francisco

Due to its magnificent harmony of volume and color, San Francisco is considered by some as the greatest architectural complex of its kind in Latin America. Its construction was started in 1542 and completed in 1674.

This Franciscan monastery is famous for its catacombs and its remarkable library where you can see thousands of antique texts, some dating as far back as the conquistadors. The museum has plenty of very fine religious art and is worth exploring if you have time. The convent, the cloisters and gatehouse are decorated with tiles from Seville.

The underground catacombs are the site of an estimated 70,000 burials and should definitely not be missed! In the basement are underground galleries or catacombs that, during the Viceroyalty, served as a cemetery for the city. The conservationists arranged the skulls and femurs into rings of concentric circles which makes for an eerie image (see below).

Court of the Holy Office or the Inquisition (Tribunal del Santo Oficio)

The Inquisition was established in Peru in 1569 to punish heresies and other offenses against the Catholic religion, and wasn’t abolished until 1820. The building has an imposing neoclassical portico and an exquisite ceiling carved in wood in its main hall, the finest extant in Lima.

Food

Lima’s menus offer a wide variety of dishes from all parts of the world as well as the more select dishes of Peruvian cuisine, amongst the best in the world. Whoever comes to Lima cannot leave without trying its “criollo” (traditional) food; particularly its many dishes based on fish and shellfish, which magnificently combine flavors and aromas beyond imagining. Ceviche, raw fish marinated in lemon juice and seasoned with chili, is the most representative of all Peruvian seafood dishes. Other favorites are the “jalea” (deep fried mixed fish and shellfish) and “tiradito”, (strips of fish marinated in lemon juice, similar to ceviche) and “coctel de camarones” (shrimp cocktail). Other jewels of “criollo” food are lomo saltado (stir fried pork and vegetables), carapulcra (a type of potato and meat stew), arroz con pato (duck cooked with rice), cau cau (tripe and vegetable stew) and anticuchos (barbecued pieces of meat, chicken or fish on a skewer). Desserts such as arroz con leche (rice pudding), mazamorra morada (a purple coloured jelly), suspiros a la limeña (a sticky sweet classic pudding), picarones (deep friend pumpkin and sweet potato doughnuts eaten dipped in sugar cane syrup) and turrón de Doña Pepa (a multi coloured cake). All these dishes are delicious enough to satisfy even the most demanding of tastes.

Chinatown

In Lima you will find excellent restaurants specializing in Chinese food; better known in Peru as ‘chifas’. Chinese cuisine, which reached the City of the Kings with the first Asians who came to work in the haciendas close to the capital during the last century, has mixed in many cases with Peruvian cuisine, to create unique dishes such as Arroz Chaufa (stir fried rice). One can also enjoy French, Italian, Japanese, Arab, and Argentine cuisine as well as a wide variety of international dishes at excellent restaurants within the 3 to 5-star category. Below are some pictures we took in the local Chinatown:

Huaca Huallamarca

Also known as the Pan de Azucar (Sugar Loaf), this is a highly restored Maranga adobe pyramid dating from 200 AD to 500 AD. It quite strange seeing this imposing monument surrounded by the modern civilization of Lima but nevertheless it provides a very interesting contrast. The two-story construction is made of adobe with a steep ramp leading to the upper level. Archaeological excavations have unearthed mummies, on display with ancient objects inside the on-site museum.

Strange looking dog that followed us around the pyramid:

Nearby garden growing all types of strange plants and animals:

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August 1, 2005

Peru

Filed under: Peru, Travel — Dave @ 12:56 pm

Peru is South America’s third largest country and can be divided into three distinct geographic regions. This diversity of climates is really what makes Peru a “must-see” on any visit to South America. Its one of the few places in the world where you can experience the urban life of Lima, the mountainous regions of Machu Picchu, the jungles of Iquitos, the lakes near Puno, and the desert of Atacama.

One of the best known regions is the central high sierra of the Andes, with its massive peaks, steep canyons, and extraordinary pre Columbian archaeological sites. The Andes are still one of the world’s most unstable mountain ranges, with frequent earthquakes, landslides, and flash floods. Despite such instability, the Andes are also the site of the most fascinating pre-Columbian cities of South America-like the great city of the clouds, Machu Picchu.

The Andes are by no means the only region to visit in Peru. Also of great interest is Peru’s narrow, lowland coastal region, a northern extension of the Atacama Desert. Although the Atacama is generally known as the most arid region on the planet, the climate along Peru’s shores is made cooler and less dry by La Garuùa, a dense fog created by the collision of the frigid waters of the Humboldt Current with the heated sands of the Atacama. Lima, Trujillo, and Chiclayo, three of Peru’s major population centres, are located along this coastal desert.

Peru’s third great region is the dense forest that surrounds the headwaters of the Amazon beneath the eastern slopes of the Andes. This part of the country is so inaccessible that only the most adventurous and intrepid travelers should attempt to penetrate its mysterious emerald depths. In fact, the region’s capital of Iquitos, a city of 400,000, is accessible only by air or by boat up the Amazon. Peru’s climate varies considerably by region, although January through March tends everywhere to be the wet season.

The coastal areas, which are quite hot and humid during those months, are cooled during the rest of the year by La Garuùa. The fog doesn’t penetrate very far inland, however, and the western side of the Andes are very clear, warm, and dry for the greater part of the year. As one moves up into the mountains, night-time temperatures become considerably colder. The eastern slope of the Andes, like the Amazon basin, experiences very heavy rainfall during the wet season, which extends from January all the way through April.

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August 1, 2004

Italy

Filed under: Italy, Travel — Dave @ 1:04 pm

Italy is one of our favorite destinations in Europe. This country shaped like country singer’s favorite garb, a kinky over-the-knee boot, has it all: popes, painters, polenta, paramours, poets, political puerility and potentates. With over 3,000 years of history, culture and cuisine, Italy has everything you need in a vacation! Around every other corner in Italy you can visit Roman ruins, gawk at Renaissance art, stay in tiny medieval hill towns, go skiing in the Alps, explore the canals of Venice and see more beautiful churches than you imagined could exist in one country.

There’s no escaping it: Rome means history. There’s layers of the stuff – Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting rooms, Imperial temples, early-Christian churches, medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces and baroque basilicas. In this city a phenomenal concentration of history, legend and monuments coexists with an equally phenomenal concentration of people busily going about their everyday life. It’s hard to say what you’ll find most breathtaking about the eternal city, the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, or the horrible driving of the average Italian! One of our favorite past times in Italy is eating!

Naturally you can indulge in some of the best food (pizza, pasta, pomodoros) and wine (chiantis, merlots, chardonnays) in the world for a fraction of the price you’d find in the U.S. In addition, you can get a cup of coffer 100x better than anything at Starbucks for a fraction of the price – justification enough to visit this great country.

So enjoy our photos and commentary and take a dive for yourself. Italy is definitely the place to seek out la dolce vita!!!!

PISA

When people think of Pisa, they generally think of one thing only. Each year millions of tourists animate the town’s famous Campo dei Miracoli as they marvel at the famous leaning tower, creating a t-shirt buying, ice-cream-licking, photosnapping wasteland. The tower is undoubtably remarkable, and it would be impressive even if it were perpendicular to the ground. But if your journey to Pisa, make sure you budget a good morning. We visited the tower, cathedral, baptistery and other buildings that share the same piazza as the famous tower.

Pisa’s history has had its share of twists and turns. In the Middle Ages, when the unclogged Arno river flowed to the sea, the city earned its living as a port, and Pisa’s Mediterranean empire extended to Corsica, Sardinia, and the Balearics. When the Arno filled with silt, Pisa’s fortunes dried up. After the tower tantalized travelers and brought millions of lira to the waning town, Pisa began to recover. If you want to learn more about Pisa (i.e., where to stay, what to do, etc.), you can check out this web site: http://www.pisaonline.it/.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Although Pisa is a nice quaint town, this is the ONLY reason to visit Pisa! The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Cathedral.

Its construction began in 1173 and continued (with two long interruptions) for about 200 years!! (*Makes the “Big Dig” in Boston, MA not that bad, huh?*).

The local lore has it that the leaning of the Tower was part of the project ever since its beginning but now we know that was a lie!

The Tower was designed to be vertical but started to incline during its construction. During its construction efforts were made to halt the inclination through the use of special construction devices which continue even to this day!

It was definitely worth a visit and contrary to the guide books, you can visit the Tower and walk to the top. Of course it costs you 15 Euros!!!

If you want to learn more about the tower, you can visit the official web site at http://torre.duomo.pisa.it/.

Symbol of Italy

Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Dreams)

Baptistry

FLORENCE

The cultural and historical impact of Florence can be overwhelming but it is definitely the place to visit in Italy. Close up, Florence is one of Italy’s most atmospheric and pleasant cities, retaining a strong resemblance to the small late-medieval center that contributed so much to the cultural and political development of Europe.

Many of Michaelangelo’s greatest hits including David make Florence their home. While Rome is a historical hot-pot, Florence is like stepping back into a Fiat and Vespa-filled Renaissance: the shop-lined Ponte Vecchio, the trademark Duomo, the gem-filled Uffizi Gallery, the turreted Piazza della Signoria and the Medici Chapels. Thankfully, these unforgettables are all within walking distance of each other. This was by far our favorite city in Italy and not to be missed!!

Surrounding the rear of the Pitti Palace are some of Florence’s most precious and breathtaking parks: the Boboli Gardens. A perfect example of formal Renaissance landscaping, the gardens include pools, fountains, geometric borders, tree-lined vistas, a grotto and the star-shaped Forte di Belvedere.

If you’ve got the energy, it’s worth heading down Via del Belvedere to reach Piazzale Michelangelo, which offers one of the most beautiful views of magical Florence. Below is a picture of Lauren with our friend Ingo.

Piazza del Duomo

The remarkable Duomo, with its pink, white and green marble façade and characteristic dome, dominates the city’s skyline. The building took almost two centuries to build (and even then the façade wasn’t completed until the 19th century), and is the fourth-largest cathedral in the world. The enormous dome was designed by Brunelleschi, and its interior features frescoes and stained-glass windows by some of the Renaissance-era’s best: Vasari, Zuccari, Donatello, Uccello and Ghiberti. Take a deep breath and climb up to take a closer look, and you’ll be rewarded by fantastic views of the city and an insight into how the dome was so cleverly constructed – without scaffolding (though there’s plenty of that propping the dome up now!). The dome still defines the scale of the city, and no building in town is taller.

Giotto designed the cathedral’s Campanile, and Pisano and della Robbia contributed bas-reliefs. It too is clad in white, pink and green marble. The Baptistry is adjacent – it’s one of the city’s oldest buildings, and was originally a pagan temple. The building is most famous for its gilded bronze doors. Those on the south are by Pisano, but it is the doors facing east (and in the direction of the cathedral) that are most talked about. Created by Ghiberti, they are known as the Gates of Paradise (a moniker believed to have been dubbed by Michelangelo). Created between 1424 and 1452, their beauty and sophistication mark them as one of the first products of the Renaissance. The Baptistry’s ceilings feature gory 13th-century mosaics of the Last Judgment.

Behind the cathedral is the Duomo Museum, which features original panels taken from the doors of the Baptistry, Brunelleschi’s death mask, equipment used to build the dome and an impressive sculpture collection, including pieces by Michelangelo.

Baptistry

Campanile

Interior Statues

Piazza della Signoria

The piazza was at the hub of Florence’s political life through the centuries, and is surrounded by some of the city’s most celebrated buildings. With its famous group of sculptures, the loggia looks a lot like an outdoor sculpture gallery; Cellini’s magnificent statue of Perseus and Giambologna’s Rape of a Sabine are particularly striking.

Guarding the Palazzo Vecchio is a copy of Michelangelo’s oh-so-strokeable David. The palazzo has been Florence’s town hall since 1322. Its characterful tower is another of Florence’s symbols, and the interior of the palazzo was lavishly redecorated by Vasari. An elevated corridor called Vasari’s Corridor leads from the palazzo, through the Uffizi, across the Arno by way of the Ponte Vecchio, and all the way down to the Palazzo Pitti. The private walkway was used by the Medici family as a way of visiting their scattered palaces without having to mingle with the masses. The walkway is lined, as if merely as an afterthought, with works of art.

Rape of a Sabine

David

Neptune

Perseus

The Uffizi

Backing onto the loggia, and leading all the way down to the banks of the River Arno, is the famed Uffizi Gallery. The gallery’s wonderful collection is arranged to illustrate the evolving story of Florentine art.

Some of the most famous pieces are in rooms 7-18; they include Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Michelangelo’s Holy Family and Piero della Francesca’s Duke & Duchess of Urbino.

Giorgio Vasari designed this palace in 1554 for Duke Cosimo and called it the Uffizi because it housed the offices (uffizi) of the Medici administration. Today it holds more great art per square inch than any other museum in the world. In May 1993, terrorists set of a bomb in the Uffizi, killing five people and destroying priceless works of art. So be prepared for a great deal of security.

Below you can see some of the statues that line the courtyard of the Uffizi Gallery.

Dante and Michelangelo

DaVinci and Donatello

Galileo and Micheli

Machiavelli

Lauren at the Uffizi

Room With A View

The Ponte Vecchio

If you make it out of the Uffizi with any energy and concentration left to spare, wander along the banks of the Arno towards the Ponte Vecchio.

The famous 14th-century bridge is lined with shops selling gold and silver jewellery – a step up from the butcher shops that lined the bridge before Cosimo I decided glitter was better than gore.

The bridge was the only one in the city to escape destruction during WWII.

Santa Croce

If you experience a peculiar giddy feeling after visiting the Church of Santa Croce, don’t despair. It’s probable that you’ve succumbed to Stendhal’s Disease, an illness diagnosed in about 12 visitors to Florence each year, and dating from the French writer’s own feelings of culture shock and bedazzlement when he visited the church in the early 19th century.

Geometrically coloured marble decorates the building’s façade (added in the 19th century), but the real treats lie inside, where many famous Florentines lie in peace, hopefully immune to the tourist footfalls. The walls are lined with tombs, and 276 tombstones pave the floor. The church’s most famous inhabitants are Michelangelo, Macchiavelli, Galileo and Bardi. Its various chapels feature works of art by Giotto and della Robbia, and the serene cloisters were designed by Brunelleschi.

Santa Croce’s museum features a crucifix by Cimabue, which unfortunately was severely damaged by the 1966 floods. Other churches which shouldn’t be missed include the statue-filled Orsanmichele; Santa Trinità, featuring frescoes by Ghirlandaio; All Saints’, with frescoes by Botticelli and Ghirlandaio; Santa Maria Novella, which contains Masaccio’s groundbreaking Trinity, along with other significant artworks; the popular SS Annunziata; Giambologna’s San Marco; and the Church of the Holy Spirit, one of Brunelleschi’s last commissions, and featuring Filippino Lippi’s Madonna & Child.

Just around the corner from Santa Croce you’ll stumble across Casa Buonarroti, a house which Michelangelo owned but never lived in.

Today, you’ll find a collection of copies of the master’s work. You’ll find the real thing, however, at the Accademia Gallery: David in all his glory.

Leather School

Piazza San Lorenzo

This lovely area is redolent of Florence in its prime, when Cosimo was king and cultural creativity abounded. San Lorenzo Basilica was begun by Brunelleschi in 1425 and is regarded as one of the city’s purest Renaissance churches. The eastern façade is especially interesting, as it is completely bare of decoration and reveals the antique brickwork. It was the Medici family’s parish church, and many of the members of the family are buried here. Donatello designed the bronze pulpits, and he is buried in one of the chapels. Passing through the cloister, you reach the Laurenziana Library, commissioned to house the family’s huge collection of books and featuring a sublime staircase by Michelangelo. The Medici Chapels are sumptuously decorated with precious marble and semiprecious stones; the most powerful Medicis were buried here. The New Sacristy was designed by Michelangelo and contains his Night & Day, Dawn & Dusk sculptures.

Adjacent to the basilica are atmospheric palazzos, with interior courtyards glimpsed through ancient wooden gates, and the especially bustling central market – the place to find bargain woollens and leather goods, especially if you’re willing to bargain.

Interior Chapel

Laurentian Library

This library houses one of the world’s most valuable manuscript collections. Michaelangelo’s famous entrance portico is shown above with Daddy Liu!

Holy Book

Medici Crest

This is the crest of the Medici family. They were the richest family in the city and sponsored most of the local artists of the time. They were the “Godfathers” of the time!!

Bargello Museum

The Bargello Museum contains the most comprehensive range of medieval and Renaissance sculpture in Italy. Notable works include Michelangelo’s drunken Bacchus, Donatello’s David, the designs submitted by Brunelleschi for the Baptistry Doors Competition (Ghiberti won that one) and Giambologna’s Mercury. The Bargello’s heavily fortified exterior is a reminder of the building’s former life as police headquarters and prison. Not too far away from the Bargello is Dante’s House, a small museum that examines the famous Florentine’s life.

Accademia

Michelangelo’s triumphant David stands in self-assured prefection under the rotunda designed just for him. He was moved here from P. della Signoria in 1873 after a stone hurled during a riot broke his left wrist in two places. If the real David looks different to you that the slightly top-heavy copy in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, there’s a reason – even though the statues are practically identical, in the Accademia, David stands on a higher pedestal.

Michelangelo exaggerated his head and torso to correct for distortion from viewing far below. In the hallway leading up to the David are Michelangelo’s four Slaves. The master left these intriguing statues intentionally unfinished. Remaining true to his theories of living stone, he chipped away only enough to show their figure emerging from the stone.

Mercato Nuovo

The loggia of the New Market have housed gold and silk traders since 1547 under their Corinthian-columned splendor. Today vendors sell purses, belts, clothes, fruit and vegetables as well as gold and silk, from dawn until dusk. Pietro Tacca’s pleasantly plump statue, Il Porcellino (The Little Pig), actually a wild boar, appeared some 50 years after the market first opened. Reputed to bring good luck, its snout remains brightly polished by tourists’ rubbing.

San Miniato Al Monte

One of Florence’s oldest churches, San Miniato al Monte gloriously surveys all of Florence.

The inlaid marble facade and 13th-century mosaics provide a prelude to the incredible pavement inside, patterned with lions, doves, and astrological signs.

Inside, the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal holds a collection of superlative della Robbia terra-cottas. Be sure to circle the church and spend a moment in the cemetery.

VENICE

There’s no escaping it: Venice is unique. For a start, this is a pedestrian’s city on a very human scale; cars are almost nonexistent, and beguiling narrow paths take the place of ugly city roads. The harmonious architecture seems to have sprung uniformly from somewhere between the 12th and 16th century, its secretive walls and enticing balconies sparkling with flashes of water glimpsed through cracks and windows. Dark paths suddenly emerge into the clear, bright daylight of a pigeon-packed piazza or cross the city’s myriad canals by way of numerous and wonderful little bridges. The atmosphere is magical and inexplicably festive.

The city is built on 117 small islands, and is linked to the mainland service town of Mestre by a road and rail causeway. The Grand Canal insinuates itself around the city, emerging at the unforgettable vista of Piazza San Marco, boasting its campanile, Doges’ Palace, St Mark’s Basilica and elegant piazza. The Bridge of Sighs links the palace to the gloomy old prisons, and the bobbing gondolas are overlooked by the stunning Santa Maria della Salute, San Giorgio Maggiore and del Redentore churches. It takes only half an hour or so to walk from the train station to San Marco – if you can resist the temptation to take one of the many paths that diverge from the main drag (Lista di Spagna). To appreciate the fine palaces that line the Grand Canal, swallow your ‘but I’m not really a tourist’ phlegm and take a gondola.

The Accademia Bridge leads to a quieter Venice and the Galleria dell’Accademia, with its collection of Venetian masters. The nearby Peggy Guggenheim Gallery updates your walk through history and art, with its fine collection of early-20th-century works.

Ca’ D’Oro’s ‘Wedding Cake’ Facade and Venetian Blinds

Vaporetto (Water Bus) Stand

Gondola Shipyard (Squero)

Harry’s Bar

Gondolas

Water Taxis – the Real Local Transportation

Venice Cameras Line the Streets

Symbols of Venice (Winged Lion and St. Mark)

Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal

Local Wine Store

DaVinci Designed Gears

Gondola School

Gallerie dell’Accademia

Piazza del Duomo

The Baptistry’s ceilings feature gory 13th-century mosaics of the Last Judgment. Behind the cathedral is the Duomo Museum, which features original panels taken from the doors of the Baptistry, Brunelleschi’s death mask, equipment used to build the dome and an impressive sculpture collection, including pieces by Michelangelo. The mosaics illustrating the life of San Marco are particularly spellbinding in their wealth of iconography and richness of materials.

The Basilica houses the gallery and the Marciano museum which contains the original Bronze horses, copies of which are now on the terrace, and the golden altarpiece, a masterpiece of the gothic goldsmithery, displayed behind the altar. This can be seen from the whole of the lagoon, and, once you have reached the top, the whole lagoon can be seen from above. There is a splendid panoramic view from the tallest belltower in Venice. Even though today’s tower was erected at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was rebuilt exactly like the fifteenth century belltower. In 1609, Galileo Galilei exhibited his telescope here, and during the carnival the belltower used to serve as a stage for the tight rope-walkers who entertained the doge with their acrobatics.

Basilica di San Marco

Campanile

Lion’s Mouth Mailbox For Denouncing Neighbors

Doge’s Palace / Apartments

Doge’s Palace Stairway

Doge’s Palace Clock

Piazza San Marco Piazza

San Marco (or ‘St Mark’s Square’) is an optical illusion. When you’re at the bottom of the piazza, facing the basilica, the piazza itself seems immense.

It is actually only 175m long. The reason for this is that on the same side as the basilica it is 82m wide whereas on the other side, it is only 57m wide. So, what appears to be a rectangle is in reality a trapezium, and it is this that makes it seem larger than it actually is.

On both sides of the piazza are the ‘Procuratie’ buildings which are where the procurators of San Marco were housed. They can be divided into: old buildings, more recent buildings, and most recent buildings.

On your left hand side as you face the basilica are the old buildings, probably built by Codussi, and on your right hand side you will see the more recent buildings, built by Longhena in 1640.

The most recent buildings – commissioned by Napoleon in 1810 – are behind you.

Ponte dei Sospiri / The Bridge of Sighs

For a long time, it was said that this was a place where lovers met. Actually this isn’t strictly true. The bridge, which was built from a design by Antonio Contino, is a Baroque construction and was intended to link two parallel passages: one for prisoners and one for magistrates.

One of the passages led to the newly built prisons and the other to strongholds, which were known as wells. However, these were never underground as was commonly believed, but at street level.

ROME

There’s no escaping it: Rome means history. There’s layers of the stuff – Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting rooms, Imperial temples, early-Christian churches, medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces and baroque basilicas. In this city a phenomenal concentration of history, legend and monuments coexists with an equally phenomenal concentration of people busily going about their everyday life. It’s hard to say what you’ll find most breathtaking about the eternal city, the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat Bambino or the bill for your latte.

Castel St. Angelo

Michelangelo’s Moses at San Pietro in Vincoli

Church of San Clemente

The Roman Forum

Trajan’s Column

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Victor Emmanuelle)

Vatican Museums

This small yet impressive collection is divided into many small museums linked by corridors. The Egyptian museum is one of the most visited and although it is not a very large collection it is well displayed and the rooms are decorated in Egyptian style. The Chiaramonti Gallery is dedicated to Roman and Greek sculpture. The Pius Clementine museum hosts the famous Greek statue of the ‘Laocoonte with serpents’. The Etruscan museum also houses a large selection of Greek and Roman works. The Galleria degli Candelabri e degli Arazzi is one of the museums which is less well-known but filled with lots of treasures; they exhibit both candelabras and tapestries (Arazzi) which were woven by the Flemish master, Pieter van Aelst, taken from cartoons by Raphael. Another interesting room contains geographical maps which are extremely precise, given that they are from the 16th century.

The Raphael rooms are one of the masterpieces of this vast collection where a series of rooms are each painted with a different theme by the ‘Grande Maestro’. Amongst the most well-known is the fresco of ‘The School of Athens’ where contemporary artists impersonated classical characters, for example, Leonardo da Vinci is portrayed as Plato.

There are six Borgia rooms, which were decorated for Pope Alexander VI by Pinturicchio and his pupils. The Sistine Chapel shows itself in all its beauty after a period of restoration. Many artists of calibre participated in the completion of this chapel, including Michelangelo, Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio and many others. The two hands that almost touch in the ‘Creation of Adam’ are instantly recognisable having appeared in many reproductions.

The Pinacoteca rounds off the collection with works from the Byzantine school, French and Dutch masters, the inimitable Titian, Raphael with his final work ‘The Transfiguration’, Caravaggio, and Leonardo’s ‘Saint Jerome’. A special permit is needed to visit Raphael’s Loggia, the Vatican Archives and the Vatican Library.

The Thinker

Interesting Exhibits

Vatican Guards

Crest

Vatican Grottoes

San Pietro

Every year, millions of visitors come here to hear the Pope speak and to receive the blessing on Sundays at noon.

Since the original Constantinian basilica of 320 AD, St Peter’s has undergone various changes and radical transformations.

Among the major works of art we draw attention to: The majestic dome, designed by Michelangelo, but completed only after his death by Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana, from the top of which one can admire Bernini’s magnificent colonnade which surrounds the piazza; the canopy in gilded bronze to be found above the altar, again by Bernini; and Michelangelo’s La Pieta, which the artist finished at the age of 25.

Giotto is represented by a mosaic, currently in the Holy Caverns, and a polyptych on the high altar. Numerous artists worked together on the decoration and on the design of St Peter’s: Bramante designed the interior floor plan, subsequently modified, of the cathedral; added to his design were two cupolas by Vignola; Pietro da Cortona made the Trinity for the Cappella del Sacramento in addition to executing the cartoons of the mosaics, terminated only after his death by one of his finest pupils, Ciro Ferri; and Antonio Canova produced the monument to Pope Clement XIII Rezzonico.

The Holy Door which is situated next to the statue of the Pieta is opened only during Holy Year.

Papal Window

Dome

Statues Overlooking the Square

Michelangelo’s Pieta

Interior Statues

Western Compass

Holy Door

Colosseo

The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was constructed by Vespasian in 72 AD.

It is where you can also find the gardens and small lake of Domus Aurea di Nerone. It was inaugurated by his son Titus eight years later in a spectacular 100-day ceremony.

First designed as a horse racing circuit, it also saw bloody contests between gladiators and fights with wild animals; however, although thousands of gladiators died here, no Christians were ever killed.

The Colosseum had a capacity of 55,000 seats and was always full.

The name was written for the first time in a famous prophecy by the Venerable Bede in the 8th c. which said “while stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand. When falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall. And when Rome falls – the World”.

It is thought the name came from Nero’s Colossus, the enormous statue that stood outside the amphitheatre.

Arc

Entrance Sign

Statue Pedestal

Crucifix

Palatino (The Palatine Hill)

Alongside the Roman Forum, this other lovely archeological area includes imperial and patrician residences.

Emperor Domitian built a palace divided into two wings: a public part named Domus Flavia and a private part named Domus Augustana.

Originally the Domus Flavia had walls completely lined with polished marble because Domitian feared assassination and in this way he could see the reflection of those coming towards him.

The courtyard still has its fine pavement in coloured marble.

The House of Livia dates to the 1st century B.C. and was the home of Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia.

Fine mosaics can still be seen, along with frescoes imitating the veining of marble.

Close by there is an area in which a number of holes were found, certainly made for the posts of huts, possibly dating from the 9th century B.C.; it is thought that these were the first huts of Rome, attributed by legend to the hand of Romulus himself.

Finally there are also the lovely Farnese gardens, bought by cardinal Alessandro Farnese who commissioned the gardens from architect Vignola.

Piazza Navona

During the Christmas period this square is packed with stalls selling toys, sweets and decorations for the Nativity scene or Christmas tree, making it a favourite spot for children. Its unusual shape recalls the time of Domitian who built a stadium for equestrian displays here.

After having gone through a period of total abandon, it was refurbished, and reached the height of architectural interest in the Baroque period when cardinals and noble families began to build their palaces and churches. The Fountain of the Rivers, with the obelisk, and the Fountain of the Moor, with the god of the sea, at the centre of the square, are both by Bernini.

Circo Massimo

In the fourth century b.c., the Circus Maximus was one of the largest stadia in Rome, with a capacity of 250,000 seated spectators. It was the venue for horse-races, athletics tournaments and animal fighting. The last races here were in 549 A.D.

Now it is a DUMP! As you can see from the picture above, it is not worth seeking out or visiting!!!

Pantheon

Its construction dates to 27 B.C., commissioned by Marcus Agrippus, Augustus’ son-in-law. It was then restored by Domitian, rebuilt by Hadrian who built the dome, and it was finally transformed into a church by Pope Bonifacius IV in the 17th century. Originally the dome was covered in tiles of gilded bronze but the metal was removed by Pope Constant II. The opening in the dome, the oculus, is the only source of light in the Pantheon, and according to popular legend, it formed the base for the bronze pine-cone that is now in the ‘Pigna’ courtyard of the Vatican.

The floor has been restored, and the original Roman patterns are still visible. Many famous Italians are buried here, including Raphael, and Vittorio Emanuele, the first king of Italy. The best part…it’s free!!!

San Giovanni in Laterno

San Giovanni in Laterano is the oldest church in the world. It was founded by Pope Melchiade at the start of the 4th century on the ruins of the villa of the Roman family, the Laterani, after Emperor Constantine made a gift of the property to the papacy.

The church’s current appearance was created by Borromini who remodernised the church completely for the 1650 Jubilee. Although he retained the 16th c. ceiling and floor, the architect altered the appearance by joining pairs of columns in the central nave (there are five naves in total) to make a single pillar inside which he built coloured marble niches and placed statues of the apostles.

In 1735, Alessandro Galilei renewed the fagade entirely in travertine stone and crowned it with 15 statues, and at the end of the 19th century the apse was also rebuilt.

The Gothic baldacchino shown above houses two golden reliquaries containing the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul. Nearby Scala Santa also houses what are believed to be the 28 marble steps used by Jesus outside Pontius Pilate’s house in Jerusalem. Pilgrims win indulgence for their sins if they ascend the steps on their knees, reciting prayers on each step.

Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)

An incredible, almost theatrical square with the lovely Spanish steps leading up to the chiesa di Trinit` dei Monti. One of the most important fashion shows is held here, the steps are used as a catwalk. it is now an international meeting point. The fountain known as the ‘Barcaccia’ (boat) was commissioned by Urbano Barberini to commemorate the alliance made with the king of France, whose coat of arms can be seen on Trinit` dei Monti.

The square leads into several famous streets, via dei Condotti, Via Frattina and Via Borgognona with their luxurious boutiques, and via del Babuino with its antique shops.

Fontana di Trevi

You cannot visit Rome and not throw a coin in the most famous fountain in the world as a gesture of luck.

Anita Ekberg bathed in front of it to a stupified Marcello Mastroianni in Fellini’s ‘La Dolce Vita’ and ‘Toto’, sold it to an American, passing himself off as the owner.

The design of Nicola Salvi for Pope Clemente 12th, it was completed in the second half of the 1700s. The statue represents Neptune with two Tritons at his side. The Rococo style Poli Palace stands behind the fountain.

Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin

This church harbors some of Rome’s loveliest medieval decoration. The portico’s Bocca della Verita was made famous in the Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday.

Originally a drain cover carved as a river god’s face, medieval legends maintain that the face will chomp on the hand of a liar. FYI, Lauren’s hand is still intact!!!

Terme di Caracalla

These baths were built in the 3rd century A.D. by the Emperor Caracalla, and they operated for about two hundred years, before the barbarian invasions and the subsequent interruption in the water supply. The area was abandoned for a certain time, and then in 1400 the first excavations began, uncovering works that can be found in Palazzo Farnese and the Vatican Museums.

As well as the ruins of the baths, there are the remains of a temple dedicated to the god Mithra, conserving the benches used for the mystic meals taken by the followers, the floor in white mosaic with black strips, and the hollow where the blood pouring down from the sacrifices collected. In August, the baths provide the backdrop for opera performances.

POMPEII

Easily accessible from Naples is enigmatic Pompei, the thriving resort town for wealthy Romans that was buried under ash and mud during the devastating eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The vast ruins provide a fascinating insight into how the ancient Romans lived, and include impressive temples, a forum, one of the largest known Roman amphitheatres, luxurious houses with frescoes and mosaics, and streets lined with shops.

The Dead of Pompeii

Streets and Pedestrian Crossings of Pompeii

Wall and Floor Frescos

Stadiums and Arenas

Stoves

Local Bar and Restaurants

Homosexual Fresco – Threesome Anyone?

Water Fountain and Heating System

Brothel (Lupenar)

This small brothel (the Lupenar) contains several bedstalls. Above each stall, a pornographic painting depicts with unabashed precision the specialty of its occupant.

After 2,000 years, this remains the most popular place in town so try to get here early. I’ve taken photos of a few of the choice rooms for your viewing enjoyment!

AMALFI COAST / POSITANO

Stretching for 50km (31mi) along a promontory from Sorrento to Salerno is some of Europe’s most beautiful coastline. The road hugs the zigzagging bends and curves of the cliffy coast, overlooking intensely blue waters and passing picture-postcard villages that cling to the cliff walls like matchbox houses.

Positano is the first port of call out of Sorrento, and it’s truly sublime: tiered arcades of rose- and honey-coloured houses hover precariously over an iridescent sea, and further investigation reveals cafes and hotels to die for. This is where we witnessed my friends Amar and Lena Lalvani getting married! Their wedding can be viewed at http://www.amar-lena.com/. Farther around several intervening bends is Amalfi.

Its former status as a supreme naval power that rivalled Pisa and Genoa is evident from its arsenal and imposing duomo. Hairpin bends separate Amalfi from Ravello, which sits like a balcony overlooking the bay. Its duomo has an interesting pulpit with six lions carved at its base, and several villas and their beautiful gardens add to its attractions.

Salerno has seen it all, from Etruscan to Roman and medieval times. Unfortunately, the city was extensively damaged during WWII, as it was one of the Allies’ major landing sites. Check out http://www.positanonline.it if you want to learn more about this great town!

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November 24, 2001

Ireland

Filed under: Ireland, Travel — Dave @ 1:07 pm

Tis said that Ireland, once visited, is never forgotten, and for once the blarney rings true. The Irish landscape has a mythic resonance, due as much to the country’s almost tangible history as its claim to being the home of the fairies, Leprechauns, shamrocks, four-leaf clovers and the “little people”. Sure, the weather may not always be clement, but the dampness ensures there are fifty shades of green to compensate – just one of the reasons Ireland is called the Emerald Isle.

Ireland will always have a special place in our hearts because that is where I proposed to Lauren in November 2001. All the more fitting given that she is born on St. Patrick’s Day, the birthday of the patron saint of Ireland.

Although the unrest is far from over in the North, the recent referendum clearly signaled a willingness for peace and a genuine solution may be in sight. Meanwhile, the South has been busy shedding its quaintness tag to emerged as the darling of EU economies and a favorite among high-tech companies. If the country isn’t quite the paradise that its misty-eyed émigrés tend to portray, it’s nonetheless home to one of the most gregarious and welcoming people in Europe.

DUBLIN

Ireland’s capital, and its largest and most cosmopolitan city, Dublin makes a fine introduction to the country. It’s a curious and colorful city of fine Georgian buildings, tangible literary history and extremely welcoming pubs, all on a scale that’s very human. The city is bisected by the River Liffey, and is bounded to the north and south by hills. Most of the sights of interest are located south of the Liffey, which unlike most city rivers is a rural-looking stream with real fish living in it. The area to the north of the Liffey may be more run down than the south, but, according to Roddy Doyle, it’s got more soul. This city is a must visit for any traveler to Ireland – especially if you are a single male! A friend told me that the ratio of single women to men is approximately 3 to 1!!!

Trinity College is uppermost in the list of attractions south of the river. Founded by Elizabeth I in 1592, the university complex boasts a campanile and many glorious old buildings. Its major attraction, however, is the Book of Kells – an illuminated manuscript dating from around 800 AD, making it one of the oldest books in the world. The masterpiece is housed in the Library Colonnades. Other magnificent buildings include the imposing Bank of Ireland, originally built to house the Irish Parliament; Christ Church Cathedral, parts of which date back to the original wooden Danish church of the 11th century; and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, said to have been built on the site where St. Patrick baptized his converts, and dating from 1190 or 1225 (opinions differ).

Below is a picture of us having dinner with our good friend Adele!

Bank of Ireland

Notice the bank has no windows! Apparently there was a tax on sunlight so many old buildings in Dublin have no windows. Our tour guide also informed us that the phase “can’t see the light of day” originated from these times. Who knows?

Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is one of Dublin’s oldest and most magnificent features. The site dates from around 1030 AD, and has seen a long succession of enhancements which reflect the history of Dublin itself. Definitely visit the crypt!!!

Molly Malone Statue

Bronze casting of Molly Malone at the end of Grafton Street.

Guinness Brewery

No visit to Dublin is complete without a trip to the world famous Guinness brewery in Dublin. The Guinness Hopstore situated in the heart of old Dublin, is your introduction to the world’s most famous creamy stout. Established in 1876, when Guinness was poised to become the largest brewery in the world, the Hopstore remained crammed with hopstack until 1957 when another hopstore replaced it.

The Hopstore has now been converted into one of the finest venues for historical and cultural exhibitions and events. There are regular tours which allow you to sit back and enjoy a sample or two of the stout in the comfortable surroundings of the Visitor’s Bar.

The tour includes an audiovisual presentation which demonstrates how Guinness is made. Although entry to the brewery itself is not allowed, an admission to the Brewery gets you a free pint of Guinness!! To some, it can be pleasurable…and to others it can be torture!!

DOOLIN/CLIFFS OF MOHER

Located a short distance from the small town of Doolin on the West Coast of Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher are a spectacular place to visit. It was at the Cliffs, in Liscannor on the coast of West Clare, that I proposed to Lauren. Natural ramparts against the might of the Atlantic, the Cliffs rise to over 800 feet and stretch for miles. It is here that the visitor can most easily get a feel for the wildness of the terrain over which the Celts wandered. O’Brien’s Tower, constructed in the early 19th century as a viewing point for Victorian tourists, is located on Moher’s highest cliff. From its vantage point you can view the Clare coastline, the Aran Islands and mountains as far apart as Kerry and Connemara.

The story of our engagement is one of luck and serendipity – fitting given our childhood friendship, lack of contact for over 10 years, and our subsequent romance! I had planned to ask Lauren at a memorable place in Ireland given her birth on St. Patrick’s Day, the patron saint of Ireland. After scouring the isle for the ideal location, I had decided to ask her at the Cliffs of Moher. However, to get to the Cliffs, we had to purchase a ticket on the train from Dublin to the eastern part of Ireland. I had decided that I would do this the day before I was to propose and make sure we had ample time to do so.

On the eve of my proposal, we visited the Guiness Brewery. As “bad” luck would have it, Lauren decided that since we were in arguably the most famous brewery in the world, and we were given a free pint as part of our admission, she was determined to drink an entire pint of stout! This would represent the most alcohol she has EVER drunk in a single sitting. So, needless to say, she was drunk by mid afternoon and walking as snail’s pace.

As we were nearing the end of the day, I began to worry about getting to the station in time to buy the tickets. As I rushed to the counter, I realized they were closing in 10 minutes. When I asked the salesperson for two tickets, she said: “Luv, come back ‘ere tomorra’! It’s closin’ time!” After explaining to her that I had just flown thousands of miles from the U.S. and had to return the day after tomorrow, she volunteered to call the home office to see if they might still be willing to sell me a ticket! (*now I know why the European economy is so lousy*). After two phone calls, a growing ulcer, and a couple Hail Mary’s, we got through and they agreed to sell me two tickets!! Finally, the luck of the Irish was smiling on me!

The following day, we got to the Cliffs via bus from the train station. It was a windy and rainy day but breathtaking nonetheless. Lauren and I walked to the highest point on the Cliffs at O’Briens Tower. It was here that I surprised her with an “early” Christmas gift and gave her a jewelry box. On the cover I had inscribed a limerick which contained my proposal. After she recovered from her initial shock, she opened the box to find a ring and a shamrock bracelet! As luck would have it, she said yes! The rest, as they say, is history.

Below is O’Briens Tower where we were engaged and the post-engagement picture of us hanging on the precipice! The last photo is of me at the Tomb on the Burren.

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January 6, 2001

Pakistan

Filed under: Pakistan, Travel — Dave @ 9:45 am

Even before the Iranian revolution and the Afghan and Iran-Iraq wars throttled Asian overland travel, Pakistan tended to be seen as simply the last hurdle before reaching India. Few Westerners know much about Pakistan beyond media impressions of guns and drugs, communal violence and martial law, but it contains some of Asia’s most mind-blowing landscapes, extraordinary trekking, a multitude of cultures and a deeply hospitable people. It’s the site of some of the earliest human settlements, home to an ancient civilization rivaling those of Egypt and Mesopotamia, and the crucible of two of the world’s major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Warning: The security situation in parts of Pakistan has been on the rocks since 1997, with several areas previously considered safe experiencing the same sort of violence and crime as in the long-troubled Sind regions well as the danger of being caught up in sectarian skirmishes, travelers have occasionally been the specific target of violence in Karachi and Lahore. The situation has improved little since the bloodless coup of General Pervez Musharraf in October 1999. While there are still many safe and welcoming attractions in Pakistan, I suggest you exercise caution in troubled areas.

KARACHI

The 18th century folk tale of Mai Kolaci tells of a young fisherwoman who lived in a settlement near Keamari Bunder. When her husband Sanwal, who had gone on a fishing trip, failed to return even after fifteen days she set off looking for him in the churning waves of the Arabian Sea in her battered boat. The violent storm rolled and rocked the fragile craft and blasted it to tiny shreds. The mighty waves threw Mai Kolachi on the shores of Girzi Bunder where, miraculously, she found Sanwal. As a tribute to her gallantly and loyalty, the village elders named their settlement Mai Kolachi Goth. That village has changed its name and dimensions to Karachi, a booming megalopolis. Today, Karachi is known as the city of Quaid as the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born here on December 25, 1876 and also breathed his last here on September 11, 1948. Karachi remained capital of Pakistan since the creation of Pakistan and then it was shifted to Islamabad. Now it is the capital of Sind Province. Sind, the region in the south of Pakistan was known as the “Unhappy Valley” or the “Land of Uncertainties” by ancient traveler. With robbery, smuggling and gun-running amongst Sind’s biggest industries, the province remains a dangerous place to visit to this day. That being said, it was a great place to visit and I thoroughly recommend it for the adventurous traveler!

My first official day in Karachi was VERY interesting. I walked around the Central Karachi region in the morning and went to Empress Market (one of the largest in Pakistan). The atmosphere really reminded me of Myanmar. Dirt and flies EVERYWHERE. However, the kinds of products they were selling looking like it they were right out of a Indian movie. Spices, curries, chickens, goats, pigeons (for pets), lassis, chipatties, naan, etc. It was really fascinating. A couple of observations that won’t come completely across in the photos were the complete absence of women on the streets. I think I only saw one woman and she was wearing the traditional Muslim garb. People around here tell me that this is quite typical on Sundays – the men go out to buy things and run the morning markets while the women stay at home with the kids. Also, what is also not apparent immediately are the flies everywhere and the dust – it is truly filthy!!! There are also eagles and vultures soaring all over the city and in the air. Enjoy the photos!!

Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum

A good place to start your sight seeing is at the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum, a monument to Pakistan’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah. This curiously shaped monument is set at the top of a stepped pyramid in a small park on MA Jinnah Road just north of Bohri Bazaar. Built between 1958 and 1968 after the design of a Turkish architect, it can be most charitably be described as distinctive. In a nodding concession to traditional styles, the 31 meter high white marble structure is built on a square plan, each with a tall, pointed arch, and supports a semicircular dome, but the overall impression is minimalist and stark. Its ceiling is lined with blue-glazed tiles donated by Japan. The glass and gold chandelier came from China and the silver handrail from Iran.

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence

Like Mumbai (Bombay), Karachi is a center for Zoroastrians or Parsees, who traditionally expose their dead to vultures on hills known as “towers of silence”. You can see two of these in a large compound on Korangi Road – the vultures and buzzards hovering overhead are a dead giveaway (no pun intended) although only Parsees are allowed inside the gates. There is also a Dar-i-Mehtar (Parsee place of worship) on Dr. Daud Pota Road (shown above). In recent years, the number of Parsees living in Pakistan has dropped from 7,000 to about 2,000, most of them in Karachi.

Clifton Beach

This is Karachi’s equivalent to Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles or the Jersey Shore for New Yorkers. Most of the week its deserted except for a handful of homeless people, and when its popular, on Fridays and public holidays from about 4 pm until shortly after sunset. As you can see above, one can hire a camel for rides along the beach. Interestingly, this was the main area for young people to consume alcohol. Under Islamic law, Muslims cannot drink alcohol. However, booze can be bought on the black market and many people bought booze on New Year’s Eve and went to the beach to get drunk. The military, fully expecting this, sent soldiers to patrol the beaches to stop this from happening. Needless to say, the city was pretty much dead for New Year’s Eve!

Defense Housing Society Mosque (Masjid-i-Tuba)

This white-marbled mosque was very impressive! My guide paid off the attendant to let us in after-hours – hence the poor picture quality. However, you can’t fail to be impressed by this mosque in the heart of DHS (Defense Housing), one of Karachi’s most affluent suburbs (some of the suburbs homes are really remarkable built in Islamic style and some even I wouldn’t live in!). Built in the late 1960s, this low-slung mosque is contained under one vast dome with no supporting columns or vaults. With a diameter of 72 meters, the dome is claimed to be the largest of its kind in the world. Constructed of white marble, it has thousands of mirror tiles in its thermally proofed interior giving the impression of twinkling stars. The acoustics are perfect for hearing your own voice!! You can hear massive echoes throughout and hear conversations in the corner of every mosque. It was really kind of surreal. I can’t imagine having mass in there – one would probably pass out.

Streets of Karachi

The streets of Karachi are filled with the vehicles covered head-to-toe in decorative ceramics and paint. Although somewhat gaudy, they clearly illustrate the imagination of the Pakistani people. There is nothing I enjoy more than walking the streets of the local markets to get a flavor for the local culture. Some of the pictures below were taken while I walked near and around Saddar and Empress Market, one of the largest markets in Karachi. Saddar, the city center, is the main shopping area with thriving markets selling carpets, fur coats, leather jackets, snake-skin purses, silk scarves and the country’s biggest range of handicrafts. It also has a number of food stalls and cheap restaurants and the majority of budget hotels. Nightlife in Karachi is an oxymoron.

Nothing like the sight of horse drawn carts and camels to remind you that you are thousands of miles away from home:

Look carefully for this interesting “Butt Engineering” sign!!

Nothing to buy but lots to see at Empress Market:

Another interesting observation was the lack (but beginnings) of the Internet. There are a couple of signs and I even saw a bus for a company (www.netmaze.com) that rented a dumpster truck, emblazoned the bus with their name and filled it with a bunch of guys handing out flyers to cars driving by!!! Unbelievable no one got killed!

Soldiers or policemen with automatic weapons are a common sight in Pakistan. I guess that’s what happens when the country is under military rule. They were especially abundant at night because there are a lot of young people hanging around the city looking for parties:

Hopefully great leaders are being educated in this buildings:

Locals playing Pakistan’s de facto national sport, cricket, on a sultry afternoon:

Some would call it art, others would call it vandalism!! These colorful buses were everywhere in Pakistan. The vehicles were very similar to the Jeepneys found in the Philippines. Buses and vehicles are decorated with all kinds of lights and enamel that make them all really gaudy. I don’t think I saw a single bus that hasn’t been enhanced (defaced) in this way! It makes fuzzy dice look like nothing! Also, many people are so poor and fares are so high (because of skyrocketing oil prices) that many buses have created a seating arrangement on the roofs of buses. Literally you see buses going by at 80 km/h with people hanging onto dear life sitting on the roof or hanging out of windows!!!

Locals gawking and smiling at the foreigners:

Monument commemorating Pakistan’s entrance into the nuclear weapon family. Interestingly, there are replicas of this monument in every major city in Karachi:

Guess where I would go if I was a Pakistani?

You can judge for yourself, but I passed this building (the Supreme Court) many times and it sure looked empty to me. I guess the business of law isn’t very good in Pakistan:

Great sunset shot over the city of Karachi:

Crabbing in Karachi

A common past time in Pakistan is crabbing. We rented a small boat (less than 15 feet in length) and took it out into the bay. We were accompanied by several Pakistanis who gave us fishing tackle and bait and let us have a try at catching crabs. As you would expect, none of us caught anything but luckily the crew brought plenty of food for us to eat. They prepared a sumptuous meal of crab, fish and bread. Although it sure tasted good at the time, in the back of my mind, I had a nasty feeling that it was going to get everyone sick. Sure enough, the following day more than half of us were suffering from food poisoning. As for myself, it took a few more days for the poisons to hit me but once it did I was out like a light. I suspect this was the origins of the parasite that knocked me out for 10 days. I thoroughly suggest taking the boat out to crab but don’t eat the food. You have been warned!!!

Our crew preparing our feast (parasitic condiments included free of charge):

Fishing tackle and bait…Karachi style:

The source of the Little Green Men:

Around Karachi

Although most of the following places are easily reached on a day trip from Karachi, I suggest you rent a car and a guide. Some of the laws say you must strictly travel with an armed guard in these regions but I was able to do so without one. Nonetheless, its well worth visiting some of these places if you are even mildly interested about anthropology and some of the oldest civilizations in Asia. I rented a driver named Salim who drove me out to Chakundi (tombs), Banbhore (ancient city where Islam was introduced to the Pakistanis/Indians), Haleji Lake (observatory for birds), Thatta, and Makli (ancient temple/mosque city).

Haleji Lake:

Chaukundi:

Although some way beyond the city limits, this is the safest excursion from Karachi. The tombs are worth a visit if you don’t mind taking the risk. Graveyards stretch for many kilometers west along the coast right into Baluchistan, but the largest and most impressive tombs and mausoleums are concentrated at the end of a short land off the National Highway to the east of Karachi. They are constructed of slabs of rock, stacked into oblong pyramids of cubical stone (Chaukundi means cubical) and carved with exquisite designs. Their history is unrecorded, but most are believed to date from the 13th to 16th centuries.

Banbhore:

Although now a considerable distance inland as a result of silt deposits from the Indus, Banbhore is believed to be the ancient port of Debal, the 8th century landing site of the Arab conqueror Mohammed bin Qasim, who marched north from here to Multan to establish Islam on the subcontinent. It’s interesting for the extensive ruins on three different historical periods so far uncovered – Scythian-Parthian, Hindu-Buddhist, and Islamic – as well as an 8th century mosque believed to be the earliest on the subcontinent (I’m shown above standing at the entrance). A small museum has various finds from the site including the phallic lingham statue shown below:

Thatta / Shah Jahan Mosque:

Thatta was once a large and prosperous city but it declined after the Indus changed course in the early 18th century. Nowadays its interest is more architectural than commercial. According to some accounts, Alexander the Great’s army rested here before marching on into the Makran. The town’s main attraction is Shah Jahan Mosque, shown in my pictures. This mosque was built by the Moghul emperor between 1644 and 1647 and is one of the most magnificent examples of Moghul architecture. Its 93 domes give it superb acoustics. The tile work, a wide range of shades of blue, and the calligraphy are equally impressive. It’s said that Shah Jahan founded it to repay the town when he sought refuge here after arousing the anger of his father.

Makli Hill:This vast necropolis, a couple of kilometers before Thatta on the road from Karachi, covers some 15 square kilometers and is said to contain over one million graves. They are mainly made of sand stone, exquisitely carved with geometric and floral designs like those at Chaukundi. The earliest date to the Summa dynasty which ruled Sind from the mid-14th to early 16th century. The next group dates from the Moghul period. The carvings are so regular that they seem to have been stamped into the stones. Some mausoleums are being restored. Tombs from the Arghun and Moghul periods have beautifully glazed or enameled tiles and bricks, which local artisans still manufacture, particularly the Thatta blue tile:

LAHORE

It is said “Jhenain Lahore nai vakhia oh jamia eh nai ah” How much truth is in it?? Well you can only know by visiting Lahore. Lahore is the capital city of Punjab province. It has been a great center of importance since the Mughal Rule as it remained the capital of great Akbar for about fourteen years and he and his successors built a lot of beautiful buildings here. Ranjeet Singh captured the city in 1779 and became the emperor of Punjab. During the British Raj, some more buildings appeared here. Now not only it is the capital of Punjab but also a great industrial center. Definitely the place to visit in Pakistan, in my humble opinion…

Lahore Fort

The massive walls of Lahore Fort, built by Emperor Akbar in 1566, when he made Lahore his capital. It was modified by Emperor Jehangir in 1618 and later damaged by the Sikhs and British although it has now been partially restored. The compound is filled with stately palaces, halls and gardens built by the Emperors Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, comparable to great Moghul forts in Delhi and Agra in India. It towers over the old city of Lahore, and the huge rectangle (380 by 330 meters or 1,250 by 1,080 feet), is filled with buildings from a variety of periods. A complete tour of the fort takes about two hours. The entrance is through Alamgiri Gate , the Maktab Khana (Clerks’ House) is a small cloistered court surrounded by arcades in which clerks sat recording the names of visitors.

The Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) is entered via steps rising from the comer of the large courtyard north of the Maktab Khana. This little gem was built by Shah Jahan 1644. The Diwan-e-Am (Hall of Public Audience) is an open pavilion with 40 pillars built by Shah Jahan in 1631 to shelter his subjects when they appeared before him. The marble pavilion and red sandstone balcony at the back of the Diwan-e-Am are originals built by Akbar. Here the emperor appeared daily before the public-who, in his day, crowded under a canvas awning. The serpentine sandstone brackets are typical of Akbar’s commissions, with the depiction of animals showing Hindu influence and reflecting Akbar’s policy of religious tolerance. His two-story Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), built in 1566, is behind the balcony and is reached by stairs on the tight.

Jehangir’s Quadrangle is one of the fort’s most attractive areas, was started by Akbar in 1566 and finished by Jehangir in 1617. The buildings on the east, west and south sides of the court reflect typical Akbari style, with richly carved red sandstone columns and elaborate animal-shaped brackets. The Khwabgah-e-Jahangir (Jehangir’s Room of Dreams) is the main building running the length of the north side of Jehangirs Quadrangle and is typical of Jehangir’s period in its austerity. It is now a museum, containing a huge ivory model of the Taj Mahal, some excellent illustrated manuscripts (including the Akbar Nama , the daily chronicle of Akbar’s reign), some beautiful calligraphy, good miniature paintings and a collection of Moghal coins. The Lal Burj (Red Tower) is the octagonal summer pavilion in the northwest comer of Shah Jahan’s Quadrangle. Built between 1617 and 1631 by Jahangir and Shah Jahan, it forms part of the north wall of the fort. The tower is decorated with beautiful tile mosaics and filigree work. The paintings inside date mostly from the Sikh period, The floor was originally of marble, and the water channels, fountains and central pool must have made it delightfully cool in summer.

The Court of the Shish Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) is the best preserved and most interesting place in the fort. The Shish Mahal was built by Shahjahan in 1631 as private apartments for his empress.The whole of the interior is covered with mirror mosaics, carved and gilded plaster-work and pietra dura inlay. The ceiling is original Moghal work; the walls, with frescos and shards of blue and white china- date from Sikh times. The main hall of the palace is open at the front, with five cusped arches supported on delicate fluted double pillars. Pietra dura inlay decorates the base of each pillar and the tops of the arches.The graceful vine pattern over the two outer arches is particularly fine. The floor is a geometric mosaic of marble.

The exit is around to the left (east) behind this wall and down the broad, shallow steps of the Hathi Paer (Elephant Path).This was the private entrance of the royal family and leads straight to the Shah Burj Gate . The mosaics decorating the west and north walls of Lahore Fort are unique in style and variety of design, for here the geometric patterns are liberally interspersed with animal and human figures which, like Mughal miniature paintings, illustrate the ways and amusements of the Mughal court, a curious blend of barbarism and refinement.

Badshahi Mosque

Badshahi Mosque is opposite the main gateway to Lahore Fort. Completed in 1676 under Aurangzeb as the Moghuls’ final architectural fling, it is one of the largest mosques in the world, with huge gateways, four tapering minarets of red sandstone, three vast marble domes and an open courtyard capable of holding at least 60,000 people. It was damaged and later restored by the British. The rooms above the entrance gate, not open to the public, are said to house the hairs of the Prophet Mohammed and other relics of his daughter Fatima and his son-in-law and cousin Ali.

Interior

Exterior

Lahore Museum

Lahore Central Museum, was originally the Industrial Art Museum of the Panjab. Lahore was important because of the key position of Panjab in the Indian Empire. Recently annexed, efficiently administered in less than 30 years there had been progress in irrigation, land settlement and afforestation. The British were also keen to foster, develop and support local craftsmanship. Many projects were undertaken. There are Gandhara, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Indus valley and Islamic collections, wonderful paintings from Moghul times and from the Panjab Hills, and many wonderful examples of handicrafts, rugs and carvings. The collections of calligraphy are also very fine. The Museums most famous exhibits include a Koran which is a thousand years old, and several sculptures including the emaciated fasting siddhartha from Taxila, the miracle of Sarasvati, and the green goddess, Athena. There are some fine prehistoric displays showing archaeological finds half a million years old from the area around Islamabad, and the struggle for Pakistan is well documented. Outside the museum, not far away, Zamzama, the 18th century firepiece immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as “Kim’s Gun” , takes up a surprising length of space in the middle of road.

Buddha and other exhibits:

Kim’s Gun:

Art gallery:

The Mausoleum of Jehangir

The entrance of this superb building is through two massive gateway of stones and masonry opposite each other to the north and south, these lead to a square enclosure. From this enclosure is reached another, on a larger scale, giving a full view of the garden in front, about six hundred yard squares which is traversed by four-bricked canals proceeding from the center, and in which innumerable fountains were introduced, but these are now in ruins. The corridor is adorned with a profusion of marble ornaments arranged in a most elegant mosaic, representing flowers and texts from the Koran. In the interior of the mausoleum is an elevated sarcophagus of white marble, enshrining the remains of the Emperor, the Sides of which are wrought with flowers of mosaic in the same style of elegance as the tombs in the Taj at Agra, on two sides are most beautifully carved the ninety-nine attributes of God. Jehangir’s Tomb is magnificent and decorated with pietra dura. The 99 names of God are inlaid in black on the marble and there are beautiful jalis which admit patterns of light. Jahangir’s tomb was built by his son, Shah Jahan.

Jehangir’s wife Nur Jahan was a power in the court and apparently much loved. It is said that when Jehangir was a young man, he handed the lady two of the royal pigeons to hold. While pigeon flying may not be a cult in many countries, it is a sport enjoyed by the gentle folk of the subcontinent. When Jehangir returned for his birds, one had flown. He was surprised. “But how did it fly?” he asked. “Like this!” She laughed and let go the second bird. They say that from then on he was enchanted. Nur Jahan’s Tomb was stripped down to the bricks by the Sikhs, but it has been restored this century. In buildings of this sort, the grave is underneath the mausoleum, in the cellar.

Old Walled City

Old Lahore is at the foot of Lahore Fort, covering one square kilometer of narrow twisting alleys surrounded by a 9 meter high wall with 13 gates, looking in parts almost as it must have done in Moghul days. It’s a fantastic place to get lost. Among the many sites in and around the city are the Golden Mosque, Wazir Khan Mosque, Brass Bazaar and the people. There are bagpipe players, harmonium makers, dancers, chutney sellers, and streets filled with kites, chickens and other random sights! Golden Mosque (Sunehri Masjid)

The Sunehri Masjid is located in the center of the Old City and was built in 1753. It is famous for its three gilded domes and gold-plated minarets, still shining as brightly as ever. Friday prayers bring the surrounding streets to a standstill.

Wazir Khan Mosque

Wazir Khan’s Mosque is one of the most beautiful in Pakistan. It was built in 1634 by Hakim Ali-ud-din, popularly known as Wazir Khan, who was governor of the area during the reign of Shah Jahan. The Mosque is justifiably famous for the colorful fresco and tile decoration.

Gate and Streets

Bettlenut Makers, Mosques and Cinemas

Shalimar Garden

“A garden,” Babar wrote, “is the purest of human pleasure.” This impressive Mughal monument, the most complete Moghal garden in the entire Indian subcontinent, is on the Grand Trunk Road five kilometers towards the Indian border from the center of Lahore. Laid out by Shah Jahan in 1642 for the pleasure of royal household, which often stayed here for days or week at a time.

In design, it conforms to the classic Mughal conception of the perfect garden and consist of three terraces of straight, shaded walk sets around a perfectly symmetrical arrangement of ponds, waterfalls, marble pavilions, all surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees and enclosed within a wall and more than 400 fountains. There are also huge fruit trees and little chipmunks scamper about. The emperor’s sleeping quarters are at the center of the west wall, across from the Hall of Public Audience, which just through the wall and out of the garden. The emperor walked through this hall daily to show himself to the public gathered in a separate walled garden outside.

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January 5, 2001

Mas and Zoya Siddiqui Wedding

Filed under: Friends, Pakistan, Weddings — Dave @ 10:40 pm

So, you may have been asking, what is an American doing in Pakistan for New Year’s? Well, I was there for my college buddy’s wedding. Mas, a native Pakistani, was getting married to Zoya, also a Pakistani, and for obvious reasons, he held it in Karachi. Below are a collection of some of the photos from the festivities which lasted for about a week.

Spicy Food:

Bride and Groom:

Festivities:

Friends and Family:

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May 21, 2000

Australia

Filed under: Australia, Travel — Dave @ 8:14 am

Most people harbor a particular image of Australia, such as the Opera House or Ayers Rock, yet these famous icons do scant justice to the richness of Australia’s natural treasures and its cultural diversity. Australia offers a wealth of travel experiences, from the drama of the outback and the spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef to the cosmopolitanism of Sydney and arguably the best beaches in the world. Australia is an enormous country, and visitors expecting to see an opera in Sydney one night and meet Crocodile Dundee the next will have to re-think their grasp of geography. It is this sheer vastness, and the friction between the ancient land steeped in Aboriginal lore and the New World culture being heaped upon it, which gives Australia much of its character.

I had the opportunity to spend a week in this amazing country and it will definitely be on my list of future destinations. For those of you seeking a first world country experience, Australia is not to be missed!

SYDNEY

Australia’s premier city is the oldest settlement in Australia, the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country’s capital in everything but name. Built on the shores of the stunning Port Jackson, you would have to die and go to heaven before you see a more spectacular setting for a city. It’s a vital, self-regarding metropolis, exuding both a devil-may-care urbanity and a slavish obsession with global fads. Preparations for the 2000 Olympic Games are now underway as the city strives to bring its civic life on a par with its natural charms.

The Sydney area was the ancestral home of the Daruk tribe, whose territory extended from Botany Bay to Pittwater. There are some 2000 Aboriginal rock engraving sites in the Sydney area, and many of Sydney’s suburbs have Aboriginal names. The city of Sydney began life as a penal colony in 1788, and for the next 60 years received the unwanted, persecuted and criminal elements of British society. Despite its brutal beginnings, the city’s mixture of pragmatic egalitarianism and plain indifference has transformed it into a thriving multicultural society. Sydney now attracts the majority of Australia’s immigrants and the city’s predominantly Anglo-Irish heritage has been revitalised by large influxes of Italian, Lebanese, Turkish, Greek, Chinese and Vietnamese.

Sydney Opera House

Australia’s most recognisable icon is dramatically situated on the eastern headland of Circular Quay. It’s famous sail-like, shell-like roofs were inspired by palm fronds, according to architect Jørn Utzon, but may remind you of turtles engaging in sexual congress. The Opera House is so unique that it has been photographed a zillion times, appears on an army of cheap t-shirts, every other Sydney postcard and decorates the frames of Dame Edna’s dramatic glasses.

It was built between 1959 and 1973, but plagued with construction delays and political difficulties which culminated in the resignation of Utzon in 1966. Although some visitors are disappointed by the interior, designed by a consortium of Australians after Utzon quit, it’s a truly memorable place to see a performance or to sit at one of its outdoor cafes with a bottle of white wine and watch harbour life go by.

The Opera House hosts theatre, classical music, ballet and film, as well as the seasonal opera performances. There is free music on the prow of the Opera House on weekends and a craft market on the forecourt on Sunday.

We took a backstage tour of the Opera House which proved to be both enjoyable and enlightening! Definitely a must see!

Sydney Harbor Bridge

The harbor is the defining characteristic of the city. Its multiple sandstone headlands, dramatic cliffs, rocky islands and stunning bays and beaches, make it one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the world.

Officially called Port Jackson, the harbour stretches some 20km inland to join the mouth of the Parramatta River. The most scenic area is on the ocean side of the bridge. The Sydney Harbor National Park protects the scattered pockets of bushland around the harbour and offers good walking tracks.

The best way to experience the harbor is to go sailing, but if you’re lacking nautical skills there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. Try catching the Manly ferry, swimming at Nielsen Park, walking from Manly to Spit Bridge, having a drink at Watsons Bay, dining with a view at Rose Bay, Balmoral or Circular Quay, or cruising to the heads on the Bounty.

The best photos of the harbor include the Sydney Harbor Bridge. A monumental engineering feat when it was completed in 1932, this 1650-ft-long bridge is one of the city’s most enduring symbols. The best way to experience the bridge and its spectacular views is to follow the bridge walkway, accessible from near the Argyle Stairs. You can also scale the bridge for about A$100 to A$150 which we elected not to do because it would have taken over 3 hours. Next time!

Taronga Zoo

Taronga has the best view of any zoo in the world. Set on a hill, it looks out over Sydney Harbor, the Opera House, and the Harbor Bridge. The main attractions here are the fabulous chimpanzee exhibit, the gorilla enclosure, and the Nocturnal Houses, where you can see some of Australia’s many nighttime marsupials out and about, including the platypus and the cuter-than-cute bilby (the official Australian Easter bunny). There’s orangutans, red pandas, crocodiles, giraffes

…an interesting reptile display, a couple of rather impressive Komodo dragons…

…a scattering of indigenous Australian beasties – including a few koalas, pythons…

…echidnas, kangaroos, dingoes, and wombats, zebras – and lots more.

The kangaroo and wallaby exhibit is very unimaginative; you’d be better off going to Featherdale Wildlife Park for happier-looking animals. Animals are fed at various times during the day. The zoo can get very crowded on weekends, so I strongly advise visiting during the week or going very early in the morning on weekends. Interestingly, the three sun bears near the lower ferry entrance/exit were rescued by an Australian businessman, John Stephens, from a restaurant in Cambodia, where they were to have their paws cut off one by one and served up as an expensive soup.

Sydney Aquarium

This is one of the world’s best aquariums and should be near the top of any Sydney itinerary. The main attractions are the underwater walkways through two enormous tanks- one containing an impressive collection of creatures you can find in Sydney Harbor, and the other full of giant rays and Grey Nurse Sharks.

Other excellent exhibits include a giant Plexiglas room suspended inside a pool patrolled by rescued seals, and a truly magnificent section on the Great Barrier Reef, where thousands of colorful fish school around coral outcrops. Also on display are a couple of saltwater crocodiles and some tiny fairy penguins. We visited during the week when it’s was less crowded.

Australian National Maritime Museum

Modern Australia owes almost everything to the sea, so it’s not surprising that there’s a museum dedicated to the ships, from Aboriginal vessels to submarines, that overcame the tyranny of the waves. Here you’ll also find ships’ logs, all sorts of things to pull and tug at, as well as the Americas Cup-winning vessel Australia II. Docked in the harbor outside is an Australian Naval Destroyer, The Vampire, which you can clamber all over, and an Oberon Class submarine.

Two fully rigged call ships were installed in 1999. Get there by taking the monorail (a good tourist activity) over to Darling Harbor.

Sydney Observatory

The city’s only major museum of astronomy offers visitors a chance to see the southern skies through modern and historic telescopes. The best time to visit is during the night on a guided tour, when you can take a close-up look at some of the planets. Night tours are offered at 8:15pm from the end of May to the end of August and at 6:15 and 8:15pm the rest of the year; be sure to double-check the times when you book your tour. The planetarium and hands-on exhibits are also interesting.

The Rocks

The Rocks are the oldest, quaintest part of Sydney. Today it is unrecognisable from the squalid, overcrowded and plague-ridden place it used to be. Reinvented by visionaries in the building industry and the trade union movement in the 1970s, the Rocks is now a sanitised, historical tourist precinct, full of cobbled streets, colonial buildings and stuffed Koala bears. If you ignore the kitsch, a stroll around the Rocks can be delightful. Attractions include the weekend market, the Earth Exchange geological and mining museum, and numerous craft shops and art galleries.

But it’s the old buildings, alleyways and historic facades that attract most visitors. Try exploring the less developed areas in the contiguous suburb of Millers Point, which has not sacrificed its community life to the tourist dollar. Check out the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel and The Hero of Waterloo, two of Sydney’s oldest pubs.

Queen Victoria Building

You won’t want to miss the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), on the corner of Market and George streets. This Victorian shopping arcade is one of the prettiest in the world and has some 200 boutiques-mostly men’s and women’s fashion-on four levels.

The photos I took show a couple of the clocks that are located within the mall. If you’re willing to wait around, the show at the beginning of each hour is quite entertaining.

Sydney Quarantine Station

Located in the Sydney Harbor National Park, North Head, with spectacular views of Sydney Harbor, the Quarantine Station was the location of numerous personnel detentions. Many agonizing tales were hatched here and there are some fantastic sites and inscriptions (as shown above). The Quarantine Station tours take visitors on a journey through history. Various tours are available including the ‘Ghost Tours’ at night where you can wander through a maze of historic buildings late at night – we took one of these and got the #%$#@ scared out of us. Here are the details of the Quarantine Act:

Above are some inscriptions written by Quarantine inhabitants.

Sydney Powerhouse Museum

Sydney’s most interactive museum is also one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Inside the post-modern industrial interior you’ll find all sorts of displays and gadgets relating to the sciences, transportation, human achievement, decorative art, and social history. The many hands-on exhibits make this fascinating museum worthy of a couple of hours of your time. Here’s Lauren playing with one of the exhibits – a floating ball.

Other Scenes of Sydney

Sydney, the “Emerald City,” sits majestically around the greenest, most beautiful urban harbor in the world. It’s at its best approached at night from the air, when you’ll see a million twinkling lights, a vast swath of fluorescent spreading across the water, and the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge lit up like Christmas. And this is not just one Sydneysider’s opinion of the city, either. In recent years, the readers of both Condé Nast Traveler and Travel Leisure have voted Sydney the World’s Best City. Beat that Paris, or Venice, or Melbourne, or myriad other hopefuls. Here are a few of the other amazing sights in this great city!

State Building and Theater

Interesting Bookcase Building

Interior of Sydney Town Hall

Sydney Monorail

Harry’s Cafe De Wheels – Home of Meat Pies

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Sculpture Outside Cadmans Cottage

View of the Harbor From Observatory Park

St. Andrews Cathedral in Sydney Square

Aerial View of Archibald Fountain (Hyde Park)

CAIRNS / THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The major centre in Tropical North Queensland is Cairns, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the vast wilderness of Cape York Peninsula. The city is fringed by lush rainforests and, to the north and south, are miles of white sandy beaches and turquoise oceans teeming with marine life. From Cairns, daily cruise boats and sail boats travel to Green Island, Fitzroy Island and the outer reef. Charter seaplanes and helicopters are also available.

The World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef is as diverse as beautiful. Many visitors flock to the reef to experience what is arguably the best diving in the world. Others choose a glass bottomed boat, or a semi-submersible to view the myriad species of coral and marine life. One word of advice: if you want to go to Australia for diving, I’d suggest you stay in Port Douglas and not Cairns. However, if you want to visit the islands and lounge on the beach, Cairns is a better bet.

Lauren and I had the opportunity to dive the Great Barrier Reef at the outer Agincourt Reefs. We took a high speed yacht from Port Douglas to the outer reefs of Agincourt. The diving was fantastic and compared to Cozumel and the Grand Cayman Islands (other great diving capitals), the Great Barrier Reef was truly spectacular and not to be missed by any diver traveling to Australia. Unfortunately, my pictures of several reef sharks did not come out so you’ll just have to enjoy my somewhat fuzzy pictures of the coral and fish.

Sea Cucumbers

Giant Clam

Christmas Tree Coral and Lots of Other Coral

Fish Up Close and Personal

Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail

From the reef to the rainforest and from Smithfield, an outer suburb, take the Skyrail, a gondola sky cableway over the rainforest to Kuranda. Kuranda is a picturesque village on the edge of the Tropical Tablelands. There you can visit a range of unique natural and cultural attractions. For instance, you can go for a cruise on the river, or shop for local art and crafts. And the end of a long day board the famous Kuranda Scenic Rail back to Cairns.

PERTH

If you like Sydney, you’ll probably like Perth. It has the same silver skyscrapers glinting in the sun, a remarkably blue sky, the same energetic outdoorsy vibrancy, and like Sydney, the sparkling Indian Ocean and glorious white beaches just a bus ride from downtown. There aren’t nearly as many tourist sights in Perth but I hear that it gets more sunshine than any other city in Australia, some 300 days a year.

You probably know the city and its port town of Fremantle best as the site of Australia’s defense of the America’s Cup yacht race in 1987. On that occasion the Cup returned to American shores where it had lived for so long, but the enthusiasm whipped up in the city lives on. Far from being one of those drab, anonymous capitals that exists only to serve the state’s economy, Perth has lots of fun stuff for the visitor to do. Wander through the impressively restored historic warehouses, museums, and working docks of bustling Fremantle; stock up at the plentiful Aboriginal art and souvenir stores; eat at some of the country’s best restaurants (no, they’re not all in Sydney); go snorkeling and sea kayaking with wild sea lions; bushwalk through a 1,000-acre park in the middle of the city; and ride your bike to a great snorkeling spot on Rottnest Island, a miniature reef resort 19 kilometers (12 miles) off-shore. We specifically visited Perth to attend the wedding of one of Lauren’s close friends, Adrienne.

Memorial Flame Ignited by the Queen at King’s Park

Memorial Monument at King’s Park

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