Tag: Ancient City

ON OUR WAY TO MACHU PICCHU PERU… TWO DREAMS COME TRUE

Posted in Archaeological Treasures, Architecture, Cities, Cusco, Day Trips, Good Food, Historical, Incredible Vistas, machu-picchu, Magical Places, Mountains, Peru, Trains, Travel, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

When you meet someone you don’t REALLY know if you are compatible for a long time. Although Michael and I seemed to like the same things it wasn’t until he shared with me that a dream of his was to go to Macchu Picchu that I realized just how aligned we were. That had been my dream for many years too. So the planning began in earnest and before we knew it we were on our way to Cusco, Peru.

*** Warning for some the altitude may provide a light dose of altitude sickness as the city is 11,155 ft above sea level. My suggestions is to spend a few days in Cusco first before heading to Macchu Picchu even though it is slightly lower in altitude. It is all the walking you will do that will get you if anything does so give yourself time to adjust.

Cusco is the former capital of the Inca Empire and the combination of Inca and Spanish Colonial architecture that can be found here is amazing.. It is also the jump off place for visiting Machu Picchu and Andes mountains that surround the city. It is a beautiful small city with multiple museums and it has the charm of an old days gone by village. Now on to Machu Picchu.

The first thing you need to know is that Machu Picchu is a very well organized destination due to the shear number of visitors per year This means that you usually must book your trip to the ancient city months in advance. In addition, when you are booking you will have to provide your passport number in order to get a ticket. Further, you will have to determine what circuit you want to be on when you visit. There are three circuits each with different routes that flow visitors through the site. Circuit 1 pretty much by-passes the city taking guests around the outside for great panoramic views of the area. Circuit 2 is the most comprehensive route which takes visitors throughout the city and to the large temples that can be found throughout the area. Circuit 3 offers the Royal buildings. When you are booking you will have to book a circuit. We chose number 2 and are glad we did because there was so much to see and very different vistas and vantage points.

Most people use day-trip type travel companies to get to Machu Picchu. Usually, there is a a van/bus trip from Cusco to Pachar where you board the train that gets you to Machu Picchu City. The train ride takes about two hours and there are two different types of train experiences…one cheap and basic and the other with dining cars with crisp white linen table clothes. Needless to say, I took the cheap version.

The train slowly climbs up through the hills and the views are spectacular. It’s a wonderful way to get a unique perspective of this part of Peru and the Andes Mountains that follow you along the way.

We finally arrived at MP City and had several hours to kill before we would take the bus up to the archaic city itself. We had a wonderful lunch at Full House (gobbling up of the most scrumptious chocolate dessert ever), visited the local church and looked through the marketplace where vendors were selling everything alpaca…blankets, clothes, trinkets, etc. I bought the softest alpaca blanket for about twenty-five dollars and every time I use it the memories of the day come flooding back to me.

Soon the time arrived for us to climb into the bus and meet our guide at the entrance to Machu Picchu herself. Stay tuned for that installment which is arriving soon!

A Day Trip To The Mayan City Of Lamanai- Belize

Posted in Architecture, Belize, Federal, State and City Parks, Foreign Lands, Historical, Religious Shrines, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

One of my favorite day trips EVER was the time we joined a small tour headed for the ancient city of Lamanai in Belize.

The first part of the trip was by jeep which covered miles upon miles of rutted roads . This is where we really were able to see and experience life in the back country of Belize. The poverty was immense and all encompassing. Children dressed in rags ran out of their small houses to wave at the strangers passing by with smiles taking up the majority of their sweet small faces. They were delighted to have something to see and break up their day.

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It was also during this ride that I saw my first ever cashew tree. Colorful cashew apples dressed in yellow and red  hung from narrow branches and swayed in the breeze. A single prized cashew nut protruded from the bottom of this apple which would soon be collected and roasted. The oil from the shell is caustic and can burn the skin so handling the nut is not advised unless you know what you are doing.

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After a two hour ride we finally arrived at the New River where we took a small boat and headed for Lamanai. Along the way we saw crocodiles, jacanas, hawks and many different types of waterfowl. Little boys in dug out canoes were everywhere fishing and delighted to show off their catch from the safety of their boats. As the river meandered along we were surprised when we saw a family of Amish along the river. Seems that there is a colony of the sect living in the area. It was amazing to see people whom I had seen in Pennsylvania Dutch country all the way out in the wilds of Belize.

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Finally we arrived at Lamanai. Ancient Mayan temples surrounded us but it was the errie  never ceasing cries of the howler monkeys hidden in the trees that got our immediate attention. Never in my life had I heard such loud screams and haunting howls! We watched the monkeys scamper in the trees for a time before heading over to the High Temple.

The High Temple (N10-43) climbs 108 ft from the jungle floor allowing for never-ending views along the river. It was the highest building at Mesoamerica at that time it was completed. Construction began in 100BC and the temple was built over an existing neighborhood that dates back to 300 BC. But it is the opulent Central Stairway that is really the star of this show. It is a tough climb to the top when you are encased in the sticky humidity of the jungle.100_6147 2

The Jaguar Temple (N10-9) was given its name due to the two jaguar masks that lie at its base. It is one of the newer temples and was constructed during the 8th century. One interesting fact is that the niches in the jaguars eyes, ears, nose and cheeks were where the native peoples left offerings to the Jaguar God.

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In all the site contains 8 Ceremonial Plazas along with five Temples and an ancient harbor. Other original buildings include Stella-9 and The Mask Temple(9N-56). The site also offers a small museum in which pottery and other ancient artifacts from the area are displayed. Even more amazing is that only 5% of Lamanai has been excavated. Oh, the hidden treasures that are waiting to be found. Makes me want to go back to college and study archeology!

This is one trip that I will never forget. While I cannot remember the cost I can say that every penny was worth it!