i should log off » ruins

Romantic Sunsets

Jillian — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:15:07 +0000

Admittedly I’m more of a sunset person than a sunrise person, which is ironic given that I’m a morning person. All of that aside, this is one of my favorite pictures from our entire trip. We’re sitting on the edge of calcium pools in Turkey, at a site called Pamukkale, which has been a popular bathing spot for thousands of years.

Called castle of cotton in Turkish, the travertine and calcium hot springs sit just below the ancient greek city of Heiropolis on the side of a cliff in Eastern Turkey. Today, tourists are only allowed in the man-made baths for conservation reasons, but it hardly takes away from the places ambiance or atmosphere.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Pamukkale is worth an overnight stay just to see sunset from the travertine pools. Bring good sunglasses as during the day the calcium and travertine deposits are absolutely blinding. Towels and lockers can be rented at the “hot springs” at the top- the lush garden areas are worth the admission price alone. It’s easy to spend a full day exploring both the ruins and the pools, but avoid being at either during the heat of the day- the site almost completely lacks shade.

Teotihuacan… say that five times.

Jillian — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:57:38 +0000

The Aztecs are a civilization of legend. From enormous pyramids to human sacrifice to accounts of gold and tremendous wealth they’re a people and a culture that’s become a symbol of Mexico. Teotihuacan, their capital was likely one of the largest cities in the Americas before the Spanish came. At its zenith, the city may have been home to over 200,000 people. With modern amenities like trash collection and multi-story apartment complexes, and practices such as bathing 2-3 times per day, the city was likely a shock to Europeans who were coming from cities where urban live was at the very least unhygienic and unpleasant.

Today Teotihuacan remains part of one of the largest cities in the world. About 30 miles outside Mexico City, the ancient site is enormous, even by today’s standards. Evidence of large residential complexes, specialized markets and enormous religious buildings remain. Teotihuacan’s Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon are the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

Fortunately we toured the site before the crowded tour buses rolled in. From atop the Temple of the Sun a huge expanse of river plain laid out before us. Today it’s dotted with villages, roads and parking lots, but during the time of the Aztecs, the view from atop the Temple must have been breathtaking.

Like many archaeological sites, the line between preservation and conservation has been blurred with construction. Much of the Temple of the Sun has been rebuilt. In fact, today the Temple has one more level then it did when the Aztec’s used it as a religious building. Go figure.

We climbed from temple peak to temple peak. Most of the colorful murals have been removed to museums, but a few areas of decorative tile still exist. I was struck by the similarity of the site’s layout and design to other Pre-Columbian sites and religious center’s we’ve visited throughout the Americas. Teotihuacan’s Temple of Quetzalcoatl (or the feathered serpent) bore a striking resemblance in both construction and motif to Huaca del Sol (Burial place of the sun) in Trujillo, Peru, so much so that I had to wonder whether the Aztecs and Moches (builders of the Huaca del Sol) had any interaction. Interestingly enough the Huaca del Sol is also situated near a Huaca de la Luna.

IF YOU GO: Unsurprisingly the site has little shade so go early and bring plenty of water. There are steps and handrails up most of the pyramids, but respect the barriers and don’t walk beyond the paths. Many Mexican’s believe the site holds special energy- you may see ceremonies or rituals designed to draw in the energy- be respectful and maintain a distance as for some people these ceremonies have deep spiritual meaning. The site is completely mobbed during the solstices because of the energy and alignment with the sun.

Yes, we had to do it!

Photo: Luxor, err Thebes

Danny — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:25:17 +0000

Luxor is the ancient city of Thebes. Sure, I had heard of Thebes but didn’t really know much more about it than that. Our only real priority in Egypt was to visit the Pyramids of Giza but little did we realize that Thebes was where the real action had been in Egypt.
The city of Thebes, in its heyday, was the place to be for most of Egyptian history. The temple of Luxor itself, right in the middle of the city is an impressive display of what Thebes was but Karnak temple just down the road and on the edge of town is even larger and more impressive. Featured in the Bond flick The Spy who Loved me this is what ancient Egypt was about. It’s where we snapped this photo of a headless guard and where we could have spent all day long examining every nook and cranny had it not been for the suffocating heat.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: This is a cheap and exiting place to spend a few days. We had a nice private room with breakfast and A/C for about $10/night. Don’t be afraid to shop around and treat yourself nicely given the favorable exchange. We could have visited the sites on our own but given the heat the tour was worth every penny.