religion - 3/11 - i should log off

Photo: Ancient Temple at Night

July 27, 2011 By Jillian

Sometimes visiting the big tourist attraction is worth it, no matter how cheesy or over the top it may be. After two weeks traveling in the Sahara Desert of Sudan, we were happy when the ferry docked in Aswan. The very first thing we bought were doritos and coke zero, hold your judgement until you spend two weeks in a very hot, very dry and very sandy country.

Besides the junk food, we also splashed out on some cliche tourist attractions in Aswan, like visiting the Temple of Isis at Philae at night. Say what you will about the ridiculous laser light show that night, but the experience was worth it just to see the ancient temple in the dark. The lighting was fantastic and I think we took several hundred photos that night alone.

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: Most tourists don’t get to Southern Egypt, also called Upper Egypt, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. There are plenty of nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan, of varying levels of comfort, which make for a relaxing and scenic trip between the two. Otherwise you can take the train, although at the time of our visit it was rumored tourists were only being sold tickets on certain trains and for certain cars, limiting your travel options. Check out our Country Guide: Egypt for more advice and tips.

Photo: Attention Danger

July 25, 2011 By Jillian

The biblical Mt. Sinai does exist, and not surprisingly, it is in Egypt. Clearly we had no choice but to climb the famed mountain. Popular for sunrise, we chose to watch sunset from the peak, assuming it would be warmer (it was) and less crowded (it was).

Small booths with snacks, water and bathrooms lined the winding path towards the mountain top. Some even sold souvenirs, although I’m not sure who would want to carry something further up the mountain. As you near the top you start to see these wonderful little signs along the path, alerting you to the obvious. This was one of my favorites.

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: Mt. Sinai, not surprisingly, is on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Although you can take tours, including hiking trips from Dahab or Sharm el Sheik, it’s a long drive. We recommend stay in St. Catherine’s, the village closest to Mt. Sinai. We walked from St. Catherine’s to and from Mt. Sinai. The village is small and during the day a bit touristy. At night it’s much more authentically local and we were glad to spend the night there in a Bedouin run hostel. The arabian peninsula is full of great hiking opportunities, remember it’s the desert and bring plenty of water and food. There are companies that will take you on hiking holidays to Dubai or Egypt.

Photo: At the Gates

July 21, 2011 By Jillian

There are some images that just capture your imagination. Harar has a long history of politics and religion. Situated in eastern Ethiopia, Harar has for a long time, been a place in which Christianity and Islam have coexisted in harmony. Today Harar is a sprawling city, the old city walls barely contain the street stalls and markets and even in the early hours of the morning, the place is bustling with people.

For the most part, the city walls are still in tact around the old city of Harar. The old city is comprised of stone and stuccoed buildings brightly painted with turquoises, bright whites and vibrant pinks. Wooden balconies stick out over the street and the old city has a feeling of straddling Africa and Arabia. All of Harar really has this feeling, for it served as a major commercial center between African and Arabian trade routes.

Harar was exotic. There’s no other way to put it. Even today, although Danny was terribly sick in Harar, my imagination runs wild when I think of the city where I fed hyenas, drank a pint of beer for $.05, and explored a maze of painted buildings.

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: We spent only two nights in Harar since we had to get back to Addis Abba for our passports. That was enough time to see the major sites, but we probably could have spent another day in the surrounding area going to smaller villages and seeking out the famous feral horses. Harar is about 8 hours by bus from Addis Abba, but feels like a world away. The accommodation options were not great, although we later learned that many homes in the old city rent rooms, which would have made for a more interesting and pleasant experience. There are lots of Ethiopian tour companies that will take you to Harar. If you’re more interested in traveling in Arabia, a more adventurous way would be to start your holidays in Dubai, work your way across the Arabian peninsula, cross the sea to Djibouti and overland to Harar.

Photo: Colorful Cemetery

July 6, 2011 By Jillian

One of the most unique things about Latin America are the cemeteries. I’m not kidding, they are a fascinating look into the culture. Trust me, it’s hard to understand the pagentry and color of Latin America’s Catholic tradition without going to a cemetery.

I say that because you can’t imagine how important religion is to Latin Americans until you see the architecture and color that they put into their final resting places. Many of the mausoleums are like small homes, as you can see in the picture several look like replicas of churches, the yellow one below even looks to have a bell tower.

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 picture was from a cemetery in Pumamarca, Argentina. The cemeteries are the most colorful around saints days or festival days. While it’s a bit morbid, it’s really interesting to see the way in which life, family and ancestors are treated within the cemetery. It’s an interesting cultural look. All over the Caribbean and Latin America, religious holidays especially saints days and festivals are celebrated with great vigor. Try not to miss your saint’s festivals and holidays in st lucia or other caribbean islands. It’s certainly an interesting cultural peek!

Photo: Dance Mask

June 30, 2011 By Jillian

Sometimes a museum almost has to be visited. That’s how we ended up in this coca museum in Puno, Peru dedicated to coca and….Andean festival costumes.

The masks in the museum were incredibly diverse and colorful and are often used for religious celebrations. Fortunately small cards described the festival associated with each mask. Perhaps most interesting is that the masks often represent characters or symbolize human characteristics associated with the holiday. It reminded me of Italy’s tradition of Commedia delle Arte, where masks represent characters that have their own individual personalities.

Many of the masks represented religious holiday festivals, some of the most lavish and decorated related to the Diablada, a famous dance from Bolivia that celebrates Virgin of Socavón. Masked dancing in the region dates back to pre-Colombian times, however the celebrations have changed with the times and are now most often associated with Catholic saint’s days and festivals.

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: Unfortunately we weren’t in the area for the famous dancing festivals. It would have been great to check out the masks used in a parade, but alas we had to settle for a museum. If you are interested in other festivals and holidays full of pagentry, color, music and dance, check out holidays in Dominican Republic where festivals happen all year round.

Photo: Ancient Temple at Night

Photo: Attention Danger

Photo: At the Gates

Photo: Colorful Cemetery

Photo: Dance Mask

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