I pride myself as being a veteran world explorer, having traveled extensively throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica and Central America and having journeyed to parts of West Africa and South America. However, after reviewing an online article entitled “The New 7 Wonders of the World” – Chichén Itza (Mexico), Christ The Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) , The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu (Peru), Petra (Jordan), The Roman Coliseum (Italy) and The Taj Mahal (India – I realize I am somewhat impoverished in the travel department.
I visited one of these legendary historical sites a long time ago. In January 1974, while traveling through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, I took a day tour from Merida to the nearby Mayan archaeological site of Chichen Itza. This huge spiritual-metropolis complex was the heart of the Mayan empire during its postclassical era in the 9th century. While 1974 seems like a lifetime ago, I remember my day at Chichen Itza as if it was yesterday. As part of a mixed Gringo-Mexican tour group (mostly tourists from Mexico City), we were led around the site by a tour guide who gave us his canned narration of the history of the site and of the Mayan empire. The guide gave the whole spiel in Spanish; fortunately one of the gals from Mexico City gave me the translation in English. We walked the length of the famous ball court and climbed up the steep stairs to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun where we had a birdseye view of this massive complex which towered high above the rainforest. I imagined myself being one of the human sacrifices to the Sun God, my heart being torn out by the one of the Mayan Shamans. By the way, did you see Mel Gibson’s film?
Needless to say, I was quite impressed with the grandeur and history of this ancient city-temple complex. One thing that I was quite disturbed about was the number of large tour buses in the parking lot. Hey, if Chichen Itza was a tourist trap in 1974, I can only imagine in the ensuing 33 years, how its popularity has truly gone off the charts. If there were 20 tour buses in the parking lot in 1974, I can easily imagine 60-100 tour buses sitting there in 2007. The old Mayan Gods would literally be salivating at the chops if they saw their old spiritual stomping grounds being overrun by gringo tourists. More sacrificial lambs to choose from.
In my humble opinion, Angkor Wat, the massive Hindu-Buddhist archaeological complex located in the jungles of Northwestern Cambodia, was even more impressive than Chichen Itza. The city of Angkor was built in the 12th century and was the capital of the powerful Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia. There are over 100 temples in a 10-20 mile radius – that number is literally astounding. The Khmers were the mother culture of this region and have significantly influenced all the civilizations that followed in its wake. Angkor Wat was nominated as one of the finalists for the 7 new wonders of the world but for some reason it failed to make the top seven. While visiting Angkor Wat in November 2005, I was literally awestruck by its magnificence and grandeur.
In addition to Chichen Itza and Angkor Wat, I have been very fortunate to have explored the legendary Incan holy city of Machu Picchu located high in the Peruvian Andes. By far, Machu Picchu was the most impressive of all the archelogical sites that I have visited. Totally out of this World!
By: Bus Goldberg
Tags: Chichen Itza, Christ The Redeemer, Christ The Redeemer Rio De Janeiro Brazil, City Temple, Human Sacrifices, Machu Picchu Peru, Mayan Empire, New 7 Wonders, New 7 Wonders Of The World, New Seven Wonders, New Seven Wonders Of The World, One Of The Gals, Petra Jordan, Pyramid Of The Sun, Rio De Janeiro Brazil, Roman Coliseum, Steep Stairs, Taj Mahal India, Tour Buses, Yucatan Peninsula
Travel America | admin November 18, 2009 | 
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If you are considering exploring South America, Brazil should be at the top of your list. Brazil is an absolute blast for backpackers given the friendly people and very happy attitude of the culture.
Brazil has become a hot destination for many young travelers wishing to see a different sort of culture and climate. Where many college age people of former generations would spend their summer vacations trekking across Europe, today many Americans and Europeans spend that time in Brazil. While Brazil is generally considered to be a friendly and accommodating country to visitors, it’s important to take a few steps to assure that your trip will be a pleasant one.
The main language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese, unlike the Spanish spoken in the rest of South America. If you take the time to learn a few key phrases in Portuguese, the people will be even friendlier as well as patient with the language barrier. You will need a visa to spend time in Brazil. For United States citizens, that will cost you $100 (free for Europeans!). You will also need about $35 a day to live on while in Brazil. Your best bet is not to visit during December through February, as this is summer in Brazil and prices tend to go up when the country goes on vacation. If you want to be in the country for Carnival, however, you’ll need to spend the extra money and travel to Brazil in the end of February.
One problem that Brazil tends to bring up for backpackers is the large distances between cities and regions. This is not a country that is easily seen on foot or even by bus or train. Most of the inner sites in Brazil require plane transport, and you can find some discount airlines that leave from some of the bigger cities in Brazil. It’s also important to take a good guide book with you that includes plenty of maps, books such as those by Lonely Planet tend to be the most accurate and up to date. You will also want to be prepared for the extreme weather and heat that is common in Brazil. Remember, the Amazon River is located in this country and rainforests abound. That sounds romantic, but dehydration can be a major issue as can heat stroke.
If you enjoy the beach life, Brazil is definitely for you. You can spend days on the beach in hotspots such as Rio de Janeiro. This is by far the touristiest area of the country, so try to get out and about to other areas. Salvador da Bahia and Recife are worth a visit. Sau Paolo and Brasilia are not so hot and probably should be avoided. Remembering to bring all of your necessities with you, including enough money to get along and your passport, as well as an open mind will make your trip to Brazil a memorable and interesting journey.
By: Richard Chapo
Tags: Absolute Blast, Backpackers, Best Bet, Carnival, Cities In Brazil, Discount Airlines, Distances Between Cities, Europe Today, Europeans, Extra Money, Extreme Weather, February One, Language Barrier, Language Spoken In Brazil, Lonely Planet, Maps Books, South America Brazil, Summer In Brazil, Summer Vacations, Time In Brazil
Travel America | admin November 17, 2009 |
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The Long Way Round
Armed with three BMW R1150GS Adventure bikes, cameras, motorcycle communications devices and a bag full of a sense of daring and spirit, world-renowned Scottish actor Ewan McGregor and his friend and fellow actor/ adventurer, Englishman Charley Boorman, set out for the journey of a lifetime.
Accompanied by cameraman Claudio von Plata, the duo left London on April 14, 2004 and traveled eastwards on their motorcycles until they reached their destination: New York City. All in all, their group rode for more than 3 months, covered 19,000 miles and rode through the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, USA, Canada and New York. The trip, McGregor described, was borne out of their “desire to ride motorbikes for a very long time”.
As to be expected, the modern adventurers’ trip was neither an easy nor an uneventful one. In Kazakhstan for example, the local police insisted on escorting the group whenever they went. The locals (with the aid of the cops), aware not only of McGregor’s popularity but also of the significance of what the duo was trying to do, kept inviting them to parties (invitations which they could not possibly refuse).
During their trip, they were also held at gunpoint twice. One was by local authorities at the Ukranian border who, because they rode ahead of the local TV people filming them, did not recognized the pair and the other by a lone gunman in Kazakhstan, who apparently did it as a joke as he left the terrified travelers laughing.
In Mongolia, they ate a bowl of sheep testicle soup, a native delicacy.
Minor accidents like getting icy-cold water into their engines, machines breaking down, having petrol sprayed into their eyes, getting rear-ended also kept occurring while the two finished their journey.
In spite of these mishaps though, the two look at the 107 days they spent on the road with nothing but fondness and glee. Not only were they able to see and experience firsthand the generosity of the people of the countries they visited, the experiences they shared during the trip also transformed them from “friends, to brothers”.
Motorcycle Diaries
While the McGregor’s and Boorman’s journey can definitely be described as truly adventurous and quite groundbreaking, it was not however, the first of its kind. More than half a century before the Scot and the Englishman traveled around the world, two young men from Argentina, has already embarked on a similar motorcycle adventure.
In 1951, Alberto Granado and Ernesto Guevara, the future Che Guevara, traveled the length of South America starting from their hometown of Alta Gracia. Unlike their modern counterparts who traveled with GPS devices, powerful bikes and motorcycle intercoms, the young Argentinians only had themselves and their rundown 1939 Norton 500 cc (which they dubbed the “Mighty One, the Second”), to depend on.
Despite having to share one old bike (which was not really in its best condition), the duo was able to travel to 24 different locations in 5 different countries.
While McGregor and Boorman’s journey opened their eyes to the kindness and generosity of the people of the places they visited, Guevara and Granado saw the poverty and inequality that plagued the countries of South America. This journey and the dire conditions he witnessed helped shape the political views and stance Guevara would later try to spread in South America as Che.
By: Maraya Mullen
Tags: Actor Ewan Mcgregor, Bmw R1150gs Adventure, Communications Devices, Destination New York, Ewan Mcgregor, Fellow Actor, Fondness, France Belgium, Gunpoint, Journey Of A Lifetime, Local Authorities, Lone Gunman, Minor Accidents, Mishaps, Motorcycle Adventures, Motorcycle Communications, Native Delicacy, Scottish Actor, Spirit World, Testicle
Travel America | admin November 13, 2009 |
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