South African Travel Pass guide: A desolate valley perched high in a thirsty mountain wilderness November 1, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Rail Pass, Round The World, Sightseeing, South Africa, Tickets, Tour, Trails, Travelling Bag, Trip , 3commentsThe Karoo Nature Reserve all but surrounds the historic Karoo town of Graaff-Reinet, and the town serves as the ideal centre from which to visit the reserve. The reserve was established in 1975 by the South African Nature Foundation, and it encompasses 14500 ha of Karoo plains and mountains, including the Van Ryneveld Pass Dam. This great tract of countryside, once fertile and covered with vegetation, had become badly over-grazed and had begun to show signs of consequent erosion, but today it is recognised in South Africa as a model of conservation and correct land management.
The reserve is effectively split into three sections by the roads to Middelburg and Murraysburg. The western section is the most accessible, and by far the most visited. The eastern section of the reserve is maintained as a natural wilderness — rough tracks do exist, but no good roads, and visitors who wish to hike through this part of the reserve must be accompanied by a member of the reserve staff. (more…)
Across the Swartberg and through the brightly coloured Meiringspoort October 22, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Cape Town, Hotels, Map, Memorial, Money, Restaurant, South Africa, Sunblock, Travelling Bag , 2commentsThe Grootrivier (great river) sculpted the colourful Meiringspoort gorge through the barrier of the Swartberg range, and our route follows the road that now winds along the river’s banks. First, however, we cross the mountains from south to north by rneans of the soaring Swartberg Pass. Four fifths of the route is tarred, the rest is gravel.
If you are considering this drive in winter, first check with the AA in George that the Swartberg Pass has not been blocked by snow. (more…)
Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Street of the Dead September 28, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Destination, Egypt, Geographic, Guatemala, Hotels, Map, Mexico, Museum, Round The World, San Juan, Tickets, Tour, Travelling Bag, Trip , 3commentsThis great and urban and religious centre, 30 miles (48km) northeast of modern Mexico City, was given its present name by the
Aztecs who encountered its awesome ruins. In Nahuatl, the language the Aztecs spoke, Teotihuacan means ‘place of the gods’, or, ‘the place of the creation of the gods’. This great site, dominated by two pyramids, was ‘regarded by the Aztec as the original source of civilization and government, and the place where cosmic order was established.” In Aztec myth, Teotihuacan was where Nanahuatzin, a dying god, jumped into a ceremonial fire which the four creator gods (representing the Four Directions) were too fearful to enter. (more…)
The Ruined Mayans City of Chichen Itza September 22, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Central America, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, Map, Mexico, Rail Pass, Science, Sightseeing, Tour, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag, Trip , 5commentsThe ruined ceremonial city of Chichen Itza lies about 75 miles (120km) southeast of Merida in the north of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. ‘Old Chichen’ was built by the Mayans in what archaeologists call the Late Classic Period (AD 600-830) on an earlier site, only traces of which have been found. Buildings in this area include what have become dubbed the Church, the Nunnery, the House of the Three Lintels and the Caracol — a Mayan observatory. (more…)
Peru Inca citadel Machu Picchu: Hitching Post of the Sun, Sun God September 22, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Cuzco, Destination, Encyclopedia, Geographic, Library, Map, Museum, Tour, Travelling Bag , 3commentsMachu Picchu was an Inca citadel, located a little over 60 miles (97km) ….. north of Cuzco. Its ruins occupy a topographical saddle about 8,000 feet (2,400km) up in the Andes between the peaks of Machu (old) Picchu and Huayna (new) Picchu. It is a complex of cultivation terraces, stone houses, temples, plazas and residential compounds clinging to the ridge, on three sides of which are vertiginous drops, overhanging the gorge of the Urubamba River about 2,000 feet (600m) below. The city was discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham of Yale University, whose reports and photographs captured the public imagination. (more…)
Disappeared Inca Empire Supremacy CUZCO part 3 September 19, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Cairo, Cuzco, Egypt, India, Map, Sydney, Tickets, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag, Zanzibar , 2commentsAre ceques therefore astronomical? That is part, but only part, of the answer. The chroniclers relate that the Incas had observatories with windows through which they watched points on the horizon, and they also mention sets of towers at various positions along the skyline as viewed from Cuzco, which were used to indicate timings for planting various crops either at Cuzco or at higher elevations up the valley sides at key ceremonial times of year. The Spanish totally destroyed these towers, but years of brilliant archive and field detective work by Zuidema and A. F. Aveni has resulted in the positions of the former towers being identified, and the arrangement of ceques ‘on the ground’ being clarified to a great extent. (more…)
Norway Røros Mysterious Light Phenomena continue… September 19, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Air Tickets, Beach Resorts, Canada, Destination, Hotels, Norway, Travel Insurance, Travellers Cheque, Travelling Bag , 2commentsThere seem to be various geological properties that recur frequently in zones that are prone to the appearance of these ‘earth lights‘ .’ Faulting is one of these factors, and faulting occurs around Hessdalen. Mineral deposits are another, and, of course, with Røros being famed for its mining heritage, it is not surprising to find that the area is heavily mineralized with all kinds of ores. (more…)
Is there any way to make Air Travel safer? September 13, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Airlines, Flight Schedule, Hotels, Travelling Bag , 3commentsSince the inception of the jet era, flying has become much safer because of innovations like computerised flight simulators, expanded radar coverage, and high-tech devices that warn pilots of such things as nearby aircraft, threatening proximity to terrain, precarious aircraft altitude or flight angle, and wind-shear conditions. The industry is continually finding new ways to make flying safer through better pilot training, better aircraft inspection and maintenance techniques, and new safety technologies. In the next century, for example, all commercial jets will use satellites to navigate and communicate their positions to air traffic controller on the ground — a tremendous advantage over ground-based navigation aids and radar that lose “sight” of planes once they fly beyond the horizon. (more…)
Luxury Jet Air Flight, the true beginning of Jet-powered Flight September 5, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Hotels, London, San Francisco, Tour, Travelling Bag, Trip , 3commentsJet engines derive their thrust from the reaction to the discharge of hot gases. The jet engine uses a very simple three-stage process to develop its power (or thrust as it is known). It “sucks, burns and blows”!
During the first (”suck”) stage, the jet engine uses very powerful compressor fans to suck great volumes of air into the jet engine casing and compress it to a high pressure. Jet fuel is then mixed with this high- pressure air in a combustion chamber and it is ignited to burn at a very high temperature (the “burn” stage). This very hot gas expands rapidly and is forced out of the rear of the engine producing the force that pushes the aircraft forwards. (more…)
One More Burmese Day August 31, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Asia, Europe, Forex, Hotels, Rail Pass, Singapore, Tour, Trails, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag, Trip , 3commentsAt five in the morning Rangoon shakes off sleep. Paraffin lamps cast pools of sputtering light on the wet streets. After a night of drizzle, the city murmurs as though sound, like the dust, has been cleared from the air by the rain. The lamps wheeze. In a café doorway a man slaps chapati dough on to a board, and stacks the rolled balls into ranks. A boy yawns and adjusts his lunghi. He oversees a water tank parked in the road. Water splashes from a faucet into a jerrican, and when it fills the boy sluggishly replaces it from a line of empty ones. A truck, far off, grinds gears and whines, coming slowly closer. (more…)
Big Safari Game in the Okavango Swamp, Kalahari Desert Travel August 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Botswana, Cape Town, Europe, Rail Pass, Sightseeing, South Africa, Tanzania, Tickets, Tour, Trails, Travel Clinic, Travelling Bag, Trip, Vaccinations , 5commentsWe slid through the swamps while animals criss-crossed our path before and aft; kudu, zebra, buffalo, impala, and a herd of fifteen giraffe, splashing through the water with feet big as plates. Matata poled gracefully; he could have been punting down the Cam as his pole pushed blue and white water lilies aside. His ears were sharp as a jackal’s and he could spot the tracks of a hippo from an extraordinary distance. The lilypad sized footprints, at least one foot across, sank deep into the mud — heavy, purposeful tracks. (more…)
Big Safari Game in the Okavango Swamp, Kalahari Desert Travel August 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Botswana, Travel Clinic, Travelling Bag , 6commentsStranded in the Kalahari desert we had no water and half a packet of Marie biscuits. The bus from Francistown had broken down again and the passengers disembarked, squatting in the cumbersome shade of a baobab tree. They, like us, were shifty-eyed; there had been no rain in Botswana for four years and the lions of the Kalahari were getting hungry. In Gaborone, a week before, we had watched the mauled body of a German girl carried into the hospital. Her death reminded us of the dangers of complacency in Africa. In the shadow of the bus, a vulture wheeling overhead, I kept my eyes fixed on the bush behind us. (more…)
What Air Tickets say, what Airline Luggage can take, have you been treated differently? continue… August 29, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Air Tickets, Airlines, Destination, Flight Schedule, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag , 3commentsBaggage/Luggage
One of the frustrations of travelling by airline is lost baggage. Very often the cause of this irritation is the lack of identification. It is often impossible to identify “incognito” baggage — no name, initials or other personal identification affixed to the airline luggage. The baggage may also be securely locked and look just like the other 2 000 pieces of airline luggage already in the “Lost Property” office!
It is always a relief when you arrive at your airline destination and your luggage shows up on the carousel. If it doesn’t appear immediately, don’t panic. The airline carrier will usually try to transport the passenger and luggage on the same flight but at times this may be impractical or impossible (for example if you are a late check-in or standby passenger). (more…)
What Air Tickets say, what Airline Luggage can take, have you been treated differently? August 29, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Air Tickets, Airlines, Tickets, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag , 6commentsThe limitations of the airline company (carrier) in respect of passengers and their luggage. Few airline travellers realise that the carrier does not guarantee the transportation of passengers or their luggage when selling them an air ticket. In fact there is no obligation on the part of the airline carrier to transport a ticket holder or his/her luggage at all. This will serve to provide you with a little background on the conditions surrounding the sale and use of your air ticket. (more…)
Geomantic feature of the ancient Tower of London, Secret face of Britain’s Capital City continue… August 22, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Airlines, England, Europe, Hotels, London, Rail Pass, Round The World, Sightseeing, Tour, Trails, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag, Trip , 3commentsAfter a short distance, the course of the line connects with the axis of Cannon Street, passing through the former position of the London Stone. The remnants of this undoubtedly ancient feature are to be found today behind an iron grill set into the wall of the Bank of China on the north side of Cannon Street, opposite Cannon Street Tube (subway) station, more or less in the position it formerly occupied against the wall of St Swithin’s church, until that was demolished in the 1960s. Up until 1742, however, it was located on what was then the south side of Cannon Street in a position that would now be in the middle of the modern roadway, as it was subsequently widened. No one really knows the origins of the stone. (more…)
Avebury Village & Related Megalithic Sites: Remarkable Monument, Ceremonial Landscape part 3 August 12, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Air Tickets, Beach Resorts, England, Sightseeing, Tour, Travelling Bag, Trip , 4commentsOne way or another, therefore, it seems that the summit-terrace segment of Silbury had great significance. But what could that be? Patient research has revealed that it almost certainly relates to an astronomical effect that can be observed from Silbury.
Looking eastwards from the top of Silbury one can see the nearby ridge of Waden Hill, and, several miles beyond, the far skyline formed by the Marlborough Downs. In 1987, in early May the author observed that the sun rose in a slight dip in this far horizon. (more…)
Avebury Village & Related Megalithic Sites: Remarkable Monument, Ceremonial Landscape part 2 August 12, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Destination, Europe, London, Memorial, Rail Pass, Sightseeing, Tickets, Tour, Travelling Bag, United Kingdom , 2commentsThe whole was covered with soil, each step of the chalk cone being filled and smoothed into the overall profile of the hill except the top one, which was left as a terrace or ledge running about 17 feet (5m) below the flat summit. Today this terrace is clearly visible on the eastern side of the mound, although the western part of the circuit is less distinct. Whether this was deliberate, or due to erosion by the prevailing southwest winds, is unclear. But the segment of the hill between terrace and summit is significant, as we shall see. (more…)
Greece Delphi: the Sacred Centre, the Navel of the World continue… August 8, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Airlines, Cars, Europe, France, Hotels, Motel, Museum, Rail Pass, Tickets, Trails, Travelling Bag, USA , 3commentsThe village of Kastri was built over the site of the sanctuary and this proved a problem in the nineteenth century when archaeologists wanted to examine the famous oracle site. International rivalry developed over the excavation rights. France won, but at the expense of rehousing all the villagers of Kastri at another site, New Kastri (now the modern Delphi), just over 1/2 mile (1km) to the west. French archaeological investigation has gone on to a greater or lesser degree ever since. (more…)
A Slice of Big Apple August 2, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Cars, Destination, Hotels, Italy, Motel, New York, Restaurant, Travel Clinic, Travelling Bag , 6commentsSix gritty months of fumbling with biros and over-read text books in a level tedium were wiped out. Wiped out by a five-hour flight to a city where riding the subway is an act of hedonism, and where the pollution on the streets works on the brain like speed, driving people scrambling to the summits of New York City’s towers of granite and power. (more…)
Boating in Eire Dolmens and Blarney, feeling of plunging Water, eXhilaration Adventure continue… July 25, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Air Tickets, Airlines, Asia, Cairo, Cars, China, Round The World, Sightseeing, Thailand, The Nile, Tokyo, Tour, Travel Gear, Travelling Bag, Trip, Victoria Falls , 3commentsLooking nervously over his shoulder in case the priest should hear, he scratched his head and rolled his eyes, all the time muttering that terrible word. Then suddenly he clicked his fingers and spat the word out.
“Pagans! Dere’s an old Protestant graveyard, overgrown now, you understand, up dere, by de old crossroads, as used to be dere.”
I waited patiently while he told me forty different ways to get there. Then, thanking him, I beat a hasty retreat to the sacristy door and knocked. (more…)
