One of the most fascinating trips for wildlife is to fly across the country of Tanzania to its western border, Lake Tanganyika, landing in Kigoma. This where Stanley first met Livingston and gave the famous greeting, "Dr. Livingston, I presume." From there you must get on a boat and travel north to Gombe Stream, the home of the chimpanzees with whom Jane Goodall has spent her life researching. The mountains rise up from the lake and are covered in jungle, serving as a perfect habitat for our close relatives.
Trekking several hours a day can be arduous as the chimps don't necessarily use trails and you may find yourself fighting vines and thick brush trying to follow their calls. Researchers are daily working, tracking and recording the activities of the troop. When you are fortunate enough to locate some of the chimpanzees it is fascinating to watch their interaction. They play, groom, fight, chase, eat and seldom seem still for very long. Their hoots re-sound throughout the jungle, signaling everything from anger, fear and glee, to simply calling out for social reasons.
There are troops of baboons sharing this primeval spot as well. Although smaller than the chimpanzees, they are more nervous and come equipped with fierce looking teeth which they wouldn't hesitate to use if they feel threatened. The two tribes apparently don't play well together and in a fight, the larger chimpanzees would probably win out.
Last month I talked about hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. That was my second trip there but the first was via train and bus. Although the mode of travel was quite different, the magic of Machu Picchu is there for any to find. One has a great appreciation for the engineering feat that was accomplished to create this iconic site. Because it is located on a mountain with steep slopes the 70+ inches of rainfall each year would easily wash away the topsoil if measures weren't taken to help drain the water. The Incas built layers of sand, gravel and topsoil in terraces so they might raise their crops. Walking alongside the terraces gives you immense admiration for what they accomplished.
Going up higher on the mountain also gives you a better perspective on the layout of the whole area. You can almost imagine the Incas coming and going from the houses to the temple.
The llamas and alpacas like to graze on the upper heights, too, so you usually have a chance to see them with this beautiful background.
When you hike the Inca Trail there are porters who carry tents, food and other gear. They gather early morning in some of the villages near the beginning of the trek to hire on for the trip. Their colorful blankets stand out on the mountainous trails as they pass you carrying their packs. Some have made this trip regularly for 15-20 years.
As much as I thought I had prepared to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, somehow I missed the fact that those industrious Incas paved the trail. And not with asphalt, but stone. Big, small, irregular…no real consistent approach. And they threw in stone staircases just to make it interesting. By the time I finished the four days of trekking I had a renewed appreciation and admiration of their stamina. The trail is about 500 years old and served to connect the capital, Cuzco, with the outlying palaces and villages of the Inca realm. Couriers would run the trail (that is another incredible fact) and stop to rest at tambos.
All along the trek there are fascinating Inca ruins. One of the first is Llactapata or "High Town" in Quechua, the Inca language. Situated at 9318 ft. in altitude it was primarily for crop production.
Runkuraqay is believed to be one of the rest stops or "tambo" used by couriers.
Phuyupatamarca was a religious site, complete with extensive baths and is considered one of the most beautiful sites along the trail. It's perched at 11,000 ft. and usually is covered in clouds.
Entering into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate is breathtaking. You still have about an hour trek to actually get to the ruins of the citadel. It was built, inhabited and abandoned between 1400-1500 AD. In 1911 it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham and though excavations continue to take place there aren't any definitive answers as to the primary purpose. It is believed that approximately 1000 people lived there at its height. Whether approached by the Inca Trail or by the train to Aguas Calientes and the bus up the hair-pin road Machu Picchu provides unforgettable vistas.
Cuzco, Peru was called Qosqo, or Navel of the World, by the Incas as it was the most important sacred city of the Andes. When the Spaniards came they essentially commandeered the places of worship that the Incas had. The Cuzco Cathedral was built on top of an Inca palace and completed in 1654. Today it contains many oil paintings as well as works of gold and silver. Many religious holidays and festivals with colorful parades are celebrated on the main plaza.
Saqsaywaman , a huge religious and astronomical complex overlooking the city of Cuzco took about 20,000 people 70 years to build out of limestone from nearby quarries. Its three terraces in zigzags represented lightning thunderbolts a physical manifestation of Pachamama, Mother Earth.
In the Sacred Valley a village called Pisaq dates back to Colonial times during the 16th century. Today its handicraft market draws tourists and locals alike.
At Maras there is a compound of several thousand pools where salt water runs in springs from Qoripukyu, or Golden Springs in the mountains. Individual families own the pools. After the water evaporates they recover the salt and sell it.
Ollantaytambo was a large settlement with an unfinished Temple of the Sun on one of its high terraces. It served as a temporary capital for one of the Inca rulers and has been continuously occupied as a settlement for over 500 years.
Six hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador lies the archipelago now called the Galapagos, made famous by Charles Darwin's excursion there in 1835. It does seem almost a "land time forgot" in that having been protected as much as possible from incursions of external species it looks much as it did when Darwin spent five weeks there studying its geology, botany and animal life. The islands are essentially the tops of volcanoes and look much like a moonscape.
The Giant Tortoise is emblematic of The Galapagos. Today they are only found there and on a few islands in the Indian Ocean, yet their ancestors previously roamed five continents. These mammoth reptiles can weigh as much as 600 pounds and may live as long as one hundred years.
A smaller reptile that is ubiquitous in the Galapagos is the iguana. The Land Iguana may be as long as 3 feet and weigh up to 25 pounds. They sun themselves on the lava rocks in the day time and retreat to their burrows in the cool of the evening.
The Marine Iguana of the Galapagos is the only seagoing lizard. It's generally very dark and much smaller than the Land Iguana. They actually drink seawater and have two glands that process the salt into a saline solution that they snort in spurts from their nostrils.
One writer called the sea lions that live in abundance on the islands, the "golden retrievers" of the Galapagos: friendly and curious about island visitors. Though smaller than their California cousins, a male might weigh as much as 500 pounds. Usually a female has only one pup at a time but can produce one every year. Since they nurse two or three years the harried mother may be feeding pups of different ages.
Almost the entire breeding population of the swallow-tailed gull lives in the Galapagos. It is the only nocturnal gull species and just one of several fascinating birds that primarily are found in this magical place.
Along its Atlantic Ocean coastline Namibia is home to colonies of Cape Fur Seals, found only in southern Africa. These curious creatures seem as interested in the tourists as we are in them. Unfortunately, the Namibian government annually culls the herds, despite the international outcry against this expressed by conservation groups.
The most unusual sight along the coast is the proximity of undulating sand dunes at the shoreline. Traveling inland across the Namib Desert by air one sees an astonishing array of what could pass for abstract art: golden swirls, parallel structures, squiggly lines, etc., all formed by wind and weather. Then there are the amazing orange-colored dunes that intrepid travels have to climb to more personally experience the desert. The world's oldest desert will leave its mark on those who venture to visit it.
Namibia in Southern Africa has been mentioned before in the September 2011 Blog as a country of contrasts. In the north Etosha National Park covers over 8500 sq. miles and is one of the largest conservation areas in the world. Nearly 25% of the park is the white clay Etosha Pan which can be dry for decades. There are about 114 species of mammals found in the park. Three of the more uncommon ones are the gemsbok or oryx, the blue wildebeest and the Burchell's zebra.
Southwest of Etosha is Damaraland, a very rugged mix of wide plains and granite, flat top mountains, the highest of which is The Brandberg, which is around 8000 feet high, making it also the highest mountain in the country. The Damara people, an ethnic group of about 100,000 who are related to the Bantu, formerly lived in Central Namibia but in 1960 were moved by the government to this arid part of the country and the name was then given to the area.
We in the United States often forget (or don't know to begin with) that we share the Rocky Mountains, one of our most beautiful assets, with our northern neighbor, Canada. British Columbia contains, in Banff National Park, a plethora of wildlife, similar in diversity to Yellowstone National Park: black bear, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats, to name a few. Close to two million visitors come in July and August annually.
Jasper National Park in Alberta encompasses more glacial snow and ice than Glacier National Park in Montana. The last Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago. Remnants of this is the huge Columbia Icefield which covers 200 square miles.
The gorgeous vistas all through the Rockies make traveling there, whether on foot or by car, a memorable journey.
The United Arab Emirates is a country consisting of 7 different emirates, or principalities. Abu Dhabi is the capital and chief center of commerce. The UAE population in 2010 was estimated as slightly over 8 million of whom only 13% were UAE nationals or Emiratis. The majority of the population is from Southern Asia and provides the work force for the service industry and related businesses.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the third largest mosque in the world and can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers. The main prayer hall can hold 7000 people. There are seven German chandeliers incorporating millions of Swarovski crystals.
The skyline of Abu Dhabi showcases some amazing architecture as does its sister city, Dubai. Currently the tallest building in the world is Burj Khalifa, 2717 feet high, overlooking the city of Dubai. It is also home to one of the most famous hotels in the world, Burj al Arab, whose sail-like design is unique.
Though modern, fantastic architecture is the norm, there are still pockets with an Old World feel such as the colorful markets with their array of spices, fabric, shoes and gold.
One of the largest flower extravaganzas in the world has to be the annual International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot which occurs every March, April and May. The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or Epcot was a dream of Walt Disney, originally to be a model community of tomorrow with about 20,000 inhabitants. He wanted to show how technology and innovation could improve the quality of life for all. After his death, however, the concept was shelved but the park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement through innovation and international culture.
It opened October 1, 1982 on 300 acres, twice the size of the Magic Kingdom. It had almost 11 million visitors in 2011 making it the third most visited theme park in the United States. During the Festival there are over 100 topiaries, figures of Disney characters throughout. The intense colors of the myriad flower beds are almost overwhelming. The combination of natural beauty combined with the seemingly endless creativity of the Disney staff make for a memorable experience.
