ADVENTURES THAT INSPIRE ACTION
  • Home
  • About
  • The IMF Series
    • CzechMate
    • BoliviaKnight
    • KenyaQuest
    • IslandGambit
  • Daily Devotions
  • Blog

Blog

Join me on a journey around the world

Isla del Sol, Bolivia

12/14/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Lake Titicaca straddles the border of Bolivia and Peru as the world's highest lake which is navigable by larges vessels at over 12,000 feet elevation above sea level. It's the second largest lake in all of South America, with over 3200 square miles -- bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined! 

The lake Is actually separated by a narrow strait of land into two distinct bodies of water and each has one name for those in Bolivia and a different name if you're in Peru. 
In the midst of the Bolivian portion of the lake, off the shore from Copacabana, lies Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). The island has ruins dating back to the Inca civilization some 2200 years before Christ. Most of the ruins, however, date from the 15th century Incan emperor known as Topa Inca Yupanqui (Noble Inca Accountant).  The ruins include a labyrinth from which they draw the name "Chincana" -- "the place where one gets lost."

Picture
According to Incan legends, Isla del Sol was the birthplace of the first Incas: Manco Kapac and Mama Okllo, son and daughter of Viracocha. The Inca believed that the sun was born here from behind a large rock to the east, shaped like a crouching puma called Titi Khar´ka (Rock of the Puma) hence the lake's name. Their beliefs and description of the Creator God, Viracocha, bear a startling resemblance to our understanding of the creation account and the work of Jesus Christ in creation, including the concept of creating by means of the spoken word of God. 

Picture
Although the ruins are often called the Inca's Palace, archaeologists are not certain of the use or purpose of the structure, but they do know that within the "palace" structure lies a well, which the ancients believed contained purifying water.

According to some students of the site, Lake Titicaca was a site sacred to the Incas. In the Incan creation myth, the god Con Tiqui Viracocha rose up out of Lake Titicaca. After commanding the sun (Inti), moon (Mama Killa) and the stars to rise, Viracocha created more human beings by speaking life into stone and command his creation to populate the world. The Incas therefore believed that Lake Titicaca was their place of origin, and that upon death, their spirits would return to this lake.

0 Comments

Tsavo National Park

12/7/2019

1 Comment

 
Tsavo National Park is composed of two parks, East and West, and is one of the oldest parks in Kenya. Tsavo East is located southeast of the town of Voi and covers 13,747 square kilometers. Tsavo West is slightly smaller at 9,065 square kilometers.
Picture
Tsavo East Is comprised of semi-arid grasslands and savannas, and is the home to more than 500 bird species and 100 mammals, including lions, elephants, leopards, zebras, and giraffes.  Other species include the black rhino, cape buffalo, yellow baboons, and gazelles. The park is visited by over 75,000 per year and is managed by a trust which works to preserve the diverse wildlife found in the park.

The most popular features of the park in addition to the wildlife are the Yatta plateau, Lugard Falls, Aruba Dam, and Mudanda Rock.
Picture
One of the major draws for this park is its remote location. There are relatively few camps especially in the East, meaning you could drive for hours, see all sorts of wildlife, but never run across another vehicle.  From pods of hippos lounging near the Muranda Rock to the short-maned lions named for the park, this is one of the best places to experience Kenya.

Picture
1 Comment

Karlov Most, Prague

12/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Karlov Most (Charles Bridge) is one of the most iconic sights in Prague. One of several bridges that unite the portions of Prague east and west of the Vltava River, the bridge dates back to 1402 and is lined with 30 statues which were added in the 1700's (although the current statues are replicas of the originals). 

Picture
Until 1841, this bridge was the only means of crossing the Vltava from Old Town to the Prague Castle. The bridge is guarded by three towers, two on the Lesser Quarter side of the river and two on the Old Town side. According to Czech legend, King Charles IV, the first King of Bohemia to become Holy Roman Emperor, laid the first stone in the bridge at 5:31am on July 9, 1357. The precise time noted in the legend was significant because Charles IV was a follower of numerology and the exact time formed a palindrome, which the king believed would imbue the bridge with strength. 

Picture
This history of the bridge includes some dark moments. In June of 1621, 27 leaders of an anti-Hapsburg revolt were executed and their heads displayed on the bridge as a deterrent to future rebels. In 1648, toward the end of the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes took the west bank and tried to advance across the the bridge to take Old Town. Fighting on the bridge damaged the tower on the Old Town side of the bridge and the statuary on the bridge had to be removed. The bridge has also been damaged many times over the centuries by flooding, with the most recent renovations taking place within the past ten years. Since the mid 1970's the bridge has been closed to all but pedestrian traffic. Vendors line the bridge selling artwork and crafts to the crowds of tourists who visit the bridge each year.

0 Comments

Papua New Guinea Cultural Shows

12/1/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​A sing-sing is a festival in Papua New Guinea where tribes gather to celebrate and demonstrate tribal songs and dances to share their traditions and promote peace between their tribes. Mount Hagen, the third largest city in PNG, with over 40,000 inhabitants, is home to the largest and most famous such festival.
 
Hundreds of tribes gather, painted and dressed in traditional regalia which features face paints in vibrant colors made from natural materials, plumage from native birds, seashells, and palm branches. The festivals began when PNG was under Australian rule in 1957. Australian officials staged the first such festival as a competition among tribes in Goroka, capital of the Eastern Highlands Province, in an effort to determine how the regions were organized.

Picture
Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975, but the festivals had already become a popular tradition, drawing tribes from around the country and tourists from around the globe. Although competition is still an element of the festivals, for most spectators the show is about gaining a better understanding of tribes that were unknown to the Western world prior to the 20th Century.
 
The tribes perform war-dances, share ancestral songs and stories, and use musical instruments created by hand from the resources in their region. The festivals include demonstrations of tribal funeral rituals, courtship dances, and male initiation rites. ​

Picture
0 Comments

    Saturday Sojourn

    I love to travel. But if I can't actually leave home, I love to travel to far-off places by reading about them. Each Saturday, I'll be sharing about a specific place I've been to or someplace I've researched and added to my bucket list. Join me on the journey!

    Archives

    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019

      Sign up to be sure you don't miss a single exciting destination!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • The IMF Series
    • CzechMate
    • BoliviaKnight
    • KenyaQuest
    • IslandGambit
  • Daily Devotions
  • Blog