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Gulliver's Travels 01/06/2020

1/6/2020

Bangkok, Thailand

I planned for a full-day layover in Bangkok, Thailand on my way to Burma in November 2019. I was so impressed on a visit there some 20 years ago that I just had to return to see, at least, The Grand Palace and adjacent Wat Pho. Both retained all of their beauty and charm for me over the years. They were built on Rattanakosin Island on the west side of Bangkok.

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace was the residence of the kings of Siam (later, Thailand) from 1782 until 1925. It would have been, therefore, the site of the 1956 film "The King and I," starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. The total area of the complex is just under a square mile, much of it filled with dazzling structures. Several buildings are covered in gold leaf pounded on with hammers. Good thing Dorothy didn't accompany me the first time I went, as she loved gold and would probably have tried to peel off a lot of the gold from the buildings for more rings for her fingers and bracelets for her arms.

Wat Pho

Wat Pho, immediately to the south of The Grand Palace, is a Buddhist temple. Its origins are unknown, but it was significantly expanded in the late 1600s. Its buildings seemed more ornate than those of the palace, with more carvings and bizarre heads with grotesque faces.

This was a Buddhist prayer service inside one of the temples.

This is the Reclining Buddha, 150 feet long. Reclining Buddhas are actually quite common in Asia.

Monks on their way to some function

Epilogue

The Grand Palace and Wat Pho of Bangkok are well-entrenched on my Favorite 50 Man-made Places I have visited. Disneyworld seems miniscule to the stunning structures the Thais (and Siamese) created so many hundreds of years ago. I have to wonder if the Disney efforts will even last one hundred years. Thirty years ago I already noticed deterioration of buildings in The Magic Kingdom. Then, too, I think of Milwaukee's Bradley Center lasting a mere quarter century. Poof! Not so in Bangkok.

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Gulliver's Travels 12/24/2019

12/24/2019

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Hi Everyone!

I'm in Patagonia, soon off to Easter Island.

"After arriving in Chile, I found I would never have enough cash or credit card limit to afford the prices here, especially cupcakes ($500!!!). Then I discovered the dollar sign here also is used for their currency--the peso. And a US dollar exchanges for 740 pesos. Whew!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Dale

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Gulliver's Travels 12/16/2019

12/16/2019

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The Caucasus

The Caucasus usually refer to the three countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, which I visited in April 2019. All three were former republics in the old USSR. The Caucasus also refer to the mountain range at the northern borders of Georgia and Azerbaijan, which also extend into Russia. Georgia

and Armenia have a rich Orthodox Christian history, so they are filled with old monasteries and churches, some dating to the 4th Century. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is almost completely Muslim.

After landing in Tbilisi, Georgia, I took trains east to Baku, Azerbaijan and south to Yeravan, Armenia. Then I generally took day tours, usually by taxi, to outlying areas. My favorite trip was to the border with Russia, high into the Caucasus Mountains

Georgia

Georgia, with 27,000 square miles, is about half the size of Wisconsin, and it has nearly the same population. However, much of it is mountainous or hilly, so its actual population density is higher than Wisconsin's. Its most famous "native son" was Josef Stalin. Though castigated throughout the world (who wouldn't despise a man who said, "A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic."), Stalin is still revered by many in Georgia.

Gergeti Trinity Church, near the Russian border, in the Caucasus Mountains.

Boyhood home of Stalin. No lawn to urinate on, as planned, and I couldn't firebomb the house, either, being ensconced in a shelter.

Caucasus Mountains

Tsminda Sameba, or Holy Trinity Cathedral, in Tbilisi, ca. 2004

Gremi Monastery, ca. 16th Century

A shaped olive tree

Local women holding boxwood branches, a tradition on Easter Sunday, which this was

Ikalto Monastery, ca. 8th & 9th Centuries

Armenia

Tiny Armenia, a bit over a quarter the size of Wisconsin, packed a lot of punch in history for its size. It has three million people, but would have had more, as Turks killed over a million Armenians early in the 1900s. To this day, Turkey denies that happened--notwithstanding overwhelming evidence. Many fled to avoid death, some to the United States. Almost all Americans with a surname ending "ian" have Armenian heritage--including Cher (Sarkisian). Though loaded with beautiful old monasteries and churches, my favorite sight there was the incredible view of Mt. Ararat, actually just across the border in Turkey.

Mt. Ararat, at 16,946 feet high, is where Noah's ark landed (hidden in this view under the morning clouds--but I actually saw it when the skies cleared)

Noravank Monastery, ca. 13th Century

Precarious steps which I refused to climb

Zvartnots Temple ruins, ca. 7th Century, with Mt. Ararat behind (note the ark near the top left)

A new church and religious center near the capital of Yeravan

Tiny Astvatsatsin Church, ca. 12th Century, which "miraculously" survived a 17th Century earthquake, backed up by new (2011-2013) St. Ana Church

Street in Old Yeravan, one of the few old medieval sections of the town remaining

Azerbaijan

Because of its odd name, I have always been intrigued by Azerbaijan--so, of course, I had to visit it. It did not disappoint. It has lots of oil. REALLY lots of it, and it shows in the enormous amount of fanciful new construction. And the best is yet to come, a just-begun complex of many buildings just outside the capital, Baku, one of which will be the tallest building in the world--at nearly 4,000 feet high. For its sake, oil prices better not collapse.

Azerbaijan is a bit more than half the size of Wisconsin, and it has 10 million people, 97% of who are Muslim.

Maiden Tower, ca. 12th Century

The building made of five sections actually has each section capable of rotating independently of the others--pretty unique, even for Baku

One of many such unusual buildings in Baku

The new cultural center in Baku

The Heydar Aliyev Conference Center and Museum in Baku

The Rack in a museum of medieval torture devices in the old Baku palace

The Interrogation Chair (Ouch!!!!)

Yanar Dag, only one of four places in the world where escaping natural gas burns continuously (I saw one of the others in Turkey)

Nearby the open flames are many mud pots with large bubbles caused by escaping gases

Epilogue

Do you want to visit the "Old Country," seeing lots of neat old buildings with tons of history--but don't wish to spend a fortune on a riverboat cruise on the Rhine or Danube (and being exposed to the insufferable snoots and/or jerks you are bound to endure for an agonizing week or two)? Then go to the Caucasus, take local buses, trains, and taxis and private cars--and save tons of money and have more fun. Of course, it might be a bit more precarious, but, hey, as George Carlin often said, "Live a little and take a XXXXing chance!"

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Guilliver's Travels 11/18/2019

11/18/2019

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Dale Sievert

.Red Rock Country Travelogue

The Colorado Plateau, extending from western Colorado westward hundreds of miles, is rife with incredibly beautiful sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone and sandstone. It is enormously colorful, with red rocks dominating.

I first visited the area in 1969, and I've been back 10 times or so, never tiring of the stunning rock formations and canyons formed by wind and water erosion. I'm going again next July, introducing my grandson to such grandeur he won't find in Wisconsin. I know, the Wisconsin Dells has pretty reddish rocks, too. But I took the boat trip there in 1971. When the boat turned around to go back to town, I asked the pilot why we were turning back, as I expected the beautiful rocks were yet to come (as I remembered them from my 1963 trip there). That's what happens when you visit Utah and nearby states--you get spoiled.

Bob Kattner and I visited a few of my favorite spots in the area in early October. If you never visited any of them, we highly recommend visiting them.

Utah

Utah is my favorite state (at least the southern third, home to five national parks and several national monuments). Had my great grandfather been one of Brigham Young's many children, I might have lived there--rather than milking cows as a youth 730 times a year in Newton.

Zion National Park, along Kolob Resevoir Road

Zion Canyon, carved by the Virgin River, seen at the bottom

Beginning of the Narrows hike, with Bob navigating the waters of the Virgin River, two feet deep at times

Nearly three miles up the canyon, which eventually narrows to 10 feet wide and over a thousand feet straight up

Zion Canyon in its late afternoon fiery glory

Bryce Canyon National Park, on the Queens Garden trail, displaying the limestone rocks

Farther along, and much lower into the canyon, on the QG trail

Natural Bridge in BCNP, about a thousand feet higher than the previous photos

At Cedar Breaks National Monument, also a limestone formation

Along Scenic Highway 12, just west of BCNP

Unusual erosion along Cottonwood Canyon Road, Utah

Grosvenor Arch along Cottonwood Canyon Road

Grosvenor Arch up close

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah

Children of fundamentalist Mormons (there were lots of kids--and one mother)

Arizona

Northern Arizona is on the southern fringe of the Colorado Plateau. We saw a truly magical place there--Antelope Canyon. It is on Navajo land. We also saw Horseshoe Bend, an enormous twist in the Colorado River. Both places are very close to Page, Arizona, which was built when the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed in the late 1950s.

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell on the Colorado River, Page, Arizona

Lake Powell, on our 50-mile boat trip to Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Utah

Rainbow Bridge, 290 feet high, near Lake Powell

The bridge from the other side

Entering Lower Antelope Canyon, cut 65 feet deep by flash floods, near Page, AZ

Violent water flows carve unusual formations into the sandstone

The white in the photo is actually an overexposed blue sky, 65 feet up.

This formation is called The Eagle.

Hanging precariously

Two handsome dudes from Manitowoc County

This is in a nearby canyon, Upper Antelope Canyon.

Horseshoe Bend, where the Colorado River does a 180-degree turn, 5 miles from the Glen Canyon Dam

Near Page, AZ

Just before sunset the rocks turn much darker red color.

Nevada

The only thing we saw in Nevada was Valley of Fire State Park, just off I-15, an hour from Las Vegas, on our return to the airport.

A lot of Westerns were filmed in this park.

The deep red colors come from the iron in the rocks.

This one spot in the park had some unusual purple rocks.

You had to have been there to appreciate it.

A very pretty combination of colors

Epilogue

I remember in grade school looking at pictures of Utah, impressed with the colorful rocks. Never have I been disappointed in visiting there. The variation in color, in rock formations, and in vegetation (or lack thereof) keeps me from boredom as I travel through lower Utah, and into Arizona. I think you'll find the same when you go there--and I hope you do.

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Gulliver's Travels 10/07/2019

10/7/2019

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Dale Sievert

ALASKA

In June my 12-year-old grandson, Braxton, and I took an eight-day trip to some lesser-visited parts of Alaska. I went primarily to see the last three national parks there are, after having already visited 58.

Also, I always wanted to go to Barrow, the northernmost city in the US--as well as visit the Arctic Ocean upon which it resides, which completes my quest to visit every one of the world's oceans. All these quests I have, including visiting every state and every continent and all ten of the world's tallest mountains was very time consuming--not to mention costly. But, it sure was fun.

The dotted lines on the map show the flight routes we took. Two routes were done in four and six passenger planes, both necessary to visit the three national parks.

Lake Clark National Park
We flew to this park in a six-passenger plane for about 90 minutes southeast from Anchorage. It has a large population of grizzly bears (we usually saw over 20 at one time)--which delighted my grandson.

Volcanic Mt. Spur, which erupted in 1992 while Dorothy and I were on Kodiak Island--marooning us for three days until the ash cleared enough for planes to fly.

In Lake Clark National Park

A mother grizzly with three cubs

A couple of two-year old cubs wrestling

Digging for clams

A thought for the next life

Kobuk Valley National Park and Gates of the Arctic National Park

We reached these two parks in a four-passenger Cessna, taking about two hours west of the village of Bettles, which is north of Fairbanks. It was so amazing to see virtually no sign of humans for the whole trip. Just stunning how large Alaska is.

Kobuk Valley National Park

There are some large sand dunes in parts of the park.

These are tough plants to be able to grow in such sand.

This is a small island between the two parks. I would name it Sperm Island if I had the authority.

Gates of the Arctic National Park, noting (with sticks) that I finally visited the 61st national park with sticks

In GA NP

On the way back to Bettles

Barrow (Utqiagvik)

Barrow is the name of the northernmost city in the US. However, as its 30-some thousand residents are Eskimos, it is now called Utgiagvik. And, no, I cannot pronounce it. It is almost always cloudy there, so I could not see the sun all night long, though it stayed very bright all night given that in June it is out 24 hours. And it rarely gets above 50 degrees in summer.

We happened to be there when there was a whaling festival, where boat caption provide a big spread of food for all comers--including whale meat. Quite interesting.

Flying over the town

Locating where there are other places to be

An arch made out of whale bones

My face shows my agony coming out of a dip in the Arctic--30-degree water temperature

At the whaling festival

I never saw a loader hauling whale meat in Manitowoc

Pieces of whale ready to be sliced into small pieces

Braxton did not become an aficionado of whale meat.

Denali National Park

Denali is the native American name for the tallest mountain in North America, at over 20,000 feet. It was named Mt. McKinley, after the president, in the early 1900s. It is inside Denali National Park, just over an hour south of Fairbanks.

Flying near Denali on the way from Fairbanks to Anchorage

Braxton hiking in Denali National Park

A nice rock formation

Epilogue

Alaska is big, beautiful, and home to great weather--and horrible weather. So, if you go, be prepared tor many things not to be found in the "lower 48." It's not for everyone, but my 3rd cousin, who lives 20 miles east of Fairbanks and grew up in Newton, would live nowhere else. And if you go, do more than just the common things. See the Inland Passage and a few other things. Go where we did in June. Go to Kodiak Island and other islands, as Dorothy and I did. Go to Wrangel-St. Elias National Park and stay at the quaint sort-of-ghost town of McCarthy, as we also did. You'll find few people--and astounding sights. Skip knows that.

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Gullivers Travels 08/05/2019

8/5/2019

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 Doha, Qatar

Qatar is a tiny country in the Persian Gulf, just east of Saudi Arabia. It is about the size of Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties combined. But because it is awash in oil, its wealth makes our childhood hometown look poverty-stricken.

But, with all their wealth--they don't have Late's. So there!

I had a day layover in its capital, Doha, on April 16th, before heading to Tbilisi, Georgia, then Azerbaijan and, finally, Armenia.

The architecture is quite stunning, showing what oil wealth can build. It was quite easy taking a cab to one end of the strip along the coast and walking to the other end. And as I walked at night, I did not fry in the desert heat.

Skyline of the financial district.

I felt as if I were in a rowboat about to be rammed by an ocean liner.

The top of the building is actually quite red.

This closeup shows the true color.

Some really strange buildings.

A hotel (not mine)

City hall

A restaurant

Closeup of the restaurant.

In the medina

A large thumb sculpture.

Food stall in the medina.

One will never see this outfit in Manitowoc.

An incense burner.

A sword shop (also, never seen in Manitowoc)

I have no idea what they wait for.

Epilogue

Qatar is really a nice place to visit. Also, I don't really wish to live there. But, if you have a chance to do a layover there, I would advise you to do it.

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Gulliver's Travels 05/13/2019

5/13/2019

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Gulliver's Travels

Tunisia

North Central Africa had beckoned me for decades, always seeming to be a place of intrigue. Kasbahs, medinas, desert nomads and the battlefields of the Desert Fox (Field Marshall Rommel) and Patton being things not found in Wisconsin--so I had to go. Dorothy and I already visited Morocco and Egypt, liking both very much. Now, Libya and Algeria were a bit too dicey to try (my intrepid nature does have limits). While driving my rented car in Tunisia, I even felt a bit strange to see road signs announcing Algiers and Tripoli. In Tunisia I visited the cities of Tozeur and El Kef and got to a half mile of the Algerian border. After the trip, I checked the State Department advisory on Tunisia. It said to avoid Tozeur, El Kef, and the area within 30 miles of Algeria. No problem for me, as I have the attitude of the venerable Alfred E. Neuman, "What, me worry? I read Mad."

I flew to Tunis, Tunisia on March 5th and returned on March 17th. I drove about two-thirds of the way to the southern border, then turned west to near the Algerian border. Then I drove north through the battlefields where Patton was first badly defeated at Kasserine Pass, as well as where he finally had success farther east. Then I continued north to near the Mediterranean Sea, finding the landscape surprisingly very beautiful, with expanses of winter wheat and rape (the source of canola oil) in mountain valleys. Finally I turned east to return to Tunis, visiting the ancient, famous site of Carthage.

If you visit Tunisia and have heart problems, I do not recommend driving a car. I have never, ever, seen worse drivers! And pedestrians are even worse, constantly walking in front of cars without looking first. However, it was quite exciting driving, so I had little danger of falling asleep. Oh, and it was also exciting driving through a sandstorm with 50 MPH winds, creating "brownout" conditions. Yet, it took until the ninth day of driving before I saw an accident. Drivers there all know everyone is dangerous, so they are on constant alert.

Muslim Influences

Tunisia fell to the Muslim armies in the eighth century. Many very old buildings constructed shortly thereafter remain today, often

Mosque in the city of Hammamet

At prayer in a mosque in Tunis

Early morning light on a mosque in Tozeur

Monastir Fort (11th Century), used to fight Christian Crusaders

Monastir Fort

A caravanserai, a resting place for members of caravans

The inside of the fluted dome of the caravanserai

Star Wars

Many of the scenes in the Star Wars movies were filmed in southern Tunisia. I visited four of those locations. I actually stayed in a "hotel" where the first movie (from 1978) in which Hans Solo and Chewbacca first appeared in the bar filled with weirdos. The scene was filmed in one of five caves dug vertically 25 feet deep, which was then connected by tunnels. My room was in another of those caves.

Hotel El Sidi Driss, a series of five caves dug 300 hundred years ago for dwelling places

One of the caves used in the bar scene where Luke Skywalker met Hans Solo and Chewbacca

My "hotel room," which cost me $16.70, including dinner and breakfast (that's what you get when you stay in half-star hotels).

The 300-year-old town of Ksar Hedada, which was the spaceport town of Mos Espa in "The Phantom Menace," filmed in 1997

The "artificial" part of Mos Espa built for "The Phantom Menace"

The town of Chenini, a town built hundreds of years ago on a steep hillside and occupied until recently (it did not appear in any Star Wars films)

The Roman Era

The area now called Tunisia was part of the Phoenician Empire, starting in the 9th Century, B.C. It was based in the city of Tyre, now part of Lebanon. In 146 B.C. the Romans conquered the Phoenicians and ruled the area until the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century A.D. Lots of history, lots of towns dotting present-day Tunisia--so I just had to see it.

El Jem Colosseum, built from 230-238 A.D., which held 30,000 spectators of the bloodbaths held there

Dougga, a huge, well-preserved Roman city

The Temple of Mercury in Dougga

Mosaics in a house in the Roman town of Bulla Regia

Roman baths in the city of Carthage, near present-day Tunis

The Berber People

Most of the people living in Tunisia today are ethnic Berbers. They are actually a mix of ancient Africans and Europeans who migrated there thousands of year ago by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Most people speak both the Berber language and Arabic, but those living in remote areas only speak Berber.

This man is making a cup with a handle in a small shop in the medina of the city of Sfax.

A woman resting at the Great Mosque in Kairouan

A man and his donkey

Two women walking in the road (well, where ELSE would they walk?)

A mysterious man walking (of course, in the road)

Granaries, where each farmer has his own niche granary in a huge complex that is walled in to prevent thieves and animal attacks

Miscellaneous Tunisia

I could post dozens of photos of interesting, unusual, and beautiful scenes in Tunisia. Here are just a few.

A typical roadside meat market

The ubiquitous "gas station," where "benzene," rather than gasoline is sold from bottles.

The sandstorm I drove through for several hours in winds of 50 MPH or more

Fields of winter wheat and rape (the yellow flowers ripen into rapeseed, the source of canola oil)

More rape, mixed with olive trees

The mountain scenery of northern Tunisia was surprisingly beautiful.

Epilogue

Why visit Tunisia? Because it is interesting, it is beautiful, and it is cheap. Dinners in nice restaurants, with a beer, cost $5-6, 3-star hotels $20-30, and fuel costs about the same as here. An English man told me he lives in a 5-star hotel for $1000 a month, including breakfast and dinner. So, why would anyone spend winter in Arizona, Texas, or Florida for $3000-$6000 a month, with relatively fewer things of interest to see? I can't think of any reason other than that is it convenient and a bit safer. But, hey, get intrepid like Alfred E. Neuman and say, "What, me worry? I read Mad."

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GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 04/01/2019

4/1/2019

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GULLIVERS TRAVELS

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands was one of those famous islands or island groups that I just HAD to see. So, now I've done it.  A few thousands miles southwest is another--Easter Island. I'll visit there next January. One by one...

   Charles Darwin made the Galapagos famous after he published his theory of evolution, based upon the concept of natural selection. He came upon that concept when he visited the islands in 1835 as the naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle. He was particularly fascinated by the variation in the beaks of finches. He eventually reasoned that the variation occurred as strategies to become more efficient at finding food under differing environmental conditions.

   The islands, 21 in all, are volcanic in origin and are on the equator a thousand miles west of Ecuador. The oldest is at least eight million years old, and the newest is about 10,000 years old. But they are still forming, much like the Hawaiian Islands are--formed because a "hot spot" beneath the moving Nazca Tectonic Plate upon which they reside pumps up molten lava.

   I spent eight days touring there in February (following visits to the giant "old folks home" called Florida and the Virgin Islands), but one could easily spend weeks--or months as Darwin did. But I have other places to visit, so I came home for a few weeks to rest up for my trip to Tunisia.

Landscapes and plants of the Galapagos Islands

The landscapes of the Galapagos are highly variable, from new lava flows and "moonscapes" to mangrove groves to farmed grasslands. And the altitudes vary from sea level to 5,600 feet high. Consequently, the plants that grow there are highly variable, as well.

This is Bartolome Island, one of the newest--and most barren.

Tourists come on boats of all sizes to see the wonders.

Some lava is quite beautiful--and odd-looking.

This steep slope illustrates the barren nature of the island.

The island in the distance is a relatively new volcanic island.

One has to marvel how plants can manage to survive such brutal conditions.

The relatively soft volcanic rock is easily undercut by ocean waves.

This bromeliad is growing amongst some beautiful moss.

This is an acacia tree.

Tortoises

For many, to see the tortoises of the Galapagos is the main reason they go. They are huge, as large as 550 pounds. About 15,000 of the giant tortoises are left from an estimated 200,000 when humans first arrived--and promptly began eating them (mainly sailors). And they can live to be 150 years old. (Funny, you'd think they'd all want to swim to Florida.)

The one on the right ate about three times as much of this banana tree than the others, fascinating to this economist.

This was an attempted rape. The 500-pound male tried to mate with a 200-pound female--but she eventually escaped (without reporting it).

Iguanas

Judging by the shrieks and comments by many on my tours in the islands, nothing creeps out and freaks out people more than iguanas. And they are EVERYWHERE! On sidewalks, decks, and parking lots. And with some species up to four feet long (including very long tails), one must constantly be on the lookout for them. I often wondered if their mothers could actually love their young.

What is a group of iguanas called (I don't know, either)?

A marine iquana

A land iquana

Another land iguana

A marine iguana, a species that loves to soak up the sun on rocks

Sea lions

Though not as numerous as iguanas, sea lions can often be difficult to avoid at times, as they love to hang around docks where people congregate. And they really seem to sleep a lot.

Did I mention that sea lions sleep a lot?

What, STILL sleeping!?

I wanted to rest, but this one gestured to me to buzz off.

Birds, fish, and crabs

Being on the equator, one sees lots of pretty birds and fish (lots seen while I was snorkeling) never seen in Wisconsin. Some nifty crabs, as well (though not pretty).

A pink flamingo (the coloring due to eating pink shrimps?)

Blue-footed boobies (yes, that is really their name)

A heron

Groupers in a fish market

A dolphin

CRABS

Epilogue

Well, that's a big one off my "list," being on it for a quarter century or so. One by one, I'm checking them off (I had a "bucket list" before the movie came out) -- so that I'm not doomed to an eternity of regret in case one or more are left "unchecked" before I "check out."

Should one visit the Galapagos? Yes, if you want to see lots of wildlife not found in Wisconsin or if you want to be where the idea of evolution began or if you want to hang around the equator for a while. Or, finally, if you want to say the cool word Ga LOP a gos while actually being there.

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Gulliver's Travels 03/11/2019

3/11/2019

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GULLIVERS TRAVELS

Mexico

Finally--- after over 50 years of waiting, I got to see the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It was the first foreign place I remember wanting to visit, but we newly-weds couldn't afford it. Later, when we could, Dorothy was fearful of ladrones (thieves) and other bad guys. I've also wanted to see the pre-Mayan site of Monte Alban, beautiful colonial Guadalajara, quaint Cuernavaca, the silver center of Taxco, and, of course, Mexico City.

In the process of visiting these sites, I saw the last of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World (established in 2007)--Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, near Cancun. The other "wonders" I visited earlier include the Roman Colosseum, Machu Picchu in Peru, the Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Petra in Jordan, and the Taj Mahal in India--all magnificent.

I mainly flew between these places, the dotted lines on the map showing flights. I left on January 14th and returned the 24th, so it was a shorter trip than normal.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is one of the best preserved Mayan sites of Mesoamerica, along with Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras. Its origin is in doubt, but a major renaissance occurred in the 11th Century. At its peak, its population was about 35,000 people, but it declined after the 13th Century.

The most impressive structures are El Castillo, a pyramid-shaped temple, and the Ballcourt. The Mayans developed an extremely accurate calendar, and they excelled at astronomy, with many buildings built to reflect solstices and other periodic events of the heavens.

The Ballcourt, 550 long, where two sides tried to pass a large rubber ball through a stone ring high up either side. Only knees, hips, or elbows could be used to move the ball. Losers were usually sacrificed (that is, killed).

El Castillo, built around 800 A.D., is 79 feet high. At the top is the Temple of Kukulcan.

The ring through which the ball (barely) would pass through, about 18 feet off the ground.

The Temple of the Warriors is sited on this small pyramid, decorated with sculptures of the rain god Chac and the plumed serpent Kukulcan.

The Group of a Thousand Columns, which was likely a marketplace.

Oaxaca and Monte Alban

The city of Oaxaca (Wa HARKER) is a beautiful colonial city laid out by the conquering Spanish in 1529. It has a delightful city center with dozens of quaint old structures. Close to Oaxaca are the impressive ruins of Monte Alban, center of the pre-Mayan culture of the Zapotec people. Its zenith was from 400 A.D. to 750 A.D. The site was abandoned by 950 A.D. It was restored in the 1930s.

Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman, built from 1752 until the 1950s

Oaxaca Cathedral, built in 1730

A typical building in Oaxaca

Monte Alban, taken from the North Platform

The South Platform

The Observatory is in the middle, constructed in 250 A.D. The Gran Plaza is on the left, which was the main center for ceremonies.

Guadalajara

Until recently, Guadalajara was just known as a beautiful colonial city WNW of Mexico City. It has grown into the second largest city in Mexico--and also into a center of violent drug activity in the state of Jalisco. I neither bought nor sold any drugs there, so I escaped with my life. I did, however, buy a very tasty custard dish--and it, too, didn't kill me with ptomaine poisoning.

Caption: Cathedral Basilica, founded in 1542 but first finished in the early 17th Century. The towers were replaced in the mid-19th Century following an earthquake.

The colors are enhanced by the early morning light

An elegant wooden door

An interesting sculpture (a fish or whale?)

Cuernavaca and Taxco

At Lincoln High School, my Spanish teacher, Bill Berringer, taught me how to trill my r's. The next year, (weird) Donald Diekelman took me to the next level. Ever since, I loved saying the name of the book, "El Sombrero de Tres Picos." I also loved saying the name of a colonial city, Cuernavaca (which means "cow horn"). So, I had to visit it (but I didn't find a sombrero with three points there). Very nice town. I also went to nearby Taxco, made famous first by its massive silver mines and, more recently, by its silversmiths and jewelry shops.

I never found out the name of this pretty church in Cuernavaca.

Santa Prisca Cathedral in Taxco

There is a mixture of Christian and pagan carvings on the church (though no pagan ones appear in the photo).

A pretty walk through Taxco

A procession for the patron saint Santa Prisca

Mexico City

Beautiful, ugly, vibrant, over-populated, exciting--one can hardly ever run out of adjectives for this huge metropolis of 25 million. So, I finally got to visit it. Of course, the few photos shown here can't do it justice. Even a three-day visit can't. But it's a start.

Before it was Mexico City, it was the capital of the Aztecs, a powerful and bloodthirsty people. It was built in the middle of a lake in 1325 A.D and was called Tenochtitlan. The Spaniard Hernan Cortes overthrew the empire in 1521--and destroyed much of beautiful Aztec temples and other structures. The Spanish then built on top of their destruction, so many buildings that eventually they began to sink in the soft ground saturated with water of the lake. They continue to sink. Good for them! (A little caustic comment now and then makes me feel good.)

The Cathedral, began in 1573 but first finished in the 1800s.

Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztecs, the covered ruins of which were found in the late 1800s

The National Palace, first used as homes for the viceroy and, later, presidents, now holds government offices.

Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the latest of three churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who reputedly appeared at the location.

Epilogue

Many Americans are afraid to go to Mexico because they consider it unsafe. Even if the crime rates are two or five times greater than here, the odds of getting in trouble at a specific spot at a particular time is still tiny. So, go to Mexico to see the fantastic sights. Just be prudent and diligent--and you'll be fine. It's close, people are friendly--and it's relatively cheap (if you avoid the resorts).
Next up--Tunisia. Maybe a little more dicey, but I have no fear of going. So long as Field Marshall Montgomery isn't there to do me in as he did to Rommel's Afrika Corps, I should be fine.

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GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 01/28/2019

1/28/2019

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GULLIVERS TRAVELS

Ethiopia
The Omo Valley of Ethiopia Travelogue

In the southern part of Ethiopia, near the border with Keyna, the Omo River flows toward far-distant Lake Victoria to the south. In several hundred square miles of the region live 16 tribal groups who essentially live as their ancestor did for thousands of years. The entire area is in a time warp. I spent five days in the area with guides who could speak the various tongues of several of these tribes. This area and its peoples looked, lived, and acted far different than those in the rest of Ethiopia. And for the most part, they seemed to have little desire to become "modern" (read: civilized). Some tribes are semi-nomadic herders, others farmers, but all essentially are self-sufficient, producing virtually all of their needs themselves. The tribes often practice polygamy with four wives being the maximum. Individuals do not keep track of their ages. Electricity, plumbing, and motor-powered transport are non-existent. The Omo Valley tour was along the solid line in the south of the country.

The dotted lines on the map show where I flew in the country, and the solid lines show where I either hired a car and driver or took a guided tour.

The Hamer Tribe

This tribe numbers about 45,000. They are pastoralists, who highly value their cattle and goats. They are semi-nomadic, moving their animals with the seasons. They raise some crops, tended by women, including sorghum, cotton, beans, and pumpkins. Though 95 percent are Sunni Muslims, very many also believe objects such as trees and rocks have spirits.

The Omo River

In the dry season, water is found by digging into river bottoms.

Typical hut for a Hamer family

Once a month Hamer women apply a paste of red ochre (powdered rock) to their hair.

Dale is always on a quest for a (mature) female companion

A farmers' market, where one can buy the ubiquitous tiny squatting seats that every Hamer man carries

The Bull-Jumping Ceremony of the Hamer Tribe

Before Hamer men are allowed to marry, they must jump (climb, actually) over a series of bulls (from four to eight) lined up. If they fall off, they cannot marry and are ridiculed. Oh, they also must do so buck-naked.

Several young men did this at the ceremony I attended. For hours before the men arrived, dozens of female relatives of the men chanted, sang, danced, and rang noisemakers in anticipation of their coming. In a bizarre prelude to the jumping, these relatives begged the men to whip their bare backs with switches. Their intent was to wear the resulting scars as a badge of solidarity with their brothers (and cousins), as well as to prove to their actual or future husbands how loyal they are as wives. I saw lots of welts from past whippings--and lots of fresh blood. I wonder if my wife, Dorothy, would have been willing to endure that (well, of course, why would I ever THINK of wondering?).

The waiting relatives

The bloodied back of a whipped woman

Getting ready to run up on top the bulls

A serious discussion among some men while waiting for the bull jumping

On top the bulls

The Dassenach Tribe

   Most of the Daasanach people, officially tallied at 48,000, live near the border with Keyna, while others actually live in Kenya. They were traditionally pastoralists, living primarily off their cattle. But in recent times, drought and forced migration (by the governments of Ethiopia and Kenya) have led many of them to becoming agro-pastoralists, growing some sorghum, beans, pumpkins, and corn.

   They live in dome-shaped huts, and the village I visited had lots of corrugated steel as part of their coverings.

   I found their countenance to be more dour than the other tribes I visited, many seeming to be in a deep funk. My guide said that is how he perceives them, as well. They reminded me of the descendants of the Incas that I visited in the altiplano of Peru, a people I perceived as the saddest I ever met, seldom smiling. But I cannot trust my judgement, as perception of the psyche of others is incredibly difficult. One cannot accurately judge the behavior of others by using one's own "behavior map" as a guide.

I had to cross the river in such a dugout watercraft, hoping the (suspected) crocodiles would think a 165-pound man approaching old age wouldn't be worth the effort to eat.

Huts of the Dassenach people are dome-shaped.

This young mother had two children, indicated by the two spikes of hair on top her head. This cheerful lady told me she wants to have 8-10 children.

A granary

These women are grinding sorghum, which is made into a gruel.

These boys were having lunch at their school

A termite mound nearby the village

The Konso Tribe

One of the largest tribes of the Omo Valley, about 250,000 Konso live in southeast Ethiopia, to the east of the rest of the tribes of the area. Most live in larger towns, but I visited a moderate-sized village of three concentric stone-walled circles, built larger as the population grew. I found the architecture of this tribe to be far more interesting, mainly because of their use of hewn stone for their houses and community buildings. Most have attractive double roofs, often with ceramic pots on the rooftops to prevent rain from entering the houses.

Typical houses

Cotton is commonly spun on such hand-held spinning devices.

Three of the ubiquitous children having fun

The lady is carrying sorghum.

The Mursi

This small tribe, numbering about 8000, live near the border with South Sudan. They are agro-pastoralists, and they are vegetarians. They are noteworthy for their wearing of decorative lip plates and elaborate head decorations. Traditionally, only women wore lip plates for ceremonies, beginning at age 15 or so. Because lately they earn income from tourists taking their photos, they now wear them most of the time. Also, some men are now wearing them. They also earn income by selling the plates to tourists.

The plates held in their hands are being offered for sale to tourists.

These two women are standing by a typical hut.

The woman lying on the ground is having her eyelashes removed by her daughter, a common practice.

This woman is grinding sorghum, which is used to make gruel and other vegetative dishes.

Epilogue

   Masochism and mutilation of one's flesh. How can one accept that in another? Surely such people who engage in such behavior must be flat-out wrong. But, hey, who am I to criticize Westerners who get tattoos or pierce their lips or skin with metal pieces? I can't bring myself to even look at the "metal folks," as it creeps me out. But if they wish to engage in such behavior--and I suffer no other loss--then I'll allow them to follow their wishes. Even more extreme, I'll even let people wear ragged jeans. Just don't expect me to do any of these "bizarre" things.

   I never saw one Ethiopian tribal member with a tattoo or a nose ring. I wonder what they think of Westerners who have them? Disgust, shock, or pity? It wouldn't surprise me, as they are probably just as likely to be critical of other cultures as Westerners.

   As for me, I just say, "Viva la differance!"

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Hi Everyone! I'm in Patagonia, soon off to Easter Island.

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​GULLIVERS TRAVELS​EthiopiaThe Omo Valley of Ethiopia Travelogue

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Hi Everyone!

I'm in Patagonia, soon off to Easter Island.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Dale

GULLIVERS TRAVELS

Ethiopia
The Omo Valley of Ethiopia Travelogue