Travel blog
Halong Bay, or as it is known internationally, Halong Bay, is the most magical, charming and beautiful place in all of Vietnam. The Bay is located in the north of the country, about 300 kilometers from Hanoi, the capital of the country. The Vietnamese call …
With an imposing architecture and more than 800 hectares of gardens, the Palace of Versailles combines history and culture and is one of the most visited places in France. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for over thirty years, the Palace of Versailles is …
Chichen Itza is one of the most visited places in Mexico. Its Mayan archaeological site in the State of Yucatán is one of the largest in excavated area.
Its name comes from ‘Boca-del-pozo (Chichen) of the water priests (Itzá), therefore Boca de Pozo de los Itzáes.
The name is due to the sacred cenote next to which the Maya established their city and that was a fundamental part of their culture and beliefs and that was linked to the god Chaak, deity of rain and water.
If its name is derived from the huatesque language, it is translated as “bird-like snake”.
When the Spanish conquerors arrived in XVI at the hands of Francisco de Montejo and the Franciscan Diego de Landa, they could only contemplate what had once been one of the most lively and active cities in America, since since the thirteenth century it had been abandoned , and already covered by dense vegetation.
Although inhabited since the third century A.D. the creation of a city of Chichén Itzá itself seems to begin in 525 A.D. when populations that came from the south were building settlements such as Tikal in Guatemala, Copán in Honduras, or Palenque, Mayapan, Ek Balam and Uxmal in Yucatán and Chiapas.
Its growth was exponential, exercising a supremacy over the rest of Mayan cities.
In 1988 Unesco surrendered to reality by granting the prestigious seal of World Heritage to the archaeological site of Chichen Itza. Already in the twentieth century (2007) the Kukulcan Temple swelled the list of Wonders of the modern World.
Some secrets of Chichen Itza
Archaeological and field studies have shown that, when the Mayans arrived at the current Chichen Itza, they found an irregular terrain with lush vegetation that quickly transformed.
They laid the ground by digging it, placing structures and burying them to create a plain that they then covered with cobblestones to form streets and roads.
Although Chichen Itza had a large number of warriors and was surrounded by walls, they did not exercise a defensive function.
As also happens in the ruins of Tulum (Yucatan) and other Mayan sites, the walls were used to divide the cities into classes or «neighborhoods» according to the social position.
The interior of the city was occupied by the nobles and their palaces while, as you went to the outer areas, it was more common to find the plain town and its simple huts.
The most mythical image of the archaeological site of Chichen Itza is that of its majestic 30-meter pyramid. This construction (a castle in its origin) was located in the center of the city and was erected in honor of Kukulkan or Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent.
This deity is one of the most important of the Mayan pantheon, responsible for the creation of the world, and its image is present both on the stairs of the pyramid and in many other constructions of the enclosure.
The pyramid of Quetzalcoatl has a body divided into two sides with 9 staggered areas on each side, making a total of 18 (number of months the Mayan calendar had).
It also has four steps, one for each end of the human body, with 91 steps per staircase and adding 364 steps.
If that is added to the top of the pyramid (the head) a total of 365, the number of days a Mayan year has.
If you stand in front of the pyramid stairs and slap, the construction will return a curious distorted, almost animal sound.
It turns out that what is heard after the slap is a noise very similar to the quetzal song, a tropical bird of small size and bright colors that the Maya considered sacred.
Cenotes are natural wells that are formed from groundwater and land subsidence.
In the Mayan culture, the cenotes were considered the entrance to the underworld (Xibalbá) and many burials were made by throwing the corpse into the pool with its wealth and possessions.
Baptized as ‘the snail’ by the Spaniards due to a spiral staircase that hides inside, this building is the perfect example of the great domain of astronomy that reached the Mayan people.
Observing the stars and applying very advanced mathematical knowledge for the time, the Maya designed their calendar and established the times of cultivation in their fields.
Bagan was the capital of the Burmese empire. He dazzled Marco Polo and still has a unique splendor. Its more than 4000 temples, more than 2000 in the archaeological site, are a sufficient reason to travel to the country of pagodas and the friendliest people …
Known as «the island of flowers», Martinique is an island of contrasts that combines its marked French character with a cheerful Caribbean accent that constitutes a mixture of the most peculiar. Martinique is a French overseas department located in the waters of the Caribbean, between …
Located in the city center of Beijing, the Forbidden City is the greatest architectural example of the city’s imperial past. Considered the largest imperial residence in the world ever built.
The Forbidden City of Beijing was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1987. Today, it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country and a must-see when you are touring Beijing.
Built in 1420, the Forbidden City of Beijing was the official residence of the Chinese emperors, both from the dynasty and the dynasty until the abdication in 1920 of Emperor Puyi, whose story passed to the big screen thanks to the film The Last Emperor, originally known as the Forbidden Purple City.
As such, the Forbidden City of Beijing is a walled complex (8 m high) surrounded by a water pit (52 m wide) with more than 70 hectares of surface which is accessed by 4 large doors oriented according to the cardinal points .
As the name implies, access to the site was prohibited and an imperial authorization was required to enter. The complex of the Forbidden City of Beijing is divided into 2 parts, the Outer Court and the Inner Court.
Known as the Gate of Heavenly Peace, Tiananmen Gate is the main access to the Forbidden City of Beijing.
With its 34 m high, the Tiananmen Gate is a national symbol because from there the emperors went to the town and especially because it was from this place where Mao Zedong proclaimed in 1940 the foundation of the People’s Republic of China.
Until now a gigantic mural with the image of the communist leader is maintained.
The so-called Exterior Court was the public part of the complex, the place where emperors made their samples to the public during ceremonial events and state affairs. Located in the southern area of the complex is accessed by the Tiananmen Gate.
After crossing it, you access the Wumen Square that leads to the Harmony Gate that gives access to one of the most important corners of the entire Forbidden City of Beijing, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Considered as the private area of the Forbidden City of Beijing is where the rooms of the emperors were.
After accessing it after crossing the Hall of Supreme Harmony, here are the Palace of Heavenly Purity (residence of the emperor), the Palace of Tranquility (residence of the empress) and the Hall of the Union, the place where the spouses got together.
Other points of interest of the Inner Court are the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (where pieces of the period are exhibited) and the Hall of Mental Cultivation (workplace of the emperor).
Other important corners of the Outer Court are the Salons of the Military Eminence (where the emperor met with high command of his army) and the Literary Glory (delicate to study and literature).
After the imperial chambers are the Imperial Garden or Yuhuayuan which with its 12,000 square meters was the resting place used by all emperors.
An ideal itinerary to know the main points of interest of the Forbidden City of Beijing is to start the route by its southern access or Tiananmen Gate to know in the Interior Court area the Hall of Literary Glory, the Gate of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony.
To access the Interior Court area and visit the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Palace of Tranquility and Union Hall to end the tour by visiting the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Imperial Garden and leaving the complex by the Gate of Divine Power (north).
Schedule:
From 8:30 am to 5 pm from April to October and from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm from November to March.
The ticket price is 60 Yuan from April to October and 40 Yuan from November to March.
¿How to get?
The best way to go to the Forbidden City of Beijing is to take the subway (line 1) to the Tiananmen West or Tiananmen East Stations. You can also go by bus 1, 2, 52, 82, 120.
Welcome to Maui Maui, also known as Valley Island, is the second largest in Hawaii. The island is loved for its world famous beaches, the sacred Iao Valley, sightings of humpback whales in migration (during the winter months), organic cuisine and magnificent sunrises and sunsets …
In the Jigokudani valley, about 850 meters above sea level, we find one of the best-known groups of macaques worldwide: Jigokudani macaques, also known as Yokoyu river macaques or snow monkey. If we are in Nagano, in addition to visiting the city and especially the …
Thousands of multicolored and original-looking rock formations have turned Zhangye Danxia Park, a remote corner of northern China, an authentic canvas whose beauty surprises. Ocher, blue, reddish, green, violated .
The endless color gamut of this landscape offers an almost unreal image of nature made art.
The show lasts over 300 square kilometers, in the province of Gansu, an area of low rainfall, which has seen how erosion has carved sandstone forms for 24 million years.
The natural pigments on the rock strata that the tectonic movements brought to the surface have colored them in a surreal spectacle.
One of the main attractions is to contemplate the ways that the mountains make, finding valleys, cliffs and different geological formations, very interesting to observe and photograph.
In addition you can always talk to people who will give you knowledge and with whom you can learn many facts about the formation of the land.
There are many geologists who come there to be able to analyze how rocks have evolved since the earliest times.
Sign up for the bus routes, which will bring you closer to the viewpoints and points of interest, where the guides will recommend you stop.
Normally guided tours usually last 2 hours. If you go through Gansu, you will also have the opportunity to contemplate the yaks, as well as approaching the Gobi desert, to hire some camel routes.
You will also have to tour the Mogao caves of Dunhuang, as they are part of the protected heritage within the most wonderful places in the world.
You can visit this area and enjoy the best weather, if you go between May and October. Anyway, it is recommended that you wear a thin piece of rain and another for the cold (in the morning and at night usually cool).
The mountainous mountains of the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park are a place of passage of the Silk Road, the historic commercial route that has united the Asian and European continents for centuries, crossing countries such as China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
Today, visiting them has become an adventure and a must for those traveling to the area.
The Danxia mountains (means pink clouds in the local language)
They attract people from all over the world to Zhangye, a city that by itself is not a particularly popular destination.
Located fifty kilometers away, it has enough hotel infrastructure to accommodate tourists visiting the site.
“The most spectacular multicolored orography images are obtained at sunrise and sunset”
From Zhangye, there are three ways to get to the park. The cheapest way is to do it by free, by bus, from the west station of the town, while for those who do not like to leave anything to chance and want to avoid any unforeseen events, the ideal is to opt for an organized tour.
However, the most comfortable formula is to hire a taxi for the whole day. This option is not expensive and allows you to make the visit with much more tranquility, hurrying the times.
And the most spectacular multicolored orography images are obtained at sunrise and sunset, especially from the four viewpoints located in strategic places, which guarantee infarction views.
Those who are not satisfied with walking along the paths marked between colored hills, can decide on other activities such as paragliding, a different way to enjoy a wonder declared World Heritage.
One of the accommodation options you will have will be «7days premium Zhangye Passengers Station», it is one of the best rated hotels, with different offers.
You will have common rest areas, it is centrally located and you will also have television with international channels in each room.
When we hear the word «mummies», our mind is transported to Egypt; however, in Mexico we are lucky to have the largest collection of mummies in the world. The Pantheon of Santa Paula is home to the dark museum that has captured the attention of …