The Classic Inca Trail Peru, South America Part 2 Things we learned on the Inca Trail: It is not a competition. It is not about fitness, but endurance. It is not so much about endurance of the body, but of the mind. The speed of…
The Classic Inca Trail Peru, South America Part 1 (January 7 – 10, 2016) The Inca Trail is not what you think it is. Or rather, it was not what I thought it would be. I had no expectations. In fact I was slightly apprehensive…
Inca Design, Architecture and Technology Machu Picchu & Ollantaytambo Peru, South America While in Peru in January I found myself at two sites where examples of Inca architecture and design could be observed in its finest form. Here below follows a visual tour. [click to…
Uros Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca, Peru Uros islands are floating reed islands found on Lake Titicaca, the largest fresh water lake in South America, situated between Peru and Bolivia. At 3800 metres above sea level Lake Titicaca is considered to be the highest navigable lake…
Tikal National Park, Petén, Guatemala, Central America Tikal is the largest excavated Maya site in the Americas and once was one of the greatest and most prominent cities in all of the Maya world. Besides general sightseeing, of interest to me during my recent visit…
Copán Maya Ruins, Honduras, Central America “Archaeologists believe that the Maya culture in Copán collapsed because the land could no longer support it. As the valley of the population grew, so did the need for wood, cooking and construction. Deforestation caused the valley to heat…
In Mesoamerican theology the sacred World Tree stands in the centre of the world, crossing and connecting three horizontal levels, the heavens, the earth and the underworld. It has its roots embedded deep in the underworld, with its trunk straight and sturdy in the earthly…
Travelogue: Rapa Nui – Highlights of Day 5 (continued) + Days 6 & 7 Te Pito Kura the magnetic stone, Manavai plant enclosures, Hare Moa stone chicken coops and Anakena Beach. Right next to Paro (the toppled moai) I found a stone enclosure with a…
Travelogue – Highlights of Day 5 – Rapa Nui: Rano Raraku Crater and Lake, Papa Vaka Petroglyphs and Garden and Paro the fallen Moai at Te Pito Kura Day 5 (Part 1) I woke up at about 3am and something was amiss. It was quiet…
Travelogue: Rapa Nui – Day 4 Highlights In the morning I went to the tourist information office to pick up some maps and brochures. When inquiring about the weather staff assured me that it would be raining for 3 or 4 days and that the…
Travelogue: Rapa Nui – Day 3 Highlights The following morning I set out early. It was raining all night and the clouds were just starting to clear. I came across a lonely horse next to a small moai, but soon encountered more. I passed by…
Travelogue: Rapa Nui – Days 1 & 2 (June 2015) Day 1: After about five hours of flight time from Santiago, we were nearing our destination. Serious turbulence started up during our descent in the stormy weather. Just before touch-down a very strong tug to…
June 9 – 12, 2015. Santiago de Chile. Photography by Jean-Jacques M. Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved. Gypsy Café.
In this second half of the analysis of the film Groundhog Day [1], we will look closely at Phil’s transition and personal transformation. The first half can be read here: Part 6. Shortly before Phil decides to “check-out of life” multiple times over, we see…
‘Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo’, situated in Uruguay’s oldest (ex-)prison. Montevideo, Uruguay, March 2015. Photography by Jean-Jacques Montagnier — Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved. Gypsy Café