Cyprus

Second holidays of 2015 and second island. This time Cyprus. Let's start with the"birthplace" of Cyprus, the Rock of Aphrodite. This is more a symbol of the links and influence of Greece in Cyprus. It must be one of the few country where we see more foreign (i.e. Greek) flags than national flags. The complexity of the history and politics of Cyprus is for all to see. I'll try not to lose friends by writing on this here.

One of the biggest ancient Greek site is Kourion. The theatre was used at times for gladiator games. It is well restored, yet it is pretty simple. This seem to be the case for most Greek-period sites in the country. Apparently, earthquakes have played a big part in destroying ancient sites in Cyprus. And while I was in Cyprus, I experienced an earthquake! Even more impressive than the one I felt in Washington. This time I was lying on my bed and felt the bed moving forward and backward, almost like on a rollercoaster. 

While the Cypriot coast is beautiful with great light and colors, the interior of the country was actually the biggest surprise for me. The mountains are big and the roads windier than in Mallorca. The drive took us to remote villages, where a surprising (for me) number of people do not speak English. The road led through the Troodos mountain to the Orthodox monastery of Kykkos. It is richly decorated,looks quite recent (it was rebuilt many times) and most certainly a great place for a retreat, for thinking and praying.

The contrast between the warm coast and the chilly interior is illustrated by this snow man. And there is a skilift nearby - who would have thought that about Cyprus...

A better-known (unfortunately!) feature of Cyprus is the division of the island. Walking up the main pedestrian - and busy - road in the capital of Nicosia, one eventually comes to a check point. Yes, there is border post in the middle of the city, with a sign reminding people that it is the "last divided capital"! In the time of Shenghen, it is quite surreal to have to queue at a passeport control station, to fill out forms and to get a stamp on a separate piece of paper. How come they did not think about collecting a fee... It also hit me that this division is now more than 40 years old... 

Once on the "other" side, activity and life are definitely more subdued. It seems that the place remained in 1970s/80s: cars are old, buildings are not well maintained (there are already not in the best of shape in the Greek side), decorations are rare. The only posters standing out are those featuring the candidates for the upcoming presidential election - some of them can be seen on the left side of the picture below. The winner seems to have reignited talks about reunification, with intermediary steps taken to facilitate cross-border movement. All in all a strange experience and the feeling of lots of energy, time, and lives lost on this issue.

Let us not finish this entry on tough issues. A point goes to the local food, in particular this excellent octopus.

Another point goes to the Cypriot cats (there are many of them roaming the streets) who were very keen to show off their tennis skills. I think I found out the secret of Baghdatis's tennis talent...

Mallorca

Back this side of the Atlantic, it is good to travel again in Europe. First stop, first island: Mallorca. Many good things there, but let's start by distributing a bad mark to Iberia for poor service about the delayed delivery of our luggage. A tip to Iberia management - tell your employees not to respond "i do not know" when asked by a customer "where are my luggage?". Besides that little hiccup, Mallorca is surprisingly nice: diverse landscape, charming villages, good food, great vibe. Good that most people speak proper Spanish.

The north coast is dotted with beautiful villages, such as Banyalbufar. The roads are very windy and each contour offers nice new views. 

The coast further north (Alcudia and Pollenca) is also very rich in historical places, rocky landscapes, and useful buildings, such as this corrida stadium. The bull was not far, fortunately it was a stuffed one!

The capital itself - Palma - is very agreeable with a nice beach, a well preserved old town, a huge cathedral, a simple Plaza Mayor and a long promenade with busy restaurants and clubs.

With all this busy program - and the welcome time to rest too - we did not get the chance to play a match of tennis against the local hero, Rafael Nadal. He was back after an early exit at an American tournament, so we did not want to bother him.

Partial eclipse of the sun

After a few years without seeing a total eclipse of the sun, it is nonetheless impressive to experience a partial one. Getting the special protective glasses and not forgetting the camera are necessary preparatory steps. Then of course, a clear sky is a must. On that day, we had it all!

 

I had to remember how to take pictures with the protective glasses on top of the camera objective. And then, the sky got progressively clearer and especially more white. The temperature dropped a few degrees. In our region, the eclipse got to around 80 percent.

A good appetizer before the next total eclipse in 2016. Stay tuned...

USA by numbers and by best/worst

After more than four years on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, it is time to make a short summary of the best and worst this side of the world. In particular, how do the USA compare to "old Europe"?

First, let me acknowledge that it was great and easy to travel around and discover both the USA and the Americas. In the USA, I have now visited just over 50 percent of the states. I think it is quite good that I visited 26 states and a half. The map below tells it all. But there is still a big gap in the middle of the country - maybe another time?

Second, and while it is past the Oscar ceremony, time to hand out some prizes:

• Best landscape:               Yellowstone National Park
• Best walk:                       Peekaboo Trail/Bryce Canyon
• Best bike ride:                 Evergleades/Florida
• Best technology:             Cape Canaveral/Florida
• Best amusement park:     Harry Potter/Florida
• Best city:                         Miami
• Best island:                     Puerto Rico
• Best adventure sport:      Dog sledging (Mendenhall glacier)
• Best tennis:                     US Open
• Best concert:                   Coldplay
• Best bar:                          230 Fifth, 5^th Avenue in New York
• Best architecture:            Chicago skyscrapers
• Best mountain:                Mount McKinley
• Best cheesecake:             Cava Mezze, Greek restaurant, DC   
• Best flight:                      Balloon over the Shenandoah  
• Best airport:                    Cincinnati (meeting with Nadal)
• Best beaches:                  Outer banks
• Best political moment:    Obama’s reelection night
• Best tennis court:             Randall Park (playing in front of DC mayor)
• Best aquarium:                Baltimore
• Best zoo:                         DC (pandas)
• Best animal:                    Bisons (being a few meters from them)
• Best spiritual moment:    Dalai Lama
• Best season:                    Cherry Blossom in DC
• Best TV show:                The big bang theory
• Best ads:                         Geiko

• Worst airport:                  Dulles
• Worst language:              New Orleans
• Worst animal:                  Fox begging
• Worst amusement park:   Kings’ Dominion
• Worst political moment:  Obama’s inauguration
• Worst car:                        Voice of my GPS saying “recalculating”
• Worst season:                   DC, as soon as there is a milimeter snow
• Worst infrastructure:        Chesapeake Bay Bridge, by Annapolis
• Worst noise:                     Fire truck siren
• Worst museum:                Ripley’s believe it or not
• Worst historical site:        Jamestown, first settler landing in Virgina

Panama

Whenever you get the chance for a stopover in Panama, make use of the visit to the canal organised directly at the airport by the tourism office.

Before getting to the canal, we get a glimpse of the city. It's impressive the number of skyscrapers you can see, while many more are being built. There must be quite a lot of wealth coming to this place, surely not only thanks to the canal. Still, it is certain that the return of the canal to full Panamanian sovereignty has benefited the country. Apparently, the manager of the canal is one of the most well-paid and discreet person in the country.

The locks at Miraflores (the closest ones to Panama city) are one of the three locks along the canal. Ships transit from the Pacific to the Atlantic in the morning, and in the other direction in the afternoon. It takes around 12 minutes for a ship to do the transit. It is the only place in the world where the captain of the ship has to let another person navigate his ship - indeed it requires special skills, and the help of little cars. The total duration to go through the entire canal is around 10 hours.

It is very impressive how the ships manage to go through the narrow canal. Once the ship is in-between the locks, the water flows out and the ship descends by around 16 meters.

Then, the locks open and the ship goes through towards the Pacific. It's simple, yet impressive. So much trade depends on this canal functioning efficiently. Because of the increase in the number of ships, Panama is building a second parallel canal. The new canal, expected to open in 2016, should allow for bigger tonnage ships to go through. People here did not seem worried by the plans by Nicaragua to open another canal there.

The museum has a good section explaining the construction and the history of the canal, including the failed attempts by the French, before the Americans took over. The canal was opened in 1914. There is a cool simulator, with which you can pretend to be the captain of the ship and get it through the canal. A little video gives a good idea of the challenge to cross the canal.

Peru - Cuzco and Machu Picchu

Indeed a suggestion when travelling to Peru - keep Machu Picchu for last. It is so impressive! I am going to do the same now, and first report on flying to Cuzco over the Andes. Beautiful mountains and quite some snow left.

With this altitude, a good way to acclimatise is a cup of coca tea. You do not need to get high, because you are already high...

Cuzco is quite a sprawling city, with very well preserved historical buildings.

There is quite an interesting mix between Spanish and Quechua/Inca architectures.There are many cathedrals which seem to compete for the attention of the believers. In one of the church, it is quite remarkable that the local version of Jesus' "last supper" has a cuy/guinea pig in the plate. 

Also, the walls of many churches and buildings reuse stonewalls built by the Quechua/Inca.

Not even a tour through the sacred valley, a visit of the sites of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, and the train ride on Perurail to Agua Caliente can prepare you for the awesome Machu Picchu. After a short bus ride up the mountain (yes, no need to climb the mountain anymore - well, you can still do the climb, especially if it is the last bit of your inca trail), you get to the entrance of the site and after a short walk you get this amazing view. What a site! What a scenery!

The city is well maintained and seems so functional with dedicated neighbourhoods. There are the boy's and girl's schools, the apartments for the king and his family (with en-suite bathroom...), elaborated waterways, an industrial area, as well as several astronomical constructions. The guide was quite proud to tell us that the good condition of the ruins, with walls still standing, was testament of the superior architectural skills of the quechuas/incas. They knew how to build structures that would withstand earthquakes. But, talking to people who visited the site in the 60s, I suspect that Peruvians might have rebuilt some of the walls, structures, and houses to make it even more attractive for tourists.

This ancient quechua/inca city was still being built when the Spanish arrived in Cuzco. Since Machu Picchu was dependent on food and instructions coming from Cuzco, its people abandoned it when Cuzco was conquered. The Spanish never discovered it - indeed it was only in late 19th century/early 20th century that Machu Picchu was re-discovered. It is really nice to walk around the site. Arriving early in the morning allows you to enjoy it also all to yourself. The changing light is also interesting to see. If you are lucky, you might also encounter some friendly llamas.

There is even a secret escape route with a scary-looking wooden bridge crossing the cliff face.

Peru - Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca's title is of being the highest navigable lake in the world.

What impressed me more are the islands that the Uros people build out of reed and that float on the lake. Each island hosts around 20 people from different families, with a "mayor" chosen for one year. Kids have to go to school on the continent, and less and less come back to leave on these islands after their studies. It is amazing how people still leave this life in such harsh conditions - remember we are almost at 4000 meters in altitude. The only food they can catch is fish - at our lunch, we got to taste the local trout, which was quite nice. Otherwise, they basically have to "import" everything else. How would you grow a carrot on this island? When you pluck it, the island would sink...

The cruise on Lake Titicaca took us to the small quechua island of Taquile with its old buildings, its churches, its municipal office, and its terrace cultivation. Nice walk around the island. 

Back on the continent, the city of Puno is nice to walk around its few pedestrian streets with many restaurants and shops. The plaza mayor is quite simple. Most people would tell you that the town survives on the trade (legal and illegal) with Bolivia.