Caracas can be a pretty intense place. And I’m not just talking about the fashion of the women to wear skin-tight jeans and tops cut very low so that their tits spill out… Fortunately, Hugo Chavez is there to welcome you pretty much everywhere you look: Everyone gets worked up about the crime rates in … Continue reading
Henri Pittier National Park is the oldest of Venezuela’s national parks and, given the significant changes in altitude in the park, it is famous for the diversity of its ecosystems. The park, declared in 1937, did not start out as “Henri Pittier” but was re-named in recognition of the Swiss biologist who was instrumental in … Continue reading
I first mentioned Chuao when I described visiting the banana plantation behind this picturesque Venezuelan village. Now, it is time to describe the village itself. Chuao was founded in the 16th century and the village is probably most famous for its cacao plantations where some of the finest cocoa beans in the world are said … Continue reading
Arsemia was the summer capital of the Commagene Kingdom built by King Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philoromaios Philhellen of Commagene in honor of his father King Mithridates I Callinicus. Its mountain location soon became a military stronghold and the site of a mausoleum and religious center. In the valley below is a tributary of … Continue reading
The focus here is on Amun – King of the gods and god of the wind – and the temple which was constructed in his honor in the ancient city of Naqa. Amun has been associated with the ram and so that is an image in abundance here… After approaching the Temple of Amun on … Continue reading
As opposed to the Elephant Temple we just discussed, the nearby “Lion Temple” or Apedemak Temple might have been a site of pilgrimage. In 1822, when the first European expedition visited the Lion Temple at Musawwarat es-Sufra, except for a few contours of the outer north wall and some columns remaining visible, the temple was … Continue reading
I had wanted to visit Cappadocia since reading an article about the region in high school. I saved the article and would be reminded of my desire to go every time I was going through my things. So, while it might have taken me some time to make it there, I did finally make it … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 