Samarkand, one of the legendary cities of the Silk Road, is a place of many marvels and mysteries. Intrepid’s Tara Kennaway takes us to Uzbekistan to uncover the unusual…
“Travellers are immediately drawn to the magnificent Registan - the immaculately decorated medressa and mosque complex that dominates the centre of the Old Town - and mesmerised by other glittering remnants of Samarkand’s golden past such as Guri Amir, Tamerlane’s gilt lined mausoleum. But on the dusty fringes of the town, surrounded by sloping hills and with a stream running by is perhaps the most curious site of all: the Tomb of the Prophet Daniel.
(more…)
Could Egypt’s Queen Hatshepsut have been a tourism trailblazer? In 1493 BC she commissioned an expedition to travel to the ancient land of Punt, known today as Somalia, and this first female pharaoh commissioned public buildings and temples that continue to attract visitors to Egypt.
Today, her very own temple also sends excited shivers the first time you see it. But as Intrepid’s Sameh Tawfik explains, the wonder of exploring the Land of the Pharaohs never wanes
“Plodding up the undulating hills on the back of a placid donkey has a tendency to become monotonous. However, glancing over the cliff to my right, I have a reminder of where I am and where I am heading. At the base of the steep cliff lies the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut and I know just over the next ridge is something even more spectacular.
(more…)
In Shanxi Province in 2005, Chinese archaeologists discovered what they believe is the world’s oldest observatory, dating back some 4,100 years. In this International Year of Astronomy we continue to wonder about our place in the Universe, and if you can really see the Great Wall from the moon, then Intrepid’s Rachel Wasser wonders who is looking at who…
“One of the major highlights of any trip to China is the Great Wall. Having been to six different sections at various times of the year, I like to consider myself somewhat of an expert. I have to say, the best way to see it is a four-hour hike along the Gubeikou to Jinshanling section. I have done the hike twice and there’s just nothing like it!
(more…)
If you are searching for a real adventure that takes you off the regular tourist trail, then join Intrepid’s Jill Petrella as she reveals that hidden beneath the forested hills of Belize are river caves with tales to tell…
“Many of the Mayan ruins of Central America are well-known and sites such as Palenque, Chichen Itza and Tikal can’t fail to impress with their size and grandeur. However, not all the remnants of this civilisation are so easy to find.
From the small town of San Ignacio in Belize I enjoyed the day river-caving. To enter the cave we had to swim across deep, cold, crystal clear water. Then we spent the next two hours wading, swimming and climbing through the cave. The water was fast-flowing so we had to hold on to each other in some sections to avoid being swept away. The only light was from our head torches and the only sound was the gushing of water.
(more…)
There’s no doubt that exploring Machu Picchu in Peru, now voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, will make you feel on top of the world, but for Intrepid’s Martin Ruffo he was just trying not to feel like a dead man as he made his way to Dead Woman’s Pass…
“Day 2 of the Inca Trail is perhaps the hottest topic among travellers in Peru. Extremely hard for some and a walk in the park for others, everyone is quick to share their experiences, feelings, fears, failures and successes on the most challenging day of the trek. And this is mine:
(more…)
The general consensus is that ancient Greek historians compiled the original list of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, and of that list the only surviving man-made wonders are the Pyramids of Egypt.
The Great Pyramids narrowly missed making the New 7 Wonders list, but now standing tall amongst the top 7 is Petra’s 42-metre-high Hellenistic temple facade. These wonders had been on the must-see list of Express reader Rachael Wellington for too long, so finally the opportunity arose to explore them firsthand…
“On a recent trip to the Middle East, I was able to visit to visit both the Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt and the remarkable Palace Tombs of Petra in Jordan - wonders of the world that had been on my to-do list for way too long!
(more…)
With its heritage of British occupation, Intrepid’s Melissa Cannon never expected Sri Lanka to have such difficult-to-pronounce place names - but how wrong she was…
“The first challenge I encountered on our Circle Sri Lanka trip was at Panduwasnuwara, a ruined palace we explored en route to the fort of Yapahuwa, where the lion perched at the top of the ornamental staircase features on the 10 rupee note.
Tongue-twisting names such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and the ancient fortress of Sigiriya are some of the ancient city ruins that comprise Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle.
(more…)
In a country where our pronunciation and tone of the word “ma” could mean we are saying mother, hemp, horse or even swearing, it’s no wonder we try to speak Mandarin in China with some trepidation. But giving it a go is all part of the fun and as Intrepid’s Rachel Wasser knows well, when all else fails, laughs prevail…
“One of the cities we visit on our Silk Road trip from Beijing to Kashgar, through the Xinjiang province in northwest China, is called Jiayuguan. Travellers in my groups often find it hard to get their tongues around this name. I don’t know if people can’t say Jiayuguan, or find it difficult to remember, but I pride myself on my Mandarin pronunciation skills and still when I say it to a local, they have no idea what I am talking about!
(more…)
