Exploring the Mayan ruins at Palenque, Mexico

*WS 93: Exploring the Mayan ruins at Palenque, Mexico*

Palenque is a famous Mayan ruin in south Mexico, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is dated to the period from 200 BC to 800 AD. After that it was lost to the jungle. The main structures which have since been recovered from the jungle include the palace and several temples. We were here in 2013. 

The most impressive of the buildings is the Temple of the Inscriptions, constructed during the reign of King Pacal (615-683 AD). His tomb is also there. The pyramid measures about 60 m by 42 m at the base and is 27 m high. Above that is a temple 11.4 m high. It is on the cover page on the Lonely Planet guide on Mexico. A structure on the cover of "Lonely Planet", what more to say? 1st 3 photos. 

The 4th photo shows 2 small temples at the edge of the jungle. The next 3 photos show structures of the palace, including a carved image of King Pacal. The last photo shows the design of carving on the lid of the sarcophagus of King Pacal. The original carving is of course colourless. This one shown is a printed souvenir item. In the bestselling 1968 non-friction "Chariots of the Gods" the author speculated that King Pacal was an "ancient astronaut" now ascending to the stars in his spaceship. Look like one?

The majestic Red Square, Moscow, Russia

*WS 92: the majestic Red Square, Moscow, Russia*

The Red Square is the main square in Moscow. On one side is the Kremlin which is the palace of the former ruling Tsars and now the office of the President of the Russian Federation. On the other side is a former merchant quarter with many significant buildings led by the iconic St Basil Cathedral. The location of the Cathedral marked the geometric center of the old city. The Square is the number one tourist attraction of Moscow. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were here with 2 others in 2011.

The 1st photo shows the general layout of the Square viewed from the Kremlin Embankment next to the Moscow River. The 2nd shows the Voskresensky Gate, one of the former main gates into the square. The next 2 photos show the Kremlin with its walls and watch towers. The 5th and 6th show the St Basil Cathedral, first built in 1561, and now a museum. The 7th shows the Kazan Cathedral first built in 1636, demolished at the order of the Communist government in 1936 and reconstructed in 1993 while the last photo shows the State Historical Museum founded in 1872. 

All beautiful and well maintained buildings. And there are many more structures and monuments. We were here for 2 afternoons admiring them

见识贫穷的中国贵州-新桥苗寨和地扪侗寨 Experience the impoverished Miao and Dong villages in Guizhou, China

WS 91: 见识贫穷的中国贵州-新桥苗寨和地扪侗寨 Experience the impoverished Miao and Dong villages in Guizhou, China

贵州是中国最贫穷的省份之一 。据2017年的统计，人民人均收入为上海的四分之一。我们在2011年曾在贵州走了两个星期。现在介绍两个很穷的村落，一个苗寨，一个侗寨，都在省的东南面。 

第一个是雷山县大塘乡的新桥苗寨，自称水上粮仓第一村。这里的水上粮仓由多个分仓组成，排列在一个水深数尺的水塘中，用青石块垫基脚，第一张照片。石墩以上的建筑就和平常房屋没分别。这样的水上粮仓具有防火、防鼠、防虫蚁三大功用，是贵州少数民族智慧的结晶。第三张照片的小男孩说他很cool，衣服掀起来当然cool咯，如是女的更cool呢！第四张照片，这位大嫂的房子似乎是家徒四壁。

最后四张照片所示的是黎平县茅贡乡的地扪侗寨。这里保存着侗族的传统鼓楼和风雨桥，是最具特色的两种民间建筑，整座建筑都不用一根铁钉或其它铁件，皆以杉木凿榫衔接，拔地而起。因桥上建有廊和亭，既可行人，又可避风雨，故称风雨桥。 

屋子旁摆着一副棺材，那是表示你已有了棺材老本。这位小当家是个十一岁的侗族美女，背着妹妹，是一间七、八平方米大的杂货店掌柜。我们的队友都向她买零食，大力支持，也欣慰她还念着书。其实，学校就在杂货店旁边。

Guizhou in south western China is one of the poorest provinces in China. According to 2017 statistics, the per capita income of the people is one-fourth that of Shanghai. We were in Guizhou for two weeks in 2011. Covered here are two very poor villages, one Miao and one Dong. Miao and Dong are the main minority ethnic groups in the province. 

The first 4 photos show a Miao village in Datang town famous for the way they store their grains. The granary here is built over a pond with several feet of water. This kind of water granary has the major advantages of reduced fire hazard and rodent attack, a wisdom accumulated over centuries. The little boy in the 3rd photo said he was very cool. Without a shirt of course he was cool. In the 4th photo, the house of this auntie seemed empty and under provided. 

The last four photos show a Dong Village in Maogong town. The structures on show are the traditional Drum Tower and Wind-Rain Bridge. The bridge do provide shelter for user from wind and rain and are thus called “wind-rain” bridge. They are the most distinctive folk architectures of the Dong people, all nail-free constructions. 

Keeping a coffin in the house means one is prepared to go. The 11-year-old beauty, with a little sister on her back, is the shopkeeper of a mini market. She was the darling of our tour group and everybody bought something from her store as a show of support. We were relieved to learn that she was still studying. In fact the school was just next door.

Walk on the Athabasca Glacier in the Rocky Mountains, Canada

*WS 90: Walk on the Athabasca Glacier in the Rocky Mountains, Canada*

The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in the Rocky Mountains in western Canada, lying partly in the Banff National Park and partly in the Jasper National Park. It feeds 6 glaciers, one of them the Athabasca Glacier. In 2019 we were directly transported to the glacier and walked on the glacier without the burdensome spikes and sticks. 

From the Glacier Exploration Centre on the Icefield Parkway, we boarded a special snow coach called the Ice Explorer which took us directly to the glacier. The giant coach, the design based on an army vehicle, was said to cost over a million US$ each and could climb up very steep slopes. The depth of the ice in this part of the glacier is around 100 to 250 m.

Captivating autumn vista in Kurodake (黒岳山), Hokkaido, Japan

*WS 89: captivating autumn vista in Kurodake (黒岳山), Hokkaido, Japan*

The Daisetsuzan National Park is a huge national park in central Hokkaido, Japan. There are several mountains within the national park which have ropeways to enable tourists and skiers to get near the peak easily. We were here in 2018 and went up to 2 of these peaks, Asahidake and Kurodake, on 2 consecutive days. We would talk about only Kurodake here. 

From the base of Asahidake our group took several hours to drive to the base of Kurodake, the town called Sounkyo Onsen. The 1st 2 photos show the magnificent autumn colours along the journey. The 3rd and 4th photo show the views from the observation deck of the 5th ropeway station. From here We had to change to a chairlift to go to the 7th station. Then tried to trek to the summit, part of the journey shown in the 5th and 6th photo. However we stopped after about 20 minutes because it started to rain and the trek became slippery. The last 2 photos show scenery near the bottom station of the ropeway.

The awesome castle of Krak des Chevaliers, Homs, Syria*

*WS 88: The awesome castle of Krak des Chevaliers, Homs, Syria*

The Krak des Chevaliers (Crusaders' Castle) is a huge medieval castle atop a 650 m high hill, 40 km west of the city of Homs in western Syria, close to the border of Lebanon. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were here on a group tour in 2010. 

The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by a Kurdish group. In 1142 it was given to the Knights Hospitaller who greatly expanded the castle later. The Knights Hospitaller was a Catholic military order associated with the Crusaders. Krak des Chevaliers became the key military base and centre of administration of a territory founded after the First Crusade. At its peak in the 1st half of the 13th century, Krak des Chevaliers housed a garrison of around 2,000. It fell to the Muslim troops in 1271 and soon faded into oblivion as it lost its strategic importance. The famous WW1 army officer/archaeologist/writer, T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) remarked that the Krak des Chevaliers was perhaps the best preserved and most admirable castle in the World. 

The 1st photo shows the castle from a distance. Take note of the size of the people at the top platforms to appreciate how massive the castle is. The 2nd photo shows the inner court as seen from the south. The 3rd photo shows the platform between the outer castle and the inner ward. The 7th shows the office called the Hall of the Knights and the last shows the Christian chapel. At the time of our visit, there was a priest leading a group praying at the chapel.

Further note: the castle was a top tourist attraction in Syria before the current civil war. It was occupied by rebel forces for 2 years from 2012. It was re-captured by the government forces in 2014 and now open to visitors. Going, LS?

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

*WS 87: The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil*

The statue of Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built in 1931. The height is 38 m including an 8 m base. The outreached arms measure 26 m wide. It is now the icon of the city and in a worldwide poll in 2007 voted by more than 100 million people, was included as 1 of the 7 New Wonders of the World. We were here in 2019.

The statue is located at the peak of a 610 m mountain, Mount Corcovado, reachable by hill railway. The 1st photo shows the flags hung from the ceiling of the base station of the hill railway. The Malaysian flag is there. The 3rd photo shows the sharp peak of the mountain, viewed from another mountain called the Sugarloaf which we also visited.  The 7th photo shows the view of the city from the peak. The last photo shows the Catholic chapel at the base of the statue, consecrated in 2006. A chapel is an "official" area for Christian worship.