Although Beijing’s Imperial Vault of Heaven itself astounds tourists and worshippers, it is the temple’s outer wall that truly amazes those who discover it. Dubbed the “Echo Wall,” this temple’s surrounding circle utilizes the theory of sound waves, enabling long distance conversation to travel the length of the wall. Words whispered from the landmark’s east base reverberate along the wall allowing an individual at the west side to hear the spoken words.  At the Echo Wall, speech can travel more than 100-feet unaided by modern technology – now that is true wireless communication!

Today, Yellowstone is virtually a country unto itself.  It has its own weekly newspaper, a vast staff, a $30 million annual budget, army-sized campgrounds and visitor complexes as busy as miniature cities.  But even with this infrastructure, much of the landscape has not changed since the Victorian era, when only 300 or so lucky travelers would arrive on horseback each summer, following rough animal trails.  The first hotel arrived in 1871, McCartney’s Cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs, a makeshift log structure where guests had to sleep on the floor.  Most preferred instead to camp in the forest, catching fish for their dinner in the pristine lakes. Read the rest of this entry »

The world’s most poetically-named bridge, Il Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, was built in 1614 so that prisoners of the Venetian state could be transferred in secret from the Doge’s Palace to the so-called Nuovi Prigioni, or New Prisons.  The wistful name was actually conceived by the English poet Lord Byron in the early 1800s that imagined the horror of prisoners taking their last glimpse of Venice before going underground to captivity. Read the rest of this entry »

In Germany, it’s not all about schnitzel and beer. For true “foodies,” the entire year is full of unique culinary highlights and dishes served only for a short time in the proper season. A traveler visiting at any time of the year can join the Germans and tuck into these specialties. Spring: Germans everywhere equate the real coming of spring with Spargel, or white asparagus. Boiled spargel enjoyed by many with just a bit of melted butter, a potato and a slice or two of ham. During Spargelzeit (asparagas time – May through June), cooks get creative with the delicate stalks, offering spargel pasta, spargel soup, spargel casserroles and so on. Read the rest of this entry »

Rafael Larco Herrera Museum

The world’s largest collection of pre-Columbian art is housed in this museum. Marvel at the 45,000 pieces of ceramics, textiles, and jewelry from the Moche Dynasty.

Casa Hacienda Moreyra

The setting here is as delightful as the Peruvian cuisine. Dine in a 350-year-old colonial mansion adorned with paintings on loan from the Institute of Culture.

T’anta

For a bite on the run, this gourmet market is the place. Grab a salad or sandwich to go—or, if you have the time, linger over a passion fruit tart in the café.

Canta Rana

Peru is famous for its ceviche, a seafood dish marinated in citrus juices and served with roasted corn and onions. Canta Rana serves some of the best in Lima.

Killari

For handicrafts made in Peru, this shop in Miraflores offers a unique collection of weavings, ceramics, and silver.

La Posada del Mirador

Peru’s most famous cocktail is the Pisco Sour, made from pisco, a regional grape brandy. You can enjoy one on the garden patio of this watering hole in the Barranco neighborhood. Occupying an old house overlooking the ocean, the setting is as great as the drink.

Barrio Chino

This neighborhood in Lima is home to South America’s largest Chinese community. Visit any number of neighborhood chifas for Chinese cuisine with a Peruvian twist.

Caballero de Fina Estampa

You can’t visit Lima without seeing at least one peña, a show at a criollo music club with inspiring vocal and dance performances. This criollo club, named after a famous Peruvian song, offers a terrific show.

Miraflores Jogging Path

It’s difficult to maintain your exercise routine on vacation. It’s even more difficult in a traffic-heavy city like Lima. The biking and jogging paths along the malecón in Miraflores offer a great way to get some exercise and see the city at the same time.

Country Club Lima Hotel

Experience the grandeur of this 1927 hacienda-style hotel. Enjoy afternoon tea under the light of elegant chandeliers as a pianist provides enjoyable background music.

Museo de la Nacion (National Museum)

The most important aspects in the development of ancient Peru are exhibited in this museum’s impressive halls. Exhibits include replicas of archaeological sites, engravings and dioramas, and an extensive collection of ancient items.

Pachacamac Pilgrimage Center

Built around 700 AD as a temple for the worship of sun god Pachacamac, it housed an oracle believed to be one of the main pilgrimage centers in pre-Columbian Peru and on a par with Cusco. Pilgrims flocked here to worship Pachacamac, the “creator of the world and its creatures.” The site includes palaces, plazas, and temples that have been painstakingly restored, and the on-site museum has a collection of local relics.

Barranco

Every major city has its bohemian district of artists and musicians—for Lima, this district is Barranco, which is also a fashionable beach resort. Originally a playground and place to spend the summer for Lima’s old aristocracy, the district is a cluster of houses, shops, and restaurants in and around a ravine near a cliff overlooking the beach. In Barranco, it is relatively easy to find a place to sip a coffee or a beer while enjoying a fine view over the ocean.

Islas Palomino

Enjoy an excursion to the islands of Callao, where you will encounter the yachts, warships, and merchant ships at anchor in Callao Bay, and will then sail into the open sea among sunken and stranded ships. Pass the Isle of San Lorenzo, with its long history going back to pre-Columbian times. Along the way you’ll see fishing boats at work and colonies of sea birds and Humboldt penguins. Stop at Palomino Island, where you can swim among seals and sea lions, before the scenic voyage back through impressively shaped islets and rocks.

Hacienda Mamacona

Not more than 25 km south of Peru’s capital city of Lima is a little-known hacienda where you can experience nature on the coast, ancestral customs, links with the Inca past, and the incomparable Peruvian paso horse (Tuesdays only).

Xi’an – one of the most important cultural cities in China – was once the capital of the Chinese Empires for more than 1,500 years. However, when the center of China moved to the east, Xi’an quickly moved out of the spotlight and was soon known as a secondary city. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the discovery of the Terra-Cotta Warriors there put Xi’an back on the map. The Terra-Cotta Warriors were actually a cultural landmark left by Emperor Qin Shihuang – the first Chinese emperor. Read the rest of this entry »