Showing posts with label Travel (Not Synth Related). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel (Not Synth Related). Show all posts

Monday, 8 June 2015

Cairo - The Great Pyramid

This place needs no introduction.
Everyone should see this before they die.

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.


 Daniel & I praying to the great architect Khufu. There are approximately 2.3 million blocks..


Wednesday, 20 May 2015

Palmyra - Syria

I woke up this morning to the terrible news that the city of Palmyra has fallen into
the hands of Islamic State. I'm hoping that this is just a temporary situation.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-21/syrians-ancient-treasures-relocated-as-is-overruns-part-palmyra/6485428

These pics were taken in 2009. I never thought this would probably be the last time I'd get to visit Syria.

 This is a section of the Bel Temple

This place dates back to the Neolithic times. Palmyra was mentioned in the bible.In the second millennium BC it was a caravan stop for travelers crossing the Syrian Desert

It was incorporated into the  Greek (Hellenistic Seleucid Empire) and then by the Roman Empire which brought great prosperity. Palmyra gained its wealth from the caravan trade. The Palmyrenes were renowned merchants who established colonies along the Silk Road, and conducted their operations all around the Roman empire.













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Thursday, 14 May 2015

Mehrangarh Fort - Jodhpur, India

Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest forts in India.


















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Friday, 3 April 2015

Chittorgarh and the legend of Lady Padmini

It's hard to separate fact from fiction in regard to the first sacking of Chittorgarh on August 26th, 1303.
Many details of the historic battle & the eventual fall of this great city are lost in legend.


At the time, most of Northern India was ruled by the Mughals of Delhi. The period came to be called the "Sultanate of Delhi". It's ruler, Alauddin Khilji came to power after murdering his uncle Jalaluddin Khilji.

A. Khilji was a great strategist and military commander. He is remembered in history for being one of the few rulers in the world to have repeatedly defended his empire against Mongol invasions.
After suppressing these invasions in the north, Khilji began expanding his empire by subjugation first of Gujarat in 1299 and then Ranthambhor in Rajastan in 1301.

  He then turned his attention towards Chittorgarh in Mewar, Rajasthan which was ruled by Ratan Singh.

The Rajput King, Rawal Ratan Singh.was described as a brave and noble warrior, a loving husband and a just ruler. His wife Padmini was renouned throughout the land for her ravishing beauty.
The story goes that the Sultan of Dehli heard about her beauty & decided to confirm this for himself. However, Padmini never left her quarters uncovered and the sultan's request was refused.
Not to be outdone, the Sultan amassed his huge army, and lay seige to Chittorgah.

It's debatable whether the Sultan would have attacked a city just to see the face of one woman. 
Chittorgarh itself was of great strategic importance and had earlier blocked his armies advance on 
Gujarat so there were many reasons for its subjugation. (But these details would ruin a good story).


Padmini's husband, knowing that his forces were severely outnumbered relented to letting the Sultan gaze upon the face of his wife.... but only under strict conditions. He could only enter the castle unarmed, and could only gaze upon the face of Padmini through the reflection of a mirror.

Just to be sure, she would be well out of his reach -- sitting in a special pavillion in the middle of a lotus pool. :-)
It's amazing to see the pavillion & pool. ......one wonders what is fact & what is fiction.
One glimpse was all that was needed to convince the sultan to destroy the whole city in order to
possess Padmini. (He was probably also carrying out a survey of the castle's defences while inside).

It appears that the sultan managed to convince King Ratan to accompany him back to Delhi. Maybe his was a condition for lifting the seige ?? Anyway, looks like Khilji tricked him, for once they were outside the walls, the sultan declared  the King of Chittorgah hostage. (Well, what can you expect from a man who kills his own uncle). The ransom for this safe return was none other that Padmini herself.

  The palanquin was the prefered method of travel for royal ladies.

On hearing this news, rather than submit to the Sultan, Ratan Singh's generals, Gora and Badal, decided to trick Khilj. They told him that Padmini would be sent the following morning in a palanquin. At daybreak 150 palanquins left Chittorgarh. This was not unusual for a lady of her standing. As the palanquins went past the tent in which King Ratan Singh was being held captive, they stopped and out came armed soldiers who freed the king.
.... Sounds very much like a Trojan horse story. :-)
It's recorded that General Gora died during this skirmish. (he laid down his life for his king). The second general, Badal, survived.
 

The Sultan was of course furious. The city was surrounded. This time there would be no mercy.

Chittorgarh's troops were heavily outnumbered. Supplies to the city were cut. Rather than slowly starve to death or be eventually invaded, the women of the city chose mass suicide ( by fire.. called jauhar).
The men then rode out to face their enemy. They bravely fought, but were outnumbered and all perished against the Sultan's army. These were brutal times.

So the Sultan never did get get his way with Padmini. She died a horrible way, but preserved her honour.


A rather grim end! The practice of mass suicide carried out in medieval times by Rajput women to save their honor from invaders.seems to have occured on numerous occasions. Their alternative was most likely slavery, rape and death.

"Among the well-known cases of Jauhar are the three occurrences at the fort of Chittaur (Chittaurgarh, Chittorgarh), in Rajasthan, in 1303 AD, 1535 AD, and 1568 AD. Jaisalmer has witnessed two occurrences of Jauhar, one in the year 1304 AD during the reign of Alauddin Khilji, and another during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq. Another occurrence was in Chanderi". (Wickipedia)

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

Travel Postcards - Jondent - Index

Travel Postcards - Index 

My travel postcards are all over this blog.  They are sometimes hard to find. So I thought it would be good to put them into some sort of order. Thus this index:

* Australia  
     - Fremantle - Western Australia (Historic Convict jail) 
     - Tathra (Southern NSW
     - Bodalla - old cheese factory NSW
     - Tilba Tilba (NSW)
     - Joadja Distillery - NSW Southern Highlands 
     - Skydiving Mission Beach - Queensland , AUSTRALIA
     - Mission Beach - Queensland
     - Barrington Tops , Cape Tribulation Queensland
     - Cairns to Darwin - Bus trip - (CAIRNS TO CROYDON) - Day 1  
     - Cairns to Darwin - Bus trip - (CROYDON TO MT. ISA) - Day 2
     - Cairns to Darwin - Bus trip - (MT. ISA to Cape Crawford) - Day 3  
     - Cairns to Darwin - Bus trip - (CAPE CRAWFORD TO Darwin) - Day 4
     - Devils Marbles - NT
     - Western Australia, Tree top walk  
     - Pemberton WA - Fire Lookout Climbing Trees
     - Kakadu National Park - Northern Territory Australia  
     - Bundenna to Otford hike - NSW
     - Tasmania, Australia - Lake Lilla Track  
     - Rack & Pinion Steam Railway - Queenstown, Tasmania
     - Nelson Falls - Mt Field - Tasmania  
     - Wine Glass Bay - Freycinet National Park, Tasmania
     - MUdgee - NSW  
     - Maria Island - Tasmania, Australia
     - Port Arthur - Tasmania  
     - Thredbo - NSW - Ski fields
     - Sydney Northern Beaches  
     - SAAB EMS
 

Bolivia
     - Lake Titicaca 
     - La Paz & Bowler hats 
     - Tiwanaku Ruins

* Burma - Myanmar
    - Golden Rock
    - Shwenandaw Monastery - Mandaly, Burma
    - U-Bein Bridge

Cambodia
     - Angkor Wat


* Croatia
     - Zagreb - part 1
     - Pulla _ Croatia - 1 


Cuba 

    - Havana 1
    - Havana 2
    - Havana Cuba 3
    - Manaca Iznaga Estate - Sugar & Slaves
    - Disco Ayala - the cave nightclub in Trinidad Cuba 
    - Santa Clara - Train, Che Guevara Mausoleum
    - Camaguey - Cuba


* Egypt
   - The Great Pyramid (Cairo)
   - The White Desert Camp
   - Karnak Temple (Luxor)
   - Luxor Temple
   - Balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings (Luxor)
   - Medinet habu - Luxor
   - Philae Temple - Aswan Dam
   - Temple of Kom Ombo 
   - Abu Simbel - Aswan
   - Felucca - Nile boat
   - The Step Pyramid - Saqqara
   - Mt Sinai - hike up the mountain (St Catherines)

* Germany
    - Garmisch-Partenkirchen in snow - part 1  

* Greece
   - Kos - Greece - part2
   - santorini 6


 * India  
     - Kumbhalgarh Fort - Rajasthan
     - Akbar's Tomb - Agra
     - Udaipur - India 
     - Flying Fox - Jodhpur - India 
     - Amer Fort - Jaipur,  Rajasthan - India 
     - Jodpur Markets - Rajasthan, India
    - The Tower of Victory - Chittorgarh Fort - Rahasthan
    - The Baby Taj - Agra
    - Fatehpur Sikri - Uttar Pradesh near Agra
    - Chittorgarh and the legend of Lady Padmini

    - Mehrangarh Fort - Jodhpur, India
    - Hawa Mahal - Jaipur 
    - Jantar Mantar - Astromomy - Jaipur


 * Israel
    - The Separation Wall - Israel/Palestine
    - Israel - Golan Heights - Mt Bental
    - Masada - Israel
    - The Herodium - "Herod's Tomb"
    - Bethlemen - Street Christmas lights
    - Bethlehem - The Palestinian Territory - West Bank
    - The Church of the Nativity - Bethlehem
    - cAESAREA - Med coast
    - aCRE - Akko 



Ireland


   - Yoyogi park - tokyo 2019
   - Shibuya, Tokyo - crossing
   - Fukuoka 2
   - Nagasaki - Suwa Shrine 
   - Nagasaki - Battleship Island -  Gunkanjima


*Jordan
    - Petra

 * Malaysia
    - Sabah
    - Borneo #2


* Mexico
   - Teotihuacan - "birthplace of the gods" 
   -  Monte Albán
   -  MUSEO FRIDA KAHLO
   -  Palenque
   -  Uxmal

*Morocco
  - Essaouira
  - Safi
  - Morocco - Sahara Desert - sandboarding, camels, building mud houses  


*New Zealand
   - New years eve 2016 NZ
   - Petone (Hattersley Loom) - a early sequencer
   - Franz Joseph Glacier (South Island)



* Peru
   -  Cusco
   -  Inca Trail
   -  Machu Picchu
   -  Lake Titicaca
   -  Nazcar Peru - Chauchilla Cemetery
   -  Arequipa - NYE celebrations 2011
   -  Acclimatizing to high altitudes

*Russia
   - Moscow 1
   - Moscow 2 
 
*Scotland

  *Singapore
   - Marina Bay Sands hotel view
   - Clifford pier

*Spain
    - Ibiza Town

Sri Lanka
+ Sri Lanka 8 Colombo Dutch museum
+ Sri Lanka 10 - Colombo Town Hall


* Syria
   -  Aleppo (1999)
   -  The Baron Hotel - Aleppo Syria
   -  Palmyra (the Roman City)
   -  Ugarit - Ancient ruins.
   -  National Museum of Damascus & army museum
   -  Tartus - Syria - seaside city 
   -  A'en Darah - Ain Dara - Syria - Lion of Afrin


*Thailand
    - Chiang Mai - Temples

*United Kingdom (UK)
 
*USA


*Vietnam
    - Ha Long Bay NYE 2019
   -  Hanoi 1 - Vietnam
   -  Hanoi 2
   -  Vietnam's first capital - Hoa Lu
   -  Ninh Binh - Tam Coc - Vietnam
   -  Hue - Imperial citadel 
   -  Han Van Pass
   -  Hoi An - Day Pics
   -  Hoi Ann - night pics
   -  My Son - Hindu Temples
   -  Saigon - War Remnants Museum
   -  Saigon Central Post Office

Tuesday, 17 March 2015

Nazcar Peru - Chauchilla Cemetery

Nazcar is famous for two things:
The Nazcar lines (more about this later) and the Chauchilla Cemetery.
The Chauchilla Cemetery contains mummies - some dating to 200AD.
The bodies are well preserved due mainly to the dry climate 

Much was plundered over the centuries. It's protected by Peruvia law.

The bodies were clothed in  cotton and then painted with a resin. it's thought that the resin slowed decomposition.

The tombs are made from mud bricks.





2000 year old corn.

Fresh Corn. And it's white - we don't see this variety in Australia.



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