Mt Kilimanjaro Northern Circuit and Summit

This is an extended cut of the blog video and includes scenes from each day on the Northern Circuit (August 4-12/2022) as well as the summit video. The Peak Planet guides and porters provide all the music. Peak Planet was stellar in both safety measures, accommodations and people; highest recommendation for sure!

Big Sur Highway 1 Timelapse

Take a cruise down the Big Sur area of Highway 1 in August 2020, before the fires and before the washout which may close the road for some time. From CNN News: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials said in a statement Friday a debris flow from the hillside above the roadway "overwhelmed drainage infrastructure, flowed across the highway, and eroded the road resulting in the complete loss of a segment of Highway 1 at Rat Creek, about 15 miles south of Big Sur, a mountainous stretch of the state's central coast. Shortly after we took this footage, the Dolan Fire ravaged areas of this coastal highway, including several state parks.

Bologna Tower (Torre Degli Asinelli)

Torre Degli Asinelli was built between 1109 and 1119 by the family bearing the same name and was handed over to the municipality as early as the following century. Measuring 97.20 metres in height, it has an overhang of 2.23 metres and an internal staircase containing 498 steps that was finished in 1684. The base is surrounded by a "rocchetta" (stronghold), which was built in 1488 to accommodate the soldiers standing watch. Today, underneath the arcade, some craft shops have been relocated, reminiscent of the mercantile functions carried out by the medieval "Mercato di Mezzo".

Made of masonry, similar to few other buildings, Torre Degli Asinelli (along with its leaning neighbor, Torre Garisenda ) carried out important military functions (signalling and defense) as well as representing, with their grandeur, the social prestige of families of nobility.  In the late 12th century, at least one hundred towers punctuated the city’s skyline, only twenty of which survived the ravages of fires, wars and lightning strikes, and are still visible today. 

This video shows the descent, top to bottom, of the dark tower with skinny steps; not even half my shoe would fit facing out on the descent. Any trip to Bologna should include this tour, very unique with expansive views of the city and outlying countryside.

Biking in Italy: Belvedere Hotel, Riccione

The Belvedere Hotel specializes in biking with its own rental shop, tour guides and mechanics. After a few days in Bologna, I joined a group at the Belvedere for celebrating a friend’s 70th birthday. This was during '“wine week” so on two of the days cyclists from most groups gathered at a vineyard and a winery where the eats, wine and limoncello were outstanding. The food at the Belvedere was also incredible, included in the price along with wine at dinner. Our group tended to gather after the ride and have a few beers or martinis at the bar (not included). Each day offers various levels of cycling, from the leisure group (easy with lots of stops and sightseeing) to the race group (hard!). Most of our group did the panorama tours (about in the middle of difficulty) which offered plenty; climbs and swift descents with lengths varying from 38 to 52 miles, taking in the countryside and transiting many towns and villages including cobblestone streets and castles.

I produced the following video for Jon, the birthday boy, so included photos of members of our party; basically of little interest to the casual viewer. However, this video does capture the party atmosphere and includes one of the downhills, along with snippets of the countryside whilst riding.

Peru: Tipón Water Gardens

During my daughter’s and my visit to Peru, we booked a taxi to take us to the Tipón Water Gardens, arriving early in the morning. In the following video you will see one person and a dog. Tipón is frequently bypassed by the typical day tours as it lies in the opposite direction from Cusco from the more popular attractions. We enjoyed hours in the park alone; when we came back from a foray up the Canal Inka, there were maybe 15 other visitors. The tranquility of the surroundings can truly be enjoyed without scads of people interrupting the land and soundscape. Photo set here.

Tipón is one of the most captivating archaeological sites in Peru and reflects the awe-inspiring accomplishments of the Inca Empire.  While traces of occupation at Tipón date back thousands of years, its most impressive development occurred about 500 years ago, when it became a self-contained walled settlement that served as an estate for Inca nobility.  Inside the settlement lay beautiful royal rooms, canals, plazas, aqueducts, and great water fountains, which all but turned a remote mountainside into an engineering marvel.  It was also a place for ceremonial and religious purpose.  Today, some of these structures still exist and stand as a testament to the Inca’s mastery of irrigation and hydraulic technology.

The Inca were skilled engineers and craftsmen who built a network of roads linking the distant provinces of the empire together, as well as sophisticated water collection systems for harvesting rainwater, groundwater, and natural springs. Nowhere is this technology more beautifully preserved than at the ancient site of Tipón. Tipón is located 25 km from Cusco in a ravine high above the Cusco Valley, ranging in elevation from 10,700 to 13,000 feet. (Ancient-Origins.net)

The true purpose of Tipón is not known. Even the original name of the Inca site is lost. The only possible written reference can be found in the Comentarios Reales de los Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega. According to de la Vega, after the Viracocha Inca usurped his father, he ordered a palace to be built for his father, Yawar Waqaq. The location of this palace is described as close to Cusco, built between the straits of Muyna and Quepicancha, near the river Tucay. As Tipón is located between two mountain streams, and above the Urubamba river, some archeologists believe de la Vega was talking about Tipón. (Wikipedia)

Peru: Maras Salt Ponds Transit

Locals at work tending to the Maras Salt Ponds, Peru

The Maras salt ponds were built in AD200-AD900 by the Chanapata culture, pre-dating the Incas. The terraces are known in Quechua as Kachi Raqay and are situated at an elevation of 3,000 meters (9,842’) above sea level. There are approximately 5,000 ponds, each belonging to a local family. The ponds were used to supply the entire Inca Empire as well as the Viceroyalty of Peru. The usual tourist visit at the entrance allows one to peruse just a small section of the salt ponds. My daughter and I booked a private tour through cuscolocalfriend.com which enabled us to hike from a small village below the salt ponds into the lower section of the area, transiting the entire breadth of the ponds whilst witnessing the locals in action, prepping the individual ponds for the eventual harvesting of the salt. The entire complex is fed by a singular creek rife in minerals, and the salt can be harvested in essentially 3 levels: the top layer a pure white salt, the middle layer provides the pink salt, with the bottom layer naturally heavy in minerals providing the brown salt. This is truly a unique transit and well worth the hiking to experience the ponds without crowds of tourists. Highly recommended. Photos Here.