Senso-ji

Dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest established Buddist temple in Tokyo and the most widely visited religious site in the world. According to legend, two fishermen found a golden statue of Kannon in the Sumida River in 628 with the first temple being established under to Tokugawa shogunate in 645. 

Several sets of gates, surrounding market stalls, gardens, and the pagoda have been added over time, each being repeatedly rebuilt after destruction by fire and earthquakes. Most recently devastated in 1945 by Allied firebombing, reconstruction of the main hall began in 1951 and became a symbol of post-war rebirth and peace to the Japanese.

 

In the current configuration, visitors enter through the Kaminari-mon (thunder gate), proceed some 200m along the Nakamise-Dori shopping area, and through the Hozomon (treasure house) gate to the main hall. O-mikuji stalls are common where, for a small donation, visitors consult the oracle by shaking labelled sticks from metal containers and reading the corresponding printed fortune.

The grandeur, vivid use of colour, powerful statues, and ornate detailing make Senso-Ji an awe-inspiring place to visit. There are numerous smaller shrines, statues and memorials to various historic figures, songs, animals, and religions dotting the area. We visited both first thing in the morning and before close at night and at any time the site is bustling and captivating.

Tokyo Tower

Completed in 1958, Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower. Reaching 330m in height, it was the largest structure in the city until the completion of the 634m Skytree in 2012. Inspired by the Eiffel tower, it has a similar lattice design and its bright white/orange paint scheme keeps it in compliance with air safety regulations.

The look-out decks at 150m and 250m both offer impressive views of the city, but the extra few yen for the ticket to the higher point is absolutely worth it. From here, the view is completely unobstructed while the space is also small enough that you can walk around it quickly and really get a feel for every direction.

We were incredibly fortunate with both the weather and air quality at the time of our visit and could see all the way to the snowy peak of Mount Fuji. The audio guides provided give insightful facts about the city in every direction, but are cheeky enough to mention how many times parts of the city have been destroyed by giant monsters.

Maritime Oddies of Chuo City

Chuo is one of the five special wards of Tokyo, with a resident population of 170,000 that swells to 650,000 due to the influx of daytime workers. With its proximity to the ocean and canals in use since the 1650s, Chuo has a rich maritime history, which helps contextualize our handful of unusual discoveries along the Takeshiba pier.

 The Passenger Ship Terminal is a departure point for Izu and Ogasaware islands, with an overarching nautical theme, including this mast and rigging surrounded by walkways and elevated trains. A variety of sparrows and crows made for good nature sightings in the area as we warmed up for our day's walk.

 

Maintaining tidal and rainfall water levels steady since 1970, the Hama-rikyu drainage pump station is one of 4 key water management facilities and also totally looks like something out of Dune.

For those of you wondering what a Japanese nightclub owned by Jules Verne would have looked like (you know who you are) we have great news! The 'Hotaluna' is the second of three vessels designed by anime creator Leiji Matsumoto (note to my mum - he ALSO created "Albator" which I used to watch on the French channel in the 1980s - small world) which can carry up to 120 passengers for cruises around Tokyo harbour.

Caracol

Originally thought to be a fringe player in the Classic Period of Mayan history, the city is now known to have been one of the key political centres. Located on the Vaca Plateau at an elevation of 500m in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, the modern name means “snail shell” on account of the winding access road to the site. The ancient Maya would have known it as Uxwitza meaning “Three Water Hill.”

Although famous for its altars and stellae, Caracol’s biggest draw is Caana, the “Sky Palace,” which remains the tallest structure in Belize at 43m. Designed with Mayan cosmology and numerology throughout, Caana has two sequential stairways to a top platform, which is itself topped by a trio of pyramids. The other major highlight is the celestial observatory, which still has the original wooden timber supports

Caana is a stunning structure to behold, but its tiered pyramid design doesn’t do it favors to the conventional camera lens. What looks imposing to the eye invariably comes out as squat and unassuming in pixels. If we’d had our drone with us we might have done it justice, but for now we just recommend everyone go see it for themselves.

Once covering 200km2 with a suspected population of 180,000, it covers an area larger than modern Belize City with double the number of inhabitants. Occupied as early as 1,200BC, Caracol flourished as Tikal’s main competitor, but ultimately collapsed with all the other Mayan city states around 950AD. Rediscovered by a woodcutter in 1938, the ruins were surveyed in the 1950s but major excavation didn’t occur until the 1980s.

 

Xunantunich

Xunantunich means “Maiden of the Rock” in Mayan and refers to a ghostly woman with fiery glowing eyes that has been reported ascending the stairs of El Castillo since 1892. As an indicator of how long the site has been abandoned and how completely the Mayan empire collapsed, the settlements original name is lost to time.

Strategically located on a limestone ridge overlooking the Mopan River, local Maya established control of the valley but were themselves vassals of the city state of Calakmul. Construction began as early as 200AD, halted following an unknown violent event in 750AD and then took off again by 800AD, ultimately outliving many of its rivals but still collapsing by 1,000AD and lying dormant until its rediscovery in the 1890s.

The core of the site is dominated by the pyramid known as “El Castillo” which, at 40m in height, is the 2nd tallest structure in Belize. Magnificent stucco friezes depicting the birth of a god and the tree of life are still visible near the top, with portions having been reconstructed for the benefit of tourists.

This focal point is in turn surrounded by 2.6km2 of plazas, temples, palaces and ball courts. As with most Mayan ruins, the remains of the city extend far beyond what has been excavated, offering only a hint to what the original city would have looked like.

The view from the top of El Castillo is stunning. At the peak of Mayan civilization it would have offered an unrestricted view to Tikal and Cahel Pech when all the rainforest now between the sites was developed farmland and city.

Access across the Mopan river requires a simple cable ferry, which is free to take but gives local guides an opportunity to pitch their value to you while entering the site (protip: they are worth it, if Edward is there, he is fantastic). The operators were also more than happy to sit back and let Kathryn take a turn on the crank to put her captaining skills to use in another country and kind of boat.

Tikal Pt 2 - the Little Details

Tikal was a wonderland for photographic opportunities around colossal structures, but there were several smaller scenes and moments at a less grand and more human scale that I absolutely think are worth highlighting.

For instance, the city fell over 1,100 years ago, but the people still remain on the land and hold it as a sacred site. We were there on an unremarkable Friday afternoon in December (not an eclipse or other major celestial event) and a sizable group of people had gathered in the plaza between Temple 1 and 2 to have a ceremony and maintain their connection to this ancient place.

I've mentioned in the past how voracious the jungle is and how quickly it would cover up the city again given a chance. Its easy to think that, once a University leads a formal excavation that the site is preserved for an extended period, but the key structures were alive with local people manually clearing vegetation off the temples with machetes. The top of Temple 3 had a decent sized tree growing from it and our guide said that it had only been there a few months and that the top was due for another clearing shortly.

One of the few domesticated animals of the Americas, there are both the domesticated species (which became so popular in Europe in the 1500s that is now a food staple for numerous feast days), and the Ocellated Turkey, which is endemic only to the Yucatan region. Both species were eaten, sacrificed, and viewed as sacred.

The ancient Mayans revered turkeys, considering them powerful while also valuing their iridescent feathers and leg spurs.  One Mayan leader was posthumously honoured as Chak Ak'ach Yuhk, roughly translated as “Great Male Turkey, Shaker of Cities.”

Tikal Pt 1 - The Majesty

 Tikal was the capital of an ancient Maya conquest state which arose in 400BC and collapsed around 900AD. The entire 16km2 core site has been mapped and includes over 3,000 structures, most of which remain un-excavated. Major restoration by the University of Pennsylvania took place from 1956 to 1970 and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

The modern name, adopted in the 1840s,  means “at the waterhole” in Mayan, while hieroglyphic scripts discovered more recently refer to it as Yax Mutul. Regardless of the name, it remains an important cultural space to this day, with modern Maya still conducting rituals within its grounds.

 There are 4 key tourist sites in the area. Temple 1, the “Temple of the Great Jaguar” a 47m funerary pyramid where Jasaw Chan K’awil was entombed in 734AD. Temple 2, the “Temple of the Mask” is 38m high and dedicated to the wife of Jasaw Chan K’awil but no tomb has been found. 

Temple 3, the “Temple of the Jaguar Priest” is 55m high, but the base is entirely obscured by vegetation.Our guide told us in advance that we wouldn't recognize Temple 3 even when we were at the base of it and he was not wrong.

Temple 4 is the tallest pre-Columbian structure at 70m high and marks the reign of Yik’in Chan Kawil. A wooden scaffold runs up the side, allowing you to ascend Temple 4 to the very top, offering a stunning view of the other three temples peaking out of the surrounding rain forest.

For those of you wondering how to tell a pyramid from a temple, the easy rule of thumb is that a pyramid is flat at the top while a temple has an entrance and inner chamber at the top. Based on this, the major structures at Tikal are all temples while Altun Ha, Cahel Pech, and others are predominantly pyramids.

Altun Ha

The Maya were a Mesoamerican civilization famed for their architecture, art, mathematics, and astronomical studies. Maya history divides into three key periods:

1. Preclassic period (2,000BC to 250 AD) was characterized by sedentary communities and the introduction of pottery. The first large cities featured paved avenues with stelae standing in major plazas. Population in the hundreds of thousands.
   
   
2. Classic period (250-950AD) was the zenith when major agriculturally intensive city-states engaged in trade, alliances, and warfare. Elaborate palaces and pyramids became widespread as did hieroglyphic monuments to their rulers. Population of 7 to 11 million.
   
   
3. Postclassic period (950-1539AD) was one of decline as many Classic cities collapsed and influence shifted to the Yucatán. Root causes appear to be a combination of drought, brutal warfare, and environmental degradation prior to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Population between 3 to 5 million.

6 million of their modern descendants inhabit their ancestral lands and speak over 28 surviving languages. The cities collapsed but the people never disappeared.

Altun Ha was the first Belizean ruin we visited and its main temple is also used on the Belikin beer label. Large portions of this site have yet to be excavated while some areas have had their stones appropriated for nearby residential construction. Popular with cruise ship tourists lacking time to go deeper into the country, it was an impressive ruin and a first taste of the splendour of Mayan architecture yet to come.

The picture above may look like a stairway up a hill with a tree on top, but its actually an un-excavated temple which has been swallowed up by the jungle. If you ever wonder how these cities were lost, google what they looked like BEFORE they were identified and cut back, its incredible how easily the jungle can make a grand pyramid 55m tall just disappear into the landscape.

Cahel Pech

Located in the heart of modern San Ignacio, Cahel Pech was once a palatial hilltop home for an elite Maya family. Overlooking the junction of the Macal and Mopan rivers, the site includes 34 excavated structures, including ballcourts and a central acropolis arranged around a pyramid 25m high. Originally covering 26 square kilometres, only a fraction has been examined and artifacts remain common on the ground in the surrounding area.

Like so many cities of the Maya period its original name is lost, with Cahel Pech meaning “Place of Ticks” from when the area was used as pasture during the first archaeological studies in the 1950s. Unfortunately, looting in the 1970s left a gap in potential scientific understanding no stelae or writing have since been recovered. Official  excavation of the site began in 1988 and was completed in 2000.  
There is evidence of continuous habitation as early as 1,200 BC, making it one of the oldest recognizable Maya sites in Western Belize, until it too was victim of the Mayan collapse around 800AD. At the peak of Maya civilization, this site would have been home to as many as 15,000 people.

Having a site such as this in easy walking distance from our hotel was a real treat, and since its a lesser-known ruin we practically had it to ourselves. Although the view from the top of the pyramid largely obscured by trees and therefore less impressive than others, the lines and design of the plaza entrance were incredibly unique and interesting to me.

 

San Jose: Sights

 San Jose is home to a number of very pleasing and impressive buildings, we would be remiss if we didn't spend a little bit of time showcasing our favorites. The National Museum of Costa Rica is housed in an old military barracks, which still bears the bullet holes of the civil war in 1948 (as an interesting aside, after the civil war, the victors disbanded the army and Costa Rica has never reinstated a military force since) We tried to visit this museum several times in our stay, but its hours are not posted and it turned out to be closed the entire time we were there, but the grounds are quite striking.

 There are 3 main cathedrals in the downtown core, along with several smaller churches, but the Iglesia Nuestra Senora de la Soledad is my personal pic to share with everyone. Not only is it a beautiful building, but I find the state of Mary standing on an aircraft propeller to be both interesting and confusing. If anyone can find any information about this statue, please let us know.

 The National Theatre is right downtown as well, with an easy opportunity to poke your nose inside and have a look around. Started in 1891, it took 7 years to complete, and adds a touch of European style to the area. All of these buildings are conveniently located in the downtown core and you can easily see them all in a single walk.

Three Very Different Nights Out

After months with few performances of interest in town, we had 3 nights out in the space of 10 days recently. We started off with Metric, who we saw open for Imagine Dragons last year and were totally taken with. Kathryn is not tall enough to enjoy floor tickets at concerts, but she got us some great seats to enjoy the show from. David Suzuki showed up as a surprise guest and the picture below captures the intensity and energy of the evening, even if the performers are almost impossible to make out.

 Shortly after that, we went to see Chris Hadfield perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra doing a mixture of songs and anecdotes about his time in space. While he mostly plays smaller guitar pieces, there were also several classics by Holst and modern composers on a space theme which made the whole night quite fun. The Orpheum Theatre is quite striking in its own right as well, and I thought a picture of the venue is more distinct than the performers in this instance.

 Rounding out our trio, we saw Noel Fielding live at the Vogue theatre, and while I will totally admit we forgot the camera at home that night and the picture below is not ours, it is representative of the weird nature of his act. He starts out normally enough with a bit of standup comedy, but the show gets gradually weirder until the end where a member of the audience dressed as a night, Fantasy Man (played by Noel) and a harlequin (think deranged jester rather than romance novel) travel to the plasticine world to fight a minotaur (and a reverse minotaur with a human head) and a lecherous triangle to save Noel the dark side of the moon. We really enjoy his work in the Mighty Boosh and it was fun to see him live :)

Hearst Castle Interiors

Much like the exterior, the interior of Hearst Castle was an amazing collection of repurposed European art and furniture. Below is the view of the dining room with a full antique table, mideval tapestries, and engraved ceiling. This photo was taken near the enormous fireplace at one end of the room and apparently as guests stayed longer throughout the week, if they became less interesting to the hosts, they were seated closer and closer to the fire in one of the least subtle dining arrangements ever.

 The billiars room was similarly adorned with antique tapestries and carpets. Its hard to see from the photo below, but the ceiling was being restored to reveal its original etchings and paintwork which had been damaged by decades of smoke and the general passage of time.

 We showed you the Neptune pool in our view of exteriors, but there is also another indoor pool at the far end of the property. To ensure that the "over-the-top" per square foot of the property was maintained, the floor and walls of the indoor pool area were inlaid with gold.

Hearst Castle Exteriors

 William Randolph "Citizen Kane" Hearst was a newspaper magnate back in the 20's when you could spend 30 years building a mansion full of centuries old artworks in the back hills of California and then surround it with exotic imported animals. It was a simpler time when you could ship your wife off to New York so you could live with your mistress, invite the Marx Brothers over for the weekend, and raise zebras in your 240,000 acre backyard.

 Not only did Hearst live in a time when having Charlie Chaplin over for bootlegged rum was a social event and not a fever dream, he also lived when modern antiquities trafficking was called "redecorating". The entire grounds are covered with various greek and roman treasures but I found this Egyptian statue of of Sekmet a particularly unlikely purchase to try and make in the 21st century.

 The "Neptune Pool" occupies a sizeable area with a network of walkways and guest houses around it. Since California is having a water crisis and the pool has a "leak" (of apparently several thousand gallons a day) the area was drained and under repairs, but is still a striking place to have a walk around.

 

The grounds of Hearst Castle are absolutely amazing to explore, and I would heartily endorse anyone wanting to visit to bring a wide-angle or fisheye lens with them as the photographic opportunities are incredible.

Santa Barbara Mission

 On our drive from Los Angeles to Monterey, we stopped in the town of Santa Barbara to visit their Franciscan mission (click on the image below to enlarge it). Various iterations and improvements on this place of worship have been underway since 1786 and it represents just one of the missions dotting along the California coast.

 The main courtyard houses an enormous fig tree which really benefits from a wide angle lens to try and capture just how completely it fills the area and provides a delightful cooling shade. This courtyard was also home to several species of birds and a number of small lizards which could be found sunning themselves on trees or rocks.

 This side gate was a small feature of the entire mission, but for me captured more of what I had expected from an early-settlement California "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" sort of holy place. While the modern mission is very appealing, this part of the wall felt a bit like looking through time to the original building of long ago.

Telegraph Cove - Historic Side

 We've visited Telegraph Cove every year for the last 5 summers now, and looking back through our past posts it occurred to me that while we'd talked about people and animals of all sorts, we haven't actually shared that many pictures of the town itself. Compounding that, part of the town is very pretty and historical while part of it is a rather ugly motel, so we actually don't really have photographs of ALL of it, even after all these years. Below is a look down into the marina from the RV park where we usually camp out.

 A boardwalk runs around the edge of the cove along which the entire historical part of town is built up, with dock access in a few spots depending on which side your boat is moored on. The red building in the middle is the Old Saltery Pub which has very frequent salmon barbeques and does a pretty great seafood linguini as well.

 This is a view coming back into town from on one of the whale watching boats, and has a nice look at the Stubb's Island office and the Whale Interpretive Centre. The little houses nestled on the hillside are pretty charming and the great people and good times to be hand keep bringing us back year after year.

Blodel Conservatory- birdies and plants

Finally, Geordie and I got our buts on a lovely day to the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park.  It is on Little Mountain, south of False Creek.  The conservatory is the dome thing in the background.  Where the photo was taken is a quarry type garden.

Inside the Bloedel Conservatory were a plethora of exotic, tropical and desert plants and birds.  Below is a bromeliad.  There were also pitcher plants, orchids, various palms, ferns and flowering trees and shrubs.  A good place for a variety of camera lenses.  My favorite was bird spotting.

Speaking of some of the birds we saw, this is Rosie an African Grey Parrot.  African Grays are native to the Congo and one of the most intelligent of animals among dolphins and chimps.  We were fortunate enough to hear many of her odd sounds including clicks, clucks, chirps, warbles and funny noises.  I am not a huge advocate of parrots in captivity because of their intelligence but so much of their habitat is in trouble that this is often the only recourse. 

Downtown Toronto

I have to admit, I am not a fan of Toronto.  I find it a brown and grey concrete jungle with an over taxed mass-transit system and scary crowded freeways.  It is not being improved much with a huge condo boom going on.  It raises the questions: where are people going to park, live, commute.  The mass transit system is already overtaxed. 

Everywhere in and around the downtown core and elsewhere too, these huge condos are going up.  I guess there is a demand for them but it leaves the city feeling like its being built entirely out of identical glassy towers.  It sounds like condos aren't as expensive as they are where I am in Vancouver but its getting pretty close. Hope I don't sound hypocritical!

I wanted to at least go into Top Shop which is new in TO.  For reasons of a Mighty Boosh like nature. If you don't know what/who Mighty Boosh is consult your nearest BBC TV guide.  I did not go in because I think I was the only one who wanted to. I probably would not be able to afford anything anyway.  The downstairs window display was magnificent featuring a life-size orange spotted moose because of Why Not.