Central Asian Trip

     For the first stop in my Central Asian trip, I visited the country of China.  I stopped at many beautiful historic sites and landmarks, as well as a few modern areas.  For my first stop, I decided to visit the Great Wall of China, walking a few miles along the top of the wall.  Although it did not prevent attack on China, it was very interesting to see the extensive reaches of the wall, even areas built parallel to other sections of the wall.  I moved on to the Forbidden City, a complex containing 980 buildings, including the imperial palace that was used for almost five hundred years by different dynasties.  It contains more preserved wood built structures than anywhere in the world, and was amazing to walk through!  My next stop was to view the incredibly detailed Terracotta Army, leaving

me in awe.  The over 8,000 soldiers and other military assets were all unique, each one a life sized stone sculpture.  I visited each of the four pits, viewing as many of the intricately detailed soldiers as I could.  I also spent some time at the Oriental Pearl Tower, a radio and tv tower with a unique structure.  It is a tower with two main spheres at its base and top, with fifteen different viewing decks within it.  I ventured upwards into the Space Module, the highest viewing deck in the tower.  My love of sculpture and architecture also pulled me towards the Leshan Giant Buddha, a 233 foot tall Buddha sculpture.  I was also interested in the history behind it, as when the sculpture's funding was threatened, the lead constructor is said to have gouged out his own eyes to prove his sincerity for the sculpture!  I loved visiting these ancient sites.
     For the second location of my trip, I traveled to the country of Azerbaijan, a country that despite not knowing much about it, supplied me with many amazing activities.  In this country, my interest in architecture and museums won out, taking me to many different works of art and creation.  I visited the Maiden Tower of Baku, a tower built in the twelfth century as part of the walled city.  I explored the museum of Baku's history inside the tower after viewing the city from the roof of the tower.  I continued onto the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, a museum with the largest collection of Azerbaijani carpets in the world.  It was interesting to see the advancement of techniques and materials used to

create carpets throughout history.  One of the most interesting parts of the museum, however, was the fact the building was shaped like a large carpet was curled on top!  To indulge my modern interest in architecture, I visited the Heydar Aliyev Center, a building completed in 2012 that took five years to complete.  Within the curved structure lies an auditorium, gallery hall, and museum.  For my last museum trip, I went to the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, a museum with an extensive collection of over 15,000 artworks, 3,000 of which art exhibited in the 60 room museum.  I ended my night by walking through the peaceful Fountains Square, a public square with dozens of fountains within it.  My Central Asian Trip was outstanding!

Russian Trip

     As Russia is such a large country, my trip to the country was filled with different activities all across the country, starting in the west, and moving eastwards.  I started by visiting the Hermitage Museum, a six building complex of houses that used to belong to Tsars.  Five of the buildings are open to the public, displaying some of their over three million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world!  While I was in Saint Petersburg, I made sure to visit the Bronze Horseman, a statue of Peter the Great riding a horse atop a large rock formation.  This rock was called the Thunder Stone, and was reportedly carved from 1500 pounds down to 1250 for transport.  It was amazing the work put into a sculpture now seen as symbolic of Saint Petersburg.  I traveled South to Moscow to explore some more iconic structures.  I walked through the beautiful Red Square, a plaza

separating the Kremlin, a historic citadel and current house to the Russian president, from a merchant quarter called Kitai-gorod.  It was incredible to see the city that largely revolved around the square, as many of the streets originate at the square.  I discovered that the name Red Square actually comes from a word in Russian that means both beautiful and red.  Adjacent to the square was the magnificent Saint Basik's Cathedral, a vibrant mass of churches in one building.  It was a museum when I visited, but historically it was actually used for worship, with eight churches built around one central church.  Later on, a tenth was added over the grave of Saint Basil.  It was a beautiful location to visit.  To end my day in the capital, I visited the Moscow Zoo, an ever expanding exhibition with over 8,000 animals currently.  I walked through the arch formed by a rock castle and entered the zoo, crossing the footbridge spanning the gap between older and newer sections of  the zoo.  I loved the waterfalls and streams placed around the park!  I turned in for the night to prepare for traveling eastward.
     To end my trip, I embarked halfway across the country on the longest railroad in the road, spanning the distance from Moscow to Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian Railway.  I stopped at Lake

Baikal, the deepest and oldest lake in the world.  It actually contains about twenty percent of the world's fresh water!  I stayed the night in a resort on the lake to conclude my trip.

European Trip

     Recently, I took a trip to Europe, experiencing a whole different world of culture and art.  For my first stop, I visited the city of love, Paris, France.  On my first day there, I stayed in the Louvre the whole day, seeing hundreds of wondrous paintings, sculptures, and other creations.  I was awestruck, viewing works such as the statue of Aphrodite, July 28: Liberty Leading the People, a law tablet of Hammurabi, and best of all, the world famous Mona Lisa smile.  As I walked through the glass pyramid on my way out, I was still amazed by the museum.  The next day, I started with a more architectural itinerary.  I visited the Arc de Triomphe, the magnificent cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Pantheon, a mausoleum.  In the Pantheon, I was able to visit the burial site of Alexander Dumas, a famous author.  The building brought to mind a darker side of burials that lived beneath the city, and I spent the rest of my day in a tour through the Paris Catacombs, a haunting tunnel system whose walls were covered from the floor to the ceiling in stacks of human skulls and other bones.  In order to cheer up the rest of my last day there, I took a cable car to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night, looking over the stunning city lights.
     For the second part of my trip, I went to the city of Berlin, Germany, and saw many historic monuments and structures.  I visited one of the most well known structures first, a large series of covered columns known as the Brandenburg Gate.  The gate was interesting, but the truly amazing part was the quadriga on top, a metal sculpture of a chariot drawn by four horses.  I toured the Reichstag building, a historic parliament building.  When you stand in the center of the building and look up, you can see the beautiful glass dome in the roof.   I later visited the memorial to the Jews of the holocaust, paying my respect to the 2,711 stone columns for the Jewish citizens that were killed.  I continued this by also visiting the Topography of Terror, a collection of exhibits of the documentation of forced Jewish Labor.  I was able to see a section of the Berlin wall that is kept standing for exhibition, even after the rest was torn down.  I ended my trip by visiting the East Side Gallery, an extensive section of walls set aside specifically for street art.  There were some extraordinary pieces on the wall, many making very clear statements about how the artist viewed the world, proving it to be the most insightful section of my trip!

Southwest Asia and Northern Africa Trip

     I just returned from my trip to Northern Africa and Southwest Asia, and it was amazing!  For the first part of my trip, I visited Egypt, in northeastern Africa.  I visited some incredible landmarks, fascinating museums, and large cities.  When I first arrived, I went to the capital city of Cairo, right on the Nile River.  I took a tour up to a hilltop overlooking the city, as I was brought to the medieval

Citadel fortress.  I ventured through the Muhammad Ali Mosque, constructed largely of beautiful alabaster.  The view of Cairo from the hill was absolutely breathtaking.  Later on, I moved on and visited the Great Sphinx of Giza, an enormous stone cat with a pharaoh's head.  The pyramids loomed over its head, but it was still an incredible work of sculpture to view.  Afterwards, I got closer to one of the most incredible feats of architecture in the entire world.  The gigantic pyramids made me feel small, and even though I was just a tourist, I couldn't help but wish I was exploring the inside.  I visited the Valley of the Kings, the valley containing numerous tombs, including King Tut's.  I was even able to walk through a few of the open tombs!  To end my visit, I went to the Egyptian Museum.  My favorite exhibit was the collection of Tutankhamen's treasures!

     For the second part of my trip, I settled back and vacationed in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.  I stayed on a beautiful man-made archipelago known as the Palm Jumeirah.  It's a series of islands that stretch out in the shape of a palm tree.  The best part was the fact that I got my own hut, not just a hotel!  On my first day, I spent the day at the Wild Wadi Water Park, a water park near my housing.  My favorite slide was the Jumeirah Sceirah, a body slide that dropped the floor out from under your feet.  My heart was racing the whole time!  The next day, I enjoyed the local architecture, especially the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world!  I felt like an ant standing next to it.  I was lucky enough to catch a Formula-1 race at the Yas Island Marina Circuit later that day, before I began making my way back.  On the way, I noticed a crowd gathering near the lake, so I stopped to see what was going on.  Soon, the water started dancing and shooting upwards to music, a choreographed show from the beautiful Dubai Fountain.  I returned to my hut to end one of the best trips I've had yet.  

Sub-Saharan Africa Trip

     For my most recent trip, I adventured areas of Africa south of the Saharan Desert.  It was a wonderful vacation!
     For the first section of my trip, I visited South Africa, where I stayed in a hotel on the Whale Coast.  I saw a few whales, but the highlight was when I went shark cage diving.  I came face to face with a huge great white shark!  On my whale watching tour, I got a chance to see not only whales, but the rest of the South African ocean big five.  This included more great white sharks, cape fur seals, African penguins, and multiple kinds of dolphins!  The dolphins were very friendly.  I later went to Cape Town to explore, finding many interesting locations.  I toured the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest building in South Africa, built in 1666.  I went to the top of Table Mountain in a cable car and took in the view of the city and peninsula.  On the slopes of the mountain lay the beautiful Kirstenbosch Gardens, where I got a chance to walk through their dinosaur exhibit.  To end my trip, I went to the Sabi Sands Reserve and got a chance to see the popular safari "Big Five," including lions, cape buffalo, African elephants, leopards, and a rhino with her baby!
     For the second section of my trip, I went offshore to the island of Madagascar.  I started by visiting Lemurs' Park in the Antananarivo Highlands, which has nine different species of lemurs in it. Two of these are nocturnal, so they were only visible in cages, but I was still able to see them up close.  The rest of the species were free range and could roam around the park, allowing us to get very near to them.  Next, I visited the Isle Sainte Marie, and took in the many attractions there.  I went scuba diving in the coral reef, and among the tropical fish and turtles, I swam near a sunken pirate ship!
With my mind on pirates, I decided to visit the pirate's cemetery of Sainte Pierre as well.  I ended my adventures on that isle by going to the Old Fort, built in 1753.  Next, I visited the region of Toliara, in which I visited the incredible sea museum, as well as some tombs of the Masikoro.  The tombs are painted with scenes from the military life of the deceased.  For my final stop, I visited the Kirindy Mitea National Park.  It is home to many species of all kinds of animals, but my favorites were the reptiles, of which there were fifty species.  I loved seeing the colorful chameleons!  I had a great time!

Caribbean Trip

     For my trip to the Caribbean, I enjoyed a warm, relaxing, excursion to a couple tropical islands.  It was incredible!
     For my first stop, I went to the island of St. Lucia.  I visited many attractions, including the Pitons, Rodney Bay, Pigeon Island, and Sulfur Springs.  I started by venturing to Jalousie Bay, where the Pitons sat on both sides.  They are both large volcanic plugs, and are surrounded by many coral reefs.  In Rodney Bay, I explored the enormous marina, and took a day trip on a pirate ship named "Black
Magic" to Soufriere.  It was amazing!  On the way, we also stopped at two other locations; Sulphur Springs and the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens.  Sulphur Springs otherwise known as "The World's Only Drive-In Volcano," is a hot springs with waters bubbling at about three hundred and forty degrees Fahrenheit, and even a few hundred yards downstream it is still about one hundred degrees.  These lower temperature spots were good for mud baths, as I soon learned!  As I took in all the animals, insects and plants around me in the garden, I saw the beautiful waterfall within the gardens.
     For my second site, I visited the Bahamas!  I began by going to the Atlantis Paradise Island, staying at the resort, visiting the water park, and even swimming with dolphins!  Later, I visited the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo.  I love reptiles, so I was amazed when a large boa constrictor crossed the path in front of me with a zoo attendant!  There was a vast array of animals, including an incredible
amount of flamingos, and the gardens were just as great.  I visited Nassau Island and toured the three forts of the island, including the largest, Fort Charlotte, as well as Fort Fincastle and Fort Montagu.  One of my favorite parts were the limestone stairs in Fort Fincastle, cut out of the queen's staircase at the time.  Later on the island, I walked through the Pirates of Nassau Museum, even getting to go on a replica ship, "Revenge."  I ended my trip at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, which expressed some of the biggest cultural changes throughout the last century in its artwork.  It was a wonderful trip!

Latin American Trip

     I have always enjoyed natural history and culture, so visiting the ancient city of Oaxaca was
incredible. The city is the capital of the state Oaxaca in Mexico, and the largest city in the state.  I visited the Catedral de Oaxaca, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, which was actually the third to be built, after the first two were destroyed by earthquakes.  It was constructed out of a beautiful green stone called cantera.  In the Plaza de la Constitucion, I sat at the central kiosk and listened to La Marimba, after walking around the plaza and looking at the many portraits.  To end the day, I explored the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, looking over
all the incredible colonial artifacts.

  The second place I visited in Latin America was the beautiful Incan citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru.  It is in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, MachuPicchu District.  I visited the three most prevalent structures, the Inti Watana Stone, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.  The Inti Watana is one of many ritual stones that point directly at the sun during the Winter Solstice.  I wish I had been there on that day!  Still, it was an amazing thing to see, a vertical stone which acted as a astronomical clock in the ancient days.  The Temple of the Sun was an
incredible Temple with a stone altar inside, upon which sunlight is supposed to fall directly on during the summer solstice.  The Room of Three Windows was originally built with five windows, but only three remain.  They were made to show the exact location of the rising sun.  I spent the rest of my day exploring the city.  My trip to these two cities was wonderful!