Snapshots From Georgia

A Recommended Travel Destination

The country of Georgia is steeped in ancient history and is definitely worth a visit for a variety of reasons. I’m not going to elaborate too much here so as not give it all away but a few points are worth mentioning. The capital Tbilisi feels like a blend of Europe, Asia and Middle East as one would expect, but culturally it’s very European. It is a very walkable city with an excellent public transport system to boot, which should make it even more appealing for some travelers. There’s a great variety of museums, parks, bridges, restaurants and galleries, not to mention a variety of excursions. I’m a big wine lover and in that sense Tbilisi and Georgia is paradise with many wine-related activities on offer due to it officially having the oldest wine-making sector in the world which dates back 8,000 years (!).

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Yours in travel,
Jean-Jacques
September 8, 2023

Visiting Higher Places – Sillustani in Peru

‘Chulpas’ are funerary towers (burial tombs) constructed by the Colla Aymara people in pre-Inca times. The chulpas at Sillustani are known to be some of the finest and most cylindrical examples of chulpas in the entire region (Peru and Bolivia). Photo by JJM, April 16, 2019.

Higher Bodies of Water
Just over a year ago, on April 16, 2019, I visited the port city of Puno on the shores of the famous Lake Titicaca in Peru. Titicaca lake is widely known as the “highest navigable lake in the world” at 3,812 m (12,507 ft) above sea level, but there are other bodies of water that are higher, but not larger – and one of those is Lake Umayo situated 20 km’s from Puno.

A remote place
Lake Umayo feels remote, even though the journey from Puno only takes about 45 minutes (with a couple of stops along the way.) Silently overlooking the lake from the hill right on the edge of it is the rather mysterious and mystical pre-inca burial site of Sillustani. It being positioned in a picturesque area with the stunning backdrops of Lake Umayo and its lagoon with the deep green of the surrounding landscape makes for an impressive visual experience.

Sillustani
The site itself consists of numerous tower-like structures known as chullpas, which were Aymara funerary towers for nobility. The chullpas at Sillustani are known to be some of the finest and most cylindrical examples of chullpa burial tombs in the entire region. It is speculated that these initial structures by the Colla (a subgroup of the Aymara people) were possibly later used as foundations for new towers by the Incas due to the different architectural styles found at the site.

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By Jean-Jacques

Exploring Easter Island – Day 1

Ahu Vai – Tahai Sunset. Rapa Nui. June 2015.

I found myself booking this flight to Rapa Nui about two months after my arrival in South America. I had already booked the Santiago leg and was playing with the idea of trying to make it out to Easter Island as well. I was naturally drawn to it, but I wasn’t sure whether it would be doable or affordable so soon after my arrival in the region, so I didn’t take the time to look into it further at that stage. I checked again a couple of weeks later and things fell into place, my auto-pilot kicked in, I booked the flight and several weeks later, here I was about to land on Rapa Nui…

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Photographs and text by Jean-Jacques M.

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