5000 year old navigation system discovered

by Kraig Becker on

A primitive, yet highly effective, navigation system was used by ancient man to navigate their way across England and Wales historians claim, proving once again that ancient civilizations were far more sophisticated in their approach to engineering than was once thought.

According to this story from the Daily Mail, the 5000 year old “sat nav” system used stone monuments, often erected atop high hills, to point the way to similar points, sometimes as far as 100 miles away. This intricate network of stone monoliths, which includes Stonehenge, created a system that would allow ancient travelers to navigate across long distances with an accuracy of within 100 meters.

British Historian Tom Brooks used modern GPS systems to examine more than 1500 historical sites, and his findings were astounding. Each of the sites was connected to one another by vast geometric grid made of of isosceles triangles, in which each triangle has two sides of the same length, and pointed to the next settlement, thus allowing for simple and effective navigation across the landscape.

If Brook’s assertion that the system was created over 5000 years ago is correct, the use of geometry predates that of the Greeks, who were thought to have discovered that branch of mathematics. He also claims that it is the “world’s biggest civil engineering project” as well.

The implications of this theory are very interesting, and it does help to explain what the purpose of sites such as Stonehenge were used for, although their method of construction still remains a mystery. This is a fascinating story of how prehistoric man may have found their way across long distances.
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The famous ghost lights of Marfa, Texas

by Kraig Becker on

Way out in West Texas, near the sleepy little town of Marfa, there is an unexplained phenomenon that can often be seen on the darkest of nights, when strange, colorful lights appear in the sky, giving the surrounding landscape an otherworldly glow. These “ghost lights” of Marfa have been manifesting themselves for decades, with some saying they date back all the way to the 1800’s, and yet they still remain a mystery today.

Described as roughly the size of a basketball, the lights generally appear along U.S. Route 67, just east of Marfa, near an area called Mitchell Flat. The orbs have been reportedly spotted in a variety of colors, including white, red, green, yellow, and sometimes even blue. The strange lights are said to hover just above the ground, generally motionless, although some witnesses claim to have seen them moving very slowly, and in regular patterns.

There doesn’t seem to be any way to predict when the lights will appear, but sighitngs do occur, on average, between 10 and 20 times a year. Those that have seen them claim that they may hang around for as little as a few seconds or a long as several hours, with their appearance coming anytime between dusk and dawn.
There are a number of theories as to what exactly the lights are. Some say that they are reflected from traffic moving through the area, while others blame them on some unusual astronomical phenomenon or atmospheric disturbance. The existence of the lights has been confirmed by several independent studies however, there just doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what they are exactly.

For Marfa, the lights are another tourist attraction for a town that has a thriving art community and plenty of outdoor activities as well. There is an official viewing platform for the lights and even a plaque to mark the best place to look for the odd phenomenon, and each year, thousands of X-Files fans drop by just wanting to believe. So, if you head to West Texas, pack an open mind, and be ready for some fun in the dark.

NY Times Discovers Peru’s Ollantaytambo

by Kraig Becker on

We told you about Ollantaytambo two months ago, and now the New York Times has picked up on the emerging adventure destination as well. This hidden gem in the Andes offers plenty of activities for travelers to Peru’s Sacred Valley, without the crowds found elsewhere.

The ancient mountain village has long been a stop over for those making the trip to Machu Picchu, the quintessential Peruvian monument. Most viisitors spend just a few hours there to take in the sights, but as the Times rightly points out, there is plenty to keep them occupied, including an Inca fortress that rivals Machu Picchu itself. There are plenty of other well preserved ruins throughout the area too, some of which can only be visited by taking a thrilling mountain bike ride through the Andes.

Ollantaytambo is still building amenities for travelers however, so don’t expect the same variety to the night life as you would in Cusco for instance. But, the article does recommend you drop by the Tapas Bar Cactus while you’re in town and grab a bite to eat at the Hearts Cafe, which donates its profits to children projects in the city. If you decide to stay for awhile, then the Hotel Pakaritampu gets the nod for its rustic charm and comfortable setting.

Traveling to Peru already offers plenty to see and do, but if you’re looking for something a bit different, add Ollantaytambo to your itinerary. You’ll get plenty of scenic beauty and adventure, with smaller crowds at most of the other sites.

Afghanistan creates first national park

by Kraig Becker on

A few weeks back we mentioned that Afghanistan has been actively trying to build tourism in an attempt to bolster the country’s economy, and we even mentioned that the Bamiyan Province in particular was at the forefront of this movement. Now, the country has taken another step in that region by designating a UNESCO World Heritage Site as nation’s first national park.

The new park is located around the Band-E-Amir, a chain of six lakes located in the Hindu Kush mountain range. The lakes are well known for their natural beauty, as they are surrounded by rocky peaks and the water is said to be deep blue in color and plunge to an unknown depth. They have attracted tourists for years, and were even scheduled to become a national park back in the 1960’s, but due to political instability in the region, that plan was shelved, until now, when a $1 million grant from the U.S. helped to finalize the plans.

Band-E-Amir is roughly 228-square miles in size, and remains quite remote. There are no paved roads in or out of the park, and few in the Bamiyan Province at all. But the seclusion of the region is part of its draw, with adventure travelers making the journey to visit a place that remains well off the beaten path, while offering access to stunningly beautiful scenery and great opportunities for trekking.

Fortunately, Bamiyan Province also remains one of the most secure and safe places in the entire country. That security means that foreigners can travel throughout the area without fear, and seems more and more are taking advantage of that opportunity.

Walking among the dead at Sedlec Ossuary, Bohemia’s morbidly fascinating “Bone Church”

by Aaron Hotfelder on

I’ll admit that when I’m not traveling, the closest I get to going to church is accidentally stumbling across a rerun of 7th Heaven. Yet when I’m on the road, there’s nothing more relaxing than hopping into a church for a brief respite or to check out some of the local art and architecture.

But while it’s definitely worth a visit, it’s also hard to relax at the creepy Sedlec Ossuary, known to most travelers as the “Bone Church,” located in the Czech Republic about sixty miles east of Prague.

Containing the skeletons of approximately 50,000 people, many of whom were victims of the Black Death during the late Middle Ages, this Roman Catholic chapel is as haunting as it is beautiful. According to one legend, in the early 1500s a half-blind monk began digging up the bones of the recently departed and stacking them inside the ossuary in Sedlec, a suburb of the picturesque town of Kutna Hora in southern Bohemia.

It wasn’t until the 1870s that a woodcarver named František Rint had the bright, if rather morbid, idea to meticulously arrange the bones into decorations like chalices, vases, and even a chandelier made out of every bone in the human body. Rint also used the bones to construct a coat of arms for his employer’s family, the Schwarzenbergs (see below). Pay special attention to (and try to avoid nightmares as a result of) the bottom right of the shield, in which a long-beaked bird pecks away at a skull.

One of the other highlights of the “Bone Church” is the Sedlec Chandelier below, reportedly made out of every bone in the human body:

Kutna Hora, the typical idyllic Czech town, is about an hour by train from Prague. Head to the metro stop Hlavní Nádraží (the train station) in Prague and buy a train ticket for Kutna Hora. Once you arrive, it’s a short walk to the church itself– look for signs for the ossuary. Entrance is cheap, around two or three US dollars.

For more great photos of the church’s interior, go here.