An undiscovered gem: The pyramids of Tikal

by Jerry Guo on

I talked yesterday about a little known alternative to Machu Picchu. Today, I bring you the Mayan version: the ruins at Tikal in Guatemala. But here’s the zinger: they’re actually more impressive than the much better known pyramids at Chichen Itza in Mexico.

Here’s what one American had to say about the place. “I saw the Pyramids [in Egypt] … This is better, because you can go on top of them, and see what they saw.” The best part is that they’re in the middle of the jungle. Yes, that does make it harder to get to the place, but once you’re there, it feels like you’ve traveled back in time 3,000 years. There’s also authentic Mayan rituals performed every once in a while, since the government opened the national park to Mayans in 1996.

Libya: From “Rogue State” to “Must Visit”

by Brett Atkinson on

Despite being branded by George W as a “rogue state” in his 2002 addendum to the ridiculous “Axis Of Evil”, the North African country of Libya is on fast forward to become one of the Middle East’s prime destinations for curious and wordly travellers. And leading the way is a son of hardline Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The 33-year old Saif al-Islam Gaddafi recently outlined a massive proposal to put Libya firmly on the tourist trail and in direct competition with burgeoning super cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The focus of the development is the ancient city of Cyrene, reckoned by archeological whizzes to be one of the best preserved of ancient Greek and Roman sites. Attractions already include the Temple of Apollo and the partially excavated Temple of Zeus, and there are now plans for more than 20 luxury hotels and thousands of houses to surround the ruins on Libya’s northeast Mediterranean coast.

Apparently developers are striving for a clean, green image, but with so much development occuring it will be a fine balancing act.

Via Telegraph Group Ltd and thanks to h_savill on Flickr for the pic of the Temple of Zeus.