Mayan - Lili on the Loose

29 12, 2016

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

By Lili|December 29th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: Abu Simbel, Africa, Ancient, Antigua, Assisi, Aswan, Austria, Barrier Reef, Basilica of San Francesco, Bath, Belize, Cairo, Caye Caulker, Central America, Champs Elysées, Chichen-Itza, Coiba, Dahshur, Dashur, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Egypt, Eiffel Tower, England, Europe, Florence, France, Germany, Giza, Great Pyramids, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guatemala, Hadrian's Wall, High Dam, Holy See, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Leanding Tower of Pisa, Loreley, Louvre, Luxor, Mayan, Memphis, Mexico, Middle East, National Park, Necropolis, North America, Notre-Dame, Nubia, Panama, Panama Viejo, Paris, Petra, Philae, Philae Temple, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Pompeii, Pyramids, Ramesses II, Rhine River, Rhine Valley, River Seine, Roman Walls, Rome, Rüdesheim, ruins, Sainte Chapelle, Salzburg, Saqqara, Scotland, Seine, Siena, snorkel, Thebes, Tikal, Travel Thursday, UK, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, United Kingdom, USA, Vatican City, Venice, Venice Lagoon, Verona, Wesminster Abbey, Westminster, World Heritage, Yellowstone National Park|0 Comments

"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration." - UNESCO There are thousands of world heritage sites. I've been to 30 of them: Salzburg Austria Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg A turtle in Belize Belize Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System Ramses Temple at Abu Simbel Egypt Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Historic Cairo Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to

22 09, 2016

Antigua Ruins: Santiago Cathedral

By Lili|September 22nd, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: 2013, Ancient, Antigua, Catedral de San José, Central America, church, earthquakes, Guatemala, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, Roman Catholic, ruins, Santiago Cathedral, Travel Thursday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

Catedral de San José Antigua means Ancient in Spanish. While not as old as the Mayan settlements, the city was founded in the mid 1500’s the city served as a capital of the kingdom of Guatemala. However in the 1700’s a series of earthquakes rocked the city until it was abandoned and the capital was moved to Guatemala City. It is amazing to look up and see the sky, framed by the walls. Slowly in the 20th century people started to return to the city, but rebuilding was limited. Today you can still see many of

24 03, 2016

Alfombras during Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala

By Lili|March 24th, 2016|Categories: Events, Travel|Tags: 2013, Alfombras, Ancient, Antigua, Antigua Guatemala Cathedral, Catedral de San José, Central America, church, earthquakes, Easter, Guatemala, Holy Week, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, Roman Catholic, ruins, Santiago Cathedral, Semana Santa, Travel Thursday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

Visiting Antigua, Guatemala right before Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week) was great. I got to see the floats being made, as well as the unique tradition of Alfombras, colored sawdust carpets! These are made on the streets and pathways that will be taken when the models of Jesus and the stations of the cross are performed.This one was in the main Antigua Guatemala Cathedral and featured a beautiful fuchsia sawdust Alfombras in front of a statue of Jesus. In addition offerings of mangos, cantaloupe, corn, oranges, and pineapple helped to complete the display. And then fresh flowers lined the walkway. Some will be made

28 01, 2016

Breathtaking Crystal Maiden at Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave

By Lili|January 28th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: 2013, Actun Tunichil Muknal, ATM Cave, Belize, Cave, Cave of the Crystal Sepulcher, Caves, Central America, climb, Crystal Maiden, dark, hike, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, Mayan Sacrifice, Mayans, pottery, San Ignacio, Stone Sepulcher, Travel Thursday, Xibalba|0 Comments

One of the most breathtaking experiences I have ever had while traveling was when I visited Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM). The name means “Cave of the Crystal Sepulcher” but it could be more accurately described as the physical embodiment of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. This is a cave system in Belize, where you can see actual Mayan sacrifices and offerings to the gods. It is believed the Mayans first found the cave around 300-600 AD, but didn’t move into the further reaches until 700-900 AD. Beyond seeing ceramic or stone pots and plates you will also see skeletons. They are

23 03, 2015

Review: Mythic Creatures at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

By Lili|March 23rd, 2015|Categories: Museums, Travel, Travel Review|Tags: ancient coins, coins, Colorado, Denver, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, DMNS, dragon, exhibit, Fantasy, Kraken, Mayan, Mermaid, museum, Mythical Creatures, Myths, North America, Pegasus, Quetzalcoatl, Review, Unicorn, USA|0 Comments

A Unicorn at Mythic Creatures at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. I had the opportunity to see the new Mythic Creatures exhibit at Denver Museum of Nature & Science last week at a preview night. As a child my grandmother gave me a book on fairy tales that captured my imagination. And as I grew up my interest in fantasy books and movies only grew. So I had high hopes for this exhibit! A modern take of a Pegasus as if it was a Carousel Horse. The exhibit is laid out into 3 sections:

24 01, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Guatemalan Jade

By Lili|January 24th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2013, Antigua, Aztec, buying guide, Central America, Guatemala, Jade, jadeite, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, necklace, nephrite, Olmec, shopping|0 Comments

When traveling to Guatemala, I knew I wanted to get a piece of Jade jewelry. There are two stones that are considered “Jade”: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite is more common and is often used for carvings, while jadeite is harder and denser and so is often used for jewelry. Guatemalan jade is of the jadeite variety and comes in a variety of green colors as well as more unique finds like lavender or black. Jade was precious to the ancient Mayan, Olmec, and Aztec civilizations as it was a status symbol of wealth, power, and life itself. Thus, jade makes

1 01, 2014

2013 Year Highlights and 2014 Upcoming Travel Plans

By Lili|January 1st, 2014|Categories: Travel, Upcoming Travel, Year in Review|Tags: 2013, 2014, Actun Tunichil Muknal, Antigua, Belize, blog posts, Caye Caulker, Central America, CES, chocolate, climb, food, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, golf cart, grandpa, group, Guatemala, highlights, hike, Las Vegas, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, meetup, museum, mythbusters, Panama, Pyramid, racing, rum, savings, shark, Smithsonian, snorkeling, St. John, swim, Tikal, tour group, travel plans, triceratops, upcoming, upcoming travel, upcoming travel plans, USA, USVI, Washington DC, work, year in review|0 Comments

Goodbye 2013! You were a good year. Here are some of the travel highlights: I went to Las Vegas twice for work, and had the opportunity to experience the craziness that is CES first hand. My favorite food experience was learning the history and how to make chocolate in Antigua, Guatemala. There is a 3 way tie for the “I never thought I’d…” Climb to the top of a Mayan Pyramid at Tikal, Guatemala Hike over a mile into the earth and free climb rock formations to see Mayan sacrifices at Actun Tunichil Muknal in Belize. Swim with sharks near

12 02, 2013

Upcoming Travel Plans: Mayan Encounter 2013

By Lili|February 12th, 2013|Categories: Itinerary, Travel, Travel Planning, Upcoming Travel|Tags: 2013, Belize, Central America, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Guatemala, itinerary, Latin America, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, Mayan ruins, Mexico, plan, planning, ruins, snorkel, snorkeling, tour, upcoming travel|0 Comments

For my next adventure I will explore Mayan ruins and enjoy fabulous snorkeling in Central America. My basic itinerary will be: After a full day of travel I will arrive in Guatemala late at night. I will spend 2 days in Antigua, Guatemala to explore the city. I plan on visiting many ruined churches, see a Coffee Plantation, see how Jade is made, and make my own Chocolate! Then my tour with Gadventures will start and we'll move onto Flores, Guatemala to explore the quaint and small island city on foot and by boat. The next day we'll move onto