Because of its close proximity to Barcelona, only 50 km away, and the convenient transportation options that are available, the Monastery of Montserrat is a popular day trip destination from Barcelona. We decided to take a train ride there, from the station at the end of the famous street La Rambla.

I [read more...]]]>

I first heard about the Monastery of Montserrat, home of the mystical Black Madonna since the 12th century, from my cousin-in-law. She described this place as an unusual church, sitting on an unusual looking mountain, with unusual Mother Mary statue in it. I was intrigued.

Because of its close proximity to Barcelona, only 50 km away, and the convenient transportation options that are available, the Monastery of Montserrat is a popular day trip destination from Barcelona. We decided to take a train ride there, from the station at the end of the famous street La Rambla.

I slept most of the time on the train that brought us there, but we had to switch trains part way which woke me up. The second train, a funicular, gave us a spectacular view as it pulled us up the mountain. The terrain had changed completely. In front of us were the serrated mountains, very different from what you'd usually picture in your mind when thinking of a mountains. I like to call it a rock formation, rather than a mountain. Really, a huge complex of massive rock formations, coming together in a jagged row of rocky teeth biting into the sky. Actually, the place received the name "Montserrat" because it literally means jagged mountains. And the strangeness doesn't stop there, it's pink too! Pink jagged mountains! The landscape we saw on the funicular ride amazed me.

The Monastery of Montserrat, formally called Santa Maria de Montserrat, is a Benedictine monastery that was first built around the 9th century, even though it was originally a monks' hermitage, and throughout its history it's been destroyed and rebuilt many times. As soon as I saw the monastery complex, I understood why it's famous. This beautiful monastery sits on a very distinctive looking pink jagged mountain, close to the top of the range. What a stunning setting! You will be able to appreciate this more as you step back, looking at the whole complex from a distance, in the middle of its magnificent landscape. Breathtaking!

Monastery of Montserrat (Photo from Wikimedia Common by Richard Schneider)

Perhaps my favourite thing that we did here was the "hermit walk". From a long time ago, because of its distinctive geological features and close proximity to the city of Barcelona, people had recognized and used this place as a spiritual retreat. Before the Christian era, a Venusian temple was built here by Romans. Then, some hermit monks lived in this area. They built small hermitages here and there on this pink jagged mountain, and some of them are still standing to date, even though sometimes only the wall is left. Of course we wanted to see some of this!

Hermitage of Sant Joan

We went partway up on yet another funicular, and then continued the climb on foot. The view of the jagged mountain and the green valleys around it was even more dramatic than before. The picture above shows the hermitage of Sant Joan. Look at the picture below. Sant Joan hermitage is shown in the left, and take a look at the precarious looking brick structures inserted between the cleft of the vertical rock wall.

Hermitage of Sant Joan (left) and the precarious one (right)

What an incredible setting to build a hermitage! Try to imagine what was in the hermit's mind when they decided to use that crack on the rock as their retreat. Imagine how to get there, dragging building materials up the rock face and building a simple home nestled in the rocks.

That structure in the rock cleft is now mostly destroyed, with only some walls and the door frame remaining. I wish the structure was still intact, as I'd love to see how it was to live there. Well, at least we managed to get there through the carved rock steps. It was a perfect place to stop for a rest and a drink during our climb. The view was fantastic there, and the brick walls that were left are very pretty too, giving it a romantic and  serene feeling. If Ryan and I were going to get married again, I might choose this place!

Beautiful ruins in the mountain cracks

These hermit monks in the past had built tracks all over the place by carving the rock surface, and some of these tracks go to the mountain summit Sant Jeroni. The track has been abandoned for a long time, beaten up by war and nature. In some places, the path was entirely gone. Since this was really early in our backpacking journey, I was still not too used to with walking in this kind of terrain, but I was so glad I kept pushing forward, for the view there was truly glorious.

Can you spot me?

And here is another one:

Apparently Montserrat is not famous only for the monastery and the hermitage, but also for rock climbing. Here I sat on the rock, catching my breath from trekking up the mountain in the broken path, and there I saw a single guy climbing up the almost vertical rock across from us. I really admire rock climbers!

Rock climber, can you spot him?

We went back to the Monastery complex, and checked out the museum. As the day came to an end, we watched the last group of tourists leave. That night, we stayed in the little hotel at the monastery run by the monks. From our window, we could see the basilica and the row of statues overlooking the countryside far below. The monastery complex yard was now mostly empty, and the darkness was coming. We fell asleep to the sound of chanting coming from the church as they held their evening service.

The marvelous view from our window

We spent the next day exploring the Basilica. The basilica Gothic-Renaissance interior was beautiful and highly ornate, but perhaps what left most impression for me was the Escolania boys' choir performance from the altar. My first time seeing a live boys' choir performance. Such a beautiful monastery, such a strange and isolated mountain, such a solemn and innocent singing by the boys, the whole things mixed to one and gave me a serene chill <shiver> . Maybe the fact that Montserrat's boys' choir is one of the oldest in Europe, from the 14th century, also added to the chill that I felt.

In this Basilica sits the famous 12th century statue of Black Madonna (Virgin Mary) with baby Jesus in the silver throne altar, up in the basilica apse. I have never seen a black Madonna statue before, this was new to me. I was intrigued by the reason behind the depiction. Apparently in Europe alone, there are hundreds of Black Madonnas, in statue or painting forms. Nobody is quite sure why she's black: some say that it was just a matter of material choice: dark wood or stone. Some of the statues appear to be black because they've been blackened by soot over time. And others think that they were colored that way for some reason - but nobody's sure what that reason is. I think the most interesting theory is that the black Madonnas express some strong feminine power, that's lacking from the gentler pale-skinned Madonna, that usually symbolizes purity and kindness.

Everybody in the line up for seeing the Madonna (yep, there was a line up, a very long one) touched the globe that she holds. I did the same, even though I wasn't sure the meaning of it. I bet it's supposed to bring goodness of some sort. I meant to check later, but I guess I never did. The globe was smooth and cold to the touch.

That day we left the jagged mountain behind. This marked our last day around Barcelona, and I have to say that this pink mountain has left a deep impression on me. The train ride back to Barcelona was a mix between reflecting on the lives of hermit monks in the past, and sleeping peacefully on Ryan's shoulder.

Related Posts:

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2. New Zealand’s South Island: Our two week road trip itinerary
3. From the mass naked photo sessions to the mass naked bike rides

To most people, kangaroos and penguins are not everyday sights. Unless you live in Australia and New Zealand the chance to meet them in the wild is slim to none (maybe if one escapes from the zoo?) In the past few months as we've traveled around Australia and New Zealand, I've been very [read more...]]]>

The first time I went to Canada, I thought the yellow street signs with a deer picture on it, warning you that a deer might cross the road, were very cute. Coming from Indonesia, I'd never seen street sign bearing an animal picture before.

To most people, kangaroos and penguins are not everyday sights. Unless you live in Australia and New Zealand the chance to meet them in the wild is slim to none (maybe if one escapes from the zoo?) In the past few months as we've traveled around Australia and New Zealand, I've been very excited every time I see one of the exotic animal street signs. It feels like I might get a chance to spot something amazing! It's more than just kangaroo and penguin signs, there are lots of other fascinating animal signs too. And every time I spot one I peel my eyes wide, trying to to spot one from the road as we drive. Or I might take a walk in the woods for the chance to see them in the wild. So, let me show you some of our little journeys in spotting them!

Kangaroos

A kangaroo taking a midnight hop.

We've seen many kangaroos in zoos and animal parks, but it's not the same as seeing them in the wild. Unfortunately we didn't have much luck until recently. Last month we drove all the way up the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Cape Tribulation, passing through Brisbane and Cairns, and didn't spot any except roadkill. Things got a lot livelier as we went inland and into the outback: our favourite encounter happened a few hours from Cairns, in a little town known for its caves, called Chillagoe. Here kangaroos and wallabies alike were jumping or standing all over the place, especially at the dusk and during night time. I need to emphasize here that Ryan drove very carefully and slowly, so we wouldn't hit any (and we didn't!) At one point, we stopped the car just to watch them hopping around in the dark. It was very difficult to get a good photo, but there must have been at least 50 of them!

Playing with rock wallabies at Granite Gorge. Do you see the baby Joey?

On another occasion, we visited the Granite Gorge near Mareeba, a privately owned nature park with gorgeous river and gigantic boulders, also a wild sanctuary of rock wallabies. The rock wallabies here are not very wild anymore since they have frequent encounters with tourists. We had so much fun playing with them.

Tree Kangaroo

I have no doubt that all of you know kangaroos. But before we visited the Atherton Tableland in Queensland, Australia, we had no idea that there's such a creature as a tree kangaroo. Kangaroos that live in trees? Apparently they're real! They don't really look like a regular kangaroo, but they share similar ancestors. They are not too graceful on the ground, but they are great tree climbers and can even hop from tree to tree.

Two tree kangaroos cozy in a tree.

As we entered the forested area and saw the tree kangaroo street sign, we got excited. We thought spotting them would be very difficult since they are quite small and the trees are quite dense, but it must have been our lucky day! Near a pretty little waterfall, a group of kids asked us whether we wanted to see some tree kangaroos. Hell yeah! They led us to a nearby spot where there were a couple of them eating leaves peacefully in a tree. We watched them for about 10 minutes. They didn't care we were there, they just enjoyed stuffing themselves with leaves. So happy to see such a rare animal in their natural habitat!

Cassowary

Clearly illustrating how a cassowary looks before and after a car accident. (Can you guess it's modified from a bump sign?)

Cassowary street signs are a normal sight in north Queensland, but unfortunately this big bird with its beautiful blue head and big brown crest is very shy. Even though we saw countless signs, including the one says “Cassowary recent crossing”, in the end we never even saw one! It was pretty disappointing. A few months ago, when we visited the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney, we saw some of them in captivity. I guess for now we have to be happy with that.

Crocodile

When we were in New Zealand, as we drove along the Lake Taupo, we were enchanted by the beauty of the sunset, so we made an impromptu decision to dive into the inviting water. We then sat on the beach watching the last minutes of the sunset, resulting in being eaten alive by hundreds or thousands of sandflies.

A big croc named Fat Albert.

When you are in the north part of Australia, you should think twice (or more times) about jumping impromptu to inviting water bodies, because you might meet.... saltwater crocodiles! Going by the nickname “salties” these crocs are the largest living reptiles on earth, with males growing to 5-6 m long. In Australia, approximately 1-2 deadly salties attack on humans are reported every year. So it's definitely best not to mess around with them. The sign we posted here was from Yorkeys Knob beach.

Since croc sightings in nature could be dangerous, we decided to seek expert help to find some. We joined Bruce Belchers' expedition on the Daintree River. Bruce was an excellent guide, having done this for many years, and the trip was not disappointing: we spotted 7 saltwater crocodiles! They were seen sunbathing on the beach along the river, some with jaws wide open. With the intimidating length of 5 meters, a croc named “Fat Albert” was the most impressive one. Unfortunately it's not very easy to see this magnificent size from the photo, as I failed to persuade anybody to sit beside him to get the size perspective!

Stingers/Jellyfish

I like the warning sign in the right picture: the stinger looks monstrous.

Again, this sign is not actually found on the road, but typically on the beach sides. In Queensland, especially during the summer months, stingers are frequent visitor to its beaches and the Great Barrier Reef. The sting they cause could result in only localized stinging pain, or severe aches in body parts, or even death. As we were there during the winter time, the chance to encounter a jellyfish should be smaller. We indeed didn't see them by our eyes, however Ryan got stung in his arm by a small one when we were snorkeling by Michaelmas Cay, in the Great Barrier Reef. The sting made a 10 cm long red mark in his inner elbow, and fortunately even though it caused some stinging pain for a few days, it didn't get more dangerous than that.

Cows

Cows crossing

Cows on the road in Australia? We were quite surprised the first time we saw that! Seeing cows in fenced fields or valleys was a pretty commonplace scene in the New Zealand. But in some parts of Queensland, apparently fences are optional! How to keep them of the road so they don't get hit by cars? Well, we hope the cows have the right sense about it, but in fact we indeed saw some of them wandering on the road! They might rely on the fact drivers will try really hard to avoid collisions with them: they are quite massive, you will hurt not only the cow, but your car and yourself.

Penguins

I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw a street sign of penguins! I thought they only lived in the South Pole, but apparently New Zealand is also home to many kind of penguins, and sometimes they do cross the road along the coast! Of course we wanted to spot these penguins in their natural habitat. We went to a small city called Oamaru on the east coast of South Island of NZ, home to two different kind of penguins: the little blue penguins, and the yellow eyed penguins. Our yellow eyed penguins spotting was a bit painful. It was in the middle of winter time, during a long rainstorm that hit the area for days, and the observation platform was high on the top of a high cliff. Wet, very windy, and freezing cold. The first observation day was a failure, but glad we were back the next day. We spotted 2 of them down the beach. A kind penguin watcher lent us his binoculars so we had a good look of them. What a pretty creature! I love how around the eyes, the color of the skin is yellow, giving impression that they are wearing a little yellow bandit eye-mask!

Safe distance to see a penguin in the wild.

The little blue penguins were easier to spot, but with some cost. In the past, there were heavy machinery left from an old mine not far from a cliff, and a blue penguin colony used it as their home. Now the machinery is all gone, and they've built small houses for the penguins, who seem to love it too just like their old machinery homes. After waiting for the sun to set, the penguins come ashore in large groups. Very adorable creatures! In groups of 10 or 20 they'd wash ashore onto the rocks. With their two short legs and no flippers they'd hop and climb up the steep cliff. You've got to see this yourself to see how adorable they are scaling the rocks! Their color is dark blue, and they are only a foot tall. Cute and tiny. We saw them from very close, one of them even ran right between us! Unfortunately no photographs, but it was an amazing experience.

Ducks

Duck crossing!

Duck crossing! Are you serious?!

We found this 2-3 hours away to the south from Sydney. People in the neighbourhood must love ducks so much, or probably they have a rare type of duck there.

So, I hope you enjoyed the collection of  animal street signs! Which one do you like best? Tell us what unique street signs you have in your area or you've encounter in your travels!

Related Posts:

1. Friday Photo: The Truth About Baby Joeys
2. New Zealand’s South Island: Our two week road trip itinerary
3. Friday Photo: Wacky New Zealand Mailboxes

When I think about a mother kangaroo and her baby joey, I always think of a cute head poking out neatly out from the mommy's pouch. But as I've learned, the truth is not always as pretty as that. This one seems to have stuffed itself in headfirst, and decided that it was cozy enough that way, with the head inside and feet and tail poking out. And this is pretty common among the kangaroos and wallabies we've seen.

We were wondering whether the joey was going to stay upside down or somehow flip itself over but [read more...]]]>

When I think about a mother kangaroo and her baby joey, I always think of a cute head poking out neatly out from the mommy's pouch. But as I've learned, the truth is not always as pretty as that. This one seems to have stuffed itself in headfirst, and decided that it was cozy enough that way, with the head inside and feet and tail poking out. And this is pretty common among the kangaroos and wallabies we've seen.

We were wondering whether the joey was going to stay upside down or somehow flip itself over but it stayed like this for quite awhile and we eventually moved on.

So, have you seen a baby joey upside down like this?

Related Posts:

1. Friday Photo: The most beautiful drinking fountain (Sydney)
2. Top 8 Animal Street Signs from Australia and New Zealand
3. Friday Photo: Torch dancing

Many thanks to our fellow traveling bloggers for participating in this post. We gave them difficult task to choose only 3 from so many wonderful temples from around the world! As we received the emails, we saw one by one our favourite temples were taken, for example La Sagrada [read more...]]]>

Whether you are a religious person or not, temples and other religious structures are often some of the most interesting places to visit while you are traveling. Not only that they are beautiful and architecturally incredible, but they also can tell a story about the local history and culture.

Many thanks to our fellow traveling bloggers for participating in this post. We gave them difficult task to choose only 3 from so many wonderful temples from around the world! As we received the emails, we saw one by one our favourite temples were taken, for example La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Borobudur Temple in Java Island, Hagia Sofia Mosque in Istanbul, Kiyomizu Dera in Kyoto, and Chichen Itza in Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. But even without the taken ones, we still have many more than just 3 top temples in our mind. It was pretty hard to narrow it down to only three, and I bet our contributors faced the same struggle.

So, let's let our kind participants take you on a journey visiting their favourite temples in the world!

Jenna from This Is My Happiness :

Earl from Wandering Earl:

• Golden Temple (Amritsar, India) - I visit the Golden Temple on every visit to India simply because it offers a vibrant, hospitable, stunning setting without the masses of travelers that flood some of India's other sights. Add when the temple begins to glow at sunset, I just take a seat on the marble walkway, along with the hundreds of colorfully-dressed devotees of Sikhism, and enjoy an unforgettable atmosphere.

Golden Temple, Amritsar, India. © Wandering Earl.

• Ananda Temple (Bagan, Myanmar) - The last thing I expected when walking through the simple-looking entrance of this ancient temple were four massive, brightly glowing, standing Buddha statues offering me a serene welcome. And it proved to be more than just a welcome as, two hours later, when I finally walked back out into the 110 degree Burmese heat, I felt as if I had just awoken from a deep and powerful meditation.

Ananda Temple, Myanmar. © Wandering Earl.

• Coba (Quintana Roo, Mexico) - Isolated and seldom-visited, the ancient Mayan city of Coba consists of an impressive collection of ruins, including various temples and the tallest Mayan pyramid on the Yucatan peninsula, all set in a dark, windy, mysterious section of Mexican jungle. Climb to the top of the pyramid and you'll never want to come down - either because you're mesmerized by the views or you're too afraid to navigate the tiny steps!

Earl in Mayan ruins of Coba. © Wandering Earl.

Teresa from Art of Backpacking:

• Maccu Picchu: Cusco, Peru - After first visiting Cusco this past February, I was dissapointed to know I'd be leaving Peru without seeing these famous ruins. Towards the end of my backpacking journey, around April, I was so inspired to visit that I changed my flight just to go back when it reopened.

Teresa in Maccu Picchu, Peru. © Art of Backpacking.

The pictures tell why it is such a popular visited tourist attraction. Especially the hike up Huayna Picchu as the sun rises and the cloud forest fades to reveal the perfect postcard photo. Who would have thought Incans would build such a beautiful civilization in such a peculiar place! It is a must see for anyone before mother nature messes with it again.

Erica and Shaun from Over Yonderlust:

• Fushimi Inari (Kyoto, Japan) - The head shrine of Inari (the god of business) is easily recognizable from the thousands of orange and blacktorii lining the paths. Each of the torii were donated by a specific business so that they may be blessed with wealth.

Fushimi Inari Temple, Kyoto, Japan. © Over Yonderlust.

• Stonehenge (UK) - Although we don't have a complete understanding of Stonehenge, I believe it is an appropriate addition to the Religious/Spiritual Structure list. It is believed to have been a burial ground, however neo-pagans/druids/etc. currently visit it as a pilgrimage site.

Stonehenge, UK. © Over Yonderlust.

• Segovia Cathedral (Segovia, Spain) - While you do have to make a small hike up some hills to the top of Segovia, the summit is well worth it. This awesome Roman Catholic Cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary is open for tours (a few Euros to enter) and has amazing Gothic architecture and art.

Segovia Cathedral, Spain. © Over Yonderlust.

Ashley from No Onion Extra Pickles:

• The Duomo in Florence, Italy - There is nothing that prepares you for seeing the Duomo in person.  I studied it for years in my art history courses, saw it on multiple times on travel shows (thank you for making me jealous, Rick Steves) and stared at it in guidebooks while planning our trip to Italy...yet I was still overwhelmed when I visited Florence.  The exterior is far more beautiful than can ever be captured in a photo, and the way it subtly changes color as the day goes on is breathtaking.  I couldn't get enough of walking by the Duomo everyday.  And I haven't even discussed the interior!  Taking the tour up to the top of the tower allowed me to get up close to the amazing frescoes high inside the dome, and made reading Brunelleschi's Dome well worth it.  I've never met another building that I was so fascinated by.

Duomo, Florence. (Photo © MarcusObal)

• Chichen Itza on the Yucatán Peninsula - The best decision we made when visiting was getting there early.  Walking through the ruins before the crowds from Cancún arrive is the best way to experience Chichen Itza.  While these are some of the most visited Mayan ruins, they are also in great condition and well worth the trip.  El Castillo is the first structure you'll see as you enter the site.  It soars over its surroundings, and I was really surprised to learn that they didn't stop allowing people to climb to the top until 2005!  I imagine it got rather dangerous on crowded days.  My favorite buildings in Chichen Itza were the "nunnery" and "church."  They're small but full of beautiful detailed work.  And to top off a wonderful visit, we were engulfed in swarms of lovely yellow butterflies as we walked through the ruins - imagine a butterfly house, minus the house - it was magical.

Ashley jumping in Chichen Itza, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. © No Onion Extra Pickles.

• The monastery in Montserrat, Spain - Taking the train from Barcelona, traveling to Montserrat was a well needed break from the city.  Perched high up on a mountain top, the star of the show is the contrasts between the uniform monastery buildings and the incredible rock formations surrounding it...though the views are a very close second.  We had a great afternoon, hiking all through the area around the monastery, visiting various sacred points. This is also a popular trip for Catholics pilgrims - they come to see the Black Madonna - and I cannot resist a pilgrimage site!  Plus, the food in the cafeteria was pretty good, and we also bought some beautiful ceramics from the shop, for a fair price.

Monastery in Montserrat (near Barcelona). (Photo by Vagabond Quest)

Sasha from On Ur Way Travel:

• Yonghe Lama Temple (China) - The Yonghe Lama Temple in Beijing is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple that was formally a royal residence.  The complex itself is stunningly beautiful, so bright, colourful and inspiring, standing out from the dull grey that is most of Beijing! One of the best parts of this temple is the museum containing hundreds of fascinating Tibetan Buddhist relics.

Yonghe Lama Temple, China. © On Ur Way Travel.

• Kek Lok Si Temple (Malaysia) - Kek Lok Si Temple is a spectacular Chinese Buddhist temple perched above George Town, in Penang, Malaysia.  The sheer size of this temple was amazing not to mention the crowning jewel, a 37m high bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy.

Kek Lok Si Temple, Malaysia. © On Ur Way Travel.

• St Paul's Cathedral (UK) - St Paul's Cathedral stands tall, towering above the dull skyline along London's Thames River.  I was enchanted by the architectural details of the exterior but the moment I stepped inside was the moment I was blown away!  After all this was the cathedral chosen as the place to wed Prince Charles and Princess Diana breaking the tradition of royal weddings being held at Westminster abbey.

St. Paul's Cathedral, UK. © On Ur Way Travel.

Anil from foXnoMad:

• Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya) - Literally a blend of traditions, cultures, and religions the building is extraordinary. A mosque built on top of a Byzantine Church it reflects the mix of cultures in Istanbul.

Hagia Sofia, Istanbul. (Photo by Vagabond Quest)

• La Basilica Church, Quito, Ecuador - The climb up to the top of this church is an adventure in itself. Making your way across the church's arches and climbing several ladders nearly 100 meters off the ground, the view from the top perch is well deserved, if not a bit scary!

Basílica del Voto Nacional, Quoto, Ecuador. (Photo by Krunchky, public domain)

• Akshardham Temple (New Delhi) - The exterior is completely carved with small and large depictions of animals, people, and deities. The attention to detail that was required to build such a magnificent site simply boggles the mind.

Akshardham Temple, Delhi. (Photo © Swaminarayan Sanstha)

Cris & Felipe from No Place Like Here:

• Pushkar, India - the city itself is kind of a temple, is the only one in India dedicated to Lord Brahma. It lays in the Rajastan desert and the lake is sacred. There you can visit Brahma Temple and climb two steep mounts, and on the top of them find Savitri and Saraswati Temples and the views up there are so beautiful. Just amazing special place.

Pushkar, India. © No Place Like Here.

• Crazy Hindu temple Dharamsala, India - we don't know the name of this one, but it was so crazy, you enter through a lion's mouth and exit by a crocodile's mouth, the temple looks like a thematic park, you walk through a dark cave and it's all so colourful... there are images of many many Gods inside and on the terrace, and the statues are also very different than anything else we saw in India.

Dharamsala, India. © No Place Like Here.

• Notre Dame, Paris - We were already amazed of the church itself when we entered, when suddenly a girl starts singing, and the acoustic was just impressive. All we could was sit, listen and meditate. Unforgettable.

Notre Dame, Paris. © No Place Like Here.

Nancie (LadyExpat) from Budget Travelers Sandbox:

• Shwezigon Zedi (Bagan, Myanmar) - On a sunny day the gold from the temple walls can be blinding. The temple has been restored to all its former glory. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of money the government here spends on restoration. This shot was taken from a hot air balloon early in the morning.

Shwezigon Zedi, Myanmar. © Budget Travelers Sandbox.

• Jiri-san’s Hwaeomsa Temple (Korea) - Hwaeomsa Temple is one of the most important temples in Korea, dating back to the Silla Dynasty (544). They offer an English Temple Stay Program that allows visitors to experience authentic temple life. Be warned, first call to temple is around 4am.! Magical!

Hwaeomsa Temple, Korea. © Budget Travelers Sandbox.

• Pura Besakih, Bali’s Mother Temple - Located high on the slopes of Mount Agung this is Bali’s most important temple complex. We were lucky enough to visit on a day when there was a major festival going on. Worshippers were arriving by the thousands, which made for some great photo opportunities. One warning here…………be prepared for the touts. They are relentless.

Pura Besakih, Bali. © Budget Travelers Sandbox.

Ryan and Dina from this blog:

• White washed blue domed churches of  Santorini - If you come to Santorini or some other Greek island nearby, it's easy to fall in love with these pretty little churches.  Their whitewashed walls are perfectly integrated into the cities they serve, not dominating the skyline but just blending in with the decoration of a little blue dome on top. In many cases the interior can only fit ten or twenty people, and is always lavishly decorated with orthodox-style paintings of Madonna and the baby Jesus.

White washed blue domed churches of Santorini.

• Pura Luhur, Uluwatu, Bali - This Balinese Hindu temple was built in the 11th century on a stunning cliff, about 100 meters above the sea level. We fell in love with this temple and the setting for its stunning sunsets.

Stunning sunset at Uluwatu Temple.

• The Temple of  Zeus in Olympia, Greece - This ancient Greek temple was built on about the 5th century BC in  the large temple complex in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games was celebrated. In this temple ruin, once the world famous 13 m tall ivory and gold plated bronze Statue of Zeus by Phidias, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, stood. My favourite moment was looking at the ruins, trying to imagine how it used to look long ago, with the glorious temple columns and statue of Zeus sitting in the middle. This temple showed us of how the origins of sports were religious, something that isn't often remembered today.

Temple of Zeus in Olympia. Left: the ruin as we saw it. Middle: an illustration of what the temple might have looked in the past (Source: Lübke & Semrau, public domain). Right: Statue of Zeus in Hermitage Museum, based on the famous Phidias' work (Photo by Sanne Smit, public domain).

Others picks:

• Ayngelina from Bacon is Magic: Angkor Wat, Cambodia - It should be at the top of everyone’s list. Other temples just haven’t lived up to the overwhelming feeling of going there.
• Our forth choice: Kinkaku-Ji, Kyoto, Japan
• Danielle from Cracking the Egg: ZhiNan Temple (指南宮) in Taipei, Taiwan - It’s set on a mountain side with many tea shops in the area. Beautiful place that is only a hop skip and a gondola ride away from the city.
• (Keep your answer coming!)

What do you think about our picks? Is your favourite temple not mentioned yet? Share with us and we'll update the post with your favourites!

Thank you note: Many thanks to all the participants! Without you, this post would be empty

Next in Top Things Chosen by Travelers Around the World series:

• Topic: Top 3 Pieces of Traveling Advice
• What are your 3 most important pieces of traveling advice you would like to share? Some people believe traveling light is the way to go, while others love to travel with complete gear. Some like to plan the traveling route in details, some like to play by ear. Some don't want to miss out any important landmarks and treat Lonely Planet guidebooks as a bible, while others avoid guidebooks and go with local's suggestion. Whatever your traveling style is, what advice would you give to other travelers?
  
• Please participate, everybody is welcome!
• Photos: If you happen to have a photo to illustrate a point, send me ahead! (Might be not easy for this theme though)
  
• Submission deadline: Saturday, July 17th, 2010 (all time zone). That's about 2 weeks from this post date.
• Planned publishing time: Monday July 19th, 2010
• Send your answers to dina(at)vagabondquest(dot)com. Include your (nick)name and your blog URL (so I link back to you). Need more info? Give me a shout!

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