#846 Isla Gorgona, Colombia

 

34km off Colombia's wild and mangroved Pacific coast lies the mysterious island of Gorgona, so named for the hundreds of snakes present when Pizarro's ship stopped there in 1524. For a long time a prison and forbidden to outsiders, it is now a majestic holiday resort of wild jungle trails, pristine beaches, spectacular diving, and peace and quiet (one small resort and the boats only cross from Guapi, the nearest village and airport, two times a week).

Nature rules here, as is evidenced by the jungle completely reclaiming the prison over the past 30 years, but also by the hundreds of small monkeys, lizards, snakes, birds, and other creatures. My favorite, by far, were the sperm whales that traverse this coast several months of the year with their babies on their way to and from the tropics and Antarctica. Breaking just off the island, breaching and playing or just breathing, they astonish and excite all visitors when they are seen several times a day. 

Source: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isla_Gorgona

#849 Nazca Lines, Peru

It's very common to say that photos don't do a place justice, but in this case, they really don't. The Nazca lines are one of the most incredible things I've seen, and they can only been seen from the air, but the photos just don't capture the magic. 

Human or alien?

The circa 400AD geogyphs cannot be seen well from the ground, though there is a spot off the Pan-American highway where there is a viewing platform and they can be seen from the surrounding hills. This means that tourist flights zip around the 80km plateau area -- that's the only way to really see them. There is an alien-like man, several birds and insects, a monkey, a spider, a dog, hands, along with zoomorphic geometric designs and other images. They must be several hundred meters in size, and are made by clearing the rock-strewn area so that a clear patch is formed -- the sheer size is impressive, but also the mysteries about how and why they were made. 

The Nazca people were responsible for the ceremonial city of Cahuachi, and also created an impressive aqueduct system in addition to these lines. Despite a severe 1996 earthquake that flattened the modern town of Nazca, and floods in 2007 the dry, windless desert helps to preserve these creations. The difficulty of seeing them also helped preserve them for us to see. They were only "rediscovered" relatively recently, when Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe saw them from the surrounding hills in 1927, and new figures are still being discerned from the multitude of lines even now. 

However, whether they were to form pictures for gods in the sky, an observatory, a collection of constellations or negative space in the milky way, or a pathway to places of religious observance, they are truly remarkable!

Monkey

Bird

Spider

Map of Nazca sites

Viewing platform on the ground -- very hard to see anything at all!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_lines

#856 Jesuit ranches, Cordoba, Argentina

In honor of the new Argentinian Jesuit pope just elected last week, here is a post about the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of central Argentina -- the Jesuit heritage surrounding the city of Cordoba.

I do apologize if showing photos of this tourist brochure offend --  I am not intending to copyright anything but merely to share information! It was so difficult to get information when we were in Argentina, and this was the best collection of information out there.

The first site to visit is Cordoba itself with it's Jesuit heart. Unfortunately for us, we arrived on a Sunday, so nothing was open, but we managed to get into a few of the churches and of course wander the streets.

The architect of this church was a ship builder before, which is why the roof is so reminiscent of a ship's hull, but of course, beautifully decorated. It is one of the oldest buildings in Argentina.

The streets had tiled 'shadows' which were very cool.

Cordoba Cathedral

Driving north out of Cordoba, there is a straight highway, and it's easy to wonder why it was that the monasteries were built here in the middle of the plains, but the reality is, they were closer to the mountains and their rich yeilds provided the cities with food and other provisions. Warning to drivers: finding these ranches is a mission as they are poorly signposted and often in a totally different place than many brochures give the impression of.

The first mission we went to was the Jesus Maria -- a beautiful farm on the edge of the town of the same name, it is set in grounds with a large reservoir, a nearby campsite, and separate servants buildings. The church is closed, but you can enter a small upper balcony to look over it. It has a museum of art and religious relics. The toilets are interesting, especially the complicated plumbing system using water to clear out the smells and mess from what was an indoor system well before that was normal. The site was strictly non-photography and we didn't see another soul despite the folk festival that was on in the town.

 

Just down the road was the Estancia Caroya, in the middle of a tree-less field with many outbuildings showing the farm system -- a slaughterhouse, a mill, an energy generator, etc. It had a much more friendly vibe with the caretaker welcoming us in, encouraging photographs and generally wanting to make us interested in the place. It had a charming courtyard and many farm relics and furniture left from the ranch. It also had an interesting exhibition on the immigration to Argentina.

After driving truly into the rural areas away from any main roads or towns, we reached the Estancia Santa Catalina, really off in the middle of nowhere! Alas, it is closed on Mondays, but we had a lovely lunch in the gardens of the former servant quarters which is now a small bed and breakfast lodge with a lovely hostess.

The next day, after driving all over the adjacent valley, we went to Alta Gracia, which is almost back in Cordoba but on the other side of the city. On account of its closeness, this was the busiest of all the monasteries with many visitors and a crowded, overrun feeling. The hosts were no longer charming and welcoming but tired of visitors and constantly shooing people onward or telling them to leave where they weren't supposed to be! 

The only one we didn't make it to was this one: La Candelaria. It was several hours drive into the mountains, far from any other towns and very far from Cordoba. Alas, time was limited, but I bet that it is probably the prettiest and the least touristy, and the least visited. One day I will get back there, I hope! They really were peaceful places that I'm sure were absolutely amazing in their time. They would sponsor whole schools and universities in the cities and they were innovative in their time, and important community centers. All were taken over and lost to private owners in various ways when the Jesuits were banned from all the Spanish realms. And just think -- now we have a Jesuit pope!