Adana is distinctive for its river which runs through it and along the old town. The number one pastime for Adanalis (people from Adana) is to “grill” or picnic. They will set up wherever they think will be nice. Many spots along the river and lake have setups for grilling. I have been trying to “breakfast my way around the lake” because the views are so aquamarine. I love it.
The Seyhan Lake is an artificial lake that was created by the dam (and hydroelectric station) which opened in 1956 to protect old Adana, 15 kilometers to the south.
The lake is a popular place for restaurants, fishing, kayaking, and much more. Many nightclubs and shisha bars line the lake. One can drive around the lake (and on this site, one can learn more about the lake and the activities available.)
Radical open plan living was shocking in the 1930s in Pennsylvania. This is one of the things you learn when visiting Falling Waters, the house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Falling Waters is a UNESCO world heritage site.
The inside living area was low, cool, and open.
Visiting Falling Waters makes for a long day trip (a 3.5 hour drive each way) from Washington, DC. Falling water is a popular site so make sure to buy tickets beforehand. The tour is about an hour. Be warned that there are many steps.
The house is built over a water fall and one can see how this was a calming retreat from the bustle of the big city.
The amenities are super. The visitors center is well designed and has a cafe, shop, bathrooms, and lots of comfy chairs.
Falling Water is so secluded that your cell phones will not work out there. The WIFI is spotty at best.
The building is being renovated.
We visited during off season which was cool and peaceful.
Isn’t it dangerous? That’s what I heard before I went. Yes, it’s as dangerous as other places in the neighborhood. If you decide to go, here’s what I recommend.
In Antigua.
Two nights in Antigua: Or more. It’s safe, cute, and there is lots to see and do from museums, ruins, churches, shopping, chocolate tasting, etc.
Absolute photo op place in Antigua.
Two nights in Isla de Flores: Or more. That town is too cute! Cooking classes, salsa lessons, coffee tastings, disco, delicious food, and outings! Plus, just walking, swimming, boating, and photographing…
One early morning trip to Tikal: Tikal is one of the largest Mayan ruin complexes. It’s also HOT in the jungles. The walk in to the bottom of the main ruin plaza is over a mile (2 kilometers). And out again. A total of five or six miles (10 kilometers). It’s HOT. I would recommend doing the sunrise tour where you get picked up at 2 am from Isla de Flores.
Two nights in Lake Atitlan: I did not do this but apparently it’s worth visiting.
Notice I did not mention Guatemala City. If you do spend time in the “Guate” as the locals call it, then go to the Central Market to buy cheaper souvenirs down in the lower level. The market is near the main square so you can see that as well.
The main things about Guatemala is how sweet the people are, how good the fried chicken (and food in general) is, and that not everyone else on the planet has been there for tourism. Prices are not as cheap as you would think but you can also go there on a budget (I did not). Also, everything takes a bit longer so don’t expect to see it all in two days (we tried!).
Tikal is a World Heritage Site. It was used for a Star Wars movie. It is majestic. But HOT. Here are my pros and cons of visiting Tikal.
This was used in a Star Wars movie (think ending of the movie).
The pros:
It is only a 90 minute drive from Isla de Flores. But 30 of those minutes are at the main gate while those that didn’t buy their tickets online go to the ticket office (my advice is get a coffee at the stand where the driver is getting his cup of joe).
On the way, you can see the alligator island.See monkey do.
The tourist museum and vendors are all at the entrance of the archeological park.
No one dresses up like a Maya.
There are lots of birds (peacock like birds and others).
There are howler monkeys that will spook you making you think some monster is coming to rip out your lungs…
You can still climb some of the original structures.
It’s fairly unvisited.
The main plaza.
There are bathrooms in the park. But you won’t need them as you will sweat out all the liquid in your body (or at least whatever is not blood).
Another pyramid.
The park is clean.
The guides are good. You must hire a guide (around 500-600 quetzal) for a sunrise or sunset tour, separate from your extra ticket.
More.
The cons:
Other ruins.
Too much walking on boring dirt roads wide enough for trucks. In fact, a dump truck takes stragglers out of the park at 3 pm every day. The walk in is over two kilometers (over a mile) to the rest station/toilets at the base of the main plaza (for the love of all that is right, put in a transport system! I’ll pay for it!)
The Jungle Lodge has cobble stones (why break our already shattered feet?) and costs $375 per night.
The Ceiba tree.
A sunrise tour from Isla de Flores starts at 2 am. I still recommend doing it so that you are not walking in the heat.
This is a huge site.
The sunset tour ends up with that two kilometer death march in the pitch dark.
Walking in the dark down stairs and over tree roots…
The mosquitoes leave puncture wounds that last for weeks.
A storage hole.
I can’t decide if the ticket price is a pro or a con. Things were in general more expensive than I thought they should be. But, maybe it’s a way to keep the place intact.
Another thing that may be a pro and a con — it’s not so easy to get to Tikal. An eight hour bus ride or a one hour flight from Guatemala City. Then the smaller bus. Then the walk in to the jungle. I guess it’s pro if you like excursions. It’s a con if you would like a pleasant air conditioned minivan.
To wipe some of the salt rime off your face.
I’m sorry Tikal, but I’m not coming back. You are just too hot, hot, hot for me.
Tamarind juice, water, and hibiscus (flor de jamaica) juice to replenish the five liters I lost in sweat.
When you mention Guatemala, people tell you to visit La Antigua Guatemala (old Guatemala) or Antigua. It was the capital from 1543 through 1773. For a while it was the capital of much of the region including Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Chiapas in Mexico. Antigua was moved several times due to uprisings and volcanic activity, and finally in 1773, it was abandoned as the capital city.
It is a 90-minute drive from Guatemala City. I recommend staying for at least two nights in Antigua (maybe like what this blog article recommends). We didn’t.
The advice was to take an Uber. Around 290 Quetzal each way (at the time of travel that was equal to $38). We were about to do that when the hotel owner recommended her driver for just another 100 quetzal. We figured that we might be better with someone we “knew” so we did. The driver came to get us on time. She spoke no English despite having studied English correspondence… I suspect that her English was okay but as we spoke Spanish with her, she made no effort in English. So, we set off. In rush hour. 90 minutes later, we arrived at the base of a hill and our driver recommended that we go up and view Antigua from the overlook.
View of the chapel with a view of the city.
The overlook is an outdoor chapel with lots of benches along the sloping hill and walkways down to a large cross. The view of Antigua with the mountainous background is a lovely place to sit and reflect. I was more into the people-watching.
When we got down to the town of Antigua, we saw construction on a large bus station and parking lot on the outskirts of the city. Our driver/guide told us that it was for Semana Santa (holy week/Easter week). We remarked that they should do it permanently and make the town pedestrian. After some cavity loosening driving around the town, I asked why were were driving around. It turned out that our driver was looking for parking. She did not know of any public parking places.
The streets are cobblestone which makes them difficult to walk on.
That was followed on by another surprise. We thought we had merely hired a driver. It turned out that we had hired a guide. As she was a guide, she tried to get us to go to the museum and the church in the center of town. We were not interested in either. Then we separated so my friend could take photos and I could sit and people watch. Now the guide didn’t know who to stay with so she ended up with my friend most of the day.
Although we were in Antigua during the cool season, the weather was still hot. Not hot like in the jungle, but still up around 89 F (31 C) in the sun. I don’t like it.
One of the cute things about Antigua is that the ice cream ‘trucks’ are miniature vehicles. The most popular ice cream seemed to be a sunset flame array of oranges and yellows. Our guide offered to treat us to ice cream but then it turned out that she forgot her cash in the car. It turned out that we were not interested in ice cream so it all worked out.
Ice cream truck at the Central Park.
While I was people watching, while sitting on a bench in the main plaza, moving to the half shaded end of a bench, I could hear the two senior gentlemen next to me talking about how they were set up with their wives in America. I didn’t listen in so I can’t tell you more than that.
Also while people watching, I saw a devilishly handsome young man, tall and bronzed, with long lush hair in a man-bun, stretching himself in the sun. He was accompanied by an equally attractive female. They had that look like straight out of a casting call — international travelers making their way around the world, last stop Thailand.
Speaking of height, I felt a bit of a giant in Guatemala as the locals are not so tall. People like to photograph the ones who wear native dress. (Did you see the lady wearing a blouse to match the flag?).
Local ladies enjoying ice cream.
In Antigua, the classic photo is of the arch, the Arco de Santa Catalina, which is was built in the 17th century as a bridge allowing the nuns to pass from the convent to the school without anyone on the street seeing them. Today, it is a highly touristy spot and it is hard to get a photo alone with the arch.
Vendors taking a break under the famous arch.
There is a large outdoor market behind La Merced church. I didn’t make it there. Maybe next time.
We got good advice. Go to the Central Market lower level to buy souvenirs at reasonable prices. Then go to Antigua and see how much money we saved. (Guatemala City is called “Guate” by the locals).
Central Market entrance.
As you may know, I love central markets. I love markets. This is my jam (as they say). I love going early before the crowds. We breakfasted at 7 am. The market was a quick Uber ride from our hotel and we were there by 8 am just as the vendors were opening up shop.
One of the tourist goods hallways.
First we looked at the various shops and did a full circuit of the lower level before returning to the ones that we liked. The vendors will friendly but not too pushy. Many of them wished for us to be their first customer of the day as it would give them good luck.
Guatemala is famous for their coffee.
I was feeling a bit dry in the throat so we had a coffee in the “comedor” which made me happy as that was the part of the market I really wanted to see (I’m much less of a shopper these days).
The market’s main dining hall.
Then we went back downstairs and haggled (they offered the deals due to it being so early in the day) before purchasing bags, shirts, and other textiles (I purchased nothing).
A typical stall at the food level.
We had no time to explore the food level of the market. Maybe next time.
For $95 per person, you get a whole lot of history and trivia about Chinatown Manhattan and New York City (what Chinese dish was invented in Manhattan? That sort of thing). Oh, and you get to eat at five different places.
Chinatown Manhattan
I won’t give away all the places on the food tour, but it was definitely worth it. We went with Ultimate Food Tours.
Steamed buns.
Our group had ten people and the tour took three hours. Along the way, our guide shared lore, etiquette (how to eat a soup dumpling properly!), and stories about the Chinese in America.
Soup dumplings.
The guide was awesome and he left without waiting for a tip!
The Washington Monument was supposed to be 600 feet tall to honor George Washington (who was 6 feet 2 inches). It is not quite that tall because of structural concerns.
Life size statue of George Washington.
To visit, one has to reserve free tickets online (the use the national parks app). I was invited to go up.
The security is like airport security (including no liquids).
View to the east and the capitol building.
The elevator ride up is 70 seconds and my ears popped. The ranger who rode with us told us interesting facts.
Useful signs.
The top offers good views all around DC. There is also a small museum.
The ride down is two minutes stopping at times for views of the inside of the monument. When the elevator makes these stops, the lights dim… they should warn people about this… so they don’t panic (when the elevator was built, it was steam powered and women were not allowed to take it because supposedly the steam would be too much for them). The modern elevator is large and pleasant, except for those unexpected moments when the lights dim.
If you want a small town feel, a historic old European city feel, and still be near a big city, then you will understand why Old Town Alexandria keeps getting voted as one of the best small towns in America. It is really cute. It has free busses and a free trolley from the subway stop. Also, it is on a subway line that connects to two airports.
I just like how quaint it is (oh, and I love the dairy sold at the farmers market — the market is from 1753 and is the oldest continuous farmers market in America. It is every Saturday from 7-noon). Several of the blocks in the heart of the waterfront area have been made pedestrian only. Many restaurants line these blocks and it is a pleasant place to eat, socialize, and people watch. The boardwalk/quay is nicely made and there are both toilets, drinking fountains, and benches all within easy reach.
If you visit, try going during the day and visit the Torpedo Factory, an old factory turned into artist studios and shops. There are also many tours of Old Town, covering history, food, and ghost.
The streets are tree lined and a few still have the original cobblestones. This is an old city so you may need to walk arm in arm on the uneven sidewalks.
Watch the mighty Potomac crash through Great Falls. It is magnificent without being strenuous. Great Falls is on both sides of the river but the better walk is on the Maryland side.
View the monuments by night with friends. The monuments are lit up at night and it is completely different than visiting during the day. And cooler (if it is summer).
Walk in the Arboretum. See pretty plants and Greek columns.
Explore a local trail. There are many that one rarely notices. One example is the Arlington Loop, map here.
Walk along the George Washington Parkway, or along the river on the Virginia side. Take the trail from Memorial bridge. Walk all the way to Mount Vernon if you… bike! It is 18 miles from Theodore Roosevelt Island (see above) to Mount Vernon.
A view from the car of the Washington Memorial across the river.
Join a walking group. Or find other walks in this list from Town and Tourist.
Can Albania, with their Roman ruins and Greek temples, blue waters, and Adriatic coastline, be the next big destination? Many people are touting it as such. What I did notice were quite a few hair transplant tourists.
We went looking for the blue waters of the Adriatic. But, we went looking for the beach in the off off season, on a rainy cold day. We did find the beach and had a meal at a beach side restaurant (it was the only place open for miles), and oddly, I had to use my Italian language skills to order as the owner of the restaurant did not speak English.
I would recommend going way to the south near Greece when looking for sunshine. Or go in the shoulder season.
Still, it was nice to be able to get a decent “Greek” salad.
Another thing, everyone smokes.
But, Albania is the birthplace of Mother Theresa so perhaps people would visit for that reason too. There are things to see and do (the communist museums, the plazas, the Greek temples, the Adriatic, the mountains), and it is a bit cheaper than other parts of Europe.
The mosque in Tirana.
The Albanians are ready. They have the tourist gear. Also, it’s pretty inexpensive to get a car service from Tirana to Kosovo, Skopje, Montenegro, and other parts of the Balkans. This is could be practical because it is not so easy to get to some of those places but Tirana has a direct flight from Rome.
