Ruins and Archaeology

My husband, George, and I made a 3-week visit to Southeast Asia, including a 6-day side trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, Jan. 21-26, 2014. Our goal was to really see and photograph Angkor Wat and its environs.

I lucked out and found a wonderful tour company online: ABOUTAsia Travel (ABOUTAsia House, Charming City, Charles de Gaulle Ave., Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone +855 63 760 190, www.aboutasiatravel.com). 

Almost all of the historic sites in Scotland are owned by two organizations: Historic Scotland (Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1SH, Scotland; phone + 44 [0] 131 668 8600, www.historic-scotland.gov.uk)… and The National Trust for Scotland (Hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Rd., Edinburgh, EH11 4DF, Scotland; phone, from US & Canada, 866/211-7573, www.nt

In Athens, Greece, the ruins of Aristotle’s Lyceum (his philosophy school) — a 2,300-year-old complex uncovered by archaeologists in 1996 — was opened to the public on June 4, 2014.  

The area is now an 11,500-square-meter park, where visitors can walk among hypocaust chambers (a heating system), the baths and the ephebeum (teaching room), conisterium (where athletes powdered their bodies), elaeothesium (where athletes oiled their bodies) and library. Signs explain these.

12 days/10 nights. Highlights: Tunis medina/Carthage/Mosque of Oqba Ibn Nafi in Kairouan/Roman amphitheater in el Djem/Roman ruins in Sbeitla/Red Lizard train through Atlas Mountains/Jeep to Tamerza oasis/dunes of Ong Jmel, location for movies, including “Star Wars”/Sahara camel ride and overnight tent camp/ troglodyte Ksours/markets on Jerba/Tunis’ National Museum of the Bardo. Land price, from $2,295. Single supplement, $425. Cross-Culture Journeys (Amherst, MA; 800/491-1148, www.ccjourneys.com).

8-day/7-night singles tour, Dec. 26, 2008-Jan. 2, 2009.

15 days/13 nights, Oct. 17-25, 2008 & March 5-14, 2009.

15-day/14-night gulet cruise of TURKEY.

Highlights: From Bodrum, transfer to the gulet Almira, sail to Bargylia to visit temple of Artemis/Roman ruins in Milas/Herakleia on shores of Lake Bafa/Ionian site of Miletus with Greek theater, baths/museum and ruins of Ephesus/Temple of Apollo at Didyma/shrine to Zeus/archaeological excavations near ancient Iasos/return to Bodrum.

Land only, $4,280. Single supplement, $975.

13 days/11 nights in PERU and BOLIVIA.

Highlights: In Lima, PERU, walking tour, Herrera Museum/Ica, wine capital of Peru/fly over Nazca Lines/cruise to Ballestas islands for sea lions, penguins, boobies/fly to Cuzco/Pisac market day/train to Urubamba Valley/Machu Picchu/at Cuzco, Incan sites of Puca Pucara, “House of the Sun”/from Puno, hydrofoil to Huatajata, BOLIVIA/Kallawaya medicine doctor museum, Tiwanaku ruins/La Paz for Museum of Archeology, witch doctor market.