Religious Sites

On a visit to Beijing, Sept. 6-Oct. 2, 2007, I was fortunate to learn ahead of time of three interesting areas often missed by tourists.

I took the 15-day tour “Land of the Golden Fleece,” June 24-July 8, 2006, with Explore (booked through Adventure Center, 1311 63rd St., Ste. 200, Emeryville, CA 94608; 800/227-8747, www.adventurecenter.com).

by Marilyln Lutzker, Sunnyside, NY

I was very pleased to see the article by Yvonne Horn, “A 23-Day Exploration of Ethiopia,” in the August ’07 issue. The picture on page 10 is mislabeled, however. The photo of the priest with the vellum bible was taken at the Monastery of Nakuta La’ab in Lalibela, not at the large, modern, concrete Church of St. Mary of Zion in Axum.

I love to visit churches when I am abroad. My favorites are in Sweden, where there are small churches in the countryside that still have their wall paintings from the Middle Ages. I went to Sweden five times from 1996 to 2007.

To find these churches, one uses a very good map on which many are marked. In Sweden about five or six years ago I bought the most expensive selection of maps I could find: a bound book titled “Sverige Vägatlas.” With about 275 pages, it measures about 8"x12".

I was quite surprised at the modern Beijing. There are skyscrapers everywhere. The city will host the 2008 Summer Olympics, so there is construction everywhere too.

We stayed in Amritsar, INDIA, at Hotel CJ International (Opp. Langar Hall Building, Inside Golden Temple Car Parking, Amritsar-143001, India; phone 0091 183-2543478, 2535677 or 2535678, fax 2535677 or visit www.cjhotel.net), directly across from the glorious Golden Temple, Feb. 26-28, 2007.

I can’t deny I was excited about visiting Machu Picchu. Twenty-five years had passed since my first visit. Then, torrential rains had washed away portions of the train tracks between Cuzco and the archaeological site, canceling our excursion. It took almost a week before train service was restored, and when we finally reached the site we had only a frustratingly few hours there. This time, in August 2006, I wanted enough time — weather gods permitting — to explore thoroughly and to overnight at the site to experience sunset and sunrise.

by Margo Wilson, Scottsdale, AZ

India is HOT! No, not that kind of hot, although you wouldn’t want to travel there in the summer. No, India is a hot, get-there-now travel destination. It is also economically hot, with one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia.

In Salta, Argentina, Iglesia San Francisco, with its prominent campanario (bell tower), is a landmark church. On Aug. 16, 2005, as we approached it, there were people coming from every direction, bringing their meticulously groomed dogs who were adorned with red ribbons. The crowd was so thick, about 2,000 people, it was difficult to get up to the church entrance to obtain a picture spot.

A band arrived, playing all the way. Eventually, a priest appeared on the threshold of the church and gave a general blessing. The crowd sang a few songs, everyone waving white handkerchiefs.