Category: GALLERIES, MUSEUMS AND ARCHAEOLOGY.

All the culture you want and dream of.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsJan 25, 202511:19 am

CALAKMUL DISAPPOINTS AGAIN

OR YOU’LL NEED TO TAKE OUT A SECOND MORGAGE FOR THIS SAD SHOW

I really don’t know why I bothered apart from the excitement of a new city found up the road from Calakmul and Xpujil called Valeriana. Literally I thought that people would be able to amble in and I vaguely remembered security being lax around most sites, but more importantly there being a few gates of access. Not just the one.

By the way I’ve thrown in some random vids because I was aware of the rather negative content he he.

Things seemed so groovy and casual back in the day in Mexicos Yucatan and now it’s turned into little America but with military presence everywhere. It’s tragic how history repeats itself and the Latin Mexicans are busy victimising the indigenous groups and destroying just a little more of their homeland and also smashing down huge swathes of virgin jungle. Ooh the new president Claudia Sheinbaum, she’s so cool and green, although she’s not though is she?

See bottom of page for full howling experience!

Anyhoo, it would seem that the relationship with America will now be a sore topic so I doubt she will be giving any thought at all to other issues apart from building camps for the huge amount of deported Mexicans that are being deported. I suppose it will be ‘watch this space’ as to their policies with the States go from now on.

Calakmul. IN 2021 ALL CLOSED UP AFTER THEY LURE YOU IN.

The brief mention given in 21.

“This is another example of closed sections at famous pyramids. Another scam in times of ‘plague

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsJan 24, 20252:08 pm

CHICCANA, ANOTHER MAYAN GEM. OH AND HORMIGUERO!

OR,CHICANNA IN SPITTING DISTANCE OF BECAN, AND HORMIGUERO A RIGHT OLD TREK

The much lauded serpent portal but on the top of a high turret

HORMIGUERO A FORGOTTEN SITE IN MANY WAYS.

Whilst halfway through writing this I suddenly remembered that in fact my adventure started first thing in the morning with a booked cab that I had organised the day before to go to Horminguro dammit! You see what happens when you’re a bad, tired and grumpy old bird and don’t write your journal? I had totally forgotten poor old Hormiguero (Anthill) and possibly if you have a busy agenda so should you.

A few stacked Chaacs (rain gods) as well as many other motifs

I had in fact got very excited and planned this trip with a cabbie. I had heard it was a very unusual and nearly never visited set of ruins only partially excavated. What they mean to say is only the big interesting intact bits were bothered with and the place is a very shady quite sad place.

My impression was that the three misaligned very similar imposing structures, unimaginatively called South, Central and North Structures were almost like a bunch of bureaucratic beasts of the jungle. They are very sturdy and practical looking but they do surprisingly contain a lot of elaborately embellished doorways and panels. One also has the largest serpent doorway but that was up on high and the ground was slick with dew. I didn’t fancy a tumble so just took my images from below. If you were to come her I again would come for the atmosphere and maybe a walk in the jungle where there’s a lot of wildlife, I think you can even camp there which would be splendid!

I take it all back this was an amazing site

I just couldn’t shake my unfair immediate reaction to it being municipal and less Gormanghast and more Croydon, but then again I am very instantly judgemental about these things.

I have researched a bit but can’t get any straight answers except about what a lovely example of Chenes blah blah blah. I felt cheated although it was imposing in its own way but a bit boring and that was the reason I left early moaning to myself. On the way out I just had a nice chat to the two chaps who are its guardians but were very young and not a bit interested in its history or their ancestors work. This was annoying as I thought they might at least shed some light on its history. It was all rather sad and damp and dark and unloved.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsJan 22, 20252:59 pm

BEST RUINS EASILY ACCESSIBLE FROM XPUJIL.Becán.

OR, A BIT OF JUNGLE AND ATMOSPHERE AFTER THE NEWLY RUINED YUCATAN.

I’m not going to bang on today about the shit stuff that I experienced wandering around Mexico at the end of last year, oh I’m not a whiner, you know me better than that. Yesterday is yesterday, fair does.

Becán

While researching this I came across Román Piña Chan, a very famous archaeologist, a tragic afterthought in Mexican research history, specifically that of Becan where he had the accident on that ill fated day. I wanted to include him as he sounded a dear, meek man who suffered hugely for his passion. Bedbound for seventeen years after the spirits of Becan let him fall to his fate.

A unique quiet moment to enjoy the classical arched corridor

Below is his small obituary, as modest it would seem as he was, and although translated quirkily I feel fitting for the man who it seems also discovered the Olmec figures and contributed hugely to the field

✔ Posthumous tribute to the archaeologist in the National Museum of Anthropology

Piña Chan was a generous being and always needed know yourself loved and accepted, says Beatriz Barba

ത Locate the recent find in Becán, Campeche, as part of his legacy

JIMENEZ ARTURE

In 1984, Román Piña Chan fell from a pyramid from the archaeological zone of Becán, an accident that although not managed to remove him from the investigation, the reflection and teaching did limit their ability to move.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsDec 5, 20241:22 am

IN TULUM,MEXICO COUNTING MY BLESSINGS.

OR, MY FIRST WEEK BACK IN MEXICO AFTER OVER THREE YEARS.

Just think what’s ahead of you when you arrive!

Long trip from London, little did I know I’d be travelling for over twenty hours. Harsh work indeed!

THE FLIGHT AND JOURNEY.

The flight over was truly dreadful, long very cold and boring. BA sure has changed and taken a nosedive in many ways! That can count literally as they have a fleet of the now infamous Boing aircraft (bits didn’t fall off our plane I don’t think) , however the food, service and general vibe was awful, a kind of Easyjet with fangs. The crew had no manners and there is no leg space at all. I was lucky my lucky dip seating had given me an aisle seat. I would suggest taking your own food as theirs is inedible. They served pretend chicken for both meals that I wouldn’t feed my dog.

Just checking the wing hadn’t fallen off!

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsDec 3, 20241:55 am

MERIDA, MEXICO 24, HAS LOST IT’S LOST CHARM.

OR, ALL TOO EXPENSIVE, TRASHY AND BUSY FOR A WEARY OLD BIRD.

Know that feeling! Agave hangover and how I’m feeling about Merida now

My arrival in Merida was as one so travel weary and on the point of collapse that any hovel would have done to rest my head but I had booked what looked like a fair old style hotel. I had been travelling for twelve hours on two coaches, and my having had a rough last nights sleep in the cabana at Xpuhil added to a hideous fatigue. Boy the Mexicans like to party and play live music really loud all fucking night! Getting out of Xpuhil proved quite tricky and at one point I felt like I would never leave that little dust covered town. It had made an excellent base for archaeology but the escape was hard with very few buses and at horrific and dangerous times at night! One option had meant getting the 4a.m. bus to Campeche! I did consider it but then decided to opt for a safer route via Chetumal.

I’ve changed my travel plans so many times now I barely know where am when I awaken each morning. It’s scary and never been as bad as this before. This ever changing weather was mostly to blame at the beginning then my bad sunburn. Then the bad advice to go to Bacalar after Tulum that cost me a fortune hence cancelling a beach trip. Then staying the extra day in Xpuhil in my loud but lovely cabin. Then changing my route from Xpuhil to Merida via Chetunal rather than via Campeche. It had all been very confusing and hard work and frankly at times awful. Such is the beast of any travel, but when it’s solo it’s much harder. Much gnashing of teeth and hanging around between the super busy clambering of ruins. Many highs and lows. Much disappointment in the new Mexico and lamenting the old.

Not bad for 107 years old. Much how I feel at the moment

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsJan 30, 20243:18 pm

UNDERSTANDING OLD BIRD TRAVELS SOLO. BOOK ON MEXICO AND NOW TRANS-SIBERIAN EXPRESS TRIP HALF FINISHED.

FOR MY OLD BIRDS ALL OVER THE WORLD, FINALLY WRITING THE BOOK.

“I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” Emily Dickinson

Alert: Here we have the idea of this blog, concept and birth. I’ve left the dates more to remind me that it’s nearly five years old. And now I’m turning it into a book, I need to revisit and expand upon those two hundred and seventy-plus blogs.

Starting the book has made me humble and proud at the same time. It’s also made me realise how sloppy and casual I was depending on my pics and videos to do the real leg work. Well, no more Mrs Sloppy. A book without pictures requires the written word to encompass the vivid wonder of those travelling photos and to be eloquent enough to tell the reader what was seen, smelled, tasted, touched and felt. To put those pictures into words dammit!

2019-04-15 From blog intro all those years ago.

OLD BIRDS NEST PAGE: THE ETHOS OF DOING IT ALONE

Hello, my name is Rebecca Taylor, or Old Bird to you, and I’m here to guide you older birds on braving the big old world out there and doing it alone. Come with me and I’ll nurse you through the highs and lows of being an Old Bird travelling solo. This is more of a raucous journal with some culture and tips thrown in. Don’t worry you’ll get the hang of it. It’s sometimes shouty-sweary, so if you’re a delicate bird you’ll have to excuse me. [Go first to OLD BIRD FLYING SOLO BLOG so we can shake hands then go anywhere in the list that you wish to get started.]

This is the place for an older birdie to visit and, hopefully, gain the confidence to strike out on their own. Yes, we older birds don’t always have to be in a flock, they can do it alone and it’s not as scary as you think. The world is your oyster, as an older woman or man indeed, you should be out there doing all these things and revelling in life.

I will hop around timewise as the writing of the diary becomes insignificant when you’re experiencing so many wonderful things. Some of it is funny and some plainly ludicrous but all a part of an old bird travelling solo! Enjoy! I’ll take you all over the world. In different forms of transport, doing different activities, eating different kinds of food and exploring places you never even thought about before. I will attempt to nurse you through any pitfalls with hints and tips and generally share the whole experience warts and all.

I’ll many times be daft as a brush and screw up so you don’t have to. I’ll get you there with your preparations, nurse your anxieties, laugh at myself and show you stuff you might want to see and do.

Welcome to the fine art of mature solo travelling. For it is an art, it takes the years you might feel you don’t have left, so I humbly offer all my mistakes so you don’t have to make them. I will also crow when I get something right.

“You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness” – Diane von Furstenberg

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsJan 8, 202410:48 am

TATA 23 AND GOOD RIDDANCE.A LATE NEW YEAR MESSAGE

OR, CONSTANT CRUSHING BLOWS DESPITE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. AND PIGGY IN THE MAKING TO START THE YEAR WITH SOME BACON!!

Alert: Hello, you beauties. As you can see this is very late. A string of misfortunes kicked me in the crutch from when I started this post. Limping miserably into 24 I had a new horrible happening. On New Year’s Day, I was running around doing positive stuff like you do when I swallowed a clove whole in my parasite-purging tea and it acted like a bomb to my system. I became terribly ill a couple of hours later with pains all over my body like gnomes with pickaxes assaulting me. I also flopped weak like a rag doll into bed and then had terrible chills, I was also semi-hallucinating. I would find out later these are indeed symptoms of clove poisoning. For the next four days, my body went into total detox and I coughed like a navvy as well as fluctuating between being hot then freezing cold. My fever finally broke on the fourth night as my soaking bed bore testament. I’m much better now and feel mentally brighter than I have for months. , it would seem that a reckless swig of herbal tea is a cruel master but does have its benefits! There is always a positive side to all adversity.

Well hello, my beautiful old birds. Let’s dance naked around the Fire of the Dead 2023. Let’s exalt in its demise and hope to flush away the demonic entities that manipulated it worldwide. Let’s spit on its war-mongering ashes for it indeed has been a beast.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsOct 1, 20234:22 pm

MILETUS RUINS, A LAKE AND BITS FROM MY ROAD TRIP.

OR, HOW MUCH MORE IS UNDER THE GROUND TO BE DISCOVERED IN TURKIYE?

START OF THE ROAD TRIP.

A road trip was in order. I’d had crushing news about another setback on the house front and then the internet went down for two days, not just at my lovely fish restaurant but all over the area. I’d tried going to my pals at the top of the mountain but although my phone worked my laptop didn’t! My frustration and malaise meant that I was openly crying by the evening with all my “family” uneasily clucking around making me feel a bit better but worse at the same time. This wouldn’t do at all. It was time for a change. It was time for a road trip.

After another ponder in my garden knowing a road trip was called for.

That night I hastily packed my small rucksack and told them I was shooting off in the morning for three days. By eight o’clock the next morning I was walking away down the hill the two km to the main road to hail a minibus. I was on the move heading to Selcuk and the information I needed to take the connections to hit Miletus and maybe even on to the lake and the ancient Herakleia. I would see, I already had my travel head on.

My old mate from the village who was at the bus stop in the morning

The walk was very pleasant and soothed my injured soul and the minibus wait was painless at that time in the morning. My old neighbour was already at the stop on the opposite side of the road going off to Tire and I pondered if she’d walked down from the village making it a fair old trot for an old, if not ancient old bird. Her minibus shouted over to me that mine would arrive in five minutes. That’s how caring the system is here, I love their system in Turkiye.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsSep 11, 20234:36 pm

THE ZEYBEKS.MUSEUMS AND HISTORY.

OR, HOW I FOUND MY MATE ELIF FROM KENT MUSEUM BUSILY STARTING THE ZEYBEK MUSEUM UP THE ROAD!

NEVER TIRED OF TIRE!

This beautiful old house has a collection of historical artefacts running through from approximately the 16th century up to the era of Attaturk. Its proud history has been well-curated and was an eye-opener to me! Strong and wily people the Zeybeks are worth a good look at and you can clearly see the resistance of the ancestors in those who live here now. I must add that I also said to Elif, that a lot of the showcases and items had the aura and feel of the Mexican bandits of old. She agreed. The anecdote about the purple bolero in the womans showcase was also hers.

Apparently, if a woman was beaten by her husband she would don that purple bolero as a sign for the rest of the village to shame him and also give him a beating. Sounds a very good plan!

The purple bolero that signed a man was a wife beater.

SOLO TRAVEL FOR WOMEN by oldbirdtravelsAug 24, 20232:43 pm

RECAP OF FISH RESTAURANT, ORCHIDS AND AYDIN MUSEUM. TURKIYE.

OR, LUSH GARDENS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FABULOUS ARTEFACTS

I made it the other day to my paradise and was exulted to breathe that clean mountain air again and drink water from the mountain spring. After being here in winter the garden had developed into a jungle of flowers (especially orchids), herbs, vegetables and fat fish swam lazily in their pool unaware that for some it would be their last day before being cooked!

The family gave me such a welcome that it brought tears to my eyes. I had been gone so long! A great fuss was made of me which made me very happy indeed. My pals were very impressed too! It looks like I’ll be squeezed into a cabin there as I’m family!

Calakmul. IN 2021 ALL CLOSED UP AFTER THEY LURE YOU IN.

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HORMIGUERO A FORGOTTEN SITE IN MANY WAYS.

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Becán

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THE FLIGHT AND JOURNEY.

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START OF THE ROAD TRIP.

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NEVER TIRED OF TIRE!

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