Destinations of Myth

Chichen Itza Ruins

You’ve probably already heard of the mysterious day that is December 21, 2012. It marks the end of the Mayan calendar, thus suggesting that the world as we know it might also end on the same day. Speculations are many, but the reason for which the Maya people stopped counting the days after this date will most probably remain a mystery forever.

At the Chichen Itza Ruins, the pyramid which is the temple of Quetzalcoatl is actually also the largest calendar in the world. Its four sides have a total of 365 steps and on the Spring and Autumn Equinox, its corners cast a serpent-shaped shadow. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to spend December 21, 2012 right next to this pyramid?

Easter Island

More than a thousand miles off the coast of Chile, the Easter Island is a place where magic was once more common than many of us care to believe – or so the legend sais. Up to this day nobody knows how the immense statues that guard the islands were transported here from many miles away. They weigh as much as 87 tons and scientists have no explanation to how the ancient people who carved this stones managed to move them.

The legend behind these sculptures, called Moai, talks about the king of the island as a man who had the magical power of bringing these stones to life. At his command, the Moai would simply start walking the surface of the Easter Island and obey the king’s orders.

The City of Petra

Unfortunately, this is a site that will probably not be here for our children to admire because the City of Petra was carved into the walls of some thin rocky valleys of the Jordan kingdom, erosion and tourism are slowly but surely bringing the constructions down. The complex of buildings were created in the 6^th century BC by a pre-Islamic tribe, called the Nabataeans.

The Romans took over it in the first century AD, and this explains how later one of the constructions became a Christian monastery. Unsustainable tourism is still a major problem today, but we have to admit it’s really hard to refrain from visiting such an amazing place.