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The Tip of Chilean Patagonia: Formidable, Spectacular Torres del Paine

1 Comment / Blogging, Natural Wonders, Sights to See, Solo Travel, South America, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Chile became a favorite within minutes of arriving. A park with everything hikers like me dream about. Narrow but stunning valleys that separate hypnotic geological features, glaciers, and lakes of impossible shades of blue. In fact, Paine means “blue” in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language.and is pronounced PIE-neh. Torres del Paine National Park, located in […]

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Doorway to the Afterlife: Egypt’s Magical Eye of Horus

Africa, Sights to See, Solo Travel, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

Among the many wonders I encountered on my recent trip to Egypt, the Eye of Horus was a symbol that seemed to follow me everywhere. Whether exploring grand temples, browsing local markets, or marveling at ancient artifacts, this mystical emblem was a constant presence. The Eye of Horus, also known as Wedjat or Udjat, comes

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Cairo’s City of the Dead: Where Life and Death Embrace

Leave a Comment / Africa, Sights to See, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

It is a curiosity, in stark contrast with the upscale metropolis of posh hotels and casinos in “new Cairo.” The narrow, unpaved streets of the City of the Dead wind between the tombs and family mausoleums along a 4 mile long Islamic necropolis. At the base Egypt’s Mokattam Mountain, located about 3 miles from Cairo’s

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The One and Only GEM: First Look at the Grand Egyptian Museum

Leave a Comment / Africa, Sights to See, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

The winner, besting 1,557 competitors from 82 countries, was the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects who was tasked to create the world’s most impressive, ethically responsible and sustainable museum in order to house, display and preserve tens of thousands of ancient Egyptian treasures. Twenty years in the making, it is now complete. The $1 billion

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The Boy Who Discovered Egypt’s Greatest Pharaoh’s Tomb

Leave a Comment / Africa, Sights to See, Solo Travel, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

This story is epic “Indiana Jones” with hidden treasure, unsolved mysteries, international intrigue, romance, stolen artifacts and a movie set astonishing to even the most jaded viewer. At its heart, a young Egyptian boy with a secret and a couple of ambitious, even greedy explorers willing to listen. The two temples of Abu Simbel located

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From Aphrodisiac to Mummification: Explore Egypt’s Rarest Essential Oils

Leave a Comment / Africa, Blogging, Sights to See, Travel, Travel Resources / Pamelahawthorne

Essential oils are part of our culture…used in aromatherapy sessions, relaxation techniques, in massage therapy, for holistic medicinal purposes, in yoga studios and an expansive range of cosmetics, perfumes and skincare. And as a lifelong scent devotee…I found Egypt a mecca for magnificent essential oils which, as I write this, scent my home with rich

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Temple of Luxor: Listen to the Pharaohs Whisper Across Time

1 Comment / Africa, Sights to See, Solo Travel, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

We visited late on a January afternoon just as the sun was setting. Egypt had presented many of its most magnificent temples but this, the Temple of Luxor, was the most impressive. In both scale and complexity it follows the traditional temple design. Its construction began in 1392 BC and continued across the centuries as

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Queen Hatshepsut: Woman of Mystery and Power Lies with Kings

Leave a Comment / Africa, Sights to See, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

This queen, as one of Egypt’s only female pharaohs, singularly re-wrote the rules of Egyptian royal lineage protocol with her cunning, her beauty and her unbridled ambition. She did what no other woman, even the other great legends of history here in the birthplace of civilization, Nefertari, Nefertiti, and much later Cleopatra… dared to do.

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Truly Astonishing Facts About Egypt’s Incomparable Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza

Leave a Comment / Africa, Blogging, Middle East, Natural Wonders, Sights to See, Solo Travel, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

At first my jet-lagged brain could not process more than their looming yet beautiful presence, and proximity to the nearby town. I had imagined them constructed in the middle of some vast, remote, practically inaccessible stretch of desert wasteland…as is over 90 percent of the remaining country. But they were here in all their significant

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Unraveling The Best and Biggest Mysteries of Machu Picchu

1 Comment / Natural Wonders, Sights to See, Solo Travel, South America, Travel / Pamelahawthorne

What is Machu Picchu? There is no reference to Machu Picchu in Inca literature or folklore, so what is this culturally sophisticated engineering city in the Andes of Peru? Many archeologists believe that it was constructed as a retreat for the Inca nobility between 1400 and 1500 AD. But the extensive terracing suggests it may

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