Category Archives: Just for Fun

The unexplained, interesting Apps, aliens and more

Ramesses II

Education, History, Just for Fun

Ramesses II (The Great) at Abu Simbel

While there are many unexplained amazing sites from antiquity, there is one that was amazing then and even more so in recent times. The twin temples at Abu Simbel are amazing accomplishments by the Egyptians during the rule of Ramesses the Great, but even more amazing was the project to relocate the temples so that they would continue to be after the construction of the Aswan Dam to create Lake Nasser. A visit to Egypt would not be complete without visiting Abu Simbel. IT was the highlight of my trip, along with going inside the Great Pyramid at Giza and seeing Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th Dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. Their huge external rock relief figures of Ramesses II have become iconic. His wife, Nefertari, and children can be seen in smaller figures by his feet. Sculptures inside the Great Temple commemorate Ramesses II’s heroic leadership at the Battle of Kadesh.

The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 to higher ground to avoid it being submerged by Lake Nasser, the Aswan Dam reservoir. As part of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, an artificial hill was made from a domed structure to house the Abu Simbel Temples, under the supervision of a Polish archaeologist, Kazimierz Michałowski, from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw.

See more details at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Simbel#:~:text=The%20twin%20temples%20were%20originally,Ramesses%20II%20have%20become%20iconic

Cusco & Machu Picchu

Education, Just for Fun

Cusco & Machu Picchu

We travel extensively, and I am often asked about my favourite trip. If it’s not about fishing (Alaska) I always reply Cusco, Peru. The response is always the same. “Did you get to Machu Picchu?”. The question irritates me even though the answer is yes. You ask why? I have been to both Cusco & Machu Picchu on three occasions, and if I ever return, it will be only to Cusco. The reason is Sacsayhuaman, in my opinion, a most amazing and unexplained site and far more so than Machu Picchu.

The base (original) construction at both sites is the same. No mortar is used, and it is not possible to insert paper where the stones join. Both sites contain add-ons to the original that involve significantly smaller stones and less precise joining, which I speculate was the work of the Incas. Machu Picchu has a 3rd layer that represents very sloppy attempts at modern-day restoration.

What makes the difference:

Altitude

Machu Picchu, 7,972 ft, Cusco, 11,152 ft Sacsayhuaman, 12,142 ft Just up a very steep hill from Cusco

Location of the Quarry Sites:

The stone quarry at Machu Picchu is known as the “Quarry of Machu Picchu.” It is located near the archaeological site of Machu Picchu in Peru. The quarry is between Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, just adjacent to the archeological site. Many of the stones weigh in excess of 5 tons, and some are in the 20-to-30-ton range. 

The massive limestone blocks at Sacsayhuamán were primarily quarried from local sites near Cusco. The closest and most prominent quarries used for these colossal stones—many weighing over 100 tons and several nearly 200 tons—include Muyna Waqoto, Rumiqolqa (located about 20 to 32 kilometers away).

Difficulty in transporting:

At Machu Picchu, stones are quarried adjacent, so easy

At Sacsayhuamán, the much heavier stones were transported a long distance and in some cases across a river to Cusco and then another 1,000 ft up a very steep hill to the site.

So why is it that Machu Picchu gets so much more attention? It starts with the fallacy that the Incas where amazing and I’m not sure that is true. The Incas reigned for less than 200 years. The Mayans for about 3,000. I speculate that the Incas adopted many of their sites and at least a portion of their trails from an earlier civilization. There is no “direct” evidence that they constructed the original stones at either site, and there are reports from the early Spanish that confirm that.

The 2nd was that programs like Ancient Aliens & The Unexplained give it more viability and credibility by siting it’s elevation but completely ignoring that Sacsayhuaman is over 4,000 higher.

There is no comparison. If you make it to Cusco, you now know where to go. It’s easier and much less expensive to visit.

Why I like Messi

Just for Fun

Why I like Messi

Lionel Andrés “Leo” Messi) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, Messi has set numerous records for individual accolades won throughout his professional footballing career, including eight Ballon d’Ors, six European Golden Shoes, and eight times being named the world’s best player by FIFA. In 2025, he was named the All-Time Men’s World Best Player by the IFFHS.

All of the above is true, but it is not why I like him. Actually, I’m only a soccer fan at World Cup time. I was in Morocco when they surprisingly made the Semis, and Argentina, led by Messi, won the title. What is surprising about Messi is that he does not possess the prototypical body type of a soccer star (at 5’7”) nor the movie star good looks of a Ronaldo. He is neither fast nor tricky. And yet he is the best player. He has a knack for seeing where he needs to be all the time. For more details, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi