keep calm and wander

Mexico City’s Teotihuacan Pyramids – Keep Calm and Wander

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Teotihuacan Pyramids - Keep Calm and Wander

The massive Teotihuacan Pyramids lie 40 kilometers outside Mexico City. Two of its biggest pyramids here are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. The former, however, is bigger than the latter. It doesn’t matter which one you explore first – but in our case, we chose the Sun Pyramid first.

How to Get to Teotihuacan Pyramids

There are three ways to get to Teotihuacan Pyramids. The easiest one is via a one-day tour that your hotel/hostel organized. This is what we did because we liked the tour itinerary that included Palacio de Ituberde, Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral, and a local handicraft (you don’t have to buy). Our last stop was the Pyramids, of course, and we were allowed to stay there close to 4 hours on our own! There was no planning and sweat on our part. TripAdvisor has some recommended tours.

The other way to get there is to take a taxi if you can afford it. This is the quickest way to get there but nothing educational happens on the road. Unless, of course, you will hire a private car with the tour guide as your driver, too. 

It is also possible to get to Teotihuacan by public transport. All you have to do is take a metro (line 5) and get off at Terminal Central del Norte. From there, buy your ticket and find the bus that says, “Piramides.” The bus will drop you off at Gate 1. Buy your ticket before you enter or else you’ll regret going back. It’s a long way from here to the Pyramids. So, pack water, a hat, and sunscreen! If you choose this mode of going there, make sure to start early.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Mexico City Gay Travel Resources

Pnyx Hill in Athens – Keep Calm and Wander

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Pnyx Hill in Athens - Keep Calm and Wander

Pnyx Hill in Athens is not your ordinary hill. It may just be another hill in the city but this was once where citizens congregate to talk about and vote on issues that mattered to them. 

Yes, democracy was born here! When power was transferred to the people, they held assemblies here to discuss reforms.

The hill is overlooking the ancient Agora, once a thriving center for business and commerce of ancient Athens. The Parthenon or the Acropolis is very visible at a far distance. It’s only less than a mile.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Athens Gay Travel Resources

Walking Gay Vienna – Keep Calm and Wander

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Walking Gay Vienna - Keep Calm and Wander

Here’s my own walking tour of gay Vienna – using the map I picked up at the tourism office at the train station. If you are arriving by train, don’t forget to drop by the tourism office and ask what you could do for a day or three in the city. The nice lady recommended and handed me a map of a two-hour walking tour. She patiently answered my questions and even gave a few coupons I could use. But, of course, I didn’t depend on the map alone. I had help from Google maps, too. 😉

I recommend that before you embark on your own walking tour, make sure to find these places in order. It will save you time, especially if you are not good at reading maps – like me. 😀

Vienna State Opera House

There is no better place to start my walking tour but here on a Saturday morning. This is not just a historical Rennaissance building, but this is the center of Austrian arts. Waltz originated in Vienna and world-renowned composers, like Mozart and Beethoven, found their homes here.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Vienna Gay Travel Resources

Sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens – Keep Calm and Wander

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Sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens - Keep Calm and Wander

The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion is where you should spend your sunset viewing outside Athens. It takes an hour to get there by bus from the Greek capital, but it’s all worth the hassle. 

Homer, the well-known Greek writer, was the first one to record Sounion in “The Odyssey” as the “sacred cape of the Athenians.” 

Herodotus, Aristophanes, Sophocles, and Thucydides all mentioned the Temple of Poseidon in their stories and poetries. 

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Athens Gay Travel Resources

Guadalajara Frescoes – Keep Calm and Wander

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Guadalajara Frescoes - Keep Calm and Wander

These frescoes at the Government Palace in Guadalajara (Mexico) are some of the best I’ve seen. Well, I haven’t seen many, but I could name the Top 3 frescoes that blew my mind away. They’re the ones that made me dumbfounded while staring at their magnificent details. They are: Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgement”, Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry Murals” and José Clemente Orozco’s “The People and Its Leaders.”

Guadalajara Frescoes

One of the most noticeable details of José Clemente Orozco’s fresco is his dark interpretation of the revolution. While Diego Rivera saw the revolution as a good thing, Orozco saw it in a different way. This particular mural will leave you speechless. The more you stare at it, the more it gets creepy. At least, that’s what I felt.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Guadalajara Gay Travel Resources

Seven Great Places in New Orleans (Outside the French Quarter) – Keep Calm and Wander

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Image credit: Anne Ganucheau

It’s hard to think about New Orleans without immediately conjuring images of the French Quarter in your mind. The Big Easy’s historic hub is picture-perfect: Creole-style buildings railed with ornate iron balconies line the streets while roving jazz bands and happy party-goers join in a colorful parade of humanity.

It sounds like a great place to visit, and it is. But Louisiana’s largest city shouldn’t be defined by the 422 acres comprising the French Quarter. 

To show love for the Big Easy’s underhyped hot spots, here’s a look at 7 Great Places in New Orleans – outside the French Quarter – that you should check out the next time you visit. 

Great Places in New Orleans – Audubon Park

You’re committing a grave injustice if you don’t visit lush Audubon Park while in New Orleans. One of the most unique green spaces in the country, the park is filled with hundred-year-old oak trees, expansive lagoons, and beautifully dripping strands of Spanish moss.   

While the scenery is breathtaking—you could easily spend an entire day just relaxing in nature here—John James Audubon’s namesake park offers awesome activities for recreation-seekers.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

New Orleans Gay Travel Resources

Pingjiang Lu: Relive Old Suzhou – Keep Calm and Wander

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Pingjiang Lu: Relive Old Suzhou - Keep Calm and Wander

On Pingjiang Lu, you can still relive the Old Suzhou you are looking for. However, it’s not a kind of experience that will fully give you a satisfying experience. Though the street is lined with white-washed houses of old yore, many are turned into businesses that cater to tourists. There are cafes, street food stalls, a few high-end fashion silk brands, and restaurants. And oh, Starbucks invaded this street, too. 

Pingjiang Road is a well-preserved street that is part of Old Suzhou. Record shows that the street’s history dates back to Song Dynasty. At first glance, you’ll find the street to be made-up to attract tourists. The good news, however, is that there are no aggressive hawkers and vendors here. 

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

China Gay Travel Resources

Berlin’s Reichstag Dome – Keep Calm and Wander

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Reichstag Dome - Keep Calm and Wander

The Reichstag Dome in Berlin is a symbol of the unifying force of what used to be the East and West Berlin. The glass dome is above the Reichstag Building that houses the German Parliament. If you are standing in front of the building, you might think it’s just another dome in Europe. But, hey, it’s not one of those domes! This one is, believe me, one you’ll never forget too soon. You’ll forget about other places you’ve visited in the city but this. This tourist attraction in Berlin is just a few steps north of Brandenburg Tor.

Book Your Visit to the Reichstag Dome

It is recommended to book your visit here, especially in summer. If you’re lazy to do it online, you can always line up at the reservation booth on the right side of the building. If you’re lucky, you might get in on the same day, if there are available time slots. However, you’ll probably get the next-day reservation. You can visit it from 8:00 in the morning until midnight – with the last admission at 10:00 in the evening. Bring your passport – and oh, it’s free!

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Berlin Gay Travel Resources

The Peace Bridge in Calgary – Keep Calm and Wander

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The Peace Bridge in Calgary looks like a bullet train – at least from afar. It also looks like a web, a cocoon, or something futuristic which a machine could come out of it swiftly. Or does it look like a puzzle, too? Oh yeah, it does look like that of a finger trap puzzle that we played when we were young. 

The Peace Bridge came into existence, tagging along a lot of controversies. Though its name is a tribute to the military, it is, perhaps, an attempt to calm down two opposing sides. 

Whatever their differences were, judging from the beauty of this bridge, it’s not hard for them to love it and claim it their own.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Calgary Gay Travel Resources

The Dinagat Islands – Keep Calm and Wander

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The alarm wakes me up at three in the morning. It’s time to get up and catch the 3:30 bus for Surigao City from Butuan City. By 7, the early morning breeze kisses me as I sit in a motorized boat. Today, I am crossing the Pacific Ocean through Surigao Strait. I’m on my way to explore the mythical group of islands in Caraga Region in the Southeastern part of the Philippines.

The Dinagat Islands

They say that traveling to this place must be done early in the morning to avoid big waves. I’ve heard a lot of stories on how beautiful Dinagat is – unpolluted air, crystal oceans, and white beaches. I was intrigued by all the adjectives my friends used to describe this place – and I can’t wait to see it myself. They told me, too, that there’s an abundance of seafood – and I’m planning to devour as much as I could. 

Our first stop was at San Jose, the island’s capital and center of commerce and trade. If you are planning to discover the entire island or go island hopping, you should buy the things you need from here.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander