King's Village

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Address: 131 Kaiulani Ave
Date: June 2010


As we were working our way through the crowds of Waikiki Beach, we happened upon King's Village.  It is named after the Hawaiian Royal Palace Guard for King Kalakaua back in the 1800s, not for the Burger King in front of which the guards perform.  Near the end of each day the King's Guard lower the Hawaiian flag and perform some precision drill routines.  As luck would have it we passed by close to the performance time.  This allowed us to briefly look around the shopping center and then wait for the show to begin.  The shopping center itself is nicely themed like little streets from Honolulu's past.
  The guards in their nineteenth century uniforms finally emerged and the show began.

Two guards performed with near perfect precision.  They spun their rifles, passed the rifles back and forth and bounced the butts of their guns off the ground during their routine.  The guards then proceeded to lower the flag for the day.  When all was said and done, the tourists trapped in the Burger King were free to go and we headed back into the crowded Waikiki streets with a smile.

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Map of Our World
King's Village

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Post # 13

Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory

Location: Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA
Address: 100 Breed's Hill Road
Date: Sept 2013
Website:  www.capecodchips.com

If you are visiting the Cape Cod area or staying in Boston, (less than 2 hour drive) you may want to check out the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory where they make their all natural, kettle cooked chips.  The tour is self guided which means you go from window to window peeking into the working factory.  Information on the walls explains the process and what happens in each area.  The day we arrived the factory was not operating but we could still see all the machinery involved.  The best part of the whole tour is that when you are finished you end up in their store where everyone is given a free sample bag of chips. 
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

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Map of Our World
Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory

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Post # 12

Chichen Itza

Location: Yucatan, Mexico
Address: Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Date: Aug 1996
Website: www.chichenitza.com

Chichen Itza is one of the 7 Wonders of the World.  It is a city built by the Maya people over a thousand years ago. We arrived there on a hot summer's day after a 2 hour bus ride from Cancun.  Around the grounds are scattered various buildings, or the ruins of buildings that once were.  Considering when they were built the structures are very impressive in their design, and the fact that they remain standing to this day.

We roamed the grounds and went into buildings that had doors and climbed what we could.  We stayed away from anything that was roped off for safety as we did not want to become a permanent part of the ruins.

At the end of one long roadway lies the Sacred Cenote.  It is basically a large well filled with ground water where the Maya were rumoured to make human sacrifices in times of drought.  As people gathered around the edge of the cenote to get a good look, we started to think a little sun shower wouldn't be a bad thing to help us beat the heat.

Fortunately, our tour included a buffet lunch at the nearby Mayaland Hotel where we were able to get some food, drink and shade.  The hotel grounds were also a nice place for a stroll afterwards.

The highlight of our visit to Chichen Itza was the towering El Castillo where tourists crawl up and then scoot down the steep steps on their bums like a bunch of overgrown, unsupervised babies. The view from the top is impressive, but use caution on your way back down.

On the side of each staircase are two serpent heads and during the spring and fall equinox the light hits the staircases in such a way that the bodies of the serpents appear to be slithering down.  We did not get to witness this phenomenon, but we did get a feel of why this place is a world wonder.

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Map of Our World
Chichen Itza
Mayaland Hotel

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Post # 11