Ceremonial bars — also known as serpent bars — are a common symbol in the Maya world and often depicted being wielded by rulers on stelae.  They are typically employed when stelae were constructed to depict a period ending event.  The bar typically ends in two open serpent mouths, from which gods emerge; the serpent was the means of conveying a hallucinatory vision (the body of the serpent even paralleled the wisps of rising smoke from which burned blood offerings were delivered).

The bar is symbolic of the ruler’s role as intermediary both between the world of the living and the dead (in the underworld) and the world of the living and the gods (in the heavens). In Maya cosmology, this intermediary role is typically filled by the “world tree”, or axis mundi; the tree – with its roots extended to the underworld and its uppermost branches high in the sky – bridges the the same gap among the earth, underworld, and heavens.  Viewed from this perspective, when holding the serpent bar, the ruler effectively assumes the role of world tree, with the bar representing its branches.

How to recognize a ceremonial bar in artistic depictions:

• Usually being held by a ruler;
• Usually held parallel to ground, perpendicular to body;
• The serpent heads on either end of the bar open to reveal to reveal the faces of figures.

To make picking out the ceremonial bars easier, we have applied color highlights to the bars in the images below.

Approach Guides just released its first guide to the Americas: Maya Art & Architecture: A travelers’ detailed guide to Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.  This Approach Guide affords an expansive view of art and architecture of the Maya world – covering five sites in Mexico (plus four Mexican sites that influenced the Maya), three in Guatemala, and one in Honduras.

Stela A, Ceremonial Bar and projecting faces from the serpent heads highlighted (red and blue, respectively), Copan. Image taken in Copan Museum.

Stela D, North Face, with highlights added to ceremonial bar (red) and ruling sceptre (blue). Image taken on location.

Approach Guides wants to welcome all travel bloggers that are attending TBEX ’10 to our home city of New York! Although we will miss seeing you this year (we are in Mexico writing a guide on Mayan architecture); we want to welcome you with a list of our favorite NYC wine bars for meeting up with friends and colleagues.

Given that many of the TBEX events are taking place downtown, here is a list of our favorite spots, which we originally shared on Andy Hayes’ Sharing Travel Experiences blog:

• Tribeca. The recently-opened Terroir Tribeca has a fun wine list put together by a very knowledgeable staff.
• SoHo. Boqueria. Spanish tapas bar/restaurant offers many Spanish wines that you don’t typically see outside of Spain.
• Lower East Side. ‘inoteca. An all-Italian wine bar-restaurant offers a fabulous wine list that has some really unique offerings and some great values.
• Greenwich Village. Gottino is a super-cute, well-run wine bar. Go twice and the owner will welcome you by name!
• East Village. Veloce, one of New York’s most famous Italian wine bars is one of our absolute favorites in the city. They have expanded their brand to include a Spanish wine bar (Bar Carrera, located next door) and a pizzeria (Veloce Pizzeria).

If you have an iPhone, check out our iPhone wine app, Approach Guides Wine, which will help you navigate the wine lists at each of these places like an expert. AG Wine consistently ranks within the top wine apps on iTunes and is now ON SALE (for the next few days only)!

For more information on what’s going on in NYC, check out GoBackpacking’s schedule of TBEX-related events and Brooklyn Nomad’s NYC Tips.

During our first visit to Japan, we were overwhelmed (in a good way!) by the traditions of the local culture. The culture of food, especially, had so many rules, courses, and new types of dishes to experiment with that we can see how first-time travelers may be overwhelmed. We attempt to demystify Japanese food, specifically a traditional kaiseki meal that you will likely encounter in ryokans (Japanese inns) when traveling throughout the country.  Here are the many courses you will encounter as part of any kaiseki experience:

• Shokuzen-shu – to start off your meal, you may be offered a small glass of alcohol — this aperitif may consist of sweet wine or a local alcoholic beverage.
• Sakiduke – these hors d-oeuvres are typically beautifully prepared, bite-sized tastes that serve to whet the appetite of the diner.
• Wanmori (or suimono) – this is a very light soup that is served before the main dish.
• Tsukuri – this course consists of sashimi-style (no rice) raw fish, thinly sliced and usually accompanied by soya sauce and a small amount of wasabi paste.

Tsukuri (Shashimi)

• There is some flexibility as to what comes next in the traditional kaiseki meal. In our first ryokan, we had hanmushi (steamed fish) and kuchitori (another small appetizer consisting of various ingredients); however in another place we ate nimoro, a selection of delicately simmered vegetables.
• Yakimono – this is a grilled dish that can consist of either a local fish or meat (typically wagyu beef).
• Meibutsu – this is the piece de resistance of the ryokan – their own famed original dish.
• Sunomono – this dish usually consists of vegetables (seafood is also common) dressed in a vinegar-based sauce.

One course of a traditional kaiseki meal

• Takiawase – a mixture of vegetables (typically firmer vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and eggplants) and flavored with a light soya sauce.
• Miso soup – a delicious soup that is made by mixing miso paste in fish stock and adding ingredients such as seaweed and tofu.
• Rice – rice is always served with a traditional Japanese meal.
• Konomono (also known as tsukemono) – deliciously tangy, pickled vegetables.
• Dessert – this may consist of in-season, local fruits, sorbet or other local dessert.

If you want to eat your meal with a knife and fork, you will find the Japanese very accommodating, however it is worth trying to eat your food with chopsticks (hashi), like the locals.

Some related tips:

• We strongly recommend booking a reservation at a ryokan on Japanese Guest Houses.  The website offers a comprehensive listing of ryokans throughout the country, offers valuable advice on protocol, and books the reservation for you.
• If you visit Tokyo during your trip, be sure to visit its famous tuna auction (see our map to the market) — it is an experience not to be missed!
• Finally, if you plan to visit Kyoto and Nara while in Japan, consider using our travel guide to Nara: The Wooden Temples of China and Japan as a reference.

We would love to hear your experiences with Japanese food either in Japan or in your home country in the comments!

Jamon for sale at Ibericus in Reus, Spain

Whenever we visit Spain, we seek out one of the country’s most famous delicacies: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota – a seriously delicious, acorn-fed, salt-cured ham. The taste of the jamon is one of the most distinctive tastes in the world – nutty, rich, slightly sweet and savory. Once you have had it, you will never forget the experience.

For the casual consumer, however, the number of options when buying jamon in Spain can be simply overwhelming. That combined with the fact that English is rarely spoken in many of the best places to buy jamon, the experience of ordering can be nearly as memorable as the taste!

Although this challenge is happily overcome by requesting tastes of all of the different jamons (see the picture to get an idea of what type of decision you will need to make!), we have created a quick guide to help you understand the different types and classifications of Spanish jamón. Continue reading

Jamon for sale at Ibericus in Reus, Spain

Whenever we visit Spain, we seek out one of the country’s most famous delicacies: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota – a seriously delicious, acorn-fed, salt-cured ham. The taste of the jamon is one of the most distinctive tastes in the world – nutty, rich, slightly sweet and savory. Once you have had it, you will never forget the experience.

For the casual consumer, however, the number of options when buying jamon in Spain can be simply overwhelming. That combined with the fact that English is rarely spoken in many of the best places to buy jamon, the experience of ordering can be nearly as memorable as the taste!

Although this challenge is happily overcome by requesting tastes of all of the different jamons (see the picture to get an idea of what type of decision you will need to make!), we have created a quick guide to help you understand the different types and classifications of Spanish jamón. Continue reading

Everyone knows about the exceptional mosaics at St Mark’s cathedral in Venice, however, there are still a few tricks to visiting that can really make your visit more enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Apse Dome, St Mark's Cathedral, Venice, Italy

What time to visit. Try to visit from 11:30 AM TO 12:30 PM. During this time, the church turns on all of the interior lights, making for excellent viewing of the mosaics. If you go at any other time of day, the natural light is insufficient to allow for proper viewing and the church’s appearance is very dark. Continue reading

Everyone knows about the exceptional mosaics at St Mark’s cathedral in Venice, however, there are still a few tricks to visiting that can really make your visit more enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Apse Dome, St Mark's Cathedral, Venice, Italy

What time to visit. Try to visit from 11:30 AM TO 12:30 PM. During this time, the church turns on all of the interior lights, making for excellent viewing of the mosaics. If you go at any other time of day, the natural light is insufficient to allow for proper viewing and the church’s appearance is very dark. Continue reading

After spending four years on the road, we found three key things that greatly enhanced our travel experience and helped us stay sane while traveling for long periods of time. Here are our tips:

1. Exercise. Exercise is key to minimizing jet lag, recharging after touring for long hours, and recovering from an evening out. We bring clothing for working out(mainly running and yoga), a yoga mat and a few exercise videos, which we stored on our laptop (an iPhone is also pretty handy for watching pre-loaded videos if you are looking for an even lighter weight travel profile). The yoga mat, although heavy, often doubles as packing materials for treasures that we would pick up along the way! Continue reading

There are several books that we recommend for an upcoming trip to Turkey. We try to give readers a selection of books that give the story behind Turkey’s history and focus on it’s powerful political and religious past, its architectural contributions and delicious food.

A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich

Of all the books that we have ever read, those by John Julius Norwich are some of the most interesting and entertaining historical accounts. His writing style is so captivating that you are at times unsure if you are reading historical truth or a tale of intrigue and power. In fact, the history of Byzantium is both. The age of Byzantium (330-1453 CE) picked up steam as Rome fell to barbarians and the seat of the Holy Roman Empire was transferred East to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul); this set in motion an enduring conflict among the christian leadership in Constantinople and Rome.  The Byzantines went on to control overland and maritime trade with the East, eventually running into conflict with the Venetians for supremacy (which resulted in the sacking of Constantinople by the Venetians in 1204 as part of the Fourth Crusade — yes, the Crusaders sacked a christian city).  It all came to an end in 1453, when the city fell to seemingly unstoppable Ottoman forces in 1453.

Continue reading

XVA Gallery Hotel in Dubai, UAE

Although the majority of buildings in Dubai are brand new, there are a few areas, such as the area of Bastakiya, that pay homage to the city’s architectural heritage. Bastakiya, located near the creek, is the oldest neighborhood in Dubai. Its maze of narrow streets and alleys boasts beautifully restored traditional homes, some of which have been turned into restaurants, art galleries and hotels.

The XVA Art Hotel is housed in one of these traditional-style buildings and is the hotel we return to on each visit to Dubai.  XVA offers only six rooms, all of which have been designed by local artists and architects, and houses an art gallery (open to outside visitors) that offers a rotating exhibit of local artists and international artists with ties to Dubai. Continue reading