We were recently nominated to participate in Tripbase’s “3 Best Kept Travel Secrets” game by our travel friends, Dave and Deb, Canada’s Adventure Couple at The Planet D and Monica at A Pair of Panties and Boxers.

“The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.” – Katie from Tripbase.com.

So here are our Cultural Travel  Secrets:

China’s Spirit Roads: Jianling Tomb

A unique element of the Chinese funerary complex, is the “Spirit Road”, a line-up of statuary that leads to an imperial mausoleum. One of the most striking elements of the Spirit Roads (some which date back to 450 CE) is that they can be up to 1 kilometer long and comprised of hundreds of statues. There are several Spirit Road sites that can be visited easily by tourists, however, our favorite is found just North of X’ian and required a short hike to reach. The Spirit Road of the Jianling tomb, made for the Tang Emperor Suzong (reigned 756-762), is difficult to find given its position in the middle of terraced farmland, but worth it once you get there due to the fact that the figures are all partially covered in soil.  The Tang championed realism in all of their sculptural depictions; they are drawn from real life and reflect specific individuals, rather than general types.

Spirit Road Figure - Jianling Tomb (outside X'ian)

Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery)

Numerous emirs and sultans built there funerary complexes here in Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery). Our favorite is the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay (1472-74), which offers a supreme example of the sophisticated use of overlapping arabesques and geometric patterns to decorate dome exteriors.  This dome represents the high point of the Bahri Mamluke Dynasty’s (1250-1382) architectural legacy.  Our Approach Guide to Islamic Cairo offers additional information on this and other must-see sites in Islamic Cairo.

Dome of the Funerary Complex of Sultan Qaytbay (Cairo)

Sanfelice’s Baroque Staircase in Naples

18th century Neapolitan Rococo architecture is best illustrated in the work of Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748), who is known for his striking staircases. We especially love the Palazzo della Spagnuolo. Via dei Virgini, 19.  Sanfelice’s stairway in this building is distinctive for its height, the large size of its perforations, and the movement of the design. This is a great example of how architecture of the Baroque keeps your eye in movement: notice in this picture how Sanfelice skillfully draws your gaze upward, giving the structure a lightness that would otherwise not exist. Our Approach Guide to Italy: The Italian Baroque offers travelers additional information on this and other architectural gems throughout Italy.

Palazzo della Spagnuolo (Naples)

Taking a break on the Great Wall of China

One of the most quintessential places to visit in China is the Great Wall located north of Beijing – it is everything that you expect and more. We went to the Great Wall one August morning to find it enveloped in a fine mist and completely to ourselves.

To get a similar experience, we recommend avoiding the overly touristy and Disney World-like Badaling (70 km NW of Beijing) and going to Simatai (110 km NE of Beijing), where you can follow the Great Wall to Jin Shan Ling. Compared to the Badaling portion of the wall, the Simatai – Jin Shan Ling portion is unrestored and offers a more authentic feel.

Your driver will most likely try to persuade you to start at the opposite end (Jin Shan Ling), which sits 300 meters higher than Simatai (making your walk more downhill than up), but hold your ground for two reasons:

1. its safer to go up the sharply inclined and unrestored parts of the wall
2. everyone walks the other direction, so you will have the Wall completely to yourself for most of the hike.

Oh…one last tip…avoid the weekends.

Where to Eat and Sleep

• At the end of the day, return to Beijing for a rest at Hotel Lu Song Yuan, a charming hotel set inside an old courtyard house.
• Later, treat yourself to the BEST Peking Duck at Beijing Da Dong (SE corner of Chang Hong Bridge and 3rd Ring Road; +86 65822892) They serve the best duck we ate in all of China. The skin is super crispy but not overdone and the meat is lean and tender. They serve it with cucumber, radish, scallion, plum sauce, sugar (for dipping the skin) and garlic (which adds complexity to the dish).
• At least once while you are in Beijing, try the Noodle Loft (No. 20 Dawang Road, Chaoyang District) for a totally unique noodle dining experience. The traditional noodle joint features an open kitchen where the handmade noodle dishes are made to order. Seriously delicious.

Suggested Reading

In addition to our cultural travel guidebooks to China, we highly recommend several books that can be purchased directly from Amazon. These books helped form the foundation of our knowledge and serve as references that we return to again and again.

• A History of Chinese Civilization
• Buddhist Art and Architecture (World of Art)
• The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama
• China: Fragile Superpower

The Chicken, Mushroom and Jennifer. White Desert, Egypt

One of our most memorable adventures was an overnight stay in Egypt’s White Desert (4-5 hour drive outside of Cairo). The White Desert and its nearby neighbor, the Black Desert form a part of the world’s largest desert, the Libyan Desert (1600 sq. km). Here is what you can expect to encounter during  an overnight stay:

• Black Desert. The black color is derived from basalt, an igneous (volcanic) rock. Underlying the basalt is sand comprised of pulverized Bahariya sandstone and quartz.
• Crystal Mountain. Located in between the Black and White Deserts. The mountain consists of a significant portion of quartz, effectively the crystallization of chalk.
• New White Desert. Absolutely amazing! This place is the whole reason to do the overnight trip. The desert consists entirely of white chalk, the result of the sedimentation of the cretaceous sea (chalk is effectively limestone — stone that has been formed formed from the sedimentation of organic elements out of a fluid, such as a river, lake or ocean — that has been broken down or reduced to a finer powder-like composition). The wind and sand have eroded three-story building-sized blocks of chalk (called inselbergs, meaning prominent steep-sided hills of solid rock, rising abruptly from a plain of low relief ) into all sorts of shapes (animals, mushrooms, etc). Further, on the ground, there are small iron pyrites and marcasite that are naturally formed into every conceivable shapes; walking around the desert is almost like walking along the seashore, picking up small shells. There is also an “old” white desert – not quite as impressive, but it is close and worth a visit.

We highly recommend organizing your tour through Peter Wirth at International Hot Springs Hotel (www.whitedeserttours.com). He arranged our private overnight tour with a 4×4-driving local Bedouin guide (as well as our transfer from Cairo); we were absolutely delighted with the service, the fireside dinner, our guide and, of course, the scenery.

Note: Cairo is the only place in the world where you can see architecture from nearly every great Islamic Empire. Use the ApproachGuide to the Middle East: Islamic Cairo to guide you through the old city during your next visit.