Going to Extremes

On April 7, 2020 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Travel Tips3 Comments

There are so many beautiful places throughout the world, but it isn’t always easy to reach them. Some of these locations are easily accessible, but others require an effort to reach. Whether it is hiking up a mountain, taking a canoe into the jungle, or just visiting a remote location, the scenery that you see can be quite rewarding. We have been fortunate to see a variety of different scenery throughout the years and look forward to seeing more in the future.

IMGP9353 — Andes Mountains in South America

IMGP8587 — Moon Valley in La Paz, Bolivia

There are so many different types of scenery in various parts of the world due to the various climates and geological forces that exist. From rainforests, arctic tundra, tropical islands, vast deserts, and dramatic canyons, each has its own charm as well as its own challenge to seeing their natural beauty. Sometimes you can find these amazing scenes near where you live today and other require traveling to a far off country. Regardless of where we travel, we always look for opportunities to find one of those places that can’t be found anywhere else.

DSC_0188_day3 — Lava Fields in Iceland in Winter

Hikers Heading Up an Exposed Rock Face in Utah

Even though we’ve gone to some extreme locations, we are not ones who take incredible risks to see these beautiful places. You don’t need to climb up the side of a mountain with ropes, cross a desert on a camel, or bobsled through the arctic to see the scenery that the world has to offer. We certainly don’t go to those types of extremes. Even the time of year can change the way that a place looks, so seeing it in different seasons can also effect your perception of it as well. How far are you willing to go to find the places that aren’t like anything that you’ve ever seen before?

View of the Quilotoa Caldera and Lagoon in Ecuador

Beautiful Scenery from a Mountain Peak in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam

Multiple Obelisks at the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt

On June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Egypt5 Comments

Obelisks can be found throughout the world, many of them originally coming from Egypt. Almost always, you will find them as a single obelisk that stands out on its own. The obelisks at Karnak Temple in Luxor is an example of having multiple obelisks at the same site. There are two remaining obelisks of the four that originally existed at the site. We took many different photographs of the obelisks during our time touring the temple and the pair of obelisks provides some interesting symmetry in the pictures that we took. There were also time when they could be seen framed between different columns and doors, which was probably the intention of the ancient Egyptians when the obelisks were erected.

Abu Serga Church in Cairo, Egypt

On April 30, 2019 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Egypt7 Comments

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as the Abu Serga Church as well as the Cavern Church, is an important historical and religious landmark in Cairo, Egypt. The church is supposed to be built on the spot where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. The church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus who were soldiers in the 4th century that were killed by the Roman Emperor Maximian and achieved martyrdom and sainthood.

The church is one of the oldest in Egypt and dates back to sometime in the 4th or 5th century. It is located near the Babylon Fortress in Cairo and it was believed that Joseph may have been one of the people to work on the construction of the fortress. We visited the Abu Serga Church as part of a tour of the section of Cairo known as Coptic Cairo where there are a variety of historical sites.

The interior of the church is quite fascinating and contains a variety of ancient relics. It is a popular location for tourists to visit and you will find yourself in a line of people as you make your way through the actual cavern inside of the church. There is also a well within the church that is believed that the Holy Family drank from. With such historical, religious, and cultural significance, visiting the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church is definitely worth doing while you are in Cairo.