Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities. El Castillo or Kukulcán’s pyramid is essentially a nine-step structure culminating in a flat platform that supports a two-story temple. El Castillo’s design is thought to relate to the Mayan calendar.

Each of the four faces incorporates a broad, steep staircase consisting of 91 steps that ascends to the top platform. Counting the top platform as an additional step gives a total of 365 steps: 1 step for each day of the year.

Coba is a large ruined city of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located about 90 km east of the Maya site of Chichen Itza, about 40 km west of the Caribbean Sea, and 44 km northwest of the site of Tulum, with which it is connected by a modern road. Coba is located around two lagoons. Coba is estimated to have had some 50,000 inhabitants (and possibly significantly more) at its peak of civilization, and the built up area extends over some 80 km².

In Coba it is possible to climb (at your own risk) the tallest (42m) Mayan pyramid (Nohoch Mul pyramid). From the top the view is stunning and it is possible to detect, far away another pyramid belonging to the same site (look carefully above Sheede’s head in the above picture). Also, in Coba you can find two ball courts with very interesting details. According to the local guides, the game was ‘win or die’, the loosers were up to be painted in blue and sacrificed.

The area is still immersed in the jungle and the work of archeologists is far to be considered done. Coba is a very fascinating city of mystery. In the picture below you can see how hard is the work of the archeologists studying the Mayan cities. Coba is still characterized by piles of rocks literally fused with the vegetation.

It is always a pleasure to spend time in Vienna. The city is beautiful, clean and always projected into the future.

This was my first time in Budapest and I was impressed by the incredible amount of things to see.

While traveling random things can happen. in a sequence of events… we found ourselves attending the funeral of the last heir of the Habsburg dynasty (Otto von Habsburg) in Vienna inside of the st Stephen’s cathedral… it was truly a unique experience!!

Montezuma Castle National Monument, located near Camp Verde, Arizona, in the Southwestern United States, features well-preserved cliff-dwellings. They were built and used by the Pre-Columbian Sinagua people, northern cousins of the Hohokam, around 700 AD.

Pow Wow time is the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships and make new ones.

I honestly wasn’t expecting much from the old town. I was imagining a few houses spread out in a modern neighborhood. With my surprise, the old town looks like one of those little towns I used to see in the old western movies… with real antique guns and sheriff stars.

The 2011 travels season started with San Diego (California). Here are some of the pictures taken in Balboa Park.

Antoni Gaudí is the kind of man who can change the image of an entire city: Barcelona.

If you are visiting Puerto Rico, Old San Juan is something you must see. In 1493 Colombus arrived here on his second voyage. The colors of this old city are something you will never forget. Walking on these colorful and narrow streets is really relaxing and you can easily find good local food (try El Jibarito). Also, don’t forget to visit San Cristóbal castle and El Morro.

This December, right before Christmas, we spent 6 days in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island famous for rum. Bacardi is probably known all over the world. As we had really great time, we wanted to share a few tips for those that are willing to spend some time on the island.  Our resort, Rio Mar, is located in the north east of the main island really close to Loquillo, fairly close to Fajardo and about 40 minutes away from the San Juan international airport. The resort offers several amenities such as a nice beach, swimming pools, hot tabs, golf course, tennis fields, restaurants and a casino.  If your idea of vacation fits with what the resort offers, with a $80 dollars cab right you can get there. Just keep in mind that in the resort you are going to find the same food you are probably able to eat in US and, in general, at the same price of a US restaurant. Eventually, the resort offers a wide range of day trips with a price that varies in between $50 and $200 – not cheap.

Car Rental

We decided to rent a car to reach, with a reasonable budget, the desired degree of freedom – we had several day trips in mind. If you are used to US driving, Puerto Rico will seem a bit crazy at first – direction lights are not part of the culture, not even during Christmas holiday. And some of the secondary streets are really narrow and bumpy. In any case I would suggest purchasing the insurance with the rental company – forget those proposed through Orbitz, Expedia and similar, in case of damage they include a deductible amount and usually require an additional amount of work for processing the claim. In our case our brand new car was scratched in the parking lot – of the resort - and the insurance purchased through Alamo, about $90 made us save 500 bucks - the deductible amount of the insurance proposed by Orbitz when reserving the car.

Loquillo/Fajardo area (north east)

The Loquillo/Fajardo area is a really interesting location, not that far from San Juan and really close to the rain forest (El Yunque) and the beautiful islands of Culebra and Vieques. From the airport, it can be reached easily by route 3. Actually, route 66 is a nice $1.50 shortcut, usually not jammed as route 3 and with a higher speed limit. Because of the close vicinity to the rain forest, there is constant moisture in the air – be ready for damp clothes and books - and a higher chance of clouds and showers.  In these days, the temperature ranged between 70F and 84F.

Dining in the area

If you are going to stay in the Rio Mar area there are many good dining options. I will list the ones you should not miss:

• Isamar Bakery - It offers breakfast and amazing pastries for a really good price. I am not going to lie, we were buying 10 pastries at a time. It is located at the intersection of route 3 and Rio Mar Boulevard.
• Lolita’s - Excellent Mexican food at a really good price. Try the wet super burrito, just amazing. It is located on route 3 going towards Fajardo after the Loquillo exit on the right
• La Parilla - Really good fresh seafood and local dishes. You can also buy their nice t-shirt for $12.50. On route 3 between the Rio Mar Boulevard intersection and Loquillo, going towards Loquillo on the left, it has a big sign, you cannot miss it.

Tway defines trust as, “the state of readiness for unguarded interaction with someone or something.” He developed a model of trust that includes three components. He calls trust a construct because it is “constructed” of these three components: “the capacity for trusting, the perception of competence, and the perception of intentions.”

Thinking about trust as made up of the interaction and existence of these three components makes “trust” easier to understand. The capacity for trusting means that your total life experiences have developed your current capacity and willingness to risk trusting others.

The perception of competence is made up of your perception of your ability and the ability of others with whom you work to perform competently at whatever is needed in your current situation. The perception of intentions, as defined by Tway, is your perception that the actions, words, direction, mission, or decisions are motivated by mutually-serving rather than self-serving motives. (source: Trust Rules: The Most Important Secret About Trust, by Susan M. Heathfield, About.com)

And this was interesting, but one crucial point is missing: the truth: I do not know everything and may lean on your expertise. If you always tell me the truth then I know that I can rely on what you say and not have to do any further checking up.

Truth and reliability (If you always do what you say you are going to do, it makes your behavior very predictable, which means I can feel even safer around you) can be related to the whole notion of ‘integrity’.

Great city to visit, great city to live in. Always amazing to admire the famous “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt.

Prague is always an amazing place to visit. We really enjoyed walking around, it does not take a long time to walk from the old town plaza up to the castle or to Wenceslas Square. We appreciated the outstanding conditions of this romantic city.