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"Been There" Virtual Travel Quiz? NEW RULES and Round #19

AlanS

Welcome back!

A little info about the brief interruption in the contest:

When I started this project, my original goal was to come up with an activity fellow Taucktourians / forum participants could do on the Travel Forum while we are unable to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted more than just a means to post photos and definitely did not want to provide a contest of photography skills or an opportunity to brag about a high tour count. Instead, I envisioned a game of sorts where anyone could share a photo or two of, and a few questions about, the interesting and unique places and subjects they have seen on their Tauck tours. I thought it could bring back memories and provide more information about places people have already been when they research answers, and also generate interest in places for people who might travel there someday.

Along the way I discovered how easy it was to use Google Images and other websites to do a “Reverse Image Search,” so I have decided to revise the rules of the game to help maintain a more level playing field.

A certification that a Reverse Image Search was not used or a requirement that the poster describe how they solved the quiz would still depend on the honor system and not in the spirit of the game. So, my solution is to put the onus on those who post the photos and question(s).

Before posting a photo and question(s), I am asking everyone to evaluate their photo:

Is it ripe for a Reverse Image Search (there is no requirement to do one, but you can if you want to see if your photo lends itself to that process).
Select photos of a recognizable feature or part of a scene or object that is significant, rather than the entire object. Remember you can crop your photos.
Select photos of places or objects that may not be well known, but not so esoteric that someone who has taken that tour will not recognize them, this may take some experimentation. Hints are allowed and even encouraged if answers are missing the mark or are slow in coming.
Select photo(s) that tell a story or has subjects that have a story. Make the guessers do some research.
Base your question(s) on the story or significance of the place or object.

Updated old rules. (will be merged with items above in Round #20)

Photo(s) must have been taken by the poster or spouse during a Tauck tour. Please, no commercial or internet photos allowed.
Everyone is invited to guess- only one guess per family, per round.
The original poster will acknowledge a correct guess.
If there are no correct guesses and/or no correct answers to supplemental questions, after no more than two days , the original poster will provide the answer(s), so each round doesn't run too long. Please be nice and resolve disputes over answers via PM.
On the other hand, to encourage others to keep digging, regulars are encouraged to post just an, “I know,” but nothing else. At the end of the round they may, but are not required to, post "I was right/wrong"
As the defacto administrator, I will start a new thread for each new Round once each original poster has acknowledged or provided the correct answers.
To give everyone a shot, I'm asking the original poster to wait until three additional rounds have been completed before posting again- we'll see how this goes.
If two submissions are made at nearly identical times, to prevent confusion I'll ask the second poster to delete and resubmit for a subsequent round. I don't have forum ADMIN privileges so can't delete it for you (click on the gear at the top right corner of your post and select "delete").

I hope this all works out. We'll see.

Round #18 was won by Sealord (photo and questions)
Submitted by travel maven. The Round #18 thread contains detailed information about the photo of the “Memorial of Rebirth” in Bucharest Romania.

Round #19 is officially open. Submit your photo in a reply [Leave a Comment] to this announcement.

Comments

Kathy M

Alan,

How do you post a picture? I tried to use the icon above the box and all that appeared was the long link to the file on my computer. Copy and paste didn't do any better. I have an apple computer. Could this be causing the problem?

Smiling Sam

Kathy M - The long link first appears when you upload your photo. Once you hit Post Comment that link materializes into the photo.

BKMD

I was waiting to see if Kathy M would post, but since she didn't, here's one I checked in the google image search and it does not correctly identify this picture.

I've had a few favorite hotels on my trips. One, mentioned in an earlier thread, was the Singular Patagonia. Here is a picture from an inner courtyard of one of my other favorites. Name the hotel, its location, when it was built, and who the hotel corporation leases it from. Also, the hotel offers an in-room option that is an extra fee, and I'd estimate 50% of the group opted for it - what is it?

I suspect AlanS will know the answer immediately, as he mentioned he's been on this trip, too.

Smiling Sam

I know. I have almost the same picture from when I did that tour.

AlanS

Me too! It was a truly fantastic tour, and an interesting place. Did you meet Kevin Costner or Tom Cruise there as well?

KathyM- in addition to what Sam said, the long string (link) will also appear as your photo if you select "preview." (FYI, that long link is the link/name the Tauck forum software assigns to your photo after it has been uploaded to their website.)

BKMD

Did you meet Kevin Costner or Tom Cruise there as well?

No, and no idea why you'd ask that. Presumably some movie was filmed there? You'll have to provide more details. If it gives anything away, hold off.

BKMD

Here's another picture, inside the hotel:

Kathy M

I think this is the Belmond Hotel Monasterio in Cusco, Peru. There is conflicting information about when it was built on the Tauck website. Day 6 of the Empire of the Incas tour says 1592. When you click on the hotel information it says 1595. I was unable to find what the special in room option is.

alidor30

Is it the Parador de Santiago de Compostela in Spain? It was built in 1499.

AlanS

I see folks have recognized the Spanish architecture.

After BKMD declares an end to this round, I will explain about Kevin Costner and Tom Cruise.

MCD

I agree with Kathy M. The Monasterio in Cusco -- and I did meet Kevin Costner, and have a photo with him. The Monasterio is one of my favorite hotels.

BKMD

Kathy M and MCD are correct. This was my frist trip with Tauck - Peru and Bolivia.

Now known as the Belmon Monasterio, it was built by the Spanish in the late 1500s (how's that for hedging?) as a seminary. The property is still owned by the Vatican and is leased to the hotel chain.

The room option I asked about is having additional oxygen piped into your room. Cusco is about 11000 ft above sea level.and if you aren't used to the altitude, you can be short of breath and have trouble sleeping. Personally, I live at 5500 ft above sea level and spend 3 days/week between 9000 and 12000 ft skiing in the Colo Rockies, so I didn't have an issue.

Speaking of altitude, if you were on this trip, you may have noticed that the airplane that flew from Lima to Cusco wasn't a very big plane, yet had 4 very large jet engines. This is because it's much harder to attain the needed lift for a smooth landing and takeoff at that altitude

And on the subject of airlines, this is an example of the way planes are currently being outfitted:

MCD

I bow to Kathy M. She was first. I responded mostly to put in my two cents about Kevin Costner! As long as we're talking about this tour, I'm going to post (I hope) a photo of the mural of The Last Supper that's in the Cathedral in Cusco. Because we weren't allowed to take photos inside the Cathedral, I bought a postcard of it and have it in my photo album. This isn't part of the contest, because professional photos aren't allowed; however, it's one of my favorite memories of my travels. Look closely at the "main course," which is a Peruvian delicacy. Somehow, this photo seemed appropriate during Holy Week, even though I respect the fact that not everyone observes Holy week.

Smiling Sam

Good old guinea pig. You can’t go wrong as long as you have it with a pisco sour.

BKMD

I usually try local delicacies on trips (kangaroo, ostrich, guinea pig, guanaco, etc.), but I didn't like the guinea pig. Reminded me of dark meat chicken, but greasier, which I'm not fond of.

Smiling Sam

I especially liked how they kept the guinea pigs in their houses and then picked out their favorite for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc.

AlanS

Well gee, you guys took my next entry- I was going to ask where (generally) these photos were taken (ans. stone house in Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley where you catch the train to Aguas Calientes the town in the valley below Machu Picchu) and what was the purpose of all the "pets" and what animal (ans. guinea pigs. They are food!) If that thought is unsettling, just think of them as the Peruvian version of barnyard chickens! Anyone care for BBQ Guinea Pig on a stick? Available from roadside stands! I won't ask about the preserved llama fetuses and the skulls of family ancestors in the niches along the walls.

As to Kevin Costner and and Tom Cruise. Street vendors selling silver jewelry, paintings, llama key chains, etc. hung out in front of the Monasterio Hotel and other places tourists stayed and visited. They used popular celebrity names so you wouldn't forget the next time you saw them. They weren't aggressive like in many places around the world, but still very persistent. We first met Kevin Costner in the Ollyantaytambo main plaza. We learned later, he followed us back to Cusco- and yes, my wife relented and purchased a bracelet. The mark-up on his wares and sales success must have been good enough to make it worthwhile to follow our tour group all that way!

I'll start the next round shortly.

BKMD

I was thinking of using llama fetuses as a subject picture. I took the pic in a witch doctor pharmacy in La Paz.

Thanks for the Kevin Costner explanation. With rare exception, I ignore the vendors and don't buy anything on these trips. You can find virtually everything for sale anywhere on amazon, as most what you see is made in China, anyway.