UN World Heritage Sites


UN World Heritage logo in China

UN W/H Site = a place determined to have special cultural or physical significance by
the UN Educational, Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO)


146 out of 936 (2011) places (15.6%) 936 properties ; these include 725 cultural, 183 natural and 28 mixed properties in 153 (of 187) States Parties.


Wayne's W/H List

Country Site
Argentina Iguazu National Park
Argentina Los Glaciares
Perito Moreno glaciar
Australia Great Barrier Reef
Australia Greater Blue Mountains Area
Australia Kakadu National Park
Australia Wet Tropics of Queensland
Australia Sydney Opera House
Australia Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Australia Shark Bay, Western Australia
Austria Historic Centre of Vienna
Austria Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn
Bahrain Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun
Belgium Belfries of Belgium and France
Belgium La Grand-Place, Brussels
Belize Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
Brazil Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda
Brazil Brasilia
Brazil Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas
Brazil Iguaçu National Park


Country Site
Cambodia Angkor Wat
Canada Historic District of Québec
China Wuyi Shan
China Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
China Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
China The Great Wall
China Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
China Mount Huangshan
China Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing
China Macau


Country Site
Colombia Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena
Croatia Old City of Dubrovnik
Croatia Plitvice Lakes National Park
Czech Republic Historic Centre of Prague
Czech Republic Historic Centre of Ceský Krumlov
Czech Republic Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc
Denmark Roskilde Cathedral
Ecuador City of Quito
Ecuador Galápagos Islands

Upon arrival in the Galapagos, expect to be liberated of weight in the amount of $100 US Dollars - cash only if I recall correctly. A lot more pricey than the $10 entrance fee to a mainland Ecuadorean national park that I visited. A number of remote places I went to were primarily for scuba diving, that took up most of my time in the Galapagos. Scuba diving can help one learn to be be peaceful under pressure - literally!

Country Site
Egypt Ancient Thebes (Luxor) with its Necropolis
Egypt Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to PhilaeDid not visit Abu Simbel. Philae and some others.
Egypt Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur

I used to keep museum / attraction tickets as souvenirs, but that isn't so practical on longer trips. I have photos of many of my air tickets too. On the right is a small sampling of tickets I accumulated during 2 weeks in Egypt.

Country Site
England Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
England City of Bath
England Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
Finland Fortress of Suomenlinna
Finland Old Rauma
France Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
France Paris, Banks of the Seine
Greece Archaeological Site of Epidaurus
Greece Archaeological Site of Olympia
Greece Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns
Greece Acropolis, Athens


Country Site
Guatemala Tikal National Park

Best in the early, early morning before it gets too humid

Country Site
Hungary Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue
India Humayun's Tomb, Delhi
India The Red Fort complex
India Agra Fort
India Elephanta Caves
India Taj Mahal
India Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
Indonesia Borobudur Temple Compounds
Indonesia Prambanan Temple Compounds
Iran Meidan Emam, Esfahan
Iran Bisotun - Darius reliefs
Iran Persepolis
Israel Masada


Country Site
Italy Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City
Italy Historic Centre of Florence
Italy 18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex
Italy Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
Italy Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula
Italy Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta


Country Site
Japan Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
Japan Himeji-jo
Japan Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
Japan Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

I read in a Lonely Planet guide that there was a place to get dressed up for free in a samurai outfit, how does it look?


Country Site
Jerusalem (By Jordan) Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls
Jordan Petra
Laos Town of Luang Prabang
Latvia Historic Centre of Riga
Lithuania Curonian Spit
Lithuania Vilnius Historic Centre
Luxembourg City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications
Mexico Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza


Mexico - Chichen-Itza - 2006


Country Site
Morocco Medina of Marrakesh
Morocco Historic City of Meknes
Morocco Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Morocco Medina of Fez

Narrow city shopping streets that surround the main square with stores grouped by types of goods being sold
On the right, colorful carpets. A couple of years later while visiting a carpet museum in Tehran, Iran, I learned
why some cultures value intricate & exquisitely crafted carpets more than others. It wasn't a lesson from the museum itself, but rather a psychological insight. And it also explained why some people own and spend a lot of money on shoes...




A Lesson in Multiple Perspectives


Upon arrival at one of the most beautiful hostels I ever stayed at - The Equity Point Marrakesh,the girl on the left came screaming into my room asking for help. Her friend on the right (with glasses) had fainted from food poisoning and she needed my help. To make a long story short, her friend got better, but we ended up hanging out for the day while her friend recovered at the hostel / riad.

While we were walking through the narrow streets, as above, she noted how different it was when I was with her. For when she and her friend were walking around by themselves the day before, the men would gawk, stare, and say various "unpleasant (sexual) things."

However, none of this occurred when I was with her, and later both of them - as pictured above while looking for dinner in the lively main market square. This was not only a lesson in the female perspective and culture of Marrakesh, but also another lesson in how we respond automatically to subconscious cues. Whether from body language, the sound of our voices, visual stimuli (man and woman vs women alone), and even vibrational energy from each other.

(All molecules are vibrating, so by definition, all of our molecules are vibrating ---> thus we each have a different overall vibrational "signature" )


Vibrating Molecules


Related article: Anti-wi-fi paint offers security (BBC) - "The paint contains an aluminium-iron oxide which resonates at the same frequency as wi-fi - or other radio waves - meaning the airborne data is absorbed and blocked."

All molecules are vibrating, thus everything around us is vibrating, even though it doesn't appear that way. Do you know that song by the Beach Boys -- Good Vibrations? We have collective and individual vibrations. More on this soon....



A Lesson in Multiple Perspectives Continued...


Perhaps an example many are familiar with is when a co-worker comes back from a "happy vacation" and brings, at least for a few days, a different energy to the office - until their vibrational state reverts back to their earlier state. Another example would be in a big city - the different feeling "in the air "  between a weekend and workday. I felt this acutely in Medellin, Colombia due to the density and geographical topogaphy of the city. Other examples might be the "atmosphere" in a tense meeting, the days leading up to a holiday, or even just between a Monday and Friday.

As I have made myself more peaceful on the inside & outside, I have improved my real-time detection and 'awareness' of all these subconscious cues. I have learned to see, sense, hear, better and better.

----
Research: Victim selection criteria by criminal (Workplace Bullying Institute) - talks about how we walk
BBC video clip on - subconscious body language (Youtube)

The links above talk about subconscious body language, but there is much more than that going on between us. In my earlier days of travel, I would carry a mini tripod stick sometimes for protection. As I learned more about who we are, let's just say, I don't carry anything for physical protection any more. There are many things I used to "worry about" that I just don't worry about any more.


Country Site
Nepal Kathmandu Valley
New Zealand Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand - Milford Sound, Franz Josef, Fox, included
Norway West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nćrřyfjord
Norway Bryggen
Peru Caral
Peru Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone
Peru Nazca Lines
Peru Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa
Peru Macchu Pichu
Peru City of Cuzco
Peru Historic Centre of Lima

For archaeological buffs, Peru is a place of seemingly never ending places to visit. I enjoyed it so much I went back a 2nd time in 2010 with two friends. 2010 Peru was also one of the first trips where I did not bring a camera with me. 2 weeks of just enjoying all the moments - big & small without interruption

Country Site
Portugal Historic Centre of Oporto
Portugal Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon
Portugal Cultural Landscape of Sintra
Russia Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments
Russia Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow


Country Site
South Africa iSimangaliso Wetland Park
South Africa uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park
South Africa Robben Island
South Korea Gyeongju Historic Areas
South Korea Changdeokgung Palace Complex
South Korea Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks
South Korea Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

South Korea - Busan - Not a World Heritage site, but it was a city I enjoyed exploring, and it was a break from exploring the WH sites above.

Country Site
Spain El Teide National Park
Spain San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Spain Mudejar Architecture of Aragon
Spain Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct
Spain Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
Spain Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)
Spain Works of Antoni Gaudí
Spain Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Spain Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias
Spain Aranjuez Cultural Landscape
Spain La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia


Country Site
Sri Lanka Sacred City of Anuradhapura
Sri Lanka Sacred City of Kandy
Sri Lanka Ancient City of Sigiriya
Sri Lanka Ancient City of Polonnaruwa
Sri Lanka Golden Temple of Dambulla

Sri Lanka is a small country with tons of archaeology, natural vistas, warm weather, and easy going people in a very compact area.

Country Site
Sweden Royal Domain of Drottningholm
Switzerland Old City of Berne
Switzerland Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn
Thailand Historic City of Ayutthaya and Associated Historic Towns
Turkey Historic Areas of Istanbul
Turkey Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia
Turkey Hierapolis-Pamukkale


Turkey - Istanbul - Blue Mosque / Inside the Hagia Sophia church


Sunroof on a bus! Bus between Bulgaria and Turkey


Country Site
USA Independence Hall

Country Site
USA Carlsbad Caverns National Park
USA Olympic National Park
USA Redwood National Park
USA Yellowstone
USA Yosemite National Park
USA Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville
USA Grand Canyon National Park
USA Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
USA Everglades National Park


Country Notable Non-World Heritage Site
USA Titan Missile Museum (Photos in Notable Places)
Lithuania Soviet missile silo base
Japan Tsukiji Fish Market (Photos in Notable Places)
Sweden Vasa Warship Museum
USA Aircraft graveyard (Photos in Notable Places)
Israel / Jordan Dead Sea
Palau Underwater world
Switzerland CERN Particle Collider


Vasa Warship Museum - Stockholm, Sweden -  if you like old ships, this museum is a must


a better perspective with this postcard


Klaipeda, Lithuania - Abandoned Soviet era nuclear missile silo base --- Just a wood sculpture from a nearby park