World Heritage

UN World Heritage Sites

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

UN World Heritage logo in China - 2009

~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

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

Brazil - Chapada dos Veadeiros - On the left is a scenic valley, on the right is a series of cascading
waterfalls which includes a natural jacuzzi in the upper right corner - 2007

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

China - Macau - famous for casinos and also as a Portuguese output. And if you know where to look - 'famous' egg custard tarts - 2009

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

Ecuador - 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. In the background is the Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome Island - 2006
Scuba diving can help one learn to be be peaceful under pressure - literally!

Egypt	Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Thebes = Luxor	Africa
Egypt	Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae Did not visit Abu Simbel. Philae and some others.	Africa
Egypt	Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur	Africa

Egypt - foot up against a large column in the Karnak Temple. I used to keep museum / attraction tickets as souvenirs, but
that isn't so practical on longer trips -- I learned just to take photos of them. I have photos of almost all my air tickets too.
On the right is a small sampling of tickets I accumulated during 2 weeks in Egypt - 2006

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

Greece - Olympia, home of the Olympic Games on the left, and Epidaurus on the right - 2006

Guatemala

Tikal National Park

Central Amer

Guatemala - Tikal, a huge archaelogical site with "crooning" howler monkeys to keep you company - 2006
Tikal is one of the more memorable sites that I have ever visited due to the setting and size - best in the early, early morning before it gets too humid

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

Israel - On the way up to the mountain top fortress of Masada - 2006 / Just a bunch of smiling kids while touring near the city of David (Not UN W/H)

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

Italy - Pompeii on left, seldom visited Paestum on the right - 2006

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

Japan - Himeji - Castle in the center of town. I read in a Lonely Planet guide that there was a place to get dressed
up for free in a samurai outfit, and well...you can see the result! - 2003

Jerusalem (By Jordan)	Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls	Middle East
Jordan	Petra	Middle East
Laos	Town of Luang Prabang	SE Asia
Latvia	Historic Centre of Riga	Baltics
Lithuania	Curonian Spit	Baltics
Lithuania	Vilnius Historic Centre	Baltics
Luxembourg	City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications	Europe
Mexico	Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza	Central Amer

Mexico - Chichen-Itza - 2006

Morocco	Medina of Marrakesh	North Africa
Morocco	Historic City of Meknes	North Africa
Morocco	Archaeological Site of Volubilis	North Africa
Morocco	Medina of Fez	North Africa

Morocco - Marrakesh -- 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.... -- 2008

Morocco - Marrakesh - 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, 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" )

Related article and video: 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, even though we can't see them......

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 weekday and workday. I felt this acutely in Medellin, Colombia.
Or the "atmosphere" in a tense meeting, the days leading up to a holiday, or even just between a Monday and Friday.

It is the real-time detection and 'awareness' of all these subconscious cues that I have learned to see / sense / hear, better and better, as I have made myself
more peaceful on the inside & outside.

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Research: Victim selection criteria by criminals (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.

---

Staying at hostels (or even inexpensive hotels) - means one often has instant travel buddies. It doesn't always work out that way so one learns to
be comfortable by themselves. But, this was just a little story that you might find interesting.

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

Peru - Chan Chan archaeological site on the left, and on the right in the distance is the city of Arequipa, which is flanked by tall mountains - 2007
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

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

Russia - St.Petersburg - Church of the Savior on Blood -- Moscow Kremlin wall -- 2006

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

South Korea - Haeinsa - 2008

South Korea - Busan - Not a World Heritage site, but it was a city I enjoyed exploring, and was a break from exploring the WH sites above - 2008

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

Spain - Segovia - Rumored to be one of the castles that inspired Walt Disney and the Disneyland castle - 2008

Sri Lanka	Sacred City of Anuradhapura	India region
Sri Lanka	Sacred City of Kandy	India region
Sri Lanka	Ancient City of Sigiriya	India region
Sri Lanka	Ancient City of Polonnaruwa	India region
Sri Lanka	Golden Temple of Dambulla	India region

Sri Lanka - Dambulla - 2004
A small country with tons of archaeology, natural vistas, warm weather, and easy going people
Sri Lanka is one of my favorite destinations

Sweden	Royal Domain of Drottningholm	Scandinavia
Switzerland	Old City of Berne	Europe
Switzerland	Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn	Europe
Thailand	Historic City of Ayutthaya and Associated Historic Towns	SE Asia
Turkey	Historic Areas of Istanbul	Middle East
Turkey	Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia	Middle East
Turkey	Hierapolis-Pamukkale	Middle East

Turkey - Istanbul - Blue Mosque / Inside the Hagia Sophia church - 2008

Sunroof on a bus! Bus between Bulgaria and Turkey

USA

Independence Hall

North America

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

Notable places that ARE NOT World Heritage sites

Titan Missile Museum - Near Tucson, AZ, USA (Photos in Notable Places)
Soviet missile silo base - Klaipeda, Lithuania
Tsukiji Fish Market - Tokyo, Japan (Photos in Notable Places)
Vasa Warship Museum - Stockholm, Sweden
Aircraft graveyard - Tucson, AZ, USA (Photos in Notable Places)
Dead Sea
Palau
more....

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 - 2006