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| | One of the side benefits of volunteering for
international humanitarian projects is to have the opportunity to visit some of the great natural
and man-made wonders of the world. Unfortunately, only one of the original
"Seven Wonders" stood the test of time to this day (make a guess
before you check your guess by clicking here).
Listed below are some of the natural,
historic
("forgotten"), and modern wonders of the world
suggested by Prof. Alaa K.
Ashmawy of the University of So. Florida, with some additions I made (in
brown font). The ones that I visited and would like to recommend to
you are market with * (up to a maximum of 5). Obviously, you may disagree
with my recommendations and comments. You may also want to check out
"The World Heritage List"
of natural, cultural, and mixed properties designated by UNESCO. Many of
the wonders listed below are on the "50
Places to Visit before you die" list voted by BBC readers.
If you are interested in finding more details about these wonders, one of the
good free resources available on the Internet is the
Country Studies/Area Handbook
published by the Library of Congress.
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WONDERS |
MY COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
|
| Angel Falls in Venezuela |
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| The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada |
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| The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA |
***** magnificent, still well preserved |
| The Great Barrier Reef in Australia |
|
| Iguaçú Falls in Brazil/Argentina |
***** fantastic, in the middle of a rain forest |
| Krakatoa Island in Indonesia |
|
| Monument Valley, Navajo Indian Reserve, Arizona-Utah,
USA |
**** majestic buttes. This is where John Ford shot
some of the most memorable western movies. |
| Mount Everest in Nepal |
**** top of the world. Take a flight to see it if you do not have the time or the energy
to climb. |
| Mount Fuji in Japan |
|
| Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania |
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| Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA) |
*** nice but too commercialized |
| Paricutin Volcano in Mexico |
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| Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe |
|
| Table
Mountain, Cape Town - So. Africa |
*** very imposing and has an impressive view of the southern
tip of Africa |
| The West Lake, Hangzhou, China |
**** a poetic lake, considered heaven on earth, visited by
President Nixon on his historical trip |
| Yellowstone National Park, USA |
**** magnificent geysers but too
many tourists in the summer |
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WONDERS |
MY COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
|
| Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt |
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| Angkor Wat in Cambodia |
|
| The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico |
**** don't miss the archaeological museum in Mexico City |
| The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines |
|
| Borobudur Temple in Indonesia |
|
| The Colosseum in Rome, Italy |
*** too bloody for me |
| The Great Wall of China |
***** nothing compares to it. Try
to do a little trekking if you have time (and energy!) |
| The Imperial Palace in Beijing, China |
**** fascinating |
| The Magical Lines of
Nazca, Peru |
**** no, the the gigantic
figures the mountains and plains were not drawn by extraterrestrial gods,
but were done by the Indians. Just don't ask me why. |
| The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru |
***** a little difficult to get to but
worth the effort and time. Go see the Titicaca lake if you have a
chance. |
| Jerusalem, Israel |
**** inspirational place, in spite of the violence |
| The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy |
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| The Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala |
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| The Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile |
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| Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France |
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| The Palace of Versailles, France |
*** wish I was the Sun King |
| The Parthenon in Athens, Greece |
**** still magnificent in spite of the destruction and
plummeting |
| Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan |
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| The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar |
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| The walled city of Xi'an, China |
**** the end of the Silk Route. Don't
miss the terra-cotta
soldiers and ancient tombs nearby. |
| Stonehenge in England |
|
| Taj Mahal in Agra, India |
***
the actual thing is much more impressive than the pictures in spite of all
the people visiting. |
| The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico |
|
| Toledo, Spain |
*** beautiful castle city although a little
too commercialized |
| The Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran |
|
|
WONDERS |
MY COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
|
| The Channel Tunnel, UK-Europe |
|
| The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England |
*** nice, but not wonderful |
| The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada |
* saw from below |
| Eiffel Tower in Paris, France |
**** real tour de force in engineering |
| The Empire State Building in New York City, USA |
*** still has the best view |
| The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA |
** different |
| The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA |
**** the bay is beautiful |
| The High Dam in Aswan, Egypt |
|
| Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA |
** impressive but very congested |
| Itaipú Dam in Brazil/Paraguay |
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| Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA |
***** very impressive |
| The Panama Canal |
|
| The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
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| The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
**** the city looks better from above |
| The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA |
*** looks better on a postcard |
| The Suez Canal in Egypt |
|
| The Sydney Opera House in Australia |
|
 The World
Trade Center, New York, USA |
** was great to look from a distance, but not from the top |
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