List of World Heritage sites continues to grow

by Kraig Becker on

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, has added more sites, including several cultural locations, to its ever expanding World Heritage list. The additions were made this past weekend when the organization concluded the 34th session of the the World Heritage Committee in Sao Paulo, Brazil following more than a week of deliberation.

Amongst the new inductees are the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi in Vietnam; the historic monuments of Dengfeng in China; the archaeological site Sarazm in Tajikistan; the Episcopal city of Albi in France; and a 17th-century canal ring in Amsterdam. Those five sites were lauded for their cultural significance, and their inclusion brought the list up to 904 total sites.

Joining the sites named above were the Bikini Atoll, located in the South Pacific’s Marshall Islands, the Turaif District in Saudi Arabia; Australia’s famous penal colonies; the Jantar Mantar astronomical observation site in India; the Tabriz historic bazaar complex, as well as a shrine in Ardabil, both located in Iran; and the historic villages of Hahoe and Yangdong in South Korea.

Singling out the Bikini Atoll, the Committee said that nuclear tests conducted on the tiny island during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s had a profound effect on the geology and environment of the area. They also noted that the atoll had historical significance by ushering in the dawning of the nuclear age as well.

New sites are generally added to the World Heritage list on a yearly basis, with the locations receiving a measure of prestige and honor for making the cut. In order to remain on the list though, they must be protected and preserved by the country in which they reside. In recent years several sites have been added to the Committee’s “endangered list” with some actually losing their “World Heritage” status due to changes in their condition.

Lets hope these new additions are around for a long time.

[Photo credit: Chinasaur via WikiMedia Commons]

Five Unique Ways to Visit North Korea in 2011

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You’ve listened to enough friends and co-workers drone on and on about the boring, conventional vacations they take. In the pre-social media days, these people would have bored you to death with slide show and photo albums. Now, they just clutter your Facebook news feed. Want revenge? Take the most unusual vacation imaginable, and they’ll forever be embarrassed to waste your time with worn out tales of roller coasters and walking tours.

The answer to your problem is easy: North Korea.

I just heard from Koryo Tours that there are three great tours in the works for this year, each a cure for the common vacation. Even if you’ve been to this reclusive country in the past, there are some new opportunities that are bound to blow your mind.

1. Hang out in Hamhung: this is North Korea’s answer to Boston. Once you’ve been to the big city (Pyongyang), explore its smaller cousin. The east coast city hasn’t seen a whole lot of westerners. Most of the non-locals who have passed through were East Germans (I know, that’s not even a thing any more) who were involved in rebuilding the region after the country’s 1945 “Liberation from Japan.” Last May, Simon Cockerell of Koryo Tours became the first tourist to put leather on the ground in Hamhung since North Korea became a country. Now, the way is paved for you! Local attractions include the Hamhung Grand Theatre and the Hamhung fertilizer factory (where Kim Il Sung once imparted some wisdom!).

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2. Make merry at Outer Mount Kumgang: Also an east coast destination in North Korea, Outer Kumgang is home to a Hyundai-run resort and is now open to access via North Korea for the first time since the 2008 incident when a soldier shot a tourist there (ouch!). It’s a great place for hiking, and Samil Lagoon is apparently not to be missed.

3. Rock Rason: Koryo Tours is now offering independent tours of the Rason area of North Korea, making it the only western travel company ever to do so. This is a rare treat and a chance to see something beyond Pyongyang if you’re an old pro at North Korean travel.

4. Take on the Tuman Triangle: visit China, Russia and North Korea in one trip, as you explore the area around the river that creates the borders for these three countries. According to Koryo Tours:

The route that our pioneering group of 18 took was a flight to Yanji in NE China’s Jilin province, then to the North Korean free trade zone of Rason (previously known as Rajin-Sonbong, a place where western tourists are almost unheard of but which Koryo tours have been visiting since 1996). We spent 4 days in the area doing a diverse range of activities such as seeing ports and seafood factories, playing beach football against Russian railway engineers, shopping in a public market – the only place this can be done in North Korea – going to the obligatory revolutionary sites, visiting the doctors (!) and local kindergartens, going to a deserted casino, doing a boat trip around the nearby islands, and more!

The last group was the first ever to cross into Russia by train at the town of Khasan, blazing a trail for you to experience what few can only imagine.

5. Sheer stupidity: you could always try to cross the border sans guide, visas and common sense, but that usually doesn’t work out all that well. Your best bet when visiting North Korea is to find a travel company that really specializes in the destination.

Photo of the day (7.23.10)

by Alex Robertson Textor on


A travel mascot injects levity into a journey. Photographing one’s mascot in various exotic locations is an often hilarious way to articulate a narrative string for a journey. This image of a tiny robot on the Great Wall by cjthekid is playfully awesome. It neatly juxtaposes the old and the contemporary; the durable and the disposable.

Poke around cjthekid’s Robot Travel Association 5000 photo set and you’ll find additional images of this little robot in China and Mongolia. I look forward to seeing where this little robot will show up next.

Anyone with similarly whimsical images of mascot-like objects perched on popular tourist sites or elsewhere for that matter should submit said images to the Gadling Flickr Pool. You might just have your image selected as our Photo of the Day.

Daily Pampering: The Peninsula Hotels’ $20,000 tour of China

by Melanie Nayer on

The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Beijing and The Peninsula Shanghai are offering China travelers a new way to see three of the country’s best city, thanks the “Tale of Three Cities” – the hotels’ collection of itineraries showcasing the very best of China.

Hoping to bring back the glamor in travel, the Peninsula’s are hosting above-and-beyond luxury experiences at each hotel that include accommodations, cultural tours, culinary and spa activities and sightseeing in style – via Rolls-Royce and helicopters.

The “Epic Tale” offer features Peninsula Suite accommodation and a host of benefits, while the more value-driven “Classic Tale” program also offers a range of distinctive advantages for the China traveler. Both programs include The Peninsula Academy, with its unique selection of heritage, culinary and lifestyle activities created to give guests a taste of Chinese culture.

“The Epic Tale” – starting price $20,000
Two nights’ accommodation in The Peninsula Suite (the premier suite in each hotel)
Airport transfers by Rolls-Royce Daily American breakfast
A selection of Peninsula Academy activities
Spa treatments at The Peninsula Spa by ESPA
Additional benefits in each hotel, including spa treatments, complimentary drinks, laundry, dry cleaning and more.

“The Classic Tale” – starting price $1,595
Two nights in a regular room
Daily American breakfast
Round-trip airport transfers by limousine
One Peninsula Academy program Spa credits at The Peninsula Spa by ESPA

The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Shanghai and The Peninsula Beijing “Tale of Three Cities” programs are available through Dec. 29, 2010.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Shanghai: New route from China to North Korea

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It isn’t exactly a wide-open commercial route, but at least the door is slightly ajar. Korean Air charter flights will start flying from Shanghai to Pyongyang on August 6, 2010, when the first group of tourists will take advantage of this (rather slight) liberalization of North Korean travel rules.

The goal, of course, is to “help to further promote cooperation and exchanges between China and North Korea in trade, tourism and culture,” according to People’s Daily Online.

It doesn’t look like the move is coincidental, as this is the 60th anniversary of the start of what we call the “Korean War,” though on the other side of the border, it’s given the moniker, “the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.”

August is a great time to go to Pyongyang, given the Arirang Festival, which usually runs until October. And since North Korea is now a new destination for the Chinese tourist travel market (since April 12, 2010), the locals can take full advantage of this unique opportunity.

[photo by yeowatzup via Flickr]