Where on Earth? Week 45 – Batopilas, Mexico

by Iva Skoch on

You were close, so close. It’s in mainland Mexico, not Baja.

I took this picture just before New Year’s 2004 near Batopilas, which is a little tiny village at the very bottom of the Copper Canyon. It is one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited, following possibly the scariest bus ride of my life: 7 hours down dirt road switchbacks. The driver had an annoying habit of taking his hands off the wheel and praying every time he saw a shrine for those “departed down the cliff.”

The church is the Satevo mission built four centuries ago with a mysterious past.

WHS new “Tentative List”: Places to Love–Fatatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary

by Grant Martin on

For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.

Number 11

Name of Site: Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Location: American Samoa, deep in the South Pacific, east of Australia

Reason for importance in a nutshell: With the world’s coral reefs shrinking at an astonishing rate, it’s no question that Fagatele Bay Sanctuary needs to be and broadcast and preserved. This small sanctuary is host to a wealth of marine wildlife, from humpback whales to butterfly fish to sea turtles.

Grant’s Take: American Samoa is one of those places that many have heard of a few times but that few have actually been to. It’s probably because the South Pacific is just so darned difficult to get to. It’s not like you can jump in the family station wagon, pack a cooler of sandwiches and root beer and be there by dinnertime — even after flying the many hours to get to into the Pacific you usually have to take some sort of small connecting aircraft to make the multi-hop to your island.

And it’s probably why most people haven’t heard of the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. But if you’ve seen any of the specials on the Great Barrier Reef on the Discovery or Travel Channel in the last five years, you know how endangered the world’s coral reefs are. Fagatele is no different. Climate change and over harvesting will affect this tiny preserve as well, and it’s important that we as humans see, learn about and preserve this sort of natural wonder. Add it to your itinerary if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

WHS new “Tentative List”: Places to Love–Petrified Forest National Park

by Jamie Rhein on

For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.

Number 13

Name of Site: Petrified Forest National Park

Location: In Arizona almost halfway between Albuquerque, New Mexico (204 miles) and Phoenix, Arizona (259 miles)

Reason for importance in a nutshell: 10,000 years of human history + deposits of petrified wood that date to the Late Triassic paleo-ecosystem (205-225 million years ago) + dinosaur fossils and more + “one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric pottery fragments in the Southwest.”

Jamie’s Take: I’ve been here at least three times and can vouch that the beauty of the Petrified Forest is not just the petrified wood or the fossils. The Painted Desert is part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Here, the landscape is the kind you could look at every day for a year and never get bored. Depending on the angle of the sun, colors change from burnt orange to purpley blue. The mix of human existance with the natural world is the calling card, but this a physically facinating part of the United States. For anyone who grew up living around forests and grass covered scenery, here’s a place to see what all those layers of earth look like.

While you’re visiting, check out the Painted Desert Inn which is a National Historic Landmark. The dining room and lunchroom are decorated with murals depicting Hopi culture. Also in the park is a section of original Route 66 highway. Another worthwhile stop is the Rainbow Forest Museum. Interpretive displays and a film explain the significance of the area. If you can’t make it any time soon, here’s a virtual tour.

Hawaii’s most popular state parks

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’re heading to Hawai’i and want to find out the state parks travelers find the most appealing, check out Hawai’i Tourism Authority”s “2007 Hawai’i State Park Survey.” According to the findings, 10.1 million people visited Hawai’i State Parks in 2007, 2/3 of them out of state visitors. The survey helped produce a 98 page PDF file report with loads of information useful to the state park folks, as well as tourists who want to head where people are not–or to where people are.

The survey asked visitors to rate sites as well as mark items they think state parks should have. Top on the list is parking, followed by interpretive signage and then restrooms. Most people head to parks looking for a view, although residents have an added motivation of a family outing and spending time with friends.

One page of the file reports on visitor ratings of the islands according to scenery, cultural spots, hiking experience and flora and fauna. Since 2003, satisfaction with the parks has generally gone up, and across the board, O’ahu, Hawai’i Island, Maui, and Kaua’i are closely rated in their appeal. What this says to me, is that no matter where you head, you’ll feel satisfied–provided you find parking. For the list of the top 10, keep reading. For another Hawai’i natural treasure, check out Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. It might be a World Heritage site one day.

Top 10 State Parks

1. Nu’uanu Pali State Wayside, (O’ahu) the highest volume park with over 900,000 people visiting annually.
2. Wailua River State Park (Kaua’i)
3. Hā’ena State Park (Kaua’i)
4. Diamond Head State Monument (O’ahu)
5. Mākena State Park (Maui)
6. Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area (Hawai’i Island)
7. ‘ Īao Valley State Monument (Maui)
8. Waimea Canyon State Park (Kaua’i)
9. Nā Pali Coast State Park (Kaua’i)
10. Ka’ena Point State Park (O’ahu)

Once in a lifetime: How to track pandas in the wild

by Jerry Guo on

What you see in the shot here is a panda turd. And not just any panda turd, it’s a fresh panda turd. (Don’t worry. They smell like fresh bamboo.)

If you want the chance to find your own panda turds, there’s perhaps no better place than to trek to Wanglang Panda Reserve. That’s what I did last March, where I stopped as part of a big story for Science about the booming panda population. Unfortunately, the story is behind a subscription firewall, so here’s a shorter one I wrote about my trip for The Scientist.

Wanglang Panda Reserve can’t match its more famous big brothers, such as Wolong Panda Reserve, which NBC Nightly News, Animal Planet, etc love to cover. But that’s a great thing for you. Wanglang is very peaceful–chances are you’ll have the whole place to yourself. Their eco-tourism only recently kicked off, and even then, they rarely if ever receive any travelers from outside China.

To arrange your tour, you can try contacting the park directly, though I don’t believe any of the rangers or staffers speak English. Or you can go on one of the arranged tours, which will be more expensive of course. But it’s definitely an adventure to brag about once you get back. Worth every dollar!

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