World Heritage and the Gadling connection

by Jamie Rhein on

In November, Grant, Catherine and I had a grand time participating in a conference call with various folks interested in travel and preserving those things that make the world a wonderful place to be. Friends of World Heritage, an initiative in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, Expedia.com and World Heritage Center at UNESCO, orchestrated the call to promote a dialog among us and create a network that fosters public interest and involvement in the work of Friends of World Heritage. The aim of the organization is to ensure UNESCO’s World Heritage sites continue to gain public recognition and support as valuable places worthy of honor and preservation. TurtlefeetSurfersBeat, Intelligent Travel (blog for National Geographic Traveler) and National Parks Traveler joined in on the chat.

Catherine, Grant and I were happy to be included among the group of knowledgeable and engaged folks who are interested in the world and preserving its natural and cultural heritage. (All Gadling bloggers are included in those interested in the world. Catherine, Grant and I are the ones who were able to participate in the call.) Since World Heritage sites are among those places that ensure that our natural world and cultural history stay intact, this conversation was a perfect interaction of interests.

We’ve continued to stay engaged with Friends of World Heritage since then. Our hope is that we can further the cause of Friends of World Heritage by letting Gadling readers know about the latest happenings in the World Heritage arena and highlighting those must see places that are must see because of their distinctive characteristics.

One of the latest happenings in the World Heritage arena is that 14 places in the United States have been named as contenders for the distinction of becoming an official World Heritage site. These 14 are on the new “Tentative List.” We are using February as a month to highlight the bounty. In the month of love, these are places to love.

Naming the sites on this “Tentative List” is the end of the beginning of the process. These 14 sites, the first to be considered in the U.S. in 12 years, have been picked by the Department of the Interior (in conjunction with the National Park Service) for consideration. The places on the Tentative List won’t be able to be considered as official World Heritage Sites until 2009. The rules state that a place has to be on a list for a year. A site can be on a list for a long, long time as there is a lot of competition. This is my understanding from the press release we received from the U.S. Department of Interior via Friends of World Heritage.

Stay tuned for a post on the “Tentative List” this afternoon and Gadling’s coverage of the 14 sites throughout this month. You can help us decide who we think should win an official spot as a World Heritage Site. The photo is of the map of World Heritage sites. We’ll let you in on how to get one of those too.

Photo of the Day (11/21/07)

by Jamie Rhein on

The saffron colored flowers are absolutely gorgeous. Notice the Buddha head statue in the background? There is a tree growing around it. According to StrudelMonkey who snapped this shot at Ayutthaya, Thailand, the only reason the statue is still in existence is because of that tree. Ayutthaya was once the capital of Siam from 1350 to 1767.

If you’ve a stupendous photo you want to share, post it at Gadling’s Flickr pool. We’re waiting.

Libya: A new place to head in your travels

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was in the Peace Corps one of my Gambian friends moved to Libya for some reason. This was back when the U.S. and Libya weren’t on the best of terms. I wasn’t ever sure why he went to Libya–all I know is that, once he went there, his wife and kids moved back to live with her mother and I didn’t see him again. I only saw his family one other time.

Brett mentioned in a September post that Libya is opening up to tourists. I second that. There was a travel article today in my Sunday paper that caught my attention. Anna Johnson’s AP article “Libya becoming a bit easier to visit” paints a wonderful picture of an off-the-beaten path destination. However, here’s one country where being an American won’t get you a visa easily. Canadians and Europeans have it a bit easier, but there’s still some red tape. If you’re American, you apply for a visa through a Libyan embassy outside of the U.S. For Canadians and Europeans apply for a visa through a Libyan approved government travel agency. I wouldn’t say it’s a huge hassle to get a visa, just time consuming. It could take months if you are an American. Here’s a tip: If you have a passport stamp from Israel, you won’t get the visa, so get another passport first.

Okay, so why bother with the hassle, you might be thinking? Like Brett mentioned there are some phenomenal ancient sites. He mentioned a few. Here’s another. The Leptis Magna was built by the Roman Empire, and is one of the five UNESCO World Heritage sites in Libya and is considered one of the most important cities of Roman times. There’s also the Sahara Desert, the Mediterranean coast which has not been developed yet–but like Brett wrote, development is coming, the Jebel Acacus Mountains and a lot more. For more terrific shots by Libyan Soup who took this one of the Infudha Rock Arch, head here to Flickr.

Taj Mahal From the Outside

by Jamie Rhein on

Another World Heritage Site that was rated in the National Geographic Traveler article that Erik Olsen mentioned in an earlier post is the Taj Mahal. If you ever get a chance, go. It is a truly stunning piece of architecture that the Indian government knows full well it needs to protect. Of course, there is the slew of folks who clamor to sell stuff to you from the time you hit the parking lot until you get inside, but it’s not the worst experience.

Here is a video from veras films shot outside the Taj Mahal. This is a glimpse of one of the most famous places in the world from a very different angle. The interviews with the kids and the music are wonderful touches.

Sri Lanka: Just How Safe is Unsafe?

by Jamie Rhein on

So, Sri Lanka is on the list of the 10 most dangerous destinations to visit, according to Willy Volk’s post. Willy’s not fibbing. I read the article myself before I read his post and sure enough, Sri Lanka is a place to think twice about before you travel there. My advice is to think twice, but not that hard. Things change. Perhaps, it will become a bit safer. Who knows? Perhaps, it already is.

We visited Sri Lanka during a time right after political strife created a bit of havoc-I think someone was blown up somewhere. The northern part of the country was off-limits so people didn’t travel there, but because we were living in Singapore, and had friends who raved about the place, we went to a good part of the rest of Sri Lanka anyway. Once there, we could see why the country had such a fan club.

In nine days, because we hired a private driver so we could have easy mobility, we were able to hit areas as varied as: Polonnaruwa, the ancient city built in the 12th century with its reclining Buddha images; Sigiriya, another ancient city that dates back more than 5,000 years and is also a World Heritage Site (Sri Lanka has 7 in all); Galle, the Dutch port on the coast; Kandy, the city that’s considered the arts center and the city with the Tooth Temple where supposedly one of Buddha’s teeth are kept; the beaches of Hikkaduwa, and the mountainous area of Nuwara Eliya and the tea plantations. There was a lot more in between these two or three day stops like a spice plantation and an elephant orphanage.

If you do go, notice the elephants and coconuts. Sri Lankans still use elephants to do work so it’s not uncommon to see elephants getting a bath in a river or being used to transport goods. The coconut industry is labor intensive and you will see more useful items made from coconuts then you ever thought possible. Since the coastal areas were hard hit by the tsunami, I’m sure places like Galle and Hikkaduwa are still recovering. Still, I would hate to think people are scared off from visiting. This is a country that knows how to ensure travelers have a great time. It’s also a place where tourist dollars make a difference. The official tourist website is a great place to start making your list of things to see.