Oh, the things I will see

Toro Verde Adventure Park Zipline I am absolutely terrified of...

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:20:03 +1000

Toro Verde Adventure Park Zipline

I am absolutely terrified of heights but this looks like an experience not to be missed.

Woooooooooooooooooooo!

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Ilha do Fogo I know, I know. I seem to like island...

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 19:37:35 +1000

Ilha do Fogo

I know, I know. I seem to like island volcanoes.

Still, this one has a point of difference: there’s a village in the caldera! And they make amazing wine there, apparently.

Must visit.

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kateoplis: Discovery Walk, overlooking the Sunwapta Valley...

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:59:14 +1000

kateoplis:

Discovery Walk, overlooking the Sunwapta Valley along the Columbian Icefields in Alberta, Canada by Sturgess Architects

It won’t be finished until late 2011 (the image is a render) but I know I have to see that.

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Ikos, Cyprus I love little villages on mountainsides. I like the...

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:02:16 +1000

Ikos, Cyprus

I love little villages on mountainsides. I like the quiet tranquility this image purveys. It seems far enough removed from the hustle and bustle, and yet still close to civilisation.

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Carnivale di Venezia. Starting about two months before Easter,...

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:15:14 +1000

Carnivale di Venezia.
Starting about two months before Easter, something about this event is just irresistible.
The masks were intended to hide the wearer’s identity and social status, allowing people from all social levels and castes to mix freely and act outside normal convention.

A party where everyone is anonymous and equal.

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Machu Picchu, Peru. It was only a matter of time until I...

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:15:33 +1000

Machu Picchu, Peru.
It was only a matter of time until I included this popular Incan site. I don’t know what it is that draws me here but I feel like it’s a starting point leading to something more in exploring that ancient culture.

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Ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre Maybe it’s just from...

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:02:49 +1000

Ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre
Maybe it’s just from watching too much 30 Rock but I want to go to there. And ice skating would be lovely.

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Oía, Greece. I confess I’ve never been much of a fan of...

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:00:41 +1000

Oía, Greece.
I confess I’ve never been much of a fan of Greece. It looks hot, dry and too sunny. I’ve heard people rave about how they’re going on a cruise among the Greek islands (though I did have one friend who was on that cruise ship that sank a few years ago; she still loved it).
While looking around online for beautiful places, I came across this photograph of the seaside town of Oía on an island in the Aegean Sea. The combination of windmills, sunset, stark white walls and the light coming from private courtyards which are seemingly overflowing with mirth has made me think again.

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Lake Baikal. Right in the middle of Russia, it’s the...

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:46:11 +1000

Lake Baikal.
Right in the middle of Russia, it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world, and it even has its own species of freshwater seal (the only exclusively freshwater seal in the world). Apparently the endemic fish, the omul, is exquisite.

I brushed against the southern edge of the lake when I took the Trans-Siberian Railway back in 2006, and I’ve been curious ever since. Looks like it gets pretty cold, though.

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Galapagos Islands. Made famous by Charles Darwin’s visit...

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:49:52 +1000

Galapagos Islands.
Made famous by Charles Darwin’s visit on the Beagle, the volcanic islands are famous for their vast range of endemic wildlife. But it’s darned expensive to get there and many of the options are booked well in advance. Might have to just live in Ecuador for a couple of months waiting for a berth to free up.

Unlike Pitcairn or Atlasov, there are things to see on the Galapagos Islands: giant tortoises, giant marine iguanas, whale sharks, frigate birds, and so on. It can’t be anything but fascinating.

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Balut. This is a food popular in south-east Asia (balut is the...

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:21:31 +1000

Balut.
This is a food popular in south-east Asia (balut is the Philippine word for it). It’s a duck egg that’s gestated for about 3 weeks then boiled. All reports are that it’s super tasty and goes great as a snack with beer but the visuals will make any Westerner’s stomach turn.

If this food is considered acceptable for millions of people and has been a part of their cultures for so long, I can’t see a problem with eating it. To do that, however, I will need to overcome my own cultural biases. And the more I look at it, the tougher it gets.

If you want to see what it’s like to eat one, there’s a great set on Flickr. It seems musicians travelling to the Philippines will often eat one of these on stage - a sign of cultural respect, perhaps? Here’s Harry Connick Jr eating one.

I didn’t want to outrage anyone so the above picture is quite tame. There are some more accurate pictures on the “Balut (egg)” Wikipedia page.

Cuba. I think it’s worth visiting more for its culture...

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:53:54 +1000

Cuba.
I think it’s worth visiting more for its culture and society than for anything to do with it being picturesque or having warm weather.
Since the Revolution, the place has had to deal with a lot. Not least of which the fact that it’s tough for them to import nearly everything. But the people and government have achieved a lot, including producing one of the best health care systems in the world. In more recent years, things have generally improved thanks to the support of spiritual allies like Venezuela.

Suggested by mirandajane

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Bhutan. This time a whole country. Their king was educated...

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:53:47 +1000

Bhutan.
This time a whole country. Their king was educated abroad and returned to Bhutan ready to modernise the country while learning from the mistakes of every other country that has come before it. One might argue that it is what Tibet should have become if it weren’t annexed by China. And, indeed, Bhutan shares a border with Tibet — a particular influence on the small kingdom.

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Lo Manthang. It is the capital of the Mustang kingdom — or,...

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:53:45 +1000

Lo Manthang.

It is the capital of the Mustang kingdom — or, rather, what was once the Mustang kingdom but was annexed by Nepal in the 18th century. Click the map link below and you will see what is, to me, a fascinating looking city: a mix of (what I see as) medieval and Himalayan. Plus, Lo Manthang and The Kingdom of Mustang are located on the Tibetan Plateau, a region which I seem to have an irrational fascination.
Sometimes I think I just want to go to a place because so few people do.

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Pitcairn Islands Famous as the final destination of the...

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:26:00 +1000

Pitcairn Islands
Famous as the final destination of the mutineers of the HMS Bounty, the island is the least populated “country” in the world.
Not really sure why I want to go here but, when the electricity is only available for five hours in the morning and five hours in the evening, and everyone shares the same 256kbps internet connection, it has to make for some interesting experiences. Additionally, the population is only about 50, so you’ve a good chance of meeting everyone in the whole country! Now that’s a conversation starter!

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Petra, Jordan Two things have exposed me to the Middle East in...

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:28:01 +1000

Petra, Jordan
Two things have exposed me to the Middle East in the past week: my parents recently returned from a holiday there, and last night I watched the third episode of An Idiot Abroad, where Karl Pilkington visits Jordan.

It was Pilkington’s visit that actually made me think it might be worth checking out. He didn’t enjoy it especially — riding camels, sleeping in caves — yet I don’t think I’d mind any of that too much.

Anyway, Petra is a large ancient city complex hidden in the caverns of Jordan. You may remember the Treasury building, pictured above, from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

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Northern Lights Also known as the aurora borealis, this picture...

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:04:48 +1000

Northern Lights
Also known as the aurora borealis, this picture was taken in one of the most northern parts of Norway, where there’s a good chance of seeing these. They’re one of the most beautiful things you can see.

Or so I’m told.

In 2005 I was in Iceland for a week to cover a music festival. I spent a lot of time outdoors at night between venues and I always made a point to keep an eye out for aurorae. One night, I had almost all of my coverage in the same venue. An Australian band, Architecture In Helsinki, took the stage and were quick to point out how beautiful the aurora was they saw as they walked to the venue.
I rushed outside but it was gone.

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Dome of The Rock I confess I didn’t know much about this...

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:00:19 +1000

Dome of The Rock
I confess I didn’t know much about this building until I had the opportunity to scale it in the first Assassins Creed game. Naturally, it has a long, rich history. And, apparently, if you’re non-Muslim, it can be difficult to get access to it.
Nonetheless, it’s an interesting and beautiful building.

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Trummelbach Falls near Lauterbunnen in Switzerland are the most...

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 10:52:55 +1000

Trummelbach Falls near Lauterbunnen in Switzerland are the most intense waterfalls and they are mostly inside caves.

Them and the surrounding around are absolutely beautiful!

Not much “culture” there as it is mostly tourists, but ditch the bus and walk back in to town to hang with the nature :D

Submitted by mirandajane

Suggest a thing to see!

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:39:35 +1000

Suggest a thing to see!:

By popular demand, you can now suggest things to see in this big ol’ world of ours. Don’t be shy. :)