wonders of the world

Martes, Enero 31, 2012

Hong Kong

Why
Hong Kong
is special

World travelers have long been seduced with the views of Hong Kong harbor and city – and with its many specialty restaurants and shops. The harbor teems with incessant nautical activity and is back dropped by a spectacular cluster of skyscrapers.

When to come

Best months
for Hong Kong

For its best weather, visit Hong Kong from October to mid December - usually the skies are clear and the temperature, comfortable. The weather can be hot, humid and rainy in the summer, and a tad chilly in January and February.

Hong Kong's
best vantages

To be fully appreciated, this wonder must be seen from three distinct vantages - Victoria Peak, boat, and Kowloon:

Victoria Peak

The best panoramic view of Hong Kong is from the top of the 552-meter (1800-feet) high Victoria Peak. It is the tall peak in the photo. You see Hong Kong harbor laid out before you - and as you look directly down, your eyes capture a spellbinding foreshortened view of Hong Kong's skyscrapers. The view is virtually 360 degrees - you also catch sight of the South China Sea and some of the region's outlying islands.

Boat

The most popular boat vista is from the decks of the unpretentious Star Ferry ships that travel between Hong Kong's central business district and nearby Kowloon city on a frequent schedule. Daytime ferry rides provide a splendid view of the modern skyscrapers - and let you observe up-close the harbor activity. The evening harbor-light view is, in a word, romantic.

Kowloon

You simultaneously see the harbor and Hong Kong skyscrapers while strolling along the waterside promenade of Kowloon, the city across the harbor from Hong Kong. Some of Kowloon's hotels also offer harbor views.

Li River cruise

Why the
Li River cruise
is special

The Li River boat trip is one of our planet's most stunningly beautiful journeys. The smooth water exquisitely mirrors a fairy-tale landscape of conical peaks reaching for the sky (see photo). These limestone peaks are the vestiges of eroded ancient sea beds.

Li River

tips & insights

Pronunciation

The word Li is pronounced lee.

Passing scenery
and activities

There's something interesting to see from your Li River cruise boat along the banks of almost every bend of the river. You view graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies, and lumbering water buffalos pulling carts or cooling off in the river.

Fishermen

Another interesting sidelight is seeing fishermen gliding on the Li River on narrow bamboo rafts. Some use tethered cormorant birds to catch fish.

Mist

The Li River vista is particularly mystical when flowing mists weave themselves around the peaks. The vapor hides then exposes the peaks in moments of surprise.

Huwebes, Enero 26, 2012

Banaue Rice Terraces

Why the
Banaue Rice Terraces
are special

While other Asian countries also have photogenic rice terraces, I have never seen one that matches the sheer scale and grandeur of of the Banaue Rice Terraces.

Best time to visit
the Banaue Rice Terraces

Winter to early spring

This is ideal sightseeing period. During the rainy season (summer and fall), low lying clouds can disappointingly mask the slopes. And landslides (especially in July and August) occasionally block roads.

Banaue Rice Terraces
size and history

Size

The mountainous rice terraces of Banaue and vicinity in the Philippines are mankind's grandest scaled engineering feat. The vertical distance between bottom and top rows exceeds the height of the world's tallest building. If the terraces were laid end to end, they would stretch more than half way around the world.

History

The Banaue Rice Terraces were carved over a 2,000 year span with primitive handtools by the ancestors of the current farmers, the Ifugao tribesmen.

Eroding rice terraces

They are facing erosion because of a decline in upkeep. A big reason is some of the young tribespeople are abandoning their family lands to find less arduous jobs elsewhere.

Miyerkules, Enero 25, 2012

Burj Khalifa

The elegant, tapering wonder in Dubai is the world's tallest building. This architectural triumph soars 822 meters (2617 feet) into the sky, 60% higher than our earth's second tallest building.

Burj Khalifa
world records

It set many records. The most significant:

Highest structure ever built

Warsaw Radio Tower

Click this link for my expanded list of the world records and other interesting facts about the building:

Burj Khalifa facts

Windows

There are nearly 25,000 - a window-washer's nightmare.

Coincidence?

Modern "world highest" structures have a propensity to be planned during boom years, but completed during economic downturns. This includes the Burj Khalifa (Global Recession) and Empire State Building (Great Depression).

Timeline

Construction began in 2004. It officially opened in 2010 with great fanfare of a light show and fireworks.

Name

The skyscraper was originally called Burj Dubai (burj means "tower" in Arabic). It was renamed to honor Sheikh Khalifa, the ruler of oil-rich Abu Dhabi. That sister emirate state helped bail out the struggling Dubai economy in 2009 with billions of dollars in financial aid.

Cost

The building cost 1.5 billion US dollars to build. It is the focal point of a vast in-development office-and-residential building complex that will eventually cost 20 billion US dollars.

Jerusalem Old City

Why
Jerusalem Old City
is special

It is sacred to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - faiths that collectively embrace slightly over half of the human race.

Jerusalem
tips & insights

Religion viewpoints

The world's three biggest religions view the importance of Jerusalem in three different ways:

Christians
It is where Christ was crucified and ascended to Heaven.

Jews
It is the home of the Wailing Wall (remains of the Second Temple).

Muslims
It is the site of the Temple Mount where the prophet Muhammad rose to Heaven.

Best known sites

Jerusalem's many notable holy sites include the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount (see photo), the Wailing Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Jerusalem preservation

The old city has been preserved to retain much of its antiquated architectural character. This city in Israel is grandly enclosed by high, yellowish-limestone walls pierced by eight historic gates. Each of its four tradition-named residential quarters (Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim) has a twisting maze of narrow cobble-stoned streets.

History in brief

Jerusalem means "City of Peace" in Hebrew, but it hasn't been exactly like that during its agitated 5,000-year history. Jerusalem has seen more than its fair share of fighting - by the Roman, Byzantine and Crusader forces, to name but three. The 20th and 21st centuries have witnessed the Arab-Israeli conflicts.

Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a South African icon and the only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it - Mensa, meaning “the table.” The flat-topped mountain has withstood six million years of erosion and hosts the richest, yet smallest floral kingdom on earth with over 1,470 floral species. Table Mountain boasts numerous rare and endangered species. It is the most recognized site in Cape Town, the gateway to Africa, owing to its unique flat-topped peaks which reach 1,086 m above sea level.

Jeju Island

Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 km from the southern coast of Korea. The largest island and smallest province in Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 sqkm. A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 m above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are around the main volcano.