Rogie Posted July 16, 2012 Posted July 16, 2012 As an appropriate follow-on from the Momentous Impressions thread, CNN have come up with 27 "must see places before you die". Like most lists of this nature there are a few idiosyncractic choices along with the usual shoe-ins. See what you think: CNN said: "There are some things you can see around the world that have the potential to give you photo-showing rights for decades. "We haven't got them all - in fact we barely scratched the surface. But we have picked out a few of the scenes that, if you're lucky enough to witness them, will invariably leave you spellbound." Topping the list is Borobudur at sunrise in Java, Indonesia, with a 'starling murmuration' at Brighton's derelict West Pier a close second. Third is the Northern Lights in Scandinavia, followed closely by the great migration in East Africa. The fifth and six spot is filled by the star-filled sky, in New Zealand and the Torres del Paine in Chile. Morocco's Djemaa el Fna is in seventh place and California's Yosemite peaks is the eight must see place to see before death. Number nine is Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, the Jungle pyramids in Mexico is number ten and 11 is the electrical storm in Tornado Alley, USA. The famous Sydney Harbour comes in at 12, with the inside of Thrihnukagigur volcano in Iceland at 13. Number 14 is Monument Valley in the US and 15 is India's Taj Mahal. The Kasanka bat migration in Zambia, Carlsbad Cavern in America, Lunar rainbow in Zambia and Shubenacadie tidal bore in Canada take the 16,17,18 and 19 spots. Cape Tribulation in Australia, Rock Face City of Petra in Jordan, Enrosadira in Italy and Fairy Chimneys in Turkey take up the spots from 20 to 23. England's Lake District is at 24, with the Sardine run in South Africa at 25. The last two spaces are filled by the pristine beaches of Islas Cies in Spain and finally, Cornwall's ruined mines come in at 27. http://www.telegraph...re-you-die.html Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 16, 2012 Posted July 16, 2012 Whatever happened to Naples, I wonder? Seriously, any ‘Top whatever’ list represents merely the thoughts of the individual writing it, and this anonymous scribe clearly has a penchant for the wonders of nature, a sentiment I share. In my many travels, I have seen eight and a half of the listed sights, and with luck Borobudur and Petra will be added soon. A half? Well, I have seen the Northern Lights in the north of Scotland, but nothing like the spectacular light displays in Scandinavia. There was a travel programme on the BBC Living channel a few months ago in which Joanna Lumley (Patsy in “Absolutely Fabulous”) finally saw a stunning display in the Arctic Circle. In tears, she said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed. I have seen a gazillion stars in the sky in both New Zealand and Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park. But a more amazing display was when having dinner on a beach in the Maldives. The entire expanse of the black sky was lit up by a veritable carpet of shimmering stars. Totally awesome! Odd that Santa Maria della Salute in Venice is mentioned. What does the writer mean? The view of it across from the entrance to St. Mark’s Square? Are you supposed to go into it? What about St. Mark’s Square itself and the interior of the Basilica in the late afternoon sun when all the mosaics are lit up and you feel cocooned in a garden of gold? I can think of dozens of religious buildings that offer far more for the eye and the mind than the Salute – some of the great British Cathedrals, Chartres, the Jesu in Rome with its extraordinary 3-dimensional ceiling, the Mezquita in Cordoba, Hagia Sophia, and even the exquisite rococco gem, the Wieskirche in Bavaria. I’ll happily miss tin mines, Zambian bats and starlings on Brighton Pier. There are enough of the latter using pedestrians as target practice on Silom! And I’m not so keen on being in Tornado Alley unless my safety is 100% guaranteed! But that beach certainly sounds enticing. I am sure all 27 sights leave one spellbound – as do tens of thousands of others around our small planet. Quote
Rogie Posted July 16, 2012 Author Posted July 16, 2012 . . .our small planet. Ah, but it's all a matter of scale. For example I just checked out #17, the Carlsbad Cavern. From wikipedia: "Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a United States National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave, Carlsbad Cavern Carlsbad Cavern includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the third largest chamber in North America and the seventh largest in the world. The largest chamber in the world is the Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia." I've not visited this place, in fact never heard if it until I came across the CNN list, but if I was standing in the middle of that cavern I'd be feeling pretty insignificant I'm sure. The World is an immense place, and mankind must have always been in awe of its size, Maybe it's the ease of modern intercontinental travel and wall to wall television that's stripped away a lot of the awe and mystery and made it seem small. That, plus those photos, mentioned by Fountainhall in the Momentous Impressions thread, showing Earth, the blue planet, looking so alone in space, together with more recent photos taken from the Hubble telescope showing galaxies untold millions of light years distant. Quote
kokopelli Posted July 16, 2012 Posted July 16, 2012 e, in fact never heard if it until I came across the CNN list, but if I was standing in the middle of that cavern I'd be feeling pretty insignificant I'm sure. Carlsbad Caverns is one of the places that Kokopelli has visited on several occasions. As you enter and descend by foot into this cavern you think you are entering the bowels of hell. The large chamber is truly huge but there are several smaller chambers with fantastic formations. This is one place not to be missed. And, if you are a true believer, you can visit nearby Roswell, New Mexico the Mecca of the UFOers. Quote
KhorTose Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 Carlsbad Caverns is one of the places that Kokopelli has visited on several occasions. As you enter and descend by foot into this cavern you think you are entering the bowels of hell. The large chamber is truly huge but there are several smaller chambers with fantastic formations. This is one place not to be missed. And, if you are a true believer, you can visit nearby Roswell, New Mexico the Mecca of the UFOers. Been there and done that, but I did not have to descend by foot as there was an elevator down to the main cavern. What is really remarkable is that under Carlsbad there are even larger caverns that are mostly unexplored. As for Roswell, whose only industry is a high school military academy, well the town does have some very smart marketeers. UFOs my .... Quote
kokopelli Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 The elevator is the way to go for your exit but the walk down is spectacular if anyone gets the opportunity. Also in that section of the Southwest of the USA is the Grand Canyon which really is grand but no elevator in or out. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 together with more recent photos taken from the Hubble telescope showing galaxies untold millions of light years distant That telescope truly is one of the wonders of our times and those photos both awesome and almost unbelievable. Grand Canyon which really is grand but no elevator in or out. But where there's a will there's a way A chopper is the only way to go, especially when there's a glass or two of champagne at the bottom Quote
KhorTose Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 The elevator is the way to go for your exit but the walk down is spectacular if anyone gets the opportunity. Also in that section of the Southwest of the USA is the Grand Canyon which really is grand but no elevator in or out. The grand Canyon is grand, but since we've moved to Arizona, I would recommend a detour before or after the grand Canyon. In the middle of the Navajo Nation is one of the most spectacular Canyons in the world. A must see is the Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de sheaa). If a place can be holy this is it. Only the indians are allowed in the Canyon, but the Indians do provide tours of the Canyon floor. However, just driving along the edge of the Canyon is an experience. For all your non Americans I join Kokopelli in recommending the Southwest of America. It is incredibly beautiful and historic country. Beautiful high desert with wonderful contrasts of light. It is hard to image how many shades of red and brown, yellow, and black can be so beautiful until you see it. See the paintings of Georgia O keith for an example of what I am talking about. Quote
Rogie Posted July 17, 2012 Author Posted July 17, 2012 Also in that section of the Southwest of the USA is the Grand Canyon which really is grand but no elevator in or out. In the middle of the Navajo Nation is one of the most spectacular Canyons in the world. A must see is the Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de sheaa). If a place can be holy this is it. Only the indians are allowed in the Canyon, but the Indians do provide tours of the Canyon floor. However, just driving along the edge of the Canyon is an experience. I took a trip with an outdoor group (we were camping) many years ago into the SW and it was great. The walk down into the Grand Canyon was a cinch, but getting back up again. . . ? I could've done with that helicopter I can tell you. We didn't walk right down to the bottom, about halfway I seem to recall. I think the only sensible way if you are intent on going all the way down is to camp at the bottom overnight and start the ascent really really early. Part of the trip included a day in the Navajo nation. It obviously wasn't the place KT refers to, but still pretty interesting. We were all given a horse to ride and as a non-rider it was fun and actually a bit scary; when those hosses set off at a gallop you have to hold on for dear life! I loved the Grand Canyon but the group I was travelling with didn't have Carlsbad on the itinerary (but as I hadn't heard of it then I didn't know what I was missing). Quote
Guest Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 I'm amazed that the Angor Wat temple complex does not make it. Quote
kokopelli Posted July 17, 2012 Posted July 17, 2012 But where there's a will there's a way A chopper is the only way to go, especially when there's a glass or two of champagne at the bottom Koko did it by walking, pardon the expression, rim to rim. I don't recall champagne at the bottom but there was cold beer at Phantom Ranch. Quote
pong Posted July 18, 2012 Posted July 18, 2012 I counted and found I have seen/been to 6 of the first 12, but none of them I would consider them to be in my own personal listing for this. I now sit in the public library and there are at least a dozen coffeetabel books on the same thing in minor variations. BTW-the newest fad in this ''listing hype'' seems to be: the best/prime 10 (or 12) things to have done as child before you turned 11 3/4 or 13,3/4 (a magic age due to the Harry Potter or Adrian Mole books). I am glad to give someone else the chance to post this here too. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 18, 2012 Posted July 18, 2012 London's Telegraph has now published a second list of 27 ‘must see’ places submitted by readers unhappy with the original CNN list. These are – Angkor Wat, Cambodia Chesil Beach, Britain Gaudi’s Barcelona Angel Falls, Venezuela The Grand Canyon The Forbidden City, Beijing Uxmal, Mexico The Great Ocean Road, Sydney Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina Hong Kong skyline at night Fraser Island, Australia Ha Long Bay, Vietnam Avenue of the Giants, USA Fountains Abbey, Britain Crater Lake, USA Giant’s Causeway, Britain Ladakh, India Table Mountain, South Africa View from Chevin Hill, Britain Panama Canal, Panama Levadas of Madeira, Portugal Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Egypt Dawn View from Haleakala, Hawaii Lake Louise, Canada Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada Pink Granite Coats, Brittany Jerusalem, Israel http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/9406165/More-places-to-see-before-you-die.html? I've been to 8 and agree 5 should be on such a list. I'm not sure that Hong Kong's night skyline, spectacular though it is, beats every other city on the planet. And Lake Louise may be gorgeous, but surely not in a top 27! Quote
kokopelli Posted July 19, 2012 Posted July 19, 2012 Avenue of the Giants, USA This Avenue is a road which passes through redwood forests in California/USA. More inspiring is to walk the trails in John Muir Woods outside of San Francisco or the trails in Sequoia National Forest/Calif to appreciate these trees close up. Although my must see list (for people like us) would include the gay scene in Pattaya and Bangkok. Quote
kokopelli Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Kokopelli also has been to Meteor Crater in Arizona/USA another must see attraction. The next time the earth is struck by a meteor it may be the last time for the human race so see it before it is too late. Quote
Guest Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 The next time the earth is struck by a meteor it may be the last time for the human race so see it before it is too late. I would expect that a rocket with a nuclear warhead would be despatched to prevent such a disaster. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 I would expect that a rocket with a nuclear warhead would be despatched to prevent such a disaster. It has been argued among scientists that such a tactic could be just as dangerous-- if it broke the the meteor up into pieces and sent them hurling toward earth in large enough sizes to be nearly just as disastrous. They now say sending a satellite into space to deflect the meteor's path with a laser would be enough to send it out of harm's way. Koko's picture of a crater tells me this discussion literally belongs in "Momentous Impressions?" Quote
