Welcome to Brian's World!
I've been a few cool places in my life so far and for those who haven't been to them, I want to share my knowledge, making choosing a destination and planning your trip just a little bit easier.
Useful Information:
Best Travel Websites
Packing Tips
Photo Tips
Travel Tips
What to See and Do?
Sights Alphabetically
Sights by Country
Sights by Continent
Sights Categorically:
Best Castles
Best Ruins
Best Natural Wonders
Best Religious Monuments
Best Misc. Buildings
Best Plazas
Best Districts
Best Hostels
Best Parties
Best Market
Best Museums
Best Buildings
Best Cultural Experiences
Where to Go?
Africa:
Morocco
Asia:
Cambodia
China
Jordan
Laos
Malaysia
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam
Europe:
Albania
Austria
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
The Netherlands
Montenegro
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Switzerland
Turkey
North America:
Canada
Mexico
United States of America
Oz/NZ/Pacific:
Australia
Fiji
New Zealand
South America:
Argentina
Ecuador
Peru
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Best Natural Wonders
Millions of years older than anything in the other categories, the beauty and variety of the natural wonders on our planet is astounding. Landscapes, waterfalls, rock formations, you name it, if you are a nature enthusiast, this is your list. Please feel free to let me know what I'm missing or how utterly wrong I am:
1. Iguazu Falls: The king of waterfalls with both size to awe even the most jaded sightseers and beauty to stare at for hours.
2. Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest: Rivers, swamps, saltlicks, lakes, canopies, birds, snakes, monkeys, caimen, dolphins, giant trees, ants, ferns. It has so much life amid the most interesting habitat in the world. There is nothing quite like experiencing the deep Amazon jungle.
3. Galapagos Islands: It's as alien as it is alluring, nothing both seeing the Galapagos Islands for yourself will do. The animals are as apathetic to human presence as the stories indicate, but unfortunately, much damage has been done to the fragile ecosystems, mostly the flora.
4. Milford Sound: With mountains rising straight up out of the water to heights of over 5000 ft, Milford Sound is hard to beat in its grandiosity. Rain or shine, you won't believe this place is real.
5. Wadi Rum: A dramatic desert reserve with Lawrence of Arabia stamped all over it Not only is the place gigantic, but the scenery seems to change over rapidly, stunning sights around every bend, from orange sand dunes to gorges and outlandish cliffs.
6. Ko Phi Phi: The collection of islands, beaches, and coves surrounding Ko Phi Phi are stunning. From Maya Bay to Bamboo Island, a longtail tour of the karst islands and a hike up to the Phi Phi Lei viewpoint will ensure you change your itinerary to stay longer.
7. Tiger Leaping Gorge: The deepest gorge in the world set in the Himilayian foothills, need I say more?
8. Ha Long Bay: With over 3000 karst islands dotting the blue-green bay, you'll think you woke up on the wrong planet when you get up after a night on a junk.
9. Montenegran Coast: Fjords, islands, rocky green coasts, hidden beaches, peninsulas with old towns, and all packed into a coast you could drive across in three hours, the Montengran coast is a jewel that will soon become the next big mediterranean hot spot.
10. Yasawa Islands: Dramatic, volcanic islands covered in a tropical green and surrounded by golden sand beaches, the Yasawas are among the most beautiful islands in the world. Easily accessible, yet still secluded, they are a perfect place to relax and hangout in Fiji.
11. Khuangsi Waterfalls: In the hills outside of Luang Prabang, every tourist passing through goes to see them, yet they are surprisingly unknown outside of Laos. The tourquois blue waterfalls and pools are jawdropping for their beauty if not their size and a small rope swing adds a little adventure.
12. Yosemite National Park: The original national park is a ski resort by winter and a hikers haven by summer, with hikes to waterfalls and mountains snaking throughout the valley, overlooked by Half Dome, a mountain cut by a giant butcher's cleaver.
13. Abel Tasman Coast: Crystal clear, aquamarine coasts, bizzare, rapidly-changing landscapes, and tidal flats characterize this Great Walk of New Zealand.
14. Cyclade Islands: From Santorini to Paros, these islands harbour a dry beauty unique to the mediteranean with whitewashed, blocky towns adding a particularly Greek twist. Probably the clearest water in the world with beaches and rocky coastlines thrown in.
13. Railay: Dramatic karsts, caves, and coast. How's that for alliteration?
15. Mindo Cloud Forest Ziplining
16. Yangshuo Karst Landscape
17. Lagos Coast
18. Milford Track
19. Yellowstone
20. Salt Creek
21. Pacaya Volcano
22. Sian Ka'an
23. Queen Charlotte Sound
24. Lake Matheson
25. Batu Caves
26. Andes Pampas
27. Eaglecap Wilderness
28. Franz Josef Glacier
29. Glacier National Park
31. Dalmatian Coast
30. Cenotes
31. Puget Sound
32. Sierra Nevadas
33. Dungeness Spit
34. Mamamuca Islands
35. El Tigre Delta
36. Gillespie Beach
37. Columbia Gorge
38. Pancake Rocks
39. Queenstown Viewpoint
U. Mindo Waterfalls
U. Langkawi
U. Taman Negara
U. Khao Sok
U. Caves of Hercules
U. NW Point of Africa
U. Papallacta Thermal Springs
?. Cappadocia
?. Almafi Coast
?. Plitvice Lakes National Park
1. Iguazu Falls: The king of waterfalls with both size to awe even the most jaded sightseers and beauty to stare at for hours.
2. Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest: Rivers, swamps, saltlicks, lakes, canopies, birds, snakes, monkeys, caimen, dolphins, giant trees, ants, ferns. It has so much life amid the most interesting habitat in the world. There is nothing quite like experiencing the deep Amazon jungle.
3. Galapagos Islands: It's as alien as it is alluring, nothing both seeing the Galapagos Islands for yourself will do. The animals are as apathetic to human presence as the stories indicate, but unfortunately, much damage has been done to the fragile ecosystems, mostly the flora.
4. Milford Sound: With mountains rising straight up out of the water to heights of over 5000 ft, Milford Sound is hard to beat in its grandiosity. Rain or shine, you won't believe this place is real.
5. Wadi Rum: A dramatic desert reserve with Lawrence of Arabia stamped all over it Not only is the place gigantic, but the scenery seems to change over rapidly, stunning sights around every bend, from orange sand dunes to gorges and outlandish cliffs.
6. Ko Phi Phi: The collection of islands, beaches, and coves surrounding Ko Phi Phi are stunning. From Maya Bay to Bamboo Island, a longtail tour of the karst islands and a hike up to the Phi Phi Lei viewpoint will ensure you change your itinerary to stay longer.
7. Tiger Leaping Gorge: The deepest gorge in the world set in the Himilayian foothills, need I say more?
8. Ha Long Bay: With over 3000 karst islands dotting the blue-green bay, you'll think you woke up on the wrong planet when you get up after a night on a junk.
9. Montenegran Coast: Fjords, islands, rocky green coasts, hidden beaches, peninsulas with old towns, and all packed into a coast you could drive across in three hours, the Montengran coast is a jewel that will soon become the next big mediterranean hot spot.
10. Yasawa Islands: Dramatic, volcanic islands covered in a tropical green and surrounded by golden sand beaches, the Yasawas are among the most beautiful islands in the world. Easily accessible, yet still secluded, they are a perfect place to relax and hangout in Fiji.
11. Khuangsi Waterfalls: In the hills outside of Luang Prabang, every tourist passing through goes to see them, yet they are surprisingly unknown outside of Laos. The tourquois blue waterfalls and pools are jawdropping for their beauty if not their size and a small rope swing adds a little adventure.
12. Yosemite National Park: The original national park is a ski resort by winter and a hikers haven by summer, with hikes to waterfalls and mountains snaking throughout the valley, overlooked by Half Dome, a mountain cut by a giant butcher's cleaver.
13. Abel Tasman Coast: Crystal clear, aquamarine coasts, bizzare, rapidly-changing landscapes, and tidal flats characterize this Great Walk of New Zealand.
14. Cyclade Islands: From Santorini to Paros, these islands harbour a dry beauty unique to the mediteranean with whitewashed, blocky towns adding a particularly Greek twist. Probably the clearest water in the world with beaches and rocky coastlines thrown in.
13. Railay: Dramatic karsts, caves, and coast. How's that for alliteration?
15. Mindo Cloud Forest Ziplining
16. Yangshuo Karst Landscape
17. Lagos Coast
18. Milford Track
19. Yellowstone
20. Salt Creek
21. Pacaya Volcano
22. Sian Ka'an
23. Queen Charlotte Sound
24. Lake Matheson
25. Batu Caves
26. Andes Pampas
27. Eaglecap Wilderness
28. Franz Josef Glacier
29. Glacier National Park
31. Dalmatian Coast
30. Cenotes
31. Puget Sound
32. Sierra Nevadas
33. Dungeness Spit
34. Mamamuca Islands
35. El Tigre Delta
36. Gillespie Beach
37. Columbia Gorge
38. Pancake Rocks
39. Queenstown Viewpoint
U. Mindo Waterfalls
U. Langkawi
U. Taman Negara
U. Khao Sok
U. Caves of Hercules
U. NW Point of Africa
U. Papallacta Thermal Springs
?. Cappadocia
?. Almafi Coast
?. Plitvice Lakes National Park
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Best Ruins
There is a certain mystique to once grandiose artifices that have fallen to the steady cadence of time and a grants us a sense that nothing is permanent. But even time has a hard time destroying beauty. Ancient ruins throughout the globe are sources of wonder, knowledge of times past, and unrivalled aesthetic appeal in spite of, or perhaps because of, their abandonment centuries past. Here are my favorite non-castle ruins, as always, feel free to comment:
1. Petra
2. Machu Picchu
3. Angkor Wat: though I think the temples have lost a lot of their magic due to the huge influx of tourism and the almost necesity of getting a moto driver, they are still some of the coolest and most extensive ruins in the world.
4. Great Wall of China: while the rebuilt parts no longer look like ruins, the majority of it is. The remains of the wall stretch for miles and miles and are quite the impressive sight both up close and far off.
5. Ayutthaya
6. Ancient City
7. Ollontetambo
8. Chichen Itza
9. Tulum
10. The Acropolis
11. Segovia Aqueduct
12. Toledo Wall
13. Great Cave
14. Tarifa Old City
U. Almunecar Ruins
1. Petra
2. Machu Picchu
3. Angkor Wat: though I think the temples have lost a lot of their magic due to the huge influx of tourism and the almost necesity of getting a moto driver, they are still some of the coolest and most extensive ruins in the world.
4. Great Wall of China: while the rebuilt parts no longer look like ruins, the majority of it is. The remains of the wall stretch for miles and miles and are quite the impressive sight both up close and far off.
5. Ayutthaya
6. Ancient City
7. Ollontetambo
8. Chichen Itza
9. Tulum
10. The Acropolis
11. Segovia Aqueduct
12. Toledo Wall
13. Great Cave
14. Tarifa Old City
U. Almunecar Ruins
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
