Which World Wonders Have You Wandered?

I feel that travel itch coming again, much to the groan of the empty bank account. I found this site, which has a subjective (but also fairly extensive) list of the top 100 wonders of the world. One of my "things to do before I die" is to visit all of these places (as well as a few others that didn't make the list).

Five questions to pose:

1. How many have you visited? (Feel free to list them.)

2. Which were your highlights?

3. Which were disappointments?

4. Which wonders have you not visited that you would like to see?

5. What's missing on the list that you think should be added?


Hillman Wonders Of The World

---

Updated On: 2/23/06 at 01:18 PM

I thought the same thing about having natural and man-made things on the same list - and it seems like the list has a bias towards man-made things from ancient history more so than anything else. I just realized that the Top 100 gets updated once in a while. I suppose people can vote. I originally printed out this list on May 1, 2004 and some things that were on there that aren't anymore: Statue of Liberty, Las Vegas Strip, Kennedy Space Center. New additions include Yosemite, Ayers Rock, Antarctica Penguins (hear that, DG?!), Petronas Twin Towers.

I would love to see the Grand Canyon some day! It's probably the #1 place in the US that I haven't visited yet.

---

Is it hiking or face climbing? I'd like to do either! (I haven't face-climbed in a year though and that's a pretty tall face!)

---

Tiff - mostly hiking, although some of it can be rather challenging - 16% grades and up. If you do get down in and have time to do some back-country, there can be some climbing involved. Overall, though, they try to discourage it because it really is pretty unstable. But even if you just do the major hiking trails, it is WELL worth the effort.

Tiff - it all depends on how much time you want to commit. The thing to remember is that the most grueling parts are always at the beginning and the end (coming out) - no matter which route you take (because that's where you're travesing the almost straigt vertical initial drop into the gorge.)

Unless you absolutely have to because of time and/or logistical reasons, I would avoid the main trail from the village (the Bright Angel) - as that's the most heavily traveled. Although, with that one, you can do a day hike pretty far in, have time to enjoy yourself, and get back out fairly easily in a day. That trail is ten miles if you go all the way down to the river.

The better one to use is the Kaibab, which is East of the village. It's only seven miles to the river - but, of course, that means the trail is a little steeper. It's not as heavily traveled, and I think the views are better sooner on the hike.

I would REALLY recommend, if you have the time, arranging to camp down at Phantom Ranch at the bottom. Hike in one day, spend however much time you can down in doing day hikes to and from the ranch, then back out on another day.

I can tell you that, for the people who live there and hike frequently (expecially those who live and work at the bottom) the standard allowance for travel is 2 hours down and 3 out. But that's just hiking full out, without really stopping for any reason (which I wouldn't recommend - it would be like running through an art museum!) AND, these are people who are most conditioned to the environment.

Also, don't go in the summer - WAY too many people, and it's HOT!!! Best is early April or mid-October.

Great thread. I'm a huge travel junkie.

I've been to:

Taj Mahal
Sistine Chapel
Louvre Museum
Canals of Venice
Versailles
Metropolitan Museum
Pompeii
Prague Old Town
Amalfi Drive
Chartres Cathedral
Uffizi Gallery
St. Mark's Basilica
Florence Cityscape
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Stonehenge
New York Skyline
Marrakech
Eiffel Tower
Niagara Falls

---

Tiff, they were both amazing! The museum was so interesting and it does have the Rosetta Stone which was mind boggeling to see. Versailles was huge and breathtaking. I can't really describe the experience. I loved it.

---

From the list, I've been to Bali, Colosseum, Canals of Venice, St. Peter's and Sistine, the Louvre, Leaning Tower of PIsa, the Met, Florence Cityscape, Chartres, Matterhorn, St. Mark's Basilica/Campanile, Petronas Towers, New York Skyline, Chambord, Mont-St-Michel, San Fran Bay/Citscape, Statue of Liberty, Ponte Vecchio, Las Vegas Strip, Kennedy Space Center and Eiffel Tower. (That's from the old list - I don't think Las Vegas or Kennedy Space Center are on there anymore.)

The ones I'm most looking forward to seeing are the Pyramids and Sphinx, Great Wall, Taj Mahal, all of the Mayan and Aztec sites that were listed, Qin Terra Cotta Warriors, Marrakesh, Santorini, Burg Al Arab and the British Museum.

---

Actually, yes I did see the sunset in Santorini (I also saw it set on the island of Mykonos where it is also a beautiful thing to watch) and everyone I went with stood there in silence for a minute after it because it was just so breathtaking.

Side note, there's also this place there that makes amazing Chocolate Mousse, which I'm sure you needed to know.

And by all means, make sure you ride a donkey down the cliffs.

---

Do you did ride the donkeys! I read about that somewhere, and it was warned that the donkeys are fed at the bottom, and then make the trek up. So regardless of whether there's a person or not, it's literally planning to get its ass back to the bottom as soon as possible! The thought terrified and intrigued me! And yes...I do need to know that chocolate mousse place. Now. (Like I'd turn down chocolate in Greece!) Did you find Santorini uncomfortably saturated with tourists? That was my biggest issue with Italy, specifically Rome - too many tourists, too commercial, and it lost a lot of its charm. Is it like that in Greece? (The goal is to visit Greece next year.)

Where in Germany exactly is Neuschwanstein Castle? Is that the one that apparently inspired the design of Cinderella's Castle? Oops, add Jerusalem and Mecca to the places I really want to see. The history is fascinating!

---

*dies*

---

Oh good, it's as large as a small pony! I had this fear of crippling a poor little calf! Was the smell pretty bad?

ETA: And because I'm a loser, I've now bookmarked this thread, written down Zotos, and plan to visit it next year!

---

Updated On: 2/23/06 at 02:59 PM

Is it that it doesn't smell, or is it that the sheer fear of falling off a cliff on your ass (so to speak) makes you forget everything else?

---