I’m writing this in route from Port Villa, Vanuatu to Honoria, Solomon Islands…. I had an interesting experience at the Port Villa airport. When the flight with my plane to Honiara landed, there were a bunch of police and TV cameras waiting. I didn’t know what was going on. I assume it was a politician …
Yesterday was my birthday. On this black day in history, the following happened: Rome was sacked. (410 AD) Mount Vesuvius erupted burying the city of Pompeii (79 AD) The White House was burned (1814) Windows 95 was released The Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre occurred (1572) The Bank Panic of 1857 Pete Rose was banned from …
I should have seen this coming…. The New Seven Wonders organization, now that they are done with the this round, have announced a competition for the New Seven Natural Wonders. On 8/8/08, a panel of “experts” will release a list of 21 things everyone will vote on. I can already tell you what a bunch …
Tomorrow morning I leave Samoa for Fiji. That should begin several intensive weeks of travel. I will cross the date line for the 5th time from the 14th to the 15th of July. I will then rent a car and drive to Suva, Fiji where I will try to get my visa for Kiribati on …
From the World Heritage inscription: The undulating landscape containing the fossil hominid sites of South Africa comprises dolomitic limestone ridges with rocky outcrops and valley grasslands, wooded along watercourses and in areas of natural springs. Most sites are in caves or are associated with rocky outcrops or water sources. The serial listing includes the Fossil …
From the World Heritage inscription: Vredefort Dome, approximately 120 km south-west of Johannesburg, is a representative part of a larger meteorite impact structure (astrobleme). Dating back 2,023 million years, it is the oldest astrobleme found on Earth so far. With a radius of 190 km, it is also the largest and the most deeply eroded. …
From the World Heritage inscription: The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is one of the outstanding natural wetland and coastal sites of Africa. Covering an area of 239,566 ha, it includes a wide range of pristine marine, coastal, wetland, estuarine, and terrestrial environments which are scenically beautiful and basically unmodified by people. These include coral reefs, long …
From the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas World Heritage inscription: A serial site – in Cape Province, South Africa – made up of eight protected areas, covering 553,000 ha, the Cape Floral Region is one of the richest areas for plants in the world. It represents less than 0.5% of the area of Africa but …
Nan Madol is one of the most fascinating and significant places in the Pacific. I first visited Nan Madol in 2007 as I began my around the world trip. However, it took until 2016 to be placed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The site is extremely deserving of world heritage status and for …