From the World Heritage inscription: The Island of Gorée testifies to an unprecedented human experience in the history of humanity. Indeed, for the universal conscience, this “memory island” is the symbol of the slave trade with its cortege of suffering, tears, and death. The painful memories of the Atlantic slave trade are crystallized in this …
From the World Heritage inscription for Schokland and Surroundings: The struggle of the people of the Netherlands against water has endured, for more than six thousand years, and still continues today; without constant vigilance, more than half the present area of the country would be entirely submerged or subject to periodic inundation. Schokland was a …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Beemster Polder: The Beemster Polder is a cultural landscape located north of Amsterdam, dating from the early 17th century, and an exceptional example of reclaimed land in the Netherlands. It was created by the draining of Lake Beemster in 1612, in order to develop new agricultural land and …
From the World Heritage inscription for Kinabalu National Park: Located in the State of Sabah, Malaysia, on the northern end of the island of Borneo, Kinabalu Park World Heritage property covers 75,370 ha. Dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea, it holds a distinctive position for the biota …
Read my thoughts from a year ago on my 2 year travelversay. On March 13, 2007 I sat in the offices of Edina Realty near my home in Minnesota and signed the documents which transferred ownership of my house to the family which purchased it. I handed them the keys and from that moment, I …
Here is a list of my 10 favorite UNESCO listed Natural Heritage sites I’ve visited on my trip, which at this point includes the Pacific, Australia and East/SE Asia. I’m sure this list will be updated at some point in the future as I visit more sites. 10) East Rennell – Solomon Islands East Rennell …
I was going through a bag of coins and small bills I’ve collected over the last several months. I thought it would be fun to compile a list of all the currencies I’ve had to deal with since my trip started. The conversion rates are all listed as the amount of the currency which can …
This post is going to divide people who read it into two groups: one will roll their eyes and say OMG, and the other group will laugh out loud and say OMG! The first group will have no clue what the hell I’m talking about, and the second group will know exactly what I’m talking …
Since I’ve started my trip, I’ve rented cars in Hawaii, Easter Island, Fiji, New Zealand, Japan and Australia. As an American, I am accustomed to driving on the right-hand side of the road. I haven’t driven on the right, however, since I was in Easter Island back in May 2007. In fact, save for my …