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Favourite entrance tickets to WHS
During my recent trip to Ecuador I was pleasantly surprised by the entrance tickets that I received at locations within the Quito WHS. No photography is allowed within these buildings (they are mostly churches with lots of art), and a hefty foreigners entrance fee is charged. But in return I got tickets displaying the church interior’s main features; these are good souvenirs. It made me think about entrance tickets of other WHS - which ones were remarkable enough for me to save over the years?
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Especially in Western Europe nowadays one often gets nothing more than the cash register receipt. Or even no receipt at all – sometimes they just take your money and that’s it. At the Hohle Fels Cave of the German Caves and Ice Age Art I just had to drop 3 EUR in a plastic box. Another annoyance is when the ticket inspector keeps the (best part of the) ticket that you just bought!
I am not really someone that saves all kinds of memorabilia from my trips, but I have held onto some 15 entrance tickets from my Big China Trip of 2007. At the time, these tickets were glossy postcards displaying the WHS at their best. I went through them again last night, admiring those showing off the sculptured heads at the Mogao Caves and Leshan Giant Buddha. I believe the one from Huanglong – showing the site’s remarkable blue-greenish colours - stands out most among them.
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South Korea surely is the most generous country in handing out free brochures at WHS, though the entrance tickets aren’t that special. When I visited India for the last time in 2011, they had special entrance tickets showing a couple of WHS together. The ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) became the issuing authority for a common entry ticket for all World Heritage sites in India - and they went for standardization.
Regarding the High Entrance Fee-sites, you’d expect a substantial and/or glossy ticket too. But for the 100+20 USD fee to the Galapagos you get nothing in return but a kind of immigration card. The 50 USD Rock Islands of Palau left me with a cute credit card sized ticket, with a turtle, the UNESCO logo and my name on it. Looking back further into my ‘travelling history’, the 3-day ticket for Angkor was no less than a personalized pass. And for visiting the gorilla’s in Bwindi you even receive a diploma.
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I am wondering, what are the best WHS entrance tickets in your possession? Were the tickets 'better' in the past? Really, shouldn’t we get a ‘certificate’ every time we visit a WHS?
Els - 28 October 2017
Comments
Durian 28 October 2017
I love tickets of Kyoto’s Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji temples, these entrance tickets are not only just a ticket but a talisman for good luck blessing by temple priests. Simple but full with culture and meanings.
Clyde 28 October 2017
I keep all the tickets and brochures from my visits even if they are simple receipts. I agree that China's postcard tickets are among the best. However, the standardised ticketing system in India only applies to the WHS close to Rajasthan as presumably they attract most tourists. I was expecting the same glossy tickets when I cisited central and southern India but only got handwritten ot printed receipts. The combined ticket of palaces and the Jongmyo shrine was among my favourite in a booklet format with the date of visit, pictures and summary info on each site.