Carlo Sarion Profile
My enthusiasm for UNESCO World Heritage Sites is rooted in my love for travel, geography, and world cultures. I am originally from the Philippines but now live in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm a biologist, but dabbled in human resources for years when I was in Manila.
Recent Reviews Carlo Sarion
Salt Mines of Maras (T)
Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 26-Feb-23
We decided to move to Urumbamba after a week-long stay in Cusco during our trip to Valle Sagrado in August 2022. We thought that this was a good base to explore some of the sights between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, such as the archaeological ruins of Chinchero, the Moray terraces, and the focus of this review--the Salt Mines of Maras. We planned to visit Moray and Maras on a half-day trip, but circumstances changed and we ended up focusing on Maras.
The site is to the south and across the river of Urubamba. Using public transportation to get to the salt mines could be quite confusing, thus, we decided to hire a car and a driver. Before reaching the town of Maras we turned right to a well-paved road that leads to the site. Upon arrival, we noticed that there were less cars than expected, but the number of closed shops and eateries indicate that this place could get really crowded. Past the entrance a path leads down to the viewing "platforms" that provided a great panorama of the salt mines, the gorge and the valley and mountains in the background. It's a beautiful sight despite the dark grey clouds that loomed over the mountains
Read OnRural Temples of Cusco (T)
Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 26-Feb-23
One of our day trips from Cusco was spent visiting Valle Sur, located southeast of Cusco, with the intent of hopping between churches and archaeological sites. Said churches belong to the proposed "Rural Temples of Cusco", a group of 10 churches that are said to be the tangible representation of the Christianisation of indigenous peoples of Cusco. Authorities creatively took advantage of the artistic and touristic value of 3 of the 10 "rural temples" that they marketed them to tourists as part of the Ruta Barroco Andino. Many Cusco-based tour companies offer guided full or half-day trips to Valle Sur but we chose to hire our own car and driver so we could customize the sequence of our visit and avoid crowds, as we were visiting during the peak season (August 2022).
Read OnFraser Island
Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 24-Feb-23
K'gari (Butchulla for Fraser Island) is undoubtedly as exceptional as it could be. It satisfies 3 of the 4 natural criteria, and the increased recognition of Butchulla people as its traditional owners in recent years made it more special. I originally planned a 3-day, 2-night trip to the island in May 2022 but a knee injury forced me to postpone the trip to August 2022. I also ended up doing a full-day tour as I was still nursing my knee.
Most of tour companies operate from Noosa Heads and Rainbow Beach. The agency I availed the tour from used to pick up passengers from Sunshine Coast, which would have been idea as I was staying with a friend there. However, I had to get an accommodation in Noosa Heads due to low number of tourists
Read OnWaitangi Treaty Grounds (T)
Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 20-Feb-23
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 at what is now called Te Pitowhenua Waitangi Treaty Grounds, perhaps Aotearoa New Zealand’s most important historical site. How the principles of this document are acknowledged and even embedded in schools, public offices, and workplaces reflects its fundamental importance. It is also registered in UNESCO Memory of the World. I visited the site in April 2022, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to write a quick review since the last and only review was written a decade ago.
Read OnPalais de la Culture, ancien siège du Ministere de l'Education et de la Santé, Rio de Janeiro (T)
Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 17-Feb-23
Edificio Palacio Gustavo Capanema is a pioneering modernist building located in the heart of Rio De Janeiro. It is just a couple of blocks away from other interesting buildings in the Centro, such as the Theatro Municipal, Fundaçao Biblioteca Nacional, and the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes. As Walter said in his review, it is easily accessible by metro, and thus, there was no practical reason for me not to visit this site when I was back in Rio in October 2022.
I visited the building on a rainy afternoon, which proved to be quite inconvenient as my visit coincided with the rush hour. Approaching the site from the Cinelandia metro station, I was greeted by a building that was fenced off by corrugated metal sheets, which were pretty much covered in graffiti. A signage installed at the northern side of the building says that it was still being renovated and “modernized”. While I was not expecting to see the interiors of each floor given the time of my visit, I was hoping that I would be able to take a peek of the garden and get a full view of the stilt-like columns. I had to content myself with walking around the perimeter, which was helpful enough to appreciate the façade and the external structures of the building
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Carlo Sarion
- Country
- Philippines | New Zealand
- Most Impressive
- Namib Sand Sea, Cappadocia, Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Ancient Thebes, Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, and Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand, Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls
- Proposal
- I am hoping that the PH government will inscribe Mayon Volcano Natural Park and Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 10.03.23
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Visited WHS
Rating StatsAngkor 5Bagan 5Ephesus 5Iguacu 5Istanbul 5Borobudur 4.5Chichen-Itza 4.5Cuzco 4.5Fraser Island 4.5Great Wall 4.5Gunung Mulu 4.5St. Petersburg 4.5Teotihuacan 4.5Brasilia 4Fujisan 4Québec 4Anuradhapura 3.5Arequipa 3.5Guanajuato 3.5Hoi An 3.5Ping Yao 3.5Prambanan 3.5Rio de Janeiro 3.5Sigiriya 3.5Sukhothai 3.5Trang An 3.5Vigan 3.5Yazd 3.5Bolgar 3Kandy 3Lima 3Nikko 3Puebla 3Red Fort 3Vat Phou 3Baroque Churches 2.5Camino Real 2.5Golestan Palace 2.5Grand Canal 2.5Hué 2.5Imperial Tombs 2.5Kazan Kremlin 2.5Kinabalu Park 2.5Meknes 2.5My Son 2.5Pasargadae 2.5Rabat 2.5Rideau Canal 2.5Sviyazhsk 2.5Tequila 2.5Pampulha 2Macao 1.5Thang Long 1.5Reviewed WHS
Visited TWHS
- Archaeological site of Laodikeia (T)
- Auckland Volcanic Fields (T)
- Brazilian Fortresses Ensemble (T)
- Chapultepec Woods, Hill and Castle (T)
- Chocolate Hills Natural Monument (T)
- City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (T)
- Delhi - A Heritage City (T)
- Desert National Park (T)
- Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's Home-Study Museum (T)
- Egyptian Museum in Cairo (T)
- El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (T)
- Etosha Pan (T)
- Former M-13 prison/ Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (former S-21)/ Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (former Execution Site of S-21) (T)
- Great Sandy World Heritage Area (T)
- Hikone-Jo (castle) (T)
- Human Rights, Liberation Struggle and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (T)
- Inle Lake (T)
- Jame' (Congregational) Mosque of Esfahan (T)
- Kahurangi National Park, Farewell Spit and Canaan karst system (T)
- Monuments, Sites and Cultural Landscape of Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna (T)
- Mt. Pulag National Park (T)
- Napier Art Deco historic precinct (T)
- Nasqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab (T)
- Palais de la Culture, ancien siège du Ministere de l'Education et de la Santé, Rio de Janeiro (T)
- Persepolis and other relevant buildings (T)
- Rural Temples of Cusco (T)
- Salt Mines of Maras (T)
- Shwedagon Pagoda on Singuttara Hill (T)
- Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road (T)
- That Luang de Vientiane (T)
- The Central Axis of Beijing (including Beihai) (T)
- The Lijiang River Scenic Zone at Guilin (T)
- The Padang Civic Ensemble (T)
- Vali-e Asr Street (T)
- Waitangi Treaty Grounds (T)
- Waters and seabed of Fiordland (Te Moana O Atawhenua) (T)