I always had a passion for historical, cultural and natural heritage sites around the world. The UNESCO world heritage list contains not only the most iconic heritage sites but also other outstanding sites which I surely wouldn't have visited were it not for their inscription. Some of these off the beaten track sites are indeed my favourite.

I visited this tentative WHS in April 2018. In my opinion, the French-colonial design still present in Casablanca is not of OUV and would definitely not contribute anything which is missing from the WH list.

On the other hand, Casablanca is a pleasant stopover between the two WHS of El Jadida and Rabat but mostly to appreciate the impressive Hassan II Mosque (photo) by the Atlantic Coast. 

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I visited this tentative WHS in March 2018 as part of my day trip covering most of the Meknes hotspot. Just before noon, I drove up to the highest hill looking over the hill where Moulay Idriss Zerhoun is perched beneath Mount Zerhoun.

On the day of my visit (a Saturday), there was a huge car boot sale and market going on so driving my rental car uphill through the narrow streets packed with locals, improvised stalls and donkeys was quite a challenge. The panoramic view from the top though was well worth it and helped me find my bearings afterwards from one alley to the next around the mosque area (open only to muslims). The experience was quite similar to the medina of Tetouan but here the whole focus of most locals and visitors is on religion.

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I visited this WHS in March 2018. Since the site opens at 08:30 and the morning light is best for photography of the main features and mosaics, I decided to start my day trip early with Volubilis first, Moulay Idriss next and Meknes afterwards. This is a very easy and enjoyable day trip. Even though the sites may not be the very best on the list, together they make one of the best day trips I ever did.

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I visited this tentative WHS in December 2017 and January 2018. If ever this site will get inscribed it will surely be as an extension to the Fraser Island WHS. In fact this part was already excluded from the Fraser Island WHS prior to inscription.

If the logging problems are addressed effectively, I think that extending the inscription to the Great Sandy NP as a whole would further bolster the present buffer zone. Currently, the Cooloola section is situated on the coast between Noosa Heads (a paradise for parakiting - photo) in the south and Rainbow Beach in the north and covers 18,400 hectares. There are information boards explaining the site's natural importance too.

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I visited this WHS in January 2018. Even if you have a couple of hours to spare in Singapore, this is an easy tick (even though Singapore as a country deserves a longer stay).

The Botanic Gardens are open daily from 5am till midnight and are a great half day or day trip in Singapore if you want to explore in more detail. There are 4 gates to access the Botanical Gardens: Tanglin Gate, Tyersall Gate, Nassim Gate and Bukit Timah Gate. If you intend to cover all the botanic garden use Tanglin and Bukit Timah Gates as you points of entry/exit. There are UNESCO WHS inscription plaques proudly displayed at Tanglin and Nassim Gates.

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