Recent Reviews DL
Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town
DL - 02-May-19
Cave of the Patriarchs
Dating back two thousand years ago, the two-metre thick stone wall which forms the exterior of the Cave is the only fully intact Herodian structure and one of the oldest buildings that still serves its original function. The Byzantine built a roof and turned it into a church; after changing hands from the Muslims to the Crusaders then back to the Muslims, Saladin remodelled the enclosure into a mosque in 1188. The caves, holding the tombs of the patriarchs and their wives, are closed off since the 1490s, forcing pilgrims to project their imaginations onto the respective cenotaphs instead.
Read OnBethlehem
DL - 25-May-18
Extensive restoration has begun since 2013. This isn't an ideal time to visit; almost every inch of the interior except for the altar and the Grotto of the Nativity is covered by scaffolding.
Since the church was in such a compromised state, I had two choices: I could leave immediately or I could go against my better judgement and queue up for the Grotto. At the end there was really one choice, so I hesitantly threw myself into the crowd, a mix of pilgrims from all over the world. When I could finally see the entrance to the Grotto, some 80 minutes of being smouldered in a sweaty chamber later, I improbably lost my will to continue and left.
Read OnMasada
DL - 23-May-18
Before thinking you are about to see a major Jewish site, note that Masada is a Roman ruin all in all, the only exception being a synagogue converted from a stable by the Jewish rebels. Despite Josephus' claim that Masada was first occupied by the Hasmonean, no archaeological finding can support such claim and the current consensus points to Herod founded the site as a fortified palace between 37 - 31 BC.
Many have even cast doubt on whether the mass suicide by the Jews had in fact occurred, pointing to the fact that Josephus couldn't possibly have known what had transpired since he was based in Rome at the fall of Masada, this compelling story nonetheless has taken a life of its own
Read OnFujian Tulou
DL - 26-Feb-18
The sky finally took a turn for the better as we approached Hekeng Tulou Cluster. A short hike to a hilltop lookout gave us a far-reaching view of the below valley occupied by tulou in different shapes and sizes. Our mood finally experienced a slight uptick – the view was fantastic, and the village appeared lively enough to hopefully allow us to spend some quality time there without immediately thinking ahead on what’s next.
Hekeng doesn’t have a single tulou that can match the fame of Yuchang Lou
Read OnVineyard Landscape of Piedmont
DL - 22-Feb-18
My favourite place in Italy besides Rome is not Venice, Florence or Tuscany but the relatively obscure wine producing region of Barolo in Piedmont. This seems to run counter to most of the comments here, but Piedmont is the only region that has successfully grown and produced wine from Nebbiolo.
The scenery is also beautiful and the wine some of the most complex in the world, but most importantly here you can meet some of the most hospitable people who work in the wine trade.
Read OnRecently Visited WHS
- Update 30.03.24
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- Samarkand
- Shakhrisyabz
- Bukhara
- Istanbul
- Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor
- Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun
Visited WHS
Rating StatsAngkor 5Petra 5Rome 5Ancient Kyoto 4.5Granada 4.5Hawaii Volcanoes 4.5Plitvice Lakes 4.5Prague 4.5Uluru 4.5Wadi Rum 4.5Assisi 4Brugge 4Cordoba 4Florence 4Koh Ker 4Pompei 4Ravenna 4Siena 4Toledo 4Ancient Nara 3.5Chichen-Itza 3.5Dubrovnik 3.5Fraser Island 3.5Fujian Tulou 3.5Imperial Palace 3.5Masada 3.5Nasca Lines 3.5Nikko 3.5Oporto 3.5Pont du Gard 3.5Potala Palace 3.5Salzburg 3.5Seville 3.5Sintra 3.5Versailles 3.5Arequipa 3Avignon 3Potsdam 3Arles 2.5Bethlehem 2.5Cesky Krumlov 2.5Cuzco 2.5Genbaku Dome 2.5Horyu-ji Area 2.5Kew Gardens 2.5Kutna Hora 2.5Medina Azahara 2.5Qhapaq Ñan 2.5Verona 2.5Westminster 2.5Xidi and Hongcun 2.5Belem 2Orange 2Split 2Drottningholm 1.5Kaiping Diaolou 1.5Macao 1.5Pienza 1.5Tower of London 1.5Um er-Rasas 1.5West Lake 1.5Kulangsu 1Nice 1Trogir 1Visited TWHS
Reviewed TWHS