GabLabCebu Profile

Philippines Last Update 10.06.23 104 WHS Visited 91 Reviews 104 WHS Rated 39 TWHS Visited

Visited Sites GabLabCebu

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  • ●● Cultural
  • ●● Natural
  • ●● Mixed

Recent Reviews GabLabCebu

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

GabLabCebu Philippines - 07-Aug-23

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

With many recent mixed reviews on this site, I wasn't sure what to expect of Seokguram and Bulguksa. All I knew was that I had to include them on my June 2023 trip to Korea at all costs, as I knew them to be renowned as masterpieces of the great Silla kingdom. I visited them on the morning after a late night exploring Historic Gyeongju, which had tired the rest of my party out, meaning I was to explore this site on my own and be back at 12:00 to join back up and head to Yangdong. With under 4 hours to check both components off my list, I rushed for bus 700 at the central bus station (I think you can also take bus 11, though the route may be different), which passes by Bunhwangsa and Bomun Lake on the approximately 40-minute ride to Bulguksa

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Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries

GabLabCebu Philippines - 08-Aug-23

Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries

To me, the Sansa embody the ideal and typical Korean temple. They may not have the historic significance of Bulguksa or the unique library of Haeinsa, but they are much better preserved, containing some of the oldest standing wooden architecture in the peninsula, and some of the most beautiful too. For that, I have to say they are a much-needed WHS, and I had a dilemma on which of the seven to fit into my trip to Korea in June 2023. Upon examining the evaluation file, I found that only four were actually advised for inscription - Tongdosa, Buseoksa, Beopjusa,Daeheungsa

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Preah Vihear Temple

GabLabCebu Philippines - 07-Aug-23

Preah Vihear Temple

Seeing most photos of Preah Vihear with the clear blue skies, I can't help but wonder if my January 2023 experience visiting this great site might have felt different if the weather had been milder. Arriving at the top of the mountain after a long morning drive from Siem Reap, the fog and light drizzle gave me Machu Picchu vibes, especially as I approached the fifth gopura, the lowest one on the slope (you'll see the five in reverse order as you ascend). This fifth gopura was the least impressive and most ruined; the enchanting atmosphere, especially with the wide road sloping up into the heavens and the opposing stairs down into the fog of Thailand, was what made its appearance so exciting

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Gyeongju

GabLabCebu Philippines - 06-Aug-23

Gyeongju

The Korean nation has been unified by just three powers in its history, the Silla in Gyeongju, the Koryeo in Kaesong, and the Joseon in Seoul. For that, these are probably the three most historically rich and significant cities on the peninsula. The Joseon cultural heritage is the basis for four different WHSs in Seoul (with a fifth one in nearby Suwon), but Gyeongju's Silla heritage has been somewhat strangely divided into two sites

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Sambor Prei Kuk

GabLabCebu Philippines - 04-Aug-23

Sambor Prei Kuk

As the capital of the Chenla Empire, Ancient Ishanapura is one of the greatest and most influential ancient cities in Southeast Asia. Today, it, along with all of Cambodia's other ancient ruins, lie in the shadow of the great Angkor; however, I would argue these oldest sites of the Khmer, along with those in Burma, being the oldest in the region, are just as, if not more, important than the greatest Thai, Vietnamese, or Javanese ruins. They are the reason the heights of such sites as Angkor and Bagan could be reached, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Sambor Prei Kuk.

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Profile Data

Name
GabLabCebu
Country
Philippines
Most Impressive
Te Wahipounamu, Ancient Thebes
Proposal
Baroque Churches of Southern Cebu, Dalaguete Range and Chocolate Hills Karst Landscapes of the Visayas, Kitanglad Mountain Range of Bukidnon, San Sebastian Church in Manila

Recently Visited WHS

Update 10.06.23
  • Gyeongju
  • Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen
  • Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
  • Haeinsa Temple
  • Jongmyo Shrine
  • Changdeokgung Palace Complex
  • Hwaseong Fortress
  • Royal Joseon Tombs
  • Hahoe and Yangdong
  • Namhansanseong
  • Baekje Historic Areas
  • Seowon, Neo-Confucian Academies
  • Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries
  • Getbol, Korean Tidal Flat
  • Gaya Tumuli
  • Koh Ker
    • Rating Stats
    Ancient Thebes 5
    Angkor 5
    Machu Picchu 5
    Petra 5
    Rome 5
    Te Wahipounamu 5
    Cordoba 4.5
    Iguacu 4.5
    Kii Mountain Range 4.5
    Kraków 4.5
    Old City of Jerusalem 4.5
    Pyramids (Memphis) 4.5
    Venice and its Lagoon 4.5
    Ancient Kyoto 4
    Archaeological Site of Delphi 4
    Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin 4
    Grand Canyon 4
    Gyeongju 4
    Historic Cairo 4
    Mont-Saint-Michel 4
    Nubian Monuments 4
    Prague 4
    Quito 4
    Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras 4
    Seville 4
    Vatican City 4
    Acropolis 3.5
    Ancient Nara 3.5
    Biblical Tells 3.5
    Cuzco 3.5
    Dubrovnik 3.5
    Granada 3.5
    Himeji-jo 3.5
    Hwaseong Fortress 3.5
    Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles 3.5
    Paris, Banks of the Seine 3.5
    Salamanca 3.5
    Sambor Prei Kuk 3.5
    Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 3.5
    Sintra 3.5
    Wadi Rum 3.5
    Wulingyuan 3.5
    Arequipa 3
    Baroque Churches 3
    Belem 3
    Brasilia 3
    Budapest 3
    Changdeokgung Palace Complex 3
    Everglades 3
    Haeinsa Temple 3
    Horyu-ji Area 3
    Jeju 3
    Koh Ker 3
    Macao 3
    Medina of Marrakesh 3
    Nasca Lines 3
    Old City of Acre 3
    Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands 3
    Preah Vihear Temple 3
    Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries 3
    Versailles 3
    Works of Antoni Gaudí 3
    Ayutthaya 2.5
    Baekje Historic Areas 2.5
    Bethlehem 2.5
    Classical Gardens of Suzhou 2.5
    Getbol, Korean Tidal Flat 2.5
    Grand Canal 2.5
    Greater Blue Mountains 2.5
    Hahoe and Yangdong 2.5
    Itsukushima Shrine 2.5
    Jongmyo Shrine 2.5
    Kotor 2.5
    Masada 2.5
    Namhansanseong 2.5
    Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau 2.5
    Piazza del Duomo (Pisa) 2.5
    Rabat 2.5
    Vienna 2.5
    Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch 2
    Bryggen 2
    Canal du Midi 2
    Gaya Tumuli 2
    Genbaku Dome 2
    Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen 2
    La Lonja de la Seda 2
    Lima 2
    Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun 2
    Qhapaq Ñan 2
    Royal Joseon Tombs 2
    Saint Catherine Area 2
    Sucre 2
    Warsaw 2
    Botanical Garden, Padua 1.5
    Rio de Janeiro 1.5
    Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France 1.5
    Seowon, Neo-Confucian Academies 1.5
    Sydney Opera House 1.5
    White City of Tel-Aviv 1.5
    Bahá’i Holy Places 1
    Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" 1
    Nice 1
    Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro 1
    Royal Exhibition Building 1
    1. Aguas Livres Aqueduct (T)
    2. Amalienborg and its district (T)
    3. Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
    4. Arbel (arbel, nebe shueb, horns of hittim) (T)
    5. Auckland Volcanic Fields (T)
    6. Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension) (T)
    7. Bet She'an (T)
    8. Caesarea (T)
    9. Cal Orck'o: Footprints of time (T)
    10. Capital Fortifications of Hanyang : Hangyangdoseong Capital City Wall, Bukhansanseong Mountain Fortress and Tangchundaeseong Defense Wall (T)
    11. Central Park (T)
    12. Chocolate Hills Natural Monument (T)
    13. Coron Island Natural Biotic Area (T)
    14. Early Synagogues in the Galilee (T)
    15. Egyptian Museum in Cairo (T)
    16. Ein Karem, a village and its cultural landscape (T)
    17. El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (T)
    18. Former M-13 prison/ Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (former S-21)/ Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (former Execution Site of S-21) (T)
    19. Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System (T)
    20. Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
    21. Jerash Archaeological City (Ancient Meeting Place of East and West) (T)
    22. Jerusalem (T)
    23. Lake Titicaca (T)
    24. Makhteshim Country (T)
    25. Mayon Volcano Natural Park (T)
    26. Monuments, Sites and Cultural Landscape of Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna (T)
    27. Pharaonic temples in Upper Egypt from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods (T)
    28. Phnom Kulen: Archeological Site/Ancient Site of Mahendraparvata (T)
    29. Pombaline Lisbon (T)
    30. QUMRAN: Caves and Monastery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (T)
    31. Route of Magellan (T)
    32. Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Portugal (T)
    33. Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
    34. Sea of Galilee & its Ancient Sites (T)
    35. The Galilee Journeys of Jesus & the Apostles (T)
    36. Timna (T)
    37. Waters and seabed of Fiordland (Te Moana O Atawhenua) (T)

    Reviewed TWHS