Watkinstravel Profile
Air traffic controller from Canada. Spent the better part of my 20's traveling around the world after finishing my bachelor degree. Made a friend on the road that suggested I look into the WH list if I didnt know what to visit somewhere. Excellent advice! Unfortunately got into the WHS thing a little too late to maximize my potential visits. I wont make that mistake again! Now my goal is to visit every country and as many WHS as i reasonably can and I'm rarely disappointed.
My travel experience is varied but has mostly ranged in the budget to extreme budget category which has made things very interesting at times. With a limited time and budget and to balance other interests I am more prone to skipping out on the less known natural WHS.
I still try to take holidays and visit new sites a few times a year, with an itinerary and prioritization that befuddles all, including the mrs.
Fun trivia: I proposed to my wife in the Rock Islands WHS in Palau. I married her in the Waterton/Glacier NP WHS in Canada :)
Recent Reviews Watkinstravel
Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin
Watkinstravel Canada - 22-May-22
I can understand this one having a poor rating as it really shouldn't take 700+ locations to make your point. But with that many locations we are going to need a lot of reviews to figure out which ones to make an effort for.
Feb 2022, I found myself once again visiting the inlaws in Benidorm. I'll be the first to admit that as a hub it has to be one of the worst spots in the country as a base for visiting WHS but there seems to be numerous rock art locations scattered about nearby.
Rewind to 7 years ago and we attempted to visit La Sarga just outside of Alcoy but it has been fenced off. As tempted as I was to jump the fence and look on my own I am glad I didn't. This time around we came prepared. The site at La Sarga is accessible by free tours on Sundays nearly year round (Feb-Nov). You are supposed to make a reservation online for one of the hourly tours (10-1pm). The group size is 25 max but it was all so informal on site that I think you could just show up and join in. I was surprised at the popularity of the site on a random Feb Sunday with other Spaniards making up the rest of the group
Read OnMinoan Palatial Centres (T)
Watkinstravel Canada - 22-May-22
We visited 3 of the 5 sites during our visit to Crete in Feb 2022.
Our first introduction to Minoan ruins was actually at Phaistos. It was an easy hour drive from Heraklion first thing in the morning and we had the site to ourselves. As previously mentioned the location is fantastic with great views in all directions. The site is in a state you'd expect when visiting "ancient ruins", the form is there and you can fairly easily make out all the structural elements though the only remaining artifacts are a few storage jars (pithoi) scattered about at the ends of various chambers. This site is worth a visit for anyone seriously interested in the Minoans and if it weren't part of a serial site that looks a long way off from getting inscribed could easily get in on its own.
Read OnArchaeological site of Ancient Messene (T)
Watkinstravel Canada - 17-May-22
We visited this site in Feb 2022 en route from the Mani peninsula to Olympia. I would definitely recommend a visit and a car to get there. Our GPS took us there via some rather obscure back roads and our first glimpse of the site was from above as we came down from the mountain to the east. Our visit on site was equally pleasant as the ruins are well kept and laid out. I think what I liked the most was that each element of the former city is spaced out and clearly identifiable and I could get a feel for the full layout without getting an impression of clutter or trying to cut through more modern development like most other ruins. As mentioned in the previous reviews the best is saved for last. At the far end is the fantastic stadium.
Read OnMt. Myohyang and the Relics in and around the Mountain (T)
Watkinstravel Canada - 21-Feb-21
I visited Pohyon temple and the Mt. Myohyang area during my North Korean tour in late 2017. As with all things while in the country, I had no control over what we were doing but as a main part of our itinerary on day 3 we drove to this area primarily to visit the International Friendship Exhibition Hall, tucked away in the mountainous area across the river from the temple. After a while of viewing the displays of gifts in a few rooms (some of the gifts were impressive but most seemed to be from Chinese companies (greasing the wheels of business?) or unheard of fringe communist groups in random countries whose membership probably doesn't reach triple digits...) we head over to the nearby Pohyon temple.
Read OnLes ruines d'Ouara (T)
Watkinstravel Canada - 28-Jul-20
My visit to Ouara is more of a story about the journey and not much the destination itself. In Jan 2012, a friend and I convinced the relevant authorities (through some very loose associations with NGO's in the country) that we should be given permits to travel to Abeche, ostensibly to research some future work there.
I don't remember now how we heard about Ouara but it was along the lines of vague rumours of ruins somewhere nearby. Asking around town we were given all sorts of directions and replies until we found an old bedouin mototaxi driver that claimed to have been there once years ago. He recruited another driver nearby to assist as well and in one of the most foolish travel decisions of our lives, at 1pm in 30+C and without any additional preparations we jumped on and headed out of town thinking it would be a quick trip. I can only say with confidence the site is somewhere ~40km north of town somewhere nestled behind a small mountain well off the main dirt road heading north from Abeche
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Watkinstravel
- Country
- Canada
- Most Impressive
- So many to choose
- Proposal
- Bagan, Myanmar; Jerash, Jordan
- Website
- website
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 19.12.22
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Visited WHS
Rating StatsBagan 5Iguacu 5Olympia 5Palenque 5Brugge 4.5Calakmul 4.5Lalibela 4.5Machu Picchu 4.5Masjed-e Jâme' 4.5Mystras 4.5Persepolis 4.5Rhodes 4.5Asmara 4Bukhara 4Byblos 4Copán 4Damascus 4Meroe 4Pantanal 4Yazd 4Ajanta Caves 3.5Ancient ksours 3.5Caral-Supe 3.5Chavin 3.5Cuzco 3.5Diamantina 3.5Djenné 3.5Gebel Barkal 3.5Hampi 3.5Harar 3.5Itchan Kala 3.5Joya de Ceren 3.5Lima 3.5Orkhon Valley 3.5Palmyra 3.5Samarkand 3.5Sana'a 3.5Shibam 3.5St. Petersburg 3.5Sucre 3.5Tierradentro 3.5Timbuktu 3.5Uxmal 3.5Aleppo 3Baalbek 3Bisotun 3Bosra 3Camagüey 3Novgorod 3Potosi 3Tyre 3Al Ain 2.5Bagerhat 2.5Chan Chan 2.5Erbil Citadel 2.5Gusuku of Ryukyu 2.5Koguryo Kingdom 2.5Kunya-Urgench 2.5León Cathedral 2.5Nasca Lines 2.5Olinda 2.5Panamá 2.5Rabat 2.5San Agustín 2.5Shushtar 2.5Tabriz Bazaar 2.5Tiwanaku 2.5Urbino 2.5Vigan 2.5Brasilia 2Campeche 2Goias 2Kaesong 2Pampulha 2Zabid 2Aapravasi Ghat 1.5Bridgetown 1.5Le Morne 1.5Valongo Wharf 1.5Reviewed WHS
- Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin
- Madā ͐ in Ṣāliḥ
- Rock Art in the Hail Region
- Asmara
- Zabid
- Uxmal
- Campeche
- Calakmul
- Palenque
- Antigua Guatemala
- Copán
- Joya de Ceren
- Panamá
- Portobelo-San Lorenzo
- Cartagena
- Santa Cruz de Mompox
- Coffee Cultural Landscape
- Tierradentro
- San Agustín
- Goias
- Diamantina
- Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
- Huascaran National Park
- Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works
- Ischigualasto / Talampaya
- Congonhas
- São Francisco Square
Visited TWHS
- Abraj Al-Kuwait (T)
- Abydos, city of pilgrimage of the Pharaohs (T)
- Alexandria, ancient remains and the new library (T)
- Amalienborg and its district (T)
- Amarbayasgalant monastery and sacred cultural landscape (T)
- Ancient cities of Upper Myanmar : Innwa, Amarapura, Sagaing, Mingun, Mandalay (T)
- Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
- Ancient Lavrion (T)
- Apamee (Afamia) (T)
- Archaeological Site and Historic Centre of Panamá City (T)
- Archaeological site of Ancient Messene (T)
- Ayeyawady River Corridor (T)
- Badshahi Mosque, Lahore (T)
- Baquedano Street (T)
- Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension) (T)
- Brazilian Fortresses Ensemble (T)
- Buenos Aires – La Plata: Two capitals of the Culture of Modernity, Eclecticism and Immigration (T)
- Caesarea (T)
- Cal Orck'o: Footprints of time (T)
- Casablanca, Ville du XXème siécle, carrefour d'influences (T)
- Cathédrale de Bamako (T)
- Catholic Doctrine Temples (T)
- Centre historique d'Irkoutsk (T)
- Centre historique de Saida (T)
- Chachapoyas sites of the Utcubamba Valley (T)
- Chalchuapa (T)
- Chinese Section of the Silk Road (T)
- Chobe Linyanti System (T)
- Chocolate Hills Natural Monument (T)
- Cittadella (Victoria - Gozo) (T)
- City of Granada and its natural environment (T)
- City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (T)
- Ciudad Bolivar in the narrowness of the Orinoco River (T)
- Coron Island Natural Biotic Area (T)
- Cretaceous Dinosaur Fossil Sites in the Mongolian Gobi (T)
- Cultural Landscape of Alamout (T)
- Dahab (T)
- Dahshour archaeological area (T)
- Dali Chanshan Mountain and Erhai Lake Scenic Spot (T)
- Delhi - A Heritage City (T)
- Desert Landscapes of the Mongolian Great Gobi (T)
- Dinder National Park (T)
- Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)
- Dzongs: the centre of temporal and religious authorities (Punakha Dzong, Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Paro Dzong, Trongsa Dzong and Dagana Dzong) (T)
- Eglise et Monastère de Sao Bento, Rio de Janeiro (T)
- Egyptian Hajj Road (T)
- Ensemble of Phanom Rung, Muang Tam and Plai Bat Sanctuaries (T)
- Etosha Pan (T)
- Gdansk - Town of Memory and Freedom (T)
- Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System (T)
- Gulf of Fonseca (T)
- Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago (T)
- Hejaz Railway (T)
- Historic Center of the City of Trujillo (T)
- Historic Georgetown (T)
- Historical City Centre of Yogyakarta (T)
- Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
- Inle Lake (T)
- Insular area and bay of Colonia del Sacramento (T)
- Jerash Archaeological City (Ancient Meeting Place of East and West) (T)
- Jerusalem (T)
- Kakum National Park (T)
- Karez Wells (T)
- Kerman Historical-Cultural Structure (T)
- Khor Dubai (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- L'amphitheatre de Durres (T)
- La Camargue (T)
- La Moneda Palace (T)
- Lake Titicaca (T)
- Late Medieval Bastioned Fortifications in Greece (T)
- Le champ de bataille de Waterloo, la fin de l’épopée napoléonienne (T)
- Le lac Tanganyika (T)
- Le Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo, exemple particulièrement significatif de « Phénomène de Panoramas » (T)
- Le Paysage culturel des chutes de la Lobé (T)
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)
- Les ruines d'Ouara (T)
- Maaloula (T)
- Mahansthangarh and its Environs (T)
- Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
- Manama, City of Trade, Multiculturalism and Religious Coexistence (T)
- Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
- Minoan Palatial Centres (T)
- Mole National Park (T)
- Monuments of Srirangapatna Island Town (T)
- Monuments, Sites and Cultural Landscape of Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna (T)
- Mt. Myohyang and the Relics in and around the Mountain (T)
- Nasqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab (T)
- Noréas de Hama (T)
- Persepolis and other relevant buildings (T)
- Petrified Forest National Park (T)
- Pharaonic temples in Upper Egypt from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods (T)
- Pombaline Lisbon (T)
- Protected area of Lake Atitlán: multiple use (T)
- Puente de Occidente (Western Bridge) (T)
- Pulacayo, Industrial Heritage Site (T)
- Ras al Had Turtle Reserve and the Heritage Site of Ras al Jinz (T)
- Rouen : ensemble urbain à pans de bois, cathédrale, église Saint-Ouen, église Saint Maclou (T)
- Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala (T)
- Sacred Sites associated with Phajo Drugom Zhigpo and his descendants (T)
- Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
- Salt Mines of Maras (T)
- San Francisco Church and Convent (T)
- San Pedro de Atacama (T)
- Sarajevo - unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city (T)
- Sea of Galilee & its Ancient Sites (T)
- Shush (T)
- Shwedagon Pagoda on Singuttara Hill (T)
- Sites funéraires et mémoriels de la Première Guerre mondiale (Front Ouest) (Belgium) (T)
- Sites mémoriaux du génocide : Nyamata, Murambi, Bisesero et Gisozi (T)
- Siwa archaeological area (T)
- South of Ricaurte Province (T)
- Sri Harimandir Sahib (T)
- Sultanats Historiques des Comores (T)
- Svalbard Archipelago (T)
- Syrian Hajj Road (T)
- Tbilisi Historic District (T)
- Temple of Hator built by Ramses III (T)
- That Luang de Vientiane (T)
- The Ancient Plovdiv (T)
- The Aniene valley and Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli (T)
- The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex, Sarawak, Malaysia (T)
- The architectural legacy of Rogelio Salmona: an ethical, political, social and poetic manifesto (T)
- The Central Axis of Beijing (including Beihai) (T)
- The Chinese Section of the Silk Roads (T)
- The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá (Ruta Colonial Transístmica de Panamá) (T)
- The concept of the lenticular historical town core of Kosice City (T)
- The forts of Rostaq and al-Hazm (T)
- The Galilee Journeys of Jesus & the Apostles (T)
- The Historic Centre of Cajamarca (T)
- The Historic City of Thula (T)
- The historic ensemble of Orchha (T)
- The Historical City of Masouleh (T)
- The Historical City of Maybod (T)
- The Lijiang River Scenic Zone at Guilin (T)
- The Lofoten islands (T)
- The monasteries of Tatev and Tatevi Anapat and the adjacent areas of the Vorotan Valley (T)
- The Royal Sites of Ireland: Cashel, Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Rathcroghan Complex, and Tara Complex (T)
- The Tara National Park with the Drina River Canyon (T)
- Thingvellir National Park (T)
- Torfajökull Volcanic System / Fjallabak Nature Reserve (T)
- Trakai Historical National Park (T)
- University City of Bogotá (T)
- Vardzia-Khertvisi (T)
- VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Thingvellir National Park (T)
- Wazir Khans Mosque, Lahore (T)
- Western Area Peninsula National Park (T)
- White Sands National Monument (T)
- Yapese Disk Money Regional Sites (T)
- Zaruma ciudad minera (T)
Reviewed TWHS
- Minoan Palatial Centres (T)
- Archaeological site of Ancient Messene (T)
- Mt. Myohyang and the Relics in and around the Mountain (T)
- Les ruines d'Ouara (T)
- The Historic City of Thula (T)
- Maaloula (T)
- Cretaceous Dinosaur Fossil Sites in the Mongolian Gobi (T)
- Amarbayasgalant monastery and sacred cultural landscape (T)
- Chalchuapa (T)
- City of Granada and its natural environment (T)
- Cultural Landscape of the Lower Basin of the Chicamocha River (T)
- South of Ricaurte Province (T)
- University City of Bogotá (T)
- The architectural legacy of Rogelio Salmona: an ethical, political, social and poetic manifesto (T)
- Catholic Doctrine Temples (T)
- Puente de Occidente (Western Bridge) (T)
- Zaruma ciudad minera (T)
- Chachapoyas sites of the Utcubamba Valley (T)
- The Historic Centre of Cajamarca (T)
- Historic Center of the City of Trujillo (T)
- Baquedano Street (T)
- Eglise et Monastère de Sao Bento, Rio de Janeiro (T)
- The monasteries of Tatev and Tatevi Anapat and the adjacent areas of the Vorotan Valley (T)
- Lake Titicaca (T)
- Cal Orck'o: Footprints of time (T)