UNESCO world heritage site

Itinerary – Three Weeks Across New Zealand

Julio Moreno New Zealand , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Itinerary – Three Weeks Across New Zealand

It’s been quiet for a while here, so let me start by saying hello to everyone… again! I missed blogging but man, it really is hard to get back on the wagon once you stop. I am applying for grad school and finally went on a longish trip (which is what this post is about) here in New Zealand, so sorry for my absence.

So, from April 8th – 25th, I went around both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand with Sid and Sarah. Lots of laughs ensued. I did manage to hit up 2 out of the 3 UNESCO sites in the country (the 3rd is, unfortunately, an almost inaccessible cluster of sub-Antarctic islands). For now though, I just wanted to take you guys on a short (okay, long-winded) overview what we did day by day. Let’s get this started…

North Island

April 8th (Day 0)

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UNESCO Monday #14: Elephanta Caves and Shiva’s Legacy

Julio Moreno India, UNESCO Picture of the Week , , 2 Comments
UNESCO Monday #14: Elephanta Caves and Shiva’s Legacy

Elephanta Caves in India

This week’s edition of ‘UNESCO Monday’ is a guest post from Brad Nguyen, a long time friend of mine, fellow UNESCO World Heritage enthusiast, and excellent photographer.

The Elephanta Caves are located on Elephanta Island, locally known as Ghapuri. The Portuguese named the site Elephanta after a large statue of an elephant found at the entrance of the island. The caves were carved by Hindus between the 5th and 8th centuries. In order to reach the island, one must take a ferry from Mumbai. The ferry entrance is located beside the Gateway of India, where British colonists left India after independence, and the Taj Mahal Palace, a site of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

[Want to participate and be featured on this blog? Have you visited a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Find out how to submit your pictures here.]

Brad Nguyen is a photographer, writer, and educator based out of India. You can find examples of his excellent photography work here.

 

UNESCO Monday #12: Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Fountain of Youth

Julio Moreno China, UNESCO Picture of the Week , , , , , , , 2 Comments
UNESCO Monday #12: Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Fountain of Youth

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor WM

“You won’t believe it until you see it!”

If you have been following this blog for a while, you would know that one of the things I dislike more than anything (when it comes to travel) is over-inflated hype. I like an honest assessment more than anything, which is the reason why I started the idea of ranking world heritage sites in the first place. The Terracotta Army definitely lives up to the hype.

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Sado Island: Beautiful Town, Crystal Water, and Dinosaurs?

Julio Moreno South Korea , , , 11 Comments
Sado Island: Beautiful Town, Crystal Water, and Dinosaurs?

Sado Island is one of those locations that you have probably never heard of, but won’t regret visiting. While the beaches are not intended for swimming, no one is stopping you so go ahead, kick off those sandals and run in the water because it doesn’t get much cleaner than this. However, you might find yourself as the only one splashing about…

Sado Panoramic

wait a minute… did you read that correctly? Read more →