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I never liked the sea but when we sailed off from Sabang to the underground river, the beautiful color of the sea that blends well with the clouds, the sky, the wet and dry sand of the beach - a magnificent work of a Master artist... how can I not like the sea?

The St. Paul Subterranean River National Park is the best place to go in Puerto Princesa. I wish that:

1. the road leading to this famous park is improved to lessen the travel time. Someone said that rough road is part of the adventure (duh!). We wanted to enjoy the place more and talk about it after but we were all shook up during the trip.

2. the person holding the flashlight should be a trained person. One we had kept on moving the light. It was another dyzzying spell cast on us.

3. Yes, Monkeys should not be fed. The forest vegetation takes care of them. When they start becoming friendly, they become demanding and grabs anything you have. Monkeys normally go away when there are people.

I am going again end of January. I'll update.

If you are doing a tour of Bulgaria and are in the Ruse area then the Rock Churches of Ivanovo are worth trying to fit in. Their cliffside location is quite impressive (see photo – the main caves are behind the glass window in centre) and the murals are interesting for their realism (no photo as Els only allows 1 photo per reviewer but the UNESCO site photo gives an impression of how they cover the walls and roof!) If you are visiting monasteries like Rila as well you may get a bit overwhelmed with murals unless you are an “expert” but these in some way act as a nice counterpoint to those in the full sized monastery!

For our visit in May 2000 we had a rentacar and it was an easy drive from Ruse. But be warned, they are not always open. The external view as per my photo is hardly worth a major journey by public transport (the caves are also a few kms walk up the gorge from the village). The day we were there luckily a coach party of Bulgarians had arrived and the couple who look after the churches were present. If you do arrive and the churches are closed the guardians lived in one of the houses across the stream (The River Rusenski Lom) from the cliff so you might persuade them to open

The Chaco Culture National Historical was the last World Heritage Site I visited on my recent trip to the Southwest. Although it is not far from several decently-sized cities and towns, it gives the impression of being quite remote. This is underscored by the fact that entering the park requires driving on 16 miles of rough gravel road. Although a road map makes this seem like a relatively short distance from the highway, realistically it takes rather a long time because one can't drive particularly fast on this very bumpy road (the road is paved once you enter the actual park). The park gets very warm in the summer and there is little shade.

The park features a large collection of ancestral puebloan ruins, including the massive Pueblo Bonito. This structure is believed to have been four stories high and contained over 600 rooms and 40 kivas (ceremonial round rooms). Pueblo Bonito was easily accessible from the main road in the park and the guided tour was very informative. More challenging trails to other sites in the park require a permit, and since we were only camping at the park for one night, we didn't have time to go.

A wonderful extra benefit to visiting the Chaco Culture site is that it has very dark skies, due in part to the park's active commitment to reducing light pollution. This makes it very popular with the local astronomy community; in fact one local astronomer has donated a domed observatory and other …

Simply stunning. One should not have to leave this earth without having seen Grand Canyon. It makes you just stare in amazement and wonder. On a more practical note, I went there by train - an original Western railroad from the town of Williams, complete with a bandit holdup. Clichéd maybe, but still fun. The train's schedule gives you just a few hours at the canyon, so maybe you should stay there for the night. Anyway, it will be an unforgettable experience.

This is not a place that should be visited light heartedly, I was a little distressed to see that some people had come here just as casual tourists; it really is not the place for this type of trip.

I visited in both the winter and summer and the difference in temperature is massive, I can not think of living in these conditions (-15° in winter 35° in summer).

I would strongly recommend having a guided tour as this gives you an insight to some of the most unimaginable parts of the complex. The Auschwitz area is the most intact part of the site and contains lots of exhibits (rooms full of shoes and hair being particularly poignant), and the only standing charnel house and gas chamber, the absolute horrific sense of the place hit me upon entering here, it was perhaps the most unpleasant feeling I can imagine and took me a long time to get over.

The Birkenau complex is a necessity to visit the sheer scale of the area is soul destroying. This part of the camp was built for one purpose, and this can be crippling when you view the vast compound. It seems like a huge machine designed for the most ruthless and efficient process of murdering people.

The site can be reached easily from Krakow via Oswiecim station and there are buses to Auschwitz from there (it is possible to walk) Birkenau is a little further on you will probably be able to quite …

i visited the great Rohtas Fort in july 2004 and found it to be an awesome awe-inspiring place. The breathtaking views of red sunset over the kahan is a view one can charish for life.

The fort is a prelude to the builders and architects of the time it was built. An individual can read and hear as much he/she about the great Rohtas fort. However it is only when one actually visits the fort that the magnitude and splandor of the place is felt, and it is such a great feeling.

A must for all Jhelumee families on a visit to Pakistan to take their children to the Great Rotas Fort and introduce them to the rich and sometime forgotten and under valued Pakistan heritage.

I managed to fit this in to a long day trip with breakfast at Stonehenge, lunch in Bath and getting to Bleanavon for the last tour of the day! Bleanavon makes a lot out of its UNESCO status there were banners all through the town and it was nice to see as many places in Britain don't make much of a big deal of it!

But there is a fair bit to see here the main site "Big Pit" is interesting as you get to go into the mines with the people that used to work there as your guide. There seems to be a really community feeling to the valleys of South Wales, and it was not a surprise to find that the whole thing is free!!! Especially in an area of Britain where Socialist morals were once so strong.

It is easy to drive to Blaenavon as it is easily marked from the M4 which runs from London, if you do not have a car apparently the No 30 & 23 buses run every 30 minutes from Newport (easy to get to from Cardiff). If you are in the area it is worth exploring Cardiff which is rapidly becoming a major cultural centre in Britain and also if you carry on about 5 miles north of Blaenavon you are in the Brecon Beacons which are one of the nicest natural areas in the British Isles, ideal for hiking and camping

Years ago I travelled to Zimbabwe from NYC for a cycling trip through this breathtaking country. This was one of the stops that we made and I remember the mixed feelings I had when encountering the ruins. As a black woman, a professional Architect, I was angry and dismayed that I never learned about this in all my schooling! I never knew the Zimbabwe Ruins even existed and it seemed so important that children of color should know about it. I was also awed by the culture that built these and this was a wonderful discovery.

the cave churches in Goreme are fantastic. i visited in July 04. it's not too hot in this part of Turkey in summer. the Turks are the kindest people i've met in the world and you will feel safe and welcome wherever you travel. the WHS takes about 1/2 to do justice to. try to drive there. walking from town is a trek. it only costs about $5 to see it all. while the site has sidewalks near the rock churches, you need to climb up lots of stairs and crawl into places to really see it fully. Goreme town itself is an amazing site itself. try to stay in one of the "fairy chinney" hotels in town-- like nothing else. Also, spring for a balloon ride to see the whole valley of wonders.

I have been to Fraser Island several times and know I'll go back some day again. It is the most magical place with an atmosphere of purity, freshness and breathtaking, gentle beauty. There are sand dunes, freshwater lakes with sand so fine you can polish your jewellery (if you have any) with it, long white beaches, the purest breed of dingoes in Australia(we saw a whole lot of dingo puppies), crystal creeks and rivers you can drink from while you swim. This is truly Paradise!

I liked Trier and was surprised by the amount of high quality monuments in the city. The Porta Negra is very impressive, the Dom is stunning for its importance and its holy relic, a tunic supposedly worn by Christ. Then there is the Basilica of Constantine which is impressive for its age, the massive interior and architectural importance as being a forbearer to the Romanesque movement. The Amphitheatre is a little way out side the city walls but is quite large and provides a great place to sit and have a sandwich or run around like a school child (I opted for both with the emphasis a bit too much on the later!)

Not part of the UNESCO site is the birth place of Karl Marx! There is not much there, but it is nice to see none the less.

Trier has enough to occupy you for a day trip and makes a great one from Luxembourg as it is only about 30 minutes by train.

Kutna Hora makes a great half/ full day trip from Prague. I have great memories of this place and it is well worth the short trip out here. The centre is quite nice with a few interesting churches and some nice back alleys to lose yourself in, however the highlight is Sv. Barbara’s Cathedral which is particularly impressive. The approach to it is lined with statues, similar to Prague’s Charles Bridge, with lovely views over the river valley below. The roof and flying buttresses make the cathedral spectacular and make it different from many other cathedrals on the list. The interior is nice but nothing really spectacular.

The train station is quite a way from the town centre. You can catch a bus up but I would recommend walking as this would means you can call into a strange addition to the site which is the Ossuary in Sedlec. It is just off the main road to the centre. The interior of the church like building is decorated with bones in a particularly intricate way.

There are a fair few nice restaurants and cafes in the centre to while away the time. There is enough to see here for a few very laid back days, however it is a very viable day trip from the capital. It is only an hour’s train journey, though you may have to change trains at Kolin to take the local train one stop south.

If you are in Madagascar then, as was ours in April 2000, your prime objective is probably to see Lemur and the other unique ecological aspects of the country . However, the Malagasy history and culture is interesting too having developed from the first immigrants – coming, not from Africa, but some 1500 years ago from the area of present day Indonesia and Malaysia. Meeting the people and seeing their way of life and rituals/ritual objects is also a major plus point for the country.

Ambohimanga, the main “historic site”, is only 20 kms from the capital and should NOT be missed whilst you are there. By the time the British and French vied for control over Madagsacar in the 19th century Madagascar was ruled by a royal line of the Merina clan who came from the highland area around Antananarivo. Ambohimanga was their Palace and later, as Antananarivo became the capital, it in developed as the weekend retreat for the royal family.

The place has a peaceful atmosphere made more poignant by the history of what happened to the royal family who used it. In 1890 the British eventually gave way to the French in return for a free hand in Zanzibar and the French invaded Madagsacar in 1895 eventually deposing the Queen and exiling her to Algeria. The family was never allowed to return by the French.

The compound is beautifully set in green countryside looking over a rice paddy filled plain reaching back to …

The Salt mines at Wieliczka are impressive, the initial climb down is a little harrowing it is a very long way! But the complex is fascinating. The initial parts seem nice there are some nice chapels carved out of the salt, but nothing real matches the Cathedral like complex in the middle. It is a church carved entirely out of salt, including the floor, sight of an altar of salt surrounded by the last supper again carved out of the same piece of salt is awe-inspiring.

I must admit the first time I took the tour in Polish and was a little under whelmed so defiantly aim for a tour in a language you fully understand!

The site is easy to get to as there is a regular train there from the centre of Krakow, a journey of about 40 minutes!

It is defiantly worth the effort to drag your-self away from Krakow's bars for an afternoon.

(the camera I had when I visited was not so good, so alas the pictures I have are all of the surface but trust me the mines themselves are much more interesting!!)

I Live in a village "Said Hussain" very close to Rohtas fort. For me this fort is the most trust worthy friend. I am visiting this fort since my childhood. If anyone wants to see the most beautiful sun set on earth, just have a visit to Rohtas fort in the evening. Sit at the top of "Shair Pinjra". In front of you will be the "Ghan" and the settling sun.

I have seen the time when there were decorative strids in "Rani's Mehal". The western side was not as much destructed as it is now. In Recent years Govt.has started a programme to preserve the Rohtas fort. But its too late. This exercise should have been planned decades before. Presently aome tream of experts is trying to re-develop the destroyed parts. I Must say that their efforts are appriciable. They are trying to keep the original building structure.

The western portion which is very beautiful and is getting rapidly demaged needs an immediate attention.

Road and the bridge now invite lots of people to visit Rohtas fort. I suggest that funds generated from visitors fees must be honestly spent on rehabilitation of the fort.

There are beautiful landscape views when you are going to Rohtas by Road. Just have a stay over the top of Village "Rehana" and the senic beauty arround will capture you.

If some one like to have an adventureous vist then prefer to go by the Offroad track.You will be travelling through the "Nala Teen …

I lived in Wadi Musa, the town at the entrance to Petra, in the late 1970s. I worked on a conservation project in the surrounding hills for 2 years. The Bedouins still lived in the caves in Petra, and there were very few tourists. There was only one hotel (I lived in a small flat under the town's minaret...I woke early each day!). I had the good fortune of befriending a Bedouin family in one of the caves (Mohamed had married a New Zelander), and hiking around the exotic sights. I enjoyed the historical, cultural, and local culinary delights very much (mensaf was my favorite, the camel burger was unique but not so appetizing). I look forward to returning after 25 years to see if I can find my old friends, and see how Petra has been preserved.

I lived in this area for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It is truly an amazing people and an amazing cultural experience. The architecture is phenomenal and a prideful part of their lives. There is not a lot of infrastructure develped for tourists. So visitors need to be aware of that and accomodating. Organization for toursits can also be confusing as there is currently no good set up of finding a guide, renting a car, lodging, etc. Try and make sure who you are paying is really a local person and be respectful of the community. There have been some negative effects of tourism already. Children chase cars and people beg for gifts. Don't give out gifts. But always ask before taking photographs and pay them if they ask for money or give them some other small gift.

Lake Neusiedl is a popular tourist destination for Austrians, the so-called "Sea of the Viennese" for all kinds of water sports and other recreational activities. It is also a cultural landscape worth visiting, especially the charming little town of Rust and the Esterhazy Palace in Fertöd, known as the "Hungarian Versailles". The site is also well known for its natural qualities, especially the almost Asian steppe areas and the birdlife, since many species from Europe have the easternmost point of their range here, and many Asian species their westernmost. Together with the natural reserves on the Hungarian side, the site is one of Europe's premier birdwatching areas. As far as I know, it was originally nominated as a mixed site for both cultural and natural criteria. Why UNESCO chose to accept only the cultural criteria, I don't know.

I visited Blaenavon's Big Pit on a school trip. I found it very interesting to actually see what it was like for miners when they had to work in the dark, damp and dusty environment. We had to go underground in a sort of cage lift. At one piont we had to turn off our lights, it was pitch black!!! Children had to work in these conditions every single day for upto around ten hours. i just wouldn't have coped. Any way it is a very memorable experience and you should vist it yourself (if you haven't already!)have fun!!!!

I had a really fascinating encounter with nature and culture in Tsodilo. The painting are magnificent and they provide an insight into what art in context really is and what it can do to one's imagination. The landscape is beautiful in its own context especially in the mornings and late afternoons. The site museum adds to the mystery of the hills in that it isolates itself as a piece of art (in the form of architecture) which blends, not well but mysterioulsly with the natural landscape.

And the people from the two communities are welcoming and their interaction with this space that has come to be known as World Heritage site is fascinating in many ways. Its a combiination that no one would like to miss!!!