Solivagant

Member since December 2005

#None 0 0

I am now retired but have been "travelling" for a "hobby" since I was 15 (1957!) whilst pursuing otherwise normal mundane career and "home" things in UK - thus being limited by "annual leave" allowances. During that time I have visited 164 "independent countries" - defined by me as the 193 full UN members plus (somewhat illogically, but they are generally accepted as "sovereign") Taiwan and Holy See (but am not pursuing "193"!). Unfortunately quite a few relatively easily accessible current WHS got "missed" along the way. If only I had known they would get chosen - they are not all obvious choices! Despite the weaknesses in the list and the politics involved in the selection and voting mechanism they provide a quick means of grasping the highlights of many countries and sometimes lead down interesting knowledge and research "avenues" which would otherwise have remain unexplored. 
Proposal for a new WHS:- Roca Agostino Neto Cocoa Plantation Sao Tome.
There are just too many European WHS relative to the rest. Little Sao Tome became the world's greatest producer of cocoa under the Portuguese. So poor were the social conditions that Cadbury boycotted Cocoa from there in early 20C. At Roca Agostinho (and other crumbling colonial sites on Sao Tome) you might just get a feeling for the economic system which created it and "fed" Europe with a raw material so often taken for granted - a really atmospheric place. But it isn't even on the "Tentative list"!

My most impressive site: Machu Picchu. I would like to choose somewhere

My proposal for a new site: See under

Recent Visits
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    July 28, 2024
    Beijing Central Axis, Funerary and memory sites of the First World War, Gedi , Hegmataneh, …
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    4
    Jan. 1, 2020
    City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Dunhuang Yardangs, The Lijiang River Scenic Zone …
  • 0
    5
    Jan. 1, 2020
    Ancient cities of Upper Myanmar, Bago, Inle Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda, Wooden Monasteries of Konbaung Period
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About Solivagant

First name
Solivagant
Member since
December 2005
Country of Origin
None
Visits
Rank
#None
WHS
0
Tentative Sites
0
Website Participation
Reviews
442
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
855 0
Photos
N/A
Locations
N/A
Zones
N/A

Reviews by Solivagant

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Lake Atitlán by Solivagant

Lake Atitlán (On tentative list)

Lake Atitlán

Interesting comments earlier. I always understood that it was Aldous Huxley who described Atitlan as "too much". This was in "Beyond the Mexique Bay" (1934):- "Lake Como, it seems …

Konso by Solivagant

Konso (Inscribed)

Konso

As we visited the Konso area of S Ethiopia in Dec 2007 we will be particularly interested to see what actually emerges within the nomination which is currently foreseen for …

Meroe by Solivagant

Meroe (Inscribed)

Meroe

It is good to see Meroë on the list for possible inscription in 2010. One of the “Top 50 Missing” identified by users of this Web site, it is incontrovertably …

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal  by Solivagant

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Can… (Inscribed)

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal

In order to avoid any potential charges that patriotic pride has outrun objective assessment I don’t normally review sites from UK! But with Pontcysyllte up for nomination this year I …

Paraty and Ilha Grande by Solivagant

Paraty and Ilha Grande (Inscribed)

Paraty and Ilha Grande

After a flourish of 8 successful inscriptions in 3 years (1999-2001) Brazil hasn’t had a lot of luck recently. In 2003 Rio was rejected/deferred and in 2008 São Cristóvão was …

San Luis Potosí on the Mercury and Silver Route of by Solivagant

San Luis Potosí on the Mercur… (Removed from tentat…)

San Luis Potosí on the Mercury and Silver Route of

It seems likely that the “Mercury + Silver Binomial etc…” nomination will get inscribed at the Seville WHC. If so, it will be the most geographically spread of any WHS …

Les médinas des Sultanats historiques des Comores by Solivagant

Les médinas des Sultanats his… (Nominated)

Les médinas des Sultanats historiques des Comores

Their geographic location at the “crossroads” of the Indian Ocean has given the Comoros islands a complex history – settlers have included Malays, Indonesians, Arabs and Persians even before the …

Ecosystèmes terrestres et paysage culturel de l'Ar by Solivagant

Ecosystèmes terrestres et pay… (On tentative list)

Ecosystèmes terrestres et paysage culturel de l'Ar

This T List proposal consists of 3 ecosystems and 1 cultural landscape spread across all 3 of the islands currently making up the State of the Comoros (the 4th, Mayotte, …

Cultural Landscape of Mahasthan and Karatoya River by Solivagant

Cultural Landscape of Mahasth… (On tentative list)

Cultural Landscape of Mahasthan and Karatoya River

There is no doubting the archaeological significance of this site – the “earliest urban site” so far discovered in Bangladesh dating back to the 3rd century BC. Its setting is …

Archaeological sites of Lalmai-Mainamati by Solivagant

Archaeological sites of Lalma… (On tentative list)

Archaeological sites of Lalmai-Mainamati

The T list defintion includes over 50 sites spread along an 18km ridge which “appears to have been the religious centre from which Buddhism was spread to South East Asia”. …

Mughal Forts on Fluvial Terrains in Dhaka by Solivagant

Mughal Forts on Fluvial Terra… (On tentative list)

Mughal Forts on Fluvial Terrains in Dhaka

Lonely Planet introduces this site with the comment “This unfinished fort is touted as Dhaka’s premier tourist attraction, but if you’re expecting another Red Fort you’ll be disappointed”. And they …

Barbar Temple by Solivagant

Barbar Temple (On tentative list)

Barbar Temple

We visited most of Bahrain’s T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country’s …

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Hawar Islands Reserve (On tentative list)

Hawar Islands Reserve

We visited most of Bahrain’s T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country’s …

Pearling by Solivagant

Pearling (Inscribed)

Pearling

We visited most of Bahrain's T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country's …

Dilmun Burial Mounds by Els Slots

Dilmun Burial Mounds (Inscribed)

Dilmun Burial Mounds

We visited most of Bahrain’s T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country’s …

Dilmun Burial Mounds by Solivagant

Dilmun Burial Mounds (Inscribed)

Dilmun Burial Mounds

We visited most of Bahrain’s T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country’s …

Saar Heritage Park by Solivagant

Saar Heritage Park (On tentative list)

Saar Heritage Park

We visited most of Bahrain’s T List sites in 2005 and, with Bahrain hosting the 2011 WHC, are interested to guess which (if any) might be inscribed as that country’s …

Abijatta Shalla Lakes National Park by Solivagant

Abijatta Shalla Lakes Nationa… (Removed from tentat…)

Abijatta Shalla Lakes National Park

We also visited this park (in Dec 2007) and still remember the sorry sight which greeted us. So we found the review by T Mengstab of particular interest.

First, a …

Cidade Velha by Solivagant

Cidade Velha (Inscribed)

Cidade Velha

So Durian’s “inside information” suggests that “Cidade Velha, Ancient Ribera Grande” in Cape Verde might be proposed for inscription in 2009 (see Forum “Nominations for 2009”). For the benefit of …

Kuk by Solivagant

Kuk (Inscribed)

Kuk

If Kuk does get inscribed in 2008 it will be another case of a “near miss” for us I am afraid! We may well have flown over it when we …

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