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
  • 11
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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
>

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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Medieval Monuments in Kosovo by Solivagant

Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (Inscribed)

Medieval Monuments in Kosovo

We visited the Kosovo Monasteries at Pec and Decani in June 2017. In fact, in what was possibly an excess of enthusiasm for Mediaeval Serbian monasteries, we took in consecutively, …

Stećci  by Solivagant

Stećci (Inscribed)

Stećci

We commenced our “stecci search” across Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia with a fair degree of enthusiasm, having identified 8 out of the 28 locations which were on or close …

ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape by Solivagant

ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape (Inscribed)

ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape

Walter’s comment in his recent review that “The !Xam Khomani Heartland corresponds in fact to the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park” has come indeed as a very pleasant surprise to me …

Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor by Solivagant

Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya … (Part of Nomination)

Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor

The “Archaeological sites of Otrar Oasis” T List site consists of the remains of 7 ruined towns, together with irrigation structures etc located within a 200 sq km area around …

Tanbaly by Solivagant

Tanbaly (Inscribed)

Tanbaly

Of the 41 sites currently represented in our “Petroglyphs” Connection only 8, by my count, have been inscribed solely/mainly because of their rock art (Gobustan, Coa/S Verde, Mong Altai, Hail, …

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi by Solivagant

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasa… (Inscribed)

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

Beyond the value of the building itself there were 2 aspects of our visit to the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in May 2017 which we found of interest – …

Saryarka by Solivagant

Saryarka (Inscribed)

Saryarka

The agency in Kazakhstan which prearranged our trip to Korgalzhyn was concerned about whether we would be able/allowed to get inside. It appears that both the road from Astana to …

Western Tien-Shan by Solivagant

Western Tien-Shan (Inscribed)

Western Tien-Shan

When planning to visit the W Tien Shan WHS during our May 2017 visit to Kazakhstan we were faced with the problem of which of the 7 locations situated inside …

Jongmyo Shrine by Solivagant

Jongmyo Shrine (Inscribed)

Jongmyo Shrine

The 7 reviews to date of the Jongmyo Shrine are fairly “mixed” in terms of the degree of “value” which people felt they had obtained from their visit. One issue …

Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream by Solivagant

Petroglyphs along the Banguch… (Nominated)

Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream

A few points additional to the previous review

a. The museum was opened in 2008 and is a fine example of the money and effort which S Korea is prepared …

Sites of fossilized dinosaurs  by Solivagant

Sites of fossilized dinosaurs (On tentative list)

Sites of fossilized dinosaurs

Our arrival at the Hwangsan-myeon Dinosaur Footprint site near Haenam didn’t exactly promise a great experience – Giant bright green fibreglass dinosaurs marched across the distant lawns surrounded by fibreglass …

Yazd by Solivagant

Yazd (Inscribed)

Yazd

With this T List site up for consideration at the 2017 WHC in a few months time it seems worth having a review of it available here (especially as those …

Rhaetian Railway by Solivagant

Rhaetian Railway (Inscribed)

Rhaetian Railway

In Sept 2016 we spent a few hours driving the c125kms from Tirano to Thusis across the Bernina and Albula Passes, stopping along the way to see various aspects of …

Ravenna by Solivagant

Ravenna (Inscribed)

Ravenna

If you arrive in Ravenna by car you will face the usual problem of where to park during your visit. Now, I am congenitally incapable of willingly paying for parking …

Santa Maria delle Grazie by Solivagant

Santa Maria delle Grazie (Inscribed)

Santa Maria delle Grazie

Unfortunately nearly everything about our visit to Cenacolo Vinciano to view “The Last Supper” turned out to be unsatisfactory - from the booking procedure to the actual visit itself. I …

Struve Geodetic Arc by Solivagant

Struve Geodetic Arc (Inscribed)

Struve Geodetic Arc

With the Struve Arc being “in the news” on this site because of the 2016 “WHS Travellers Meeting” visit there, it seems a good time to add a review of …

The Rock paintings of Astuvansalmi at Ristiina by Solivagant

The Rock paintings of Astuvan… (Removed from tentat…)

The Rock paintings of Astuvansalmi at Ristiina

These T List rock paintings are, in our view, well worth visiting, despite being somewhat off the main route in this part of SE Finland. It turns out that prehistoric …

Tape Sialk by Solivagant

Tape Sialk (On tentative list)

Tape Sialk

The inscription of Ziggurats at Ur, Uruk and Tel Eridu in 2016 within the Ahwar of S Iraq added to those already inscribed at Ashur and Tchogha Zanbil and thus …

Takht-e Soleyman by Solivagant

Takht-e Soleyman (Inscribed)

Takht-e Soleyman

Wiki describes Takht-e Soleyman as being “located on a volcano crater rim” whilst the UNESCO Web site states “About 3 kms west is an ancient volcano, Zendan-e …

Susa by Solivagant

Susa (Inscribed)

Susa

Susa is one of those Archaeological sites whose fame and significance outweigh what is actually “on show”. It was, as Wiki says, “an ancient city of the Proto-Elamite, Elamite, First …

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