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I visited in 2007.

Okinawa has traditionally been culturally and linguistically separate from Japan. It wasn't until the late 19th-century that Okinawa became part of the Japanese Empire.

That history is reflected in the structures of this world heritage site. The nine sites which are included in this property all harken back to before it was absorbed into Japan.

I've often said that the Ryukyu Islands are Japan's Hawaii. A chain of islands annexed in the 19th-century with their own culture, and now people go there for warm weather vacations.

Read more about the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu on my website.

I visited this tentative WHS in March 2017. When I used to live in Belgium, I always visited Spa for automotive reasons rather then for its historic value.

If you visit or live in any of the Benelux countries (especially Belgium), you'll most probably drink Spa bottled water as it is one of the most popular brands. The word spa, meaning natural water source believed to possess special health-giving properties seems to have originated from this village. However, I had never visited Spa to appreciate its historical significance and its link to water.

This time round, I decided to give it a try, as I reckon it would surely be included in any form of WH inscription linked to water. The town is very small and most of the sites are close to the main square with the first casino in the world. The spires of the church dedicated to St Remacle can easily be seen from the main square.

It seems that a lot of money has been invested to favour Spa's inscription on the WH list. There are information boards and signs everywhere now and everything is in tip top condition except maybe for the Bains building.

The tourist office is housed in what I considered as the highlight of my visit - the Pouhon Pierre le Grand which is both a nature site and a monument housing the main natural spring of the town. The word 'pouhon' does not derive from the Walloon 'pouhi' meaning to draw …

I visited Yakushima in 2007.

Yakushima is my favorite world heritage site in Japan, hands down.

When I visited, I was the only non-Japanese person I saw on the island. Being located south of Kagoshima, the southernmost city on Japan's four main islands, it isn't on the radar for most tourists visiting Japan.

Yakushima was the inspiration for the animated film Princess Mononoke.

A cedar forest located in the clouds on top of the island, the mood can be very eerie and surreal.

Read more about Yakushima on my website.

I visited this tentative WHS in March 2017. I had already seen the island and the outstanding gulf of Asinara from the pristine La Pelosa Beach near Stintino (north-western tip of Sardinia) and that is the most photogenic way of capturing Asinara's beauty.

Asinara is a 52 square kilometre uninhabited island and a wildlife and nature reserve as well as a national park. It is home to a population of 'wild' Albino donkeys. Asinara is mainly mountainous with steep rocky coasts and low scrub vegetation.

Surrounding the island are very deep seas which are home to a variety of marine species. If you're lucky you might also spot dolphins on your way to the island. However, there are 3 beautiful sandy beaches and the different hues of crystal clear water are something I experienced only in exotic destinations such as French Polynesia, Seychelles or the Caribbean.

Human habitation on the island dates back to the Neolithic Age, with Domus de Janas near Campu Perdu. Carved into soft limestone, the constructions are believed to be unique to the island. A lazaretto was built when Asinara became state property in 1885. During the First World War, Asinara was also used as a prison camp and during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War it was used as a place of detention. That is why there are a number of buildings at Cala d'Oliva which have now been turned over to the national park authorities.

Asinara's waters offshore were zoned and there are two large no …

The site is located very close to the Ammann airport, so for visitors renting a car there (very recommended for Jordan) it may be the first spot. The site is not very popular, so there are few tourists, no fee and no guards or other personnel. Qasr Al-Mushatta is a quite well preserved ruin of Umayyad palace from 8th century. It served as a khalif's palace and from what remained one may realize that it was really magnificent. Main construction of the palace survived, but nothing but naked walls remains inside. Beautiful facade of the palace was mostly disassembled and moved to Berlin, where it can be admired in famous Pergamon Museum.

Qasr Al-Mushatta is an easy site that can be visited very quickly. Definitly worth a detour.

If you’re serious about WHS-hunting make sure you pay a visit to Tuscany, Italy. In a relative small area you can find 7 top notch sites of which San Gimignano is one. Although most of you probably have seen your fair share of medieval towns this one really stands out, literally that is.

The unique thing about San Gimignano is its centuries old skyline. Back in medieval times there was a bit of trouble between the pope and the emperor who both wanted absolute power. They each had their own gang of supporters called Guelfi (popefans) and Ghibellini (emperorsupporters). The two rival sections were at eachother's throat and this let to the building of, in total, 72 defensive towers. Fourteen still stand.

Pilgrims on their way to Rome visited San Gimignano quite often. Not to pay hommage to the the town's godfather Gimignano but to a girl named Fina. Probably because the inhabatants felt they needed a new saint to please the travellers they came up with a girl named Fina, made her a saint and told stories about all the miracles she performed. It did wonders for the town's economy.

After a while the girl was forgotton too and the economy was declining. Luckily San Gimignano found a solution fot their problem. It was nominated to become a WHS. Surely when they had the Unesco-status everyone would find their way to town again....

Smart move

I visited the Church of Church of San Agustin in 2007 and in 2016.

The Baroque Churches of the Philippines are a collection of 4 churches scattered throughout the country.

By far the most popular and visited church is San Agustin in the Intramuros section of Manila. It is the only church to have survived the bombing by the Japanese in WWII in the Intramuros.

In addition to being a functioning church, it is also home to a museum documenting the city, and the church in the Philippines.

Read more about the Baroque Churches of the Philippines on my website.

I visited the subterranean river in 2007.

The underground river is one of the top attractions and was recently named one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.

While it is interesting, I would in no way put it among the top 7 natural attractions on Earth. I don't even think it is the most interesting cave, and it certainly isn't a greater attraction than the Grand Canyon, which beat out in the 7 Wonders contest.

If you are going to Palawan, I certainly recommend a trip to the underground river. Along with El Nido, it is the top attraction on the island, but I think its significance has been overstated with the recent 7 Wonders competition.

Read more about the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park on my website.

I visited Vigan in 2007.

Vigan is a Spanish colonial city located the north of the island of Luzon.

If you want to understand the link between the Philippines and Latin America, I'd suggest visiting Vigan. If it weren't for the people, you might think that you were in Mexico or another former Spanish colony in the Americas.

Automobiles are not allowed in the old part of town, so the historical parts are pedestrian only.

Read more about the Historic City of Vigan on my website.

I visited the Rice Terraces in October 2007.

The Rice Terraces of Banaue are easily the most impressive attraction in the Phillippines. The terraces were built over the course of centuries, and the locals like to describe it as the "largest thing built by free humans", which is a dig at the pyramids.

Getting to Banaue takes a bit of time, as you have to go up winding mountain roads, but it isn't too challenging. When I visited in 2007 the only real hotel option was a tourist hotel built during the Macros regime.

If you have to ask the question "what should I go see in the Philippines?", I'd put the Rice Terraces on the top of your list.

Read more about the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras on my website.

I visited here in January of 2017.

The Plantin-Moretus House was more interesting than I thought it would be. What made is so interesting is that a single family lived in the same house for several centuries, running a printing business in the same facility. Because of the continuity, they preserved some of the oldest printing presses and printing material in the world.

The house also contains several original paintings by Rubens, which you would otherwise have to go to an art museum to see.

The site is located in the heart of Antwerp and is easy walking distance from the Cathedral and other attractions.

Read more about the Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex on my website.

I visited Te Wahipounamu in July of 2007.

Te Wahipounamu is the Maori word for what is the fjordlands area in the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. This includes the famous Milford and Doubtful Sounds.

I did a tour of Milford Sound and had the pleasure of going immediately after it had rained for 24-hours. Water was flowing down the sides of the fjord in hundreds of small waterfalls, and the large waterfalls were going at full flow.

Visiting can usually be done on a day trip from Queenstown, but you can also stay in the region to do and experience more.

Read more about Te Wahipounamu on my website.

I visited in January 2017.

Of all the buildings which are part of this serial site, which is located on three different continents, I think the Maison Guiete in Antwerp might be the least exciting to visit.

As of the time of my visit, it was not open to the public, nor was there even any signage indicating that the building was a world heritage site. My taxi driver had no clue the building had any significance.

I'm looking forward to photographing more of the buildings in this serial site in the future.

View more information about The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier on my website.

I visited Rapa Nui in 2007.

The moai of Easter Island are some of the most famous and iconic sculptures on Earth.

In the ten years since I visited I have been told tourism has increased dramatically. There were no proper hotels on the island when I visited. Now there are several.

There are still only two ways to get to the island: fly from Santiago, Chile, or fly from Tahiti. There are a small number of cruise ships which stop each year, but given its remote location, few bother to make the voyage.

Read more about Rapa Nui on my website.

I visited Tongariro National Park in 2007.

It is a lovely park situated in the center of the North Island of New Zealand.

Tongariro is best known in popular culture as the real life location of Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings Movies.

Getting here is easy to do by car and there are many tours and trekking options inside the park.

Read more about Tongariro National Park on my website.

I visited East Rennell in 2007.

Without a doubt East Rennell is one of the most remote, and difficult to visit world heritage sites on Earth.

To get there you need to fly from Honiara to Rennell. From there you then have to drive 20 miles on an unpaved road made of raised coral. We had EIGHT flat tires on our trip there.

Once you get to Lake Tegano you've reached the world heritage area, but the lodges are on the other side of the lake, which requires a final trip by boat.

Getting here is neither easy nor cheap, but it is a fantastic experience.

Read more about East Rennell on my website.

As many other people have noted in their reviews, this is an extremely frustrating site. Technically speaking, you can't really "visit" as it is privately owned and not open to the public.

I tried pulling all the strings I could with the Brussels and Flanders Tourism boards (I'm a travel photographer) and there was nothing they could do.

As far as I know only one group has been allowed in, in the last decade, and they were friends of the owners.

What is especially frustrating is that the facade of the structure doesn't even face the street. What you can see is actually the back of the house.

From everything I have read, the interior of the building is stunning and it is really worthy of world heritage status. Until the family can come to some sort of resolution, we have to wait visit this fine building.

Read more about the Stoclet House on my website.

Nowadays As-Salt is nothing more but a satellite city of Amman agglomeration. But until the First World War it was a serious rival of current Jordanian capital. It faced substantial growth particularly in the end of XIXth century, when many wealthy families from the land now called West Bank moved to As-Salt. During this time a Palestinian architect Abdel-Rahman Aqruq formed a new style calle „Arab eclecticism”. As the name suggests, the style was a mix: arabic tradition and european styles (classicism and (neo)gothic are clearly visible, so do secession elements). That style spread over the whole Middle East, which was these days united under Ottoman Empire. Given the importance of this movement, As-Salt will attempt inscription on World Heritage List in 2017.

I visited As-Salt driving from UNESCO site of Bethany beyond the Jordan to Amman. I had very limited time there and the weather was awful so the circumstances were not pleasant. Moreover, it was Friday and the Historical Old Salt Museum was closed. The museum is located in Abu Jaber House, which is probably the most famous expression of the new architectural style. Fortunately, tourist information was open and I was provided with maps proposing several different city walks, such es 'educational' or 'harmony' trail. Although they are interesting, none of them is exactly related to the potential iscription as a WHS. However, the most important buildings in the old town are supported with a plaque describing interesting facts and showing the distance to the next interesting …

Vienna developed from early Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It played an important role as a leading European music centre, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. See this new video of The World Heritage Traveler: Wien / Vienna & Schönbrunn

I visited 3 of the béguinages in January 2017.

The béguinages can be thought of as secular convents for women who were unmarried but didn't want to have to live with their families. They started during the crusades when there was a surplus of unmarried women due to so many men being sent off to war. Béguinages ceased their original purpose in the early 20th century.

Today they are just homes and properties where people live. Visiting them is very low key as the home are still in use. There are no formal visitor centers, and only a small amount of signage.

View my website to read more about the Flemish Beguinages.