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Montevideo is known for its Ciudad Vieja (Old City) which is mostly in Art Deco style with Palacio Selvo as the most iconic building. When I visited Uruguay Palacio Selvo was not open to visitors. It had antennas hanging over its top which made any attempt to take a decent photo of the monument fail. On postcards some photo shop was discretely applied to remove it. Now I read they are planning to dismantle the antenna.

The Ciudad Vieja is not spectacular and despite the fact it is the only such example of Art Deco I visited I guess there are other better examples available.

I first arrived in Cuzco from Arequipa after the bustrip-from-hell: 17,5 hours, driving over mountain passes at night in the snow. Cuzco then appeared to me as a dusty and chaotic large city. I ended up spending 4 nights there in total, before and after my trips to Machu Picchu and Manu National Park. The city nowadays essentially is a transportation hub for the region. It certainly has its merits but I did not like it that much.

In an hour or two you can visit the main sights of the historical center - the bling Cathedral, the disappointing Coricancha temple, and the original streets. What is left of the Inca times are merely some walls and sometimes the street pattern. Maybe the impression would have lasted more if I had seen Cuzco before Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo.

Probably not included in the WHS are the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuamán. This is a walled complex on the northern outskirts of the city. It was used as a military fortress and had ritual functions as well. Its main defensive wall has an elaborate zigzag shape. It's a nice hike to get there from the city center, and the construction has been done as perfectly as the Incas knew how to do it.

Beneath the soil of the village of Ban Chiang in Northeastern Thailand is where one of the oldest Bronze Age civilizations discovered in Asia with its unique designed potteries which can be found in many important museum in Europe; however, the site itself maybe the least visited WHS in this country. My visit to Ban Chiang happened while I was on my way to Laos and stopped at Udonthani which is the nearest city to Ban Chiang Village.

Just only 45 minute from Udonthani, I was at the village of Ban Chiang, the village was quite large and located on the big hill and decorated with many supersize reproductions of Ban Chiang potteries. The archeological site itself was divided into 2 areas, which I visited them both. The first area was the Ban Chiang National Museum; the museum itself was very well displayed of all discoveries in the area especially from the main archaeological sites behind the museum. From the museum I went to the second area, this area was located inside the Buddhist temple with smaller archaeological site showing many skeletons of ancient people and countless potteries.

I had to admit that I had no idea how to compared Ban Chiang with other archaeological site as this place is quite totally different from other archaeological site I had visited, small but very interesting, and its potteries were really beautiful. This humankind civilization was really unique that have to be seen and admired on. Ban Chiang,in my opinion, another great …

Machu Picchu’s iconic image is a pretty good representation of the site in general: high green mountain peaks surrounding a completely intact city structure made out of stone. The site is unbelievably photogenic – I took no less than 460 photos here on a half-day visit, the most ever at a WHS. Afterward you find out that you've taken dozens of the same shots, but well, fortunately, we have digital cameras now.

I walked the full circuit in about 3 hours and then settled down for a while in the residential part of the complex near the agricultural terraces. This is where the common people lived: they enjoyed great views over the valley and the terraces. This is a fine spot to enjoy Machu Picchu’s characteristic play between the sun and clouds. It was mostly clouded until about 10 a.m., and then the sun slowly started to take over, shining its light on different parts of the ruins as if putting it into a spotlight.

The site’s forte is what is called “man’s interaction with nature”. The Inca had found a wonderful part of the Andes and just started to shape one top into a city and religious complex. A gigantic task of course, all done by manpower alone.

The terraces tp me were especially impressive. No other structures or objects really stand out: the Inca were not big on decoration, and the few landmarks where the guided tour groups are led to are often difficult to …

As its name implies Banten Ancient City is now only a remnants of stones used to be a palace for the Sultanate of Banten. The sites seem to be neglected and abandoned. Many tourist, especially domestic moslems, come to the city not to praise its precious heritage but to visit the shrine of Mavlana Hassanudin (The first Sultan of Banten) as a Saint. The city is easy to reach from Cengkareng International Airport (CGK) by bus (DAMRI.) It's only 100km away from CGK. You can stay in Serang, the capital city of Banten Province and base your hotel here. The Banten Ancient City is only 10 km from Serang, about 15 minutes taxi ride.

When looking at this proposal I said I would only count it once I had visited one of the four major works of le Corbusier, for me these were: Villa Savoye in Poissy-sur-Seine, Unite d'Habitation in Marseille, Chappelle Notre Dame du Haute in Ronchamp (all in France) and the Government Buildings in Chandigarh (India). I finally got to visit one in early 2011 when I made the short hop out from central Paris to the Vila Savoye.

The Villa is one of the most iconic pieces of modernist architecture, and to my eye it is exceedingly beautiful. I was a little worried that visiting may not live up to my high estimation as it is very hard for something that looks so measured and perfect to actually seem so when you poke around. However I am happy to report that it seems to be in a pretty good state of repair, especially in comparison to other modernist sites I have visited such as the Tugendhat Villa.

The Villa Savoye is regarded as one of the master works of modernist architecture, especially because it demonstrates the 5 principles which le Corbusier laid out in his seminal work Vers une architecture, these are:

Pilotis, supporting columns which elevate the bulk of the building allowing a smooth transition from garden to building.

Roof Garden, which again help to marry the internal and external spaces, I really enjoyed this mixture during my visit, the ramp that runs the whole way through the …

I did my round along Arequipa´s churches and convent on an early Sunday morning. It was mother´s day as well, so most of the churches were open for services and generally packed. People walked in and out, so it was not difficult for me to get in as well.

La Compania was my first stop, and this one already has the sculptured façade that Arequipa is known for. The rest of the construction is quite bland and bulky, which makes the decorations at the front really stand out. This church also has a façade at the side, with a fine sculpture of a knight (St. James) and two mermaids. At San Francisco church I first clearly saw the enormous vaults that support so many of the buildings here in Arequipa – to survive another earthquake that will come sooner or later. Via the small La Merced and the 18th century San Agustin, I arrived at the Santo Domingo church where the wooden altar stands out.

The convent of Santa Catalina is the highlight of the city and could have earned WH status on its own merits alone. A tour will take you along the different parts of the convent, which walls are painted red, blue and yellow to soften the reflection of the sun on the naturally white silla. This colouring I think is one of the reasons tourists enjoy it so much, it is very picturesque. But the convent's history is fascinating too: the nuns here were …

This is one of the few truly unique sights in the world. And also a place I have dreamt of visiting since I was young. As it turned out, viewing the Nazca Lines is more of a total experience than just a visit to a sight. It’s the town of Nazca, quite touristy as it caters to the hundreds that pass by every day “just” to see the Lines. It’s the airport, where a dozen of companies offer nothing else than the same flight all day. It is the anticipation, waiting in the departure hall (Will my plane crash?, Will I be sick, Is it worth the hype?). It is the attitude of the large number of pilots walking around, even showier and more flirting than pilots in general.

In the end, I did enjoy my flight. I had booked it the night before via the hostel where I was staying after having arrived in Nasca by bus from Lima at 21.30. My flight was with Aeroparacas, but I don’t think it matters that much which company you choose. I was put into a plane with 3 Koreans, one of which got all white and sick early into the trip. There's one pilot that navigates the plane, and a co-pilot that yells the name of the geoglyph you can see on the ground outside of your window.

It takes one or two geoglyphs before it becomes easy to spot them and even have time left to try to …

How often have you had a WHS all to yourself? I can think of only a few times when it has happened to me (the last time was in Fontainebleau, of all places). Well, on the Tuesday morning that I arrived on foot at the entrance of El Fuerte, I was the first to sign the visitor book for the day. It was 10.15 by then already. The days before hadn't brought many visitors either: about 5-10 a day on average. The friendly lady in charge, who had seen me walking up from afar, sold me a ticket for 50 bolivianos (5 EUR), gave me a map, and sent me off on the prescribed circuit of the site.

The track is 2km long and involves quite some climbing until you get to the very top of the hill. There they've made two viewing platforms where you can admire the sculptures from above. It's really a weird slab of rock. I can see why imaginative researchers have come up with the hypothesis that the rock was used as a kind of airfield. It looks just like that little takeoff- and landing strip at Lukla in Nepal! Just a short stretch of flat road before taking off into an unsure flight amidst the mountains.

The map that is included with the entrance ticket shows the position of the most prominent sculptures, a bit like the map they give you in Nazca. The motifs here are even more difficult to distinguish …

The approach to Potosí is magnificent - the road from Sucre already is a fine drive of 2.5 hours mostly on the Altiplano, but the first sight of the Cerro Rico (where all Potosi's riches came from) is truly exciting. There have been reports over the last few years that it is in danger of collapsing totally because of over-mining, but it still seemed to be a very sturdy mountain to me. It completely dominates the compact city beneath it.

As in Sucre, opening hours to the sights of Potosi are fairly limited and unreliable. I had left Sucre early to be able to visit at least its main attraction - La Casa de la Moneda. This former Mint is now set up as a museum, displaying both parts of its former use and miscellaneous exhibitions on art, archeology, and geology. One of its prize pieces is the 18th century La Virgen del Cerro, a work of the Potosi school depicting the whole (partly mythical) story of the Cerro Rico.

I had decided against visiting the interior of one of the mines early on - too claustrophobic for me. So I just wandered about in the fine colonial city center, sat on its main square, visited the bright Santa Teresa Monastery, and even meandered into the outskirts of the city to have a look at one of the former smelters, the Ingenio San Marcos.

Knowing the city's history, it's an impressive place to visit. Though as with …

The eastern Bolivian landscape changes from ca. 30km before San Javier: the flat farmlands that surround Santa Cruz give way to light-green tropical plants and hills. This is Chiquitania, and they want you to know: signs along the road describe the history of the region and its Jesuit missions.

For my visit to the missions, I stayed in the Gran Hotel Concepcion for 2 nights and visited Concepcion and San Javier from there. Concepcion is the more atmospheric of the two towns. It has a fabulous square plaza, just like the Jesuits designed it. I started my visit at the Mission Museum – a great start as it has stories and models of all missions. And lots of woodwork that came from several churches. I especially liked the angels!

Somewhere I had read that the churches are only open for mass, but fortunately, that’s untrue. In Concepcion you can enter the church from the adjacent church museum. And the interior even is more lovely than the colourful outside would suggest. It has both paintings and wooden sculptures in a naïve kind of style. Not something you would see in your average Spanish (colonial) catholic church. And then there is that bell tower, all made out of wood.

On the same day, I also visited the church of San Javier – about an hour away by bus. Although it has a similar design as the one in Concepcion, there are a lot of differences too. I was lucky …

I arrived in Sucre by plane from La Paz on May 25. Little did I know that it was the yearly departmental holiday. Outside of the airport I even ran into the convoy of Presidente Evo Morales, who had made a quick visit to the Bolivian capital from his seat in La Paz. Two things to remember about Sucre: they like their festivities AND they are very proud to still be the official capital of the country.

I stayed for 5 nights in total, mostly to relax a little at a lower altitude than Cuzco and La Paz (where I did not sleep well) and also to visit neighbouring sites Potosi and Cal Orck'o. It's an elegant place, indeed all buildings in the city center are bright white. Seeing the sights of Sucre itself was as problematic as described in the review below by Iain Jackson. Somehow there always was a reason not to be open: the holiday, or just erratic opening hours. I mostly stumbled upon big locks closing the doors of churches and convents.

The most reliable bet is the Casa de La Libertad. Possibly the most interesting place too, as this is where the Bolivians (led by 2 Venezuelans) declared independence. Entrance is via a guided tour only. Mine was led by a very serious guide, showing us the treasures that are so important to his country. And to neighbouring countries as well, as it also holds the first Argentinian flag (both Kirchners had been …

Tiwanaku lies 72km to the west of La Paz. It's a very fine trip to get out there: you'll pass the buzzing suburb of El Alto and the quintessential Altiplano landscape with lama's, indigenous Aymara women in traditional dress, and mountain vistas.

The Tiwanaku site consists of 2 museums and an archeological site. The entrance fee for foreigners is 80 bolivianos (8 EUR), which gives you access to both museums and the site. The ceramics museum has a lot of pottery made by the Tiwanaku, as well as by their predecessors and the Inca. The "Lithic Museum" still only holds one piece - the Pachamama or Bennett Stele. It's a grand piece of work, a 7 meters high monolith, transported here from the center of La Paz where it had stood for years. It did not look as if other prominent findings were soon to join it in the "museum". Further development of both the museum and the archaeological site seems to have come to a stop. Our guide told us that there is a conflict between the local indigenous people and the Ministry of Culture on how to proceed.

The archeological site is spread out over a vast area, without many obvious highlights. The "pyramid" is just like a small hill. They hope to have it restored completely in 5 years, but that doesn't seem likely to me.

Having visited so many archeological sites in Peru, for me it was interesting to see the links between …

This is a WHS to love. I had not visited a site so inaccessible and obscure since Romania’s Dacian Fortresses last year. Only one WHS “collector” had been here before me. I had some trouble fitting it into my Peru itinerary. At first, I wanted to go there on a day trip from Lima, but these tours are very expensive and it takes over 3 hours one way to get to Caral. After some reshuffling, I decided to visit it from the nearest city, Barranca and spent a night there. This also breaks the long trip from Huaraz to Lima or the south of Peru in two.

My hotel in Barranca easily connected me to a driver for a half-day trip out there for 25 EUR. The road is now almost fully paved, so it takes only half an hour by car from Barranca to get to Caral. During the months from December to May, it is impossible to cross the river to access the archeological site. My driver did not want to take any chances, although the water level seemed pretty low to me. So we drove to the other access point somewhat to the east. From there you have to cross a bridge on foot, and walk 2km to the site. It is signposted well, and there also is a guard posted at the start of the footpath. This way you end up at the other side of the complex from the visitor center, so you’ll have …

I visited Chavin by public transport from Huaraz. It takes 3.5 hours via a mountain pass across the Cordillera Blanca. You will also pass through the Huascaran National Park (another WHS) en route. When the bus is approaching the village of Chavin, you have a great view of the archeological complex that is pasted to the mountain. Although it is mostly known for its underground galleries, the sight of the main temple in its natural setting was a pleasant surprise to me as I had never seen photos of the complex.

I hired a guide to show me around (5 EUR, only in Spanish). The main structure consists of a grand pyramidical temple with a rectangular square in front of it. It was at this square where the religious ceremonies were held that the pilgrims came to attend. It is laid out almost like a modern-day stadium, with rows of stairs on the sides to sit on and watch the spectacle.

The site has suffered from a landslide and an earthquake, so some of it is not in its original location. Large sculpted stones are scattered over the area. Replicas of the Raimondi stele and the Tello obelisk can be seen.

A few things have survived in situ however: the Lanzon, a finely sculptured monolith hidden in a gallery, and one of the cornerstones in the shape of an anthropomorphic figure at the outside of the wall. The guide pointed out the large noseholes and wide open …

Huascaran is a popular area for hikers. The regional centre of Huaraz is well-geared to serve them, and it is a pleasant place to stay for a couple of days. I encountered many Swiss travelers here - mysteriously attracted to a landscape that is quite similar to that in their home country. Huascaran's forte clearly is the beauty of its snowcapped peaks.

For a non-walker, the easiest way to see the National Park is to take a tour from Huaraz to the Lagunas Llanganuco. This kind of tour is conducted daily. Like other organized day tours that I have taken in Peru, they try to take in too much in a too short time span. The guides only speak Spanish but are pretty knowledgeable.

The Huascaran peak was hidden behind clouds for the first part of our tour. There are supposedly great vistas from the towns in the valley below. One of these towns is Yungay, forever connected to the mountain after an earthquake and a consequential avalanche destroyed the village in 1970. They now have turned the location of the former village into an impressive place of remembrance.

After several stops in the valley, we finally reached the first of the Lagunas Llanganuco. It's a pretty turquoise glacier lake. There are some short walks in the area that let you come close to the plant life here. The lake is partly surrounded by the typical Polylepis Forest. Animal life is much more scarce.

On our …

My visit to Great Zimbabwe was amazing.It showed what can happen if we work together.Although what seemed to bother me was why some books i have read about G.Z tell of a different beginning of this wonderful site.I only hope that everyonne in Zimbabwe can spare some time to visit this historic site of Zimbabwe.There is also the issue of entry fees which has risen unepectedly.$5 an adult is no joke.With a family like mine it is very expensive,but pay it is worth it.

Chan Chan is a very vast site located in the Peruvian coastal desert. Its setting reminded me of Ancient Merv in Turkmenistan – a desolate location under the radiant sun, where you really don’t want to walk. The only part open to visitors is the Palacio Nik An, one of 9 similar units at the site. It does see more visitors than I had expected: 90,000 in 2009, mostly Peruvians from Lima (and 760 fellow Dutchmen). I visited on a Saturday and there were many tour groups around.

What you will see there is a lot of sand and adobe. Walking around the palace is like walking through a maze of plazas and walled compounds. Its best features are the clay friezes that adorn the walls. Most of them have marine scenes – depicting the sea, fish, pelicans, fish nets, and sea lions. The “authenticity” of this site is somewhat dubious - ICOMOS called the restoration of the palace a "highly criticized pastiche". The urban layout is original of course, but most of the friezes are replicas. They are a bit too perfect and complete to be convincing. For better and more original friezes you really have to visit the nearby Huaca de La Luna, a brilliant Moche-site that should be a WHS but isn’t even on Peru’s T-list.

I visited Chan Chan on a tour from Trujillo. However, I would recommend going there by yourself (by taxi or bus), so you will have enough time to see …

The background of this nomination is a bit of a mystery to me, as the short introduction on the Unesco-website is an unintelligible paragraph that seems to have been generated by Google Translate from Spanish into English. Something about "a lot of real landmarks".

I guess chances for any Spanish-colonial historical center to get into the List nowadays are not great, but Trujillo's architecture definitely has a special touch. Most remarkable is the wrought-iron grillwork that adorns the historic mansions in the city center. These buildings all have been turned into practical use, especially banks seem to favour these as their location for business. When I visited on a Friday morning, the Plaza de Armas was taken over by a parade of marching children representing different schools. A militarist display likes this is something you would rarely see outside of South America. It would have been unheard of at my school in the Netherlands at least: we did not do much outside of the curriculum except for the yearly Easter football tournament. But it looked totally appropriate to Trujillo.

I would not make the trek out to the north of Peru just to see this though - about 2 hours is enough here, the historical center is not big. But you will have to get here anyway if you plan to visit the nearby WHS of Chan Chan and the Moche Ruins.

Recently went to Tu Lou sites in Yongding County and elsewhere in a more rural setting.

These buildings are certainly interesting, though to a certain extent it's a case of 'seen one, seen them all'. Only to a certain extent, however, and as long you choose buildings in different areas (rural v town edge, for example, or different styles (Hakka v Fujian), then they remain of interest.

For me, however, the big downside was the sale of cheap tourist souvenirs and other stuff everywhere. Every unit on the ground floors of most of the tulou we visited was flogging this stuff, and the internal courtyard was marred by large, brightly coloured umbrellas, there to keep the sun off the stallholders.

In addition, although tea is offered 'free' to drink, you are pushed to buy. That's fine, but there appears to be a lot of cheating going on via bait and switch. The tea you drink is nice, but the tea you buy is not. I found this particularly distasteful in a World Heritage Site.

I would suggest that consideration is given to ways of taking the sale of souvenirs out of the tulou in order to retain an element of their original feel and splendour. At present, they are marred.