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Avila was the most amazing place, but recently they have destroyed so much of the town and it has lost much of its charm. The new building in the Plaza Major is horrid, as is the new Plaza Major. It is very sad. I spent almost every summer of my life there and my mother lives in Avila. Our entire family is very upset at the horrible things they are doing to our once favorite place.

I have spent a great deal of time in Kyoto and it never ceases to break my heart.

The city itself is an utter monstrosity, a nightmare mess of urban planning.

There are some wonderful spots in the city, but these are marred by the city itself. Many of the temples, gardens and shrines are almost ruined by tacky souvenir stalls that seem to dog this country's tourist sites.

I have visited virtually all of the temples and sites inscribed on the list and would recommend the following:- (1)Byodo-In, one of the few remaing Heian period buildings left in Japan. It is a real gem. (2) Enryaku-Ji. A wonderful mountain-top temple that has beautiful views over Lake Biwa. (3) Nijo-Jo. One of the most outstanding palaces remaining in Japan.

The most visited temple is Kinkaku-Ji - the Gold Pavillion. I find this place rather gaudy and overdone. It is a relatively recent creation, built in 1955 after the original was burnt down.

Nishi-Hongan-Ji is currently undergoing a massive face-lift and rebuilding project. The Kondo Hall will be off limits for several years.

Ginkaku-Ji (The Silver Pavillion) is looking a bit worse for wear these days and could use a lick of paint.

Re-building is something that always has to be born in mind with Japanese temples - what you are looking at may be advertised as being 700 years old, but it could easily be a modern re-construction.

Despite the touristy nature of virtually all of Japan's ancient sites, Nara is one place where you can get some idea of what Japan used to be like before everything old was almost entirely replaced with concrete.

Todai-Ji is a magnificent building and the Daibutsen Buddha is a jaw-dropping spectacle. This is, without question, the star of Nara-Koen and possible the highlight of all of Japan's cultural relics.

The rest of the park is also fascinating, with the 5 storey pagoda of Kofuku-Ji another gem.

The Ancient forest (also on the World Heritage list) at the back of the parkland is well worth hiking around for a few hours. It's a great way to get away from the crowds.

The Qutb Minar complex is an incredible self-proclamation of Islams arrival in India. When you consider the age of the Minar itself it makes it all the more impressive.

The unrusted ancient iron pole at the site is a wonderful unsolved mystery. How can iron be so pure that it doesn't rust?

An outstanding memorial to Akbar's arrogance!

I would highly recommend a visit to Fatepur Sikri, but please be aware that it is a tourist trap of the highest order. There are touts and marble salesmen everywhere.

Still, this cannot detract from the majesty of Akbar's Grand Mosque. The gateway is simple jaw-dropping.

Unfortunately the site is need of some loving care and attention from Archeological Survey of India - many parts are in a tragic state of repair.

Kipling said it was the 'Gateway through which all dreams must pass'.

Tagore said that is was 'A tear on the face of Eternity'.

Those descriptions sum this wonderful place up better than anything I could say. It's just a shame about the entry fees.

The Temple of Heaven and its surrounding park is a magical place. The temple itself is unsual and beautiful.

I would also recommend visiting the Fasting Palace section of the park. It is less restored and virtually free from visitors.

Whilst the Summer Palace does not compare to the Forbidden City or the Great Wall, it is still an impressive site. As with the Forbidden City it is over-run with tour groups, but a little bit of effort climbing up to some of the more 'remote' parts of the site will reap rewards.

Whilst parts of the Palace were disgracefully vandalised by Anglo-French forces, it is interesting to note that more recent damage, from the Cultural Revolution (mainly the damage to the Buddhist section) is unrestored (and the blame unapportioned).

The Forbidden City is possibly the most packed tourist attraction I've ever visited. Thankfully, it is still well worth the visit.

The sheer scale and opulence of the place it quite astonishing.

My friends and I walked from Jingshanling to Simatai. It was 10km of hard slog, in a 40 degree heat! But, it was worth every step. This part of the Wall is relatively unrestored and is, at times, treacherous.

Walking the wild Wall is an experience that I'll never forget. Don't go to the tourist wall, head somewhere like this - you won't regret it for a second.

One of the most memorable experiences of my entire life.

The Terracotta Army itself is a truly wonderful site. Upon first glance the army in hall 1 appears to be interesting, but nothing amazing. After a few moments the astonishing scale of the site and the incredible detail of the work becomes clear. The longer you spend around the warriors the more impressed you become. At 90 yuan the site is good value, and you won't regret the hours spent wandering around the site.

The burial mound of Qin is 1.5km away and is unexcavated. It is of limited interest compared to the Terracotta army.

The Ming Tomb in Nanjing, which is part of this site, is interesting but unspectacular.

The burial mound itself has not been excavated and is only of passing interesting.

Since its addition to the world heritage list the tomb's entry fee has been raised to 50 yuan. This is a rather exhorbitant figure considering the nature of the site.

There is a lot of modern mythology surrounding Tibet in the outside world (outside of Asia especially). I found 'Demystifing Tibet' to be a good and frank introduction to the ineptness of the Tibetan government in response to change, and why and how China has interfered frequently to alter Tibet's behaviour to its own advantage. China behaves like a superpower to its satellite nations. It is however the Cultural Revolution that devastated China and Tibet beyond recognition. Traditional Chinese culture survives in the satellite Chinese societies of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and Southeast Asia. We returning Chinese find the mainlanders so alien to us, so empty and soulless.

I live in Shanghai now, and it seems like Tibet is having their revenge. The current material prosperity has manifested deep spiritual emptiness among the Chinese. I regularly see lamas from Tibet, Kham, Amdo being sponsored to rebuild their destroyed monasteries by the newly rich Chinese, who turn to them to pray for their own merit and salvation. This relationship is not very different from that during the imperial times, where Tibetan monasteries received Qing imperial patronage. Same deal here. What I find sad is more the lay Tibetan farmers, nomands having no access to education which might actually give them a fighting chance with the more wiley, business minded Chinese. Tibetan theocracy was not very kind to Tibetans, if you actually are honest with yourself and do your research. Chinese materialism coupled with the rise of the monasteries again is …

You can get really close to old Beijing at the Temple of Heaven, but you have to get there early! Me and my friends were tipped that large numbers of old Chinese retirees (about 400 and above) congregate in the Temple of Heaven park's Southern Gate, opposite Hongqiao shopping complex. Go there at about 5.30 am, you can mix in with the crowds without paying, and watch them practicing swordplay, Beijing opera, tango in the old faded Ming-style corridors. It is a very magical sight.

Better still, at about 7.30am in the morning (depending on season), wait for the ticket booth to open, buy the first ticket and rush in! You will have the entire Temple of Heaven complex to yourself, and we got a taste of what it was like for the Emperor, the sacred silence, the sanctity of the site, all to yourself before the crowds start coming in minutes later. It's worth it, but my best memories are still that sprightly middle aged man and his young dance parter prancing the foxtrot along the ancient corridors, surrounded by streaming rays of morning light. Magic!

Xidi and Hongcun are precious gems, getting there is fun! We had our own rented minivan, and left Huangshan very early. We passed the countryside covered in mist and bamboo forests, it looked like Switzerland with the river, the black-and-white ancient villages! I wrote this in the Huangshan section, but it's worth repeating. Try visiting some of the other villages enroute to Hongcun and Xidi, they are quite similar in style, minus the commercial atmosphere.

Having said that, I know that our group blends in with the local Chinese backpackers, so we never have problems with permits. I'm not sure if you don't look Chinese if there's a way around this.

Huangshan is uniquely Chinese, and if you could discount the crowds, the peddlers and the loudspeakers, it will touch you with its grandeur.

The best part for me was after dark. I went to PaiYunLou (Cloud Dispelling Pavilion) with a few friends, we lay down on a cliff side and saw the valley spread below us, and counted shooting stars through the night! Very special!

The old black-and-white towns unique to Anhui province that lie scattered around Huangshan are worth a visit too. If you can, book your own bus and visit the less well known towns other than the ones listed on the World Heritage list to avoid Chinese crowds, loudspeakers and peddlers.

Visited the "floating torii" the weekend of June 19-20, 2004. This place was beautiful and fun. Located on the island of Miyajima and just situated for a love scene. From the wild-tamed deer to the many traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies being conducted added more romance to the shrine. A most definate and now I can see why it is considered 1/3 most beautifulest places to visit in Japan.

Well I just returned from the city of Hiroshima the weekend of June 19-20. Beautiful city, the buildings left reminaing or a site to see as well as the "A" Dome in its original state. War is war proven through centuries of history. The dome is a reminder of what weapons of mass destruction can do yet I felt the museuem was hippocritical and looking for sympathy instead of educating. Taking facts and bending them too much and having 90 percent of the artifacts of that belonging to children. Seems that the City forgot what the country did in Nanking, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pearl Harbor, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the list will always continue... And what it would have took to end the war in the Pacific. This place willl leave the ignorant in history take it for what it is and not what it should be.

As I lived in the area for years I had many chances to explore the Blue Mountains. Pack your hiking boots, food and drink and don't underestimate the distances!!!!! Be prepared. There are many, many hiking trails and camp sites (free) and maps are easy to come by. The Blue Mountains are an exhilirating, mind boggling, soul soothing experience if you are willing to do just a little walking. And yes, do go in winter because the heat in summer can be oppressing and the valleys might be inaccessible due to the fire danger.

Sevilla is indeed a sophisticated city like many in large cities in Europe. It is also full of historic detail. We took one of the local bus tours around the city which is alot easier than driving yourself. The historic center is fairly difficult to navigate and we kept going in circles without finding our destination, the Alcazar, finally parking and walking to it. The Alcazar- magnificent mudejar palace. I didn't think it could get better than the Alhambra (Granada) but it did. I especially enjoyed the grounds and the watering system the Moors employed. I climbed to the top the Giralda and I was grateful they had little displays on the landings where one could catch their breath. Wonderful view of Sevilla from the top. The Cathedral is indeed massive and very interesting. The city has many beautiful parks and gardens, an oasis of color. We attended a Flamenco dinner show that our hotel had recommended and it was very entertaining and the food very good. There are also ceramic/pottery shops where the products are made across the river from the bullring, but I can't remember the name of the area. I really enjoyed our stay in Sevilla.