Tuesday, July 10, 2007

New 7 Wonders

So the New 7 Wonders have been announced and they are:

I've been to the first five on this list but not the last two. Personally, this is not the list I would have chosen. Here's my list of the New 7 Wonders (which disqualifies the great pyramid of Giza since it's one of the original 7 wonders):


Of these sites, I've been to the first six. In looking over my choices, I realize that I have a bias toward ancient feats of engineering. The youngest structure on my list was built over 500 hundred years ago (Machu Picchu) and gets the nod for its unbelievable location. Perhaps it was the 3 day hike to get there but Machu Picchu is easily one of the most spectacular sites I've ever seen. Here's my list of runner-ups and why they didn't make the cut. Interestingly enough, I haven't been to any of these sites. Perhaps they'd make the cut if I actually saw them:

Close calls (spectacular, but not spectacular enough)
Petra, Jordan
Timbuktu, Mali
Bet Giorgis, Ethiopia
Golconda Fort, India
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Too Recent:
Taj Mahal, India

Too Primative:
Stonehenge
Easter Island
Nazca Lines

Other:
Great Zimbabwe


Man, I'm getting itchy feet....

Comments:
I have only been to 4 of the new 7. The Taj Mahal should DEFINITELY be on the list. The Great Wall? Not so much.
I think you should get to Angkor, it is pretty damn amazing (so is Bagan for that matter). The Redeemer over Lady Liberty? I'll call it: bullshit popularity contest.
I couldn't come up with my own new list but if I did, I know the only ancient wonder still around would not be left off the list (I've never been there either). They should have a list of modern engineering marvels. Maybe even a list for us hated USAmericans. You know: The Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Damn, Mt. Rushmore, Great Alaskan Pipeline, Statue of Liberty, the Pentagon, the Arch of St. Louis. Whatever.
 
I agree with Tyler on a few points, most notably that there's no way the Christ the Redeemer statue deserves to be on the list. As for the Great Wall, I'd definitely substitute the Chin Emperor's tomb in Xi'an if they'd ever dig it up. That being said, I think the sheer magnitude of the Great Wall deserves inclusion.

Also, to reiterate, the Taj Mahal is too recent for inclusion on my list of Wonders of the World. Once again, my attitude might change if I ever see it in person.

Finally, with all your travels, Tyler, you of all people should be able to come up with a list! Get off your butt and come up with one!
 
Oh all right but you will not like it (and in no particular order):
Giza
Taj Mahal
Machu Pichu
Petra
Angkor (Siam Reap)
Chichen Itza
Statue of Liberty

Not quite on my list:
Forbidden City
Great Wall
Bagan (Myanmar or Burma)
Borobadur (Indonesia)
The Jainist Temples of Mt. Ginar (Gujarat, India)
THE Coliseum
Stone Henge (boring!)
Easter Island Statues

Let's go green with my natural wonders of the world:
Great barrier Reef
Yosemite Valley
Mt. Everest (and the Himalayas as a whole)
The Amazon River
Iguazu Falls (Brasil, Argentina)
Uluru/Kata Tjuta
The Grand Canyon

Just missed greenies:
Culca Canyon (Peru)
Cerro Torre/Fitzroy (Argentina)
Gray Glacier (Chile)
Mt. Bromo volcanic range (Java, Indonesia)
Halong Bay (Vietnam)
The Mekong River
The California Giant Sequoia
Aurora/Austral borealis
Tioman Island (Malaysia)
Milford Sound, NZ (probably the whole South Island)
The Canadian Rockies
The Swiss Alps
The Sahara Desert
Antarctica
Angel Falls, Victoria Falls, Niagra Falls this list goes on and on!

I always have the itch.
 
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