The New7Wonders Foundation has recently provisionally nominated the New 7 Wonders of Nature from Zurich, Switzerland. The list was selected by a combination of votes and "expert judging" from a group of 28 finalists. There are some big ones missing like the Grand Canyon and Great Barrier Reef. I'm not sure I like this list very much, but I thought it was worth posting.
If you were to take a survey of human beings and ask what the funniest animal is, the overwhelming majority would answer "Monkeys". They're so similar to us, but still so different. There's something strangely familiar about the monkey, but still so animalistic. They have no rules and rely purely on their instincts, which means they're constantly getting into trouble and goofing around, which is what makes them so funny to us. Below are the top 10 places to visit if you want to see monkeys in the wild.
When traveling through the Philippines, we found ourselves in Cebu for 2 days, waiting for a flight to the island of Siargao. We didn't really know what we wanted to do, and in doing a little research discovered the island of Bohol, just a couple hours away from Cebu by ferry. The island, pronounced very similar to "Butthole", is best known for the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. When we arrived, we decided to rent scooters and explore the island that way. One of our destinations, a lazy 45 minute scooter ride away from our resort in the Mactan Island area of Bohol, was the Loboc River.
I'm a huge fan of animals, especially getting to see exciting things like lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys, etc. in the wild. When planning my time in Mumbai, India I was happy to find the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the north of the city. With limited time, and considering what I read, I figured I'd skip the nature walk and mainly just do the Lion and Tiger Safari (supposedly there's a good chance of seeing some leopards as well). Sounds cool right? Well I'm here to tell you it's not...
For any adrenaline fueled, adventure seeking individual planning on visiting Costa Rica, ziplining is a must! A perfect resort to encounter this experience was near the remote location of La Fortuna, a quaint town boasting a reputation for its spectaular setting overlooking the Arenal Volcano.
A opportunity to have an up close and personal encounter with one of the top 10 most active volcanos in the world may be an alarming and somewhat daunting prospect to many, but combining spectacular and breathtaking surroundings with a chance to witness a volcano in full flow (excuse the pun!), results in the Arenal Volcano National Park being a place definately worth checking out. The Volcano itself, set amongst a wildlife infested rainforest, is located roughly 16km west of La Fortuna, the areas most popular and well catered for local town. This is in fact where the majority of tours operate from and due to the number of hostels and budget hotels it provides an ideal location for any visitor who wishes to spend some time in the area.
As soon as you arrive in Australia, you're going to hear about Fraser Island and The Whitsundays. Everybody sees Fraser Island by 4X4, which is amazing and has to be done, but while there I highly recomend you also splurge and pay the $75 to take the breif scenic flight over the island. How many places in the world do you get to use the beach as your runway? You get to see things from a completely different perspective; you also get to see things you probably won't make it to by car like Butterfly Lake. Chances are on a nice day you'll spot Stingrays, Manta Rays, Dolphins, and maybe even sharks. This is one of those things you need to put in perspective, I know $75 sounds like a lot, but take a night off the drink and do this instead.
San Juan Del Sur is Nicaragua's Premier destination on the Pacific. The colorful buildings and gorgeous beaches make it an ideal stopover on your way through Nicaragua. Flying into Managua International Airport, take the local "chicken bus" to get to San Juan Del Sur. In Nicaragua they use re-painted old school buses for their public transport, you'll be amongst almost entirely locals, its cheaper and more fun.
Q. Can you whip me up a quick travel guide to Vietnam? I know the basics, but anything you did, saw, ate, good places you stayed, etc which you recommend? Thanks!
Q. I'm going to be in China and Korea for a school consulting project in May, but have about 12 days to travel on the back end and want to go to SE Asia for a bit. I just wanted your thoughts on how to best spend my relatively short amount of time and money.
