The Pop Culture Travel Guide

Tag: UNESCO

Temple Troubles: Thailand and Cambodia Fight On

10/14/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: , , , , (all tags)

It was back in July that we first mentioned the temple trouble between Thailand and Cambodia as they fought over the newly UNESCO Heritage-listed Preah Vihear temple on their disputed border. And we thought it'd all be over soon and we could put this place back on our want-to-visit list.

Not so. Since then, there have been more protests and even a short skirmish between Thai and Cambodian soldiers that left three people injured. Landmines have also caused a few injuries.

This week, the two sides finally sat down for a chat again. But the only result seems to be that Cambodia has told Thailand it has to get its troops out, and the Thais have said they're staying there to do more mine clearance work. Which means that planning a visit to the gorgeous Preah Vihear will have to stay on our "postponed" list.

Related Stories:
· Cambodia, Thailand Resume Talks on Border Spat [AFP, via Google]
· What Are Thailand and Cambodia Fighting About? [Jaunted]
· Cambodia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mofaitsontdm]

0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak

Possible Museum Travel: Egypt's Underwater Treasures

Where: Egypt

9/17/2008 at 9:50 AM
Tags: , , (all tags)

Serious hidden treasures from Cleopatra's palace lie beneath the waters of the Mediterranean, off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. And a proposed underwater museum will showcase these sunken wonders if UNESCO determines that the project is feasible.

Cleopatra's palace was built on an island in one of the largest human-made bays on the planet. Earthquakes unfortunately submerged her opulent lair until the 1990s when archaeologist-divers found the thousands of precious objects.

The museum could be truly astounding, showing off 26 sphinxes, statues bearing gifts to the gods, Roman and Greek shipwrecks and pieces of the Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse--one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

Related Stories:
· Underwater Museum Planned for Egypt's Alexandria [National Geographic]
· Egypt Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Seven Wonders of the World coverage [Jaunted]

0 Comments - Add Yours by Dan Gould

UNESCO Travel: Heritage Sites Through the Eyes of Artists

9/05/2008 at 1:30 PM
Tags: , , , (all tags)

If you're headed to San Diego for one of two film festivals in the next few weeks, then there's something else to add to your itinerary. A new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego features works from artists that have spent time in World Heritage Sites around the globe.

The exhibit, Human/Nature: Artists Respond to a Changing Planet, concentrates on the environment. For example, artist Mark Dion stalked reptiles in Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Other artists visited the Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves in Brazil and the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador for inspiration.

If you're interested in a visit, the feature is running through early 2009. Admission into the museum will cost you $10, includes access to the museum's permanent collections as well.

Related Stories:
· Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego [Official Site]
· Human/Nature: Artists Respond to a Changing Planet [Official Site]
· Museums coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tunachilli]

0 Comments - Add Yours by kjb

Music Travel: Glasgow's Officially a Creative City

8/27/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: , , , (all tags)

We're big fans of UNESCO's Creative Cities program which so far has quite rightly crowned Berlin as a City of Design and let Santa Fe don the cap of City of Folk Art. This month a new creative city has stepped up: Glasgow has been official christened a UNESCO City of Music.

Being a City of Music, according to UNESCO, is meant to help Glasgow preserve its music culture as well as make it an extra-attractive tourist destination. Home to great indie bands like Franz Ferdinand and Belle & Sebastian, and with a typical week of music in the city totalling 127 different gigs, you'd be hard pressed not to find something musical to entertain you on a night out in Glasgow.

Related Stories:
· Glasgow's Music Scene Recognised with Rare Honour From UNESCO [The Independent]
· Take Me Out to Glasgow [Jaunted]
· UNESCO coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: turquoise boy]

0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak

Out of Bridges, Austrian Wants to Sell You a Lake

8/12/2008 at 11:01 AM
Tags: , , , (all tags)


Nicolette Waechter is tired of her family's lake in the resort district of Salzkammergut in Austria. So she's selling Mondsee, and €16 million ($24 million) seems to be the going price.

Mondsee, or Moon Lake, is about a mile wide and 10 miles long, and it's one of only five lakes of substantial size in Austria that is still privately owned. It's also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has lent its name to a Neolithic people who built pile dwellings on its shores between 3600 BC and 3300 BC.

But it's not without problems: Waechter has lost numerous court cases trying to ban motorboats on the lake. At least one potential buyer would probably be happy with those rulings, though. Local tabloids say billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-creator of Red Bull, is interested.

Related Stories:
· One of Austria's Privately Owned Lakes for Sale [AFP, via Google]
· World Heritage Sites coverage [Jaunted]

0 Comments - Add Yours by pbb

What Are Thailand and Cambodia Fighting About?

7/24/2008 at 11:18 AM
Tags: , , , , , (all tags)


For more than a week, the Southeast Asian neighbors have been locked in a standoff that the Cambodian Foreign Minister has called an "imminent state of war." But what about? Some kind of temple? Exactly.

MORE...

0 Comments - Add Yours by pbb

Adventures of Link: Even More UNESCO

7/09/2008 at 5:15 PM
Tags: , , , (all tags)

Those UN apparatchiks in charge of telling you what's worth seeing have just added 27 more wonders to their list of World Heritage Sites. (And you had just finished seeing the first 851 of them!)

Not on the list? Crème brûlée, much to the dismay, no doubt, of Nicholas Sarkozy, who was lobbying for it. France did get some love, though, with the addition of the fortifications at Vauban and the lagoons of New Caledonia.

Perhaps most notable is San Marino, which had its historic center and Mount Titano added to the list. So how many of the country's 61 square kilometers aren't UN protected?

Related Stories:
· The Full List of New World Heritage Sites [Official Site]
· Latest World Heritage Sites Announced [Vagablogging]
· Does Creme Brulee Qualify? UNESCO Says No. [WorldHum]
· UNESCO Adds 27 New Sites to List [VOA]
· World Heritage Sites coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of San Marino from Mount Titano: Wikimedia]

1 Comment - Add Yours by pbb

Cinco de Mayo Travel: Where is Puebla, Mexico?

5/05/2008 at 11:01 AM
Tags: , , , , (all tags)


¡Oye, Cinco de Mayo! We're already three micheladas deep, but we thought you'd wanna know why everyone's pounding Mexican beer today. The fifth of May is the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, an epic fight between the Mexican army and the French expeditionary forces of Napoleon. The Mexicans, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, won, which is why it's a day worth remembering.

Interestingly, the Poblanos were French sympathizers, which led to an nominative bitch slap when the city's name was officially changed to Heróica Puebla de Zaragoza after the battle.

These days, Puebla is an important cultural capital, in south-central Mexico. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city's home to some of the country's most famous dishes like mole poblano and chalupas. Also worth a try is the cemita, a huge sandwich served on a sesame roll that's sort of like a Mexican muffaletta. Trust us: It'll go down easy with a ton of frosty beer.

Related Stories:
· Mexico Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· World Heritage Sites coverage [Jaunted]
· Google Maps/Where Is... coverage [Jaunted]

0 Comments - Add Yours by pbb

Next 8 >>



Submit a Tip

Advertisements

ADVERTISE ON JAUNTED

Get Alerts!
Travel Stories Straight To Your Inbox.