# data[].attributes.body
Wow!let’s travel.Clinton

# data[].attributes.body
Hey, join me at "360’ journey" on the Spaces by Wix app to easily stay updated and more on the go.
Join with this link: http://wix.to/OtagbgY?ref=so. Got the app? Use the invite code: 2XZWHS

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Blog - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blog - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EPGDABR, short for “El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar National Biosphere Reserve”, is another rarely visited WHS in the far North of Mexico. After contemplating a lot of options on how to get there (Fly to Mexicali and rent a car? Take a bus the loooong way west from Chihuahua?), I stumbled upo…

# data[].attributes.body
A family blog
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvguide.com%2Fa%2Fimg%2Fcatalog%2Fprovider%2F1%2F1%2F1-1762050443.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvguide.com%2Ftvshows%2Fdog-with-a-blog%2F1030416722%2F&tbnid=sUNS-hxCKm7UlM&vet=12ahUKEwj-xOmI_-_1AhVWt6QKHWeJCD8QMygsegUIARC_Ag..i&docid=j4Ifn9VmvXn5AM&w=1200&h=1800&q=a%20blog%20on%20family&hl=en-GB&ved=2ahUKEwj-xOmI_-_1AhVWt6QKHWeJCD8QMygsegUIARC_Ag

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A travel blog about excursions to UNESCO World Heritage Sites and selected other destinations.

# data[].attributes.body
https://blog.toughbook.eu/blog/cultural-and-diversity-differences-are-strength-business

# data[].attributes.body
https://nortonbooks.typepad.com/everydaysociology/2007/12/whats-in-a-name.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everyday Sociology Blog: What’s in a name? Race and Ethnicity in the United States

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Janis Prince Inniss Recently I departed from my custom of styling my own hair, and tried to find a beauty salon for a new hairstyle. I needed someone who could style my hair texture, so I called nearby salons...

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.katieellison.co.uk/travel/a-family-trip-to-london-and-a-couples-trip-to-leeds-with-jurys-inn-and-leonardo-hotels/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
EPGDABR, short for "El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar National Biosphere Reserve", is another rarely visited WHS in the far North of Mexico. After contemplating a lot of options on how to get there ( Fly to Mexicali and rent a car? Take a bus the loooong way west from Chihuahua?), I stumbled upon a 2-day / 1-night camping tour out of the Sonaran state capital of Hermosillo. It ticked all my boxes as it would cover both the sand dunes (Gran Desierto) and the volcanic landscape (El Pinacate), provide transport & lodging, and it was cheap and convenient as well. This WHS is complicated in many ways, so brace yourself for a long review.

The first question that needs to be answered is "What is it exactly about?". The landscape is a mix of volcanic craters, cactuses, high sand dunes, and starry nights, all in the Sonaran Desert. As the long name already suggests, it covers actually two adjacent areas with different values. I can see that for management purposes they have been linked, but it does feel like visiting two different sites. El Pinacate I would describe as "Iceland with cactuses", while the Gran Desierto de Altar is like a smaller version of the Namib Sand Sea. The fabled "stark contrast of a dark-coloured area comprised of a volcanic shield and spectacular craters and lava flows within an immense sea of dunes" (OUV Statement) I found a bit prosaic, as the two areas only touch at certain points.

Its main volcanic features are the Maar craters: shallow craters formed by steam blasts. We visited Cerro Colorado (known for its colouring during sunset) and El Elegante (just a pretty one!). Note that it took at least an hour on a bumpy unpaved road to reach Cerro Colorado, and the other ones are even deeper inside the Reserve. The circuit is signposted, there are car parks and an easy hiking trail will get you to the edge of the craters. We didn't encounter any other tourists during our visit to El Pinacate, we only met one park ranger on patrol by car.

There is a campground inside the park, in an area called Tecolote. It is nothing more than a flat area to pitch your tent plus a few benches and fire pits. It easily had space for our 15 tents. Only after a dog came begging in the evening when we had sausages roasting on the fire, we noticed that we had neighbours as well: 2 females (+ dog) in a van. The camp area also has two short trails and two smaller volcanic cones to climb.

In the 1940s and 1950s, parts of the area have been mined for its volcanic rock and pyroclastic material. It was used to build highway #2 and for construction purposes. Cinder mining has ceased since it was declared a national Biosphere Reserve, but it has left it with another colourful attraction. The Laja cone (see 2nd photo) shows its rusty-red colours due to the high iron levels. The top of the cone has collapsed due to mining.

When you stand on top of one of the volcanic cones and scan the surrounding desert, your eyes cannot evade the brown stripe in the distance to the north. It is what the Mexicans call "The Wall of Trump". Actually more a fence, it is the physical border that was built from 2020 on. As it limits the "connectivity and movement of key wildlife populations, such as the Sonoran Pronghorn and the Bighorn Sheep", the WHC in its last session has urged the US and Mexico to an "assessment of impacts that the construction works might have already had on the OUV of the property". Although I can see that the Mexicans find the whole construction an unnecessary provocation, it must be said that the aforementioned highway #2 on the Mexican side also is an eyesore with its continuous flow of white trucks. Many sheep will have been killed there as well. We did not see one mammal by the way, during our full 26-hour visit to the site.

The fence doesn't only limit the movements of larger animals between Mexico and the USA, it was meant to prevent human migration. The Reserve's Schuk Toak Visitors Center does focus on the story of the Tohono O'odham, the native people of the area. Maps show how they used a network of ancient salt trails to get around this barren region. One wonders whether the site couldn't have been proposed as a cultural landscape as well.

A few km beyond the Visitors Center, the sand dunes start. My tour mates liked this part of the tour the best, for me, it was a bit of "Been There, Done That". It's a hot walk for about 2km through the desert until you reach the golden sands. Its specialty is the very large star dunes, with sharp edges created by winds coming from many different directions. There were a few other US and Mexican day-trippers here as well, with a total of five cars in the parking lot.

In hindsight, I can think of 3 good ways of getting there & around:

1. When you're a confident driver on unpaved roads (with experience in Namibia and Botswana for example), you can explore the park in a rental car with high clearance. In case of need, there is cell phone reception in the areas on higher ground.

2. You can do the same camping tour as I did. I found it well-organized. The amenities are fairly basic though, and the ride from and to Hermosillo is long (6+ hours).

3. Base yourself in Puerto Penasco and try to find a full-day private tour with a driver/guide.

I doubted whether to award the site with a 3.5 or 4-star rating. Usually, I reserve 4 stars for the WHS where I have a real WOW!-moment and can clearly see the OUV. Here I only had a short WOW! at El Elegante crater at sunset. The volcanic and desert features certainly are good, but are they globally outstanding? Both scores combined, I go for a 3.5. But anyway it is a very interesting and satisfying place to visit, that has left me pondering about so many subjects. And I even didn't start writing on the issue of land ownership... or the many species of cactus (including the 'dancing' saguaro).

Thank you so much, I've come to the site today to find information about this WH, I couldn't believe my eyes when I found your review on the front page :)

Thanks to your enthusiastic reviews, Kyle, I made a special effort for a "good" visit.

Great review! I am so happy you made it out there. It's a special place for me, perhaps I am particularly fond of the desert. Your experience with a camping tour sounds like a useful way to see the reserve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EPGDABR, short for "El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar National Biosphere Reserve", is another rarely visited WHS in the far North of Mexico. After contemplating a lot of options on how to get there ( Fly to Mexicali and rent a car?

# data[].attributes.body
https://family.lovetoknow.com/parenting-tips-strategies-modern-world/20-best-family-blogs-everyday-inspiration-advicehttps://family.lovetoknow.com/parenting-tips-strategies-modern-world/20-best-family-blogs-everyday-inspiration-advice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When it comes to raising children, as the old adage goes, "it takes a village." Online communities are today's take on the modern-day village. Moms and dads can benefit from the wisdom and advice that's shared online by fellow parents - from what to make for dinner and how to save enough money to pay for college to the best travel destinations for families. These are the best family blogs for providing guidance on family life, parenting, marriage, meal planning, family travel and family budget planning.

Best Overall Family Blogs

Navigating parenthood is no easy task, and these family blogs are just a click away to lend a helping hand. There's nothing better than feeling seen and understood, and the parents behind these blogs are informative and reassuring, as they're all sharing their own journeys through motherhood and fatherhood.

Related Articles

Best Family Meal Planning Blogs

"What's for dinner?" It's perhaps the most often asked question in any home. A close second is the statement, "There's nothing to eat." These family meal planning blogs will help you keep your fridge and pantry efficiently stocked while quashing the quandary of meal prep once and for all.

Earthy Andy

Andrea Hannemann is the mom of three behind the wildly popular, plant-based food blog Earthy Andy. She just launched a personalized meal planner for families searching for plant-based recipes that are delicious and satisfying. You can tailor the meal planner to suit your lifestyle and needs, providing factors like how long you have to prepare meals, any allergies, and the size of your appetite. Her meal planner even provides you with perks like grocery lists, cooking videos and food coaches on demand.

Elana's Pantry

For gluten-free, grain-free recipes, look no further than Elana's Pantry. Elana Amsterdam is a New York Times bestselling author and she's been stocking up recipes on her blog since 2006. You can select recipes based on a slew of diets, including diets free from gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts. Your family will love everything from her strawberry lemonade fruit roll-ups to her Asian stir fry.

Best Family Travel Blogs

Planning a family vacation needn't be a daunting endeavor. Especially when you can rely on the tips from parents who have gone before you. These moms and dads have trekked all over the globe with their families in tow, and they're providing details, amazing photos and invaluable guidance on how and where to travel with your own clan.

The Bucket List Family

You'll fall in love with the adorable Gee family a.k.a The Bucket List Family. In 2015 they sold all of their belongings to travel the world and haven't stopped since. They now have three children, 2.6 million Instagram followers and a fanatical following. Wherever your travels are taking you, the Gee family has likely been there, done that, and they're more than willing to provide wonderful details and photography to help you picture and plan your own trip. Their many videos on their YouTube channel allow you to dive right into destinations alongside them to get a firsthand account of what locales are really like. You'll wish you could hop in their suitcase and join them.

2TravelDads

Chris and Rob Taylor, the partners and dads who are 2TravelDads call their blog "the original LGBTQ family travel blog." They travel extensively with their two kids to provide destination guides on national parks and myriad locales across the U.S. as well as international guides on places including Cabo San Lucas and Nova Scotia. They also host an informative podcast of the same name to share their experiences and tips to encourage other families to go explore the world.

Best Family Budgeting Blogs

The USDA estimates that it costs $233,610 to raise a child from birth through the age of 17. That's a lot of dough! Creating a family budget and learning to spend and save your money wisely is a must for parents. The savvy moms and dads behind these family budgeting blogs are here to help with priceless advice.

Smart Money Mamas

Chelsea is a hedge fund investor turned online entrepreneur who wants to help fellow moms make the most of their money. Her blog, Smart Money Mamas, equips readers with the tools needed to manage their money. From budgeting and investing to insurance and estate planning, you'll find comprehensive and sound advice on a wide range of financial topics. She even provides tips on helping kids learn to budget their money. Listen to Chelsea's podcast, The Smart Money Mamas Show to stay up to date on all her latest wisdom.

Family Blogs Provide the Friendly Advice We All Need

It's comforting to know that family blogs provide so much information and insight from other parents that's accessible right at your fingertips. Parents needn't feel alone or lost on their journey, as there's always another mom or dad out there who's willing to help and even lead the way to the answers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
20 Best Family Blogs for Everyday Inspiration and Advice | LoveToKnow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When it comes to raising children, as the old adage goes, "it takes a village." Online communities are today's take on the modern-day village. Moms and dads can benefit from the wisdom and advice that's shared online by fellow parents - from what to make for dinner and how to save enough money to pay for college to the best travel destinations for families.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everyday Sociology Blog: What’s in a name? Race and Ethnicity in the United States

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Janis Prince Inniss Recently I departed from my custom of styling my own hair, and tried to find a beauty salon for a new hairstyle. I needed someone who could style my hair texture, so I called nearby salons...

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
What's the Difference Between Race and Ethnicity?

# data[].attributes.body
Race and ethnicity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Race and ethnicity are used to categorize sections of the population. Race refers to dividing people into groups, often based on physical characteristics. Ethnicity refers to the cultural expression and identification of people of different geographic regions, including their customs, history, language, and religion.

In basic terms, race describes physical traits, and ethnicity refers to cultural identification. Race may also be identified as something you inherit, whereas ethnicity is something you learn.

This article details the differences between race and ethnicity, how the terms overlap, and how various groups are categorized according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Race vs. Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are typically misunderstood, because many people simply don't fit into neat categories offered on forms with checkboxes. People are able to self-identify their ethnicities and, to some extent, their races.

What Is Race?

Race is usually associated with biology and linked with physical characteristics such as hair texture and skin color. It covers a relatively narrow range of options. Yet people of similar complexions/ hair textures can be defined as different races, and the definitions in the U.S. have changed over time.

Although some may be considered to be of a certain race (e.g., Black), a person may identify more with an individual ethnicity, as opposed to race. This could apply for any member of any race.

When completing paperwork that asks for race, you may be asked to identify yourself as belonging to one or more of the following categories:

White

Black or African American

Asian

American Indian or Alaska Native

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Sometimes, you may be asked to select just one category. At other times, you may be invited to check all the categories that apply.

What Is Ethnicity?

Commonalities such as race, national origin, tribal heritage, religion, language, and culture can describe someone's ethnicity.

Whereas someone might say their race is "Black," their ethnicity might be Italian. Likewise, someone might say their race is "White," and their ethnicity is Irish.

The US Census Bureau on Race vs. Ethnicity

You might wonder why you're asked about race and ethnicity when you complete the census, medical forms, and job applications.

Race data affects the funding of government programs that provide services for specific groups.

The Bureau collects data about race also because they're ensuring that policies serve the needs of all racial groups. They want to monitor compliance with antidiscrimination laws and regulations, too.

The data on race is based on self-identification and is not "an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically." Census respondents can mark more than one race on the form to indicate their racial mixture.

The categories listed under "Race" have evolved over the last 200-plus years. Some of the previously used terms are now considered offensive and have been removed. The ways the questions are asked have also shifted. At one point, people were asked for their "race" and "origin," but this proved too confusing.

Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau uses the following guide to help people pick the category that best describes them:

"The category 'White' includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa."

Some examples of these groups include: German, Italian, Lebanese, Cajun, Chaldean, Slavic, Iranian, French, Polish, Egyptian, Irish, and English.

Black or African American

"The category 'Black or African American' includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in any of the Black racial groups of Africa."

Example of people from these groups include: African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Somali.

People who identify as Ghanaian, South African, Barbadian, Kenyan, Liberian, and Bahamian also fall under this category.

American Indian or Alaska Native

"The category 'American Indian or Alaska Native' includes all individuals who identify with any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment."

Groups that fall under this category include:

Navajo Nation

Blackfeet Tribe

Mayan

Aztec

Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government

Nome Eskimo Community

"The category 'Asian' includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent."

There are individual Asian checkboxes for people who identify as one or more of the following:

Chinese

Filipino

Asian Indian

Vietnamese

Korean

Japanese

Other Asian (e.g., Pakistani, Cambodian, and Hmong)

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander

"The category 'Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander' includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."

There are individual Pacific Islander checkboxes for people who identify as one or more of the following:

Native Hawaiian

Samoan

Chamorro

Other Pacific Islander (e.g., Tongan, Fijian, and Marshallese)

Some Other Race

If you do not identify with any of the above groups, you can choose "Some Other Race" and input how you identify yourself.

Ethnicity Data

The U.S. Census Bureau asks whether you're of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish descent. They recognize that individuals who describe themselves as fitting into this category may be of any race.

The Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish categories refer to people who identify with any of the ethnic groups originating from:

Mexico

Puerto Rico

Cuba

Other Spanish cultures (e.g., Salvadoran, Dominican, Spaniard, Colombian, Guatemalan, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Honduran, etc.)

If you do not identify with any of these groups, you would select the option "Not of Hispanic, Spanish, or Latino origin."

Problems With Categorizing Race vs. Ethnicity

Some scholars argue that race is cultural and reflects specific attitudes and beliefs imposed on populations in the wake of the Western European conquests of the 15th century.

Historically, the idea of race has been used to divide members of society, and it's often based on superficial physical attributes.

Research shows that people who have similar physical attributes aren't as similar genetically as some people think. Researchers have found that skin color variations stem from adaptations to the environment.

For example, dark skin colors evolved because of solar exposure. Grouping people according to their skin color shows only that their ancestors got similar amounts of sunlight-and they may actually have very little in common genetically.

People Don't Always Fit Into Categories

Although organizations might want to collect statistics on race and ethnicity, people don't always fit into simple categories.

Instead, they can identify as belonging to many groups, or they could feel as though they make up a smaller group that is not an option on a form. Fill-in-the-blank questions are helpful in that case.

We Are More Alike Than We Are Different

According to the human genome project, our DNA is 99.9% the same, and less than 1% of DNA accounts for the differences among people. In other words, we should celebrate and appreciate the differences of one another while keeping in mind we are all part of the same human family.

A Word From Verywell

The difference between race and ethnicity is not always clear-cut. This is why forms are constantly evolving, along with our understanding of both race and ethnicity.

The terms we use, the categories we offer, and our beliefs about genetic makeup will continue to change over time. But for now, government forms are likely to continue asking questions about both race and ethnicity-even though not everyone will agree with the questions or the answer options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an example of ethnicity?

Ethnicity is based on shared identity based on culture, language, common ancestry, and religion. Some examples of ethnicity include Middle Eastern, Hispanic, Irish, Native American, Jewish, and Pacific Islander.

In many cases, you may know your ethnicity through your family members and cultural identity. If you are unsure, autosomal DNA testing is available that can help you to learn more about your ethnic background. Autosomal DNA testing looks at combined ancestry from both parents that can identify population groups with which you share portions of your autosomal DNA.

However, it is important to recognize that while such testing can provide some information, the test results are estimates and cannot determine ethnicity or race with 100% accuracy.

What are the seven ethnic groups?

The main racial groups that are often listed in ethnic and racial data include White/Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, Black, Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern/North African. Another for "Some Other Ethnicity" is often included for people who do to identify with the other major ethnic groups. The U.S. Census Bureau includes two categories for ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino/Spanish descent and Non-Hispanic/Latino/Spanish descent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What's the Difference Between Race and Ethnicity?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Race and ethnicity are often confused, and they are not the same. Here's how the US Census Bureau defines race vs. ethnicity.

# data[].attributes.body
Heritage is something you inherit.It is something passed to you through the precision of it.

# data[].attributes.body
http://meganrunion.com/2019/02/friendship-kind-that-lasts-lifetime/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FRIENDSHIP, THE KIND THAT LASTS A LIFETIME. / BEHIND THE BLOG | Megan Runion

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Throughout my twenties, I've learned so much about genuine love, and in that, realizing the importance of cultivating relationships and surrounding yourself with people who get you on a soul level. Over the last month or so, I've read a post or two from a couple of my favorite blogs on friendship and how to maintain [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WHS #771: EPGDABR

EPGDABR, short for "El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar National Biosphere Reserve", is another rarely visited WHS in the far North of Mexico. After contemplating a lot of options on how to get there ( Fly to Mexicali and rent a car? Take a bus the loooong way west from Chihuahua?), I stumbled upon a 2-day / 1-night camping tour out of the Sonaran state capital of Hermosillo. It ticked all my boxes as it would cover both the sand dunes (Gran Desierto) and the volcanic landscape (El Pinacate), provide transport & lodging, and it was cheap and convenient as well. This WHS is complicated in many ways, so brace yourself for a long review.

The first question that needs to be answered is "What is it exactly about?". The landscape is a mix of volcanic craters, cactuses, high sand dunes, and starry nights, all in the Sonaran Desert. As the long name already suggests, it covers actually two adjacent areas with different values. I can see that for management purposes they have been linked, but it does feel like visiting two different sites. El Pinacate I would describe as "Iceland with cactuses", while the Gran Desierto de Altar is like a smaller version of the Namib Sand Sea. The fabled "stark contrast of a dark-coloured area comprised of a volcanic shield and spectacular craters and lava flows within an immense sea of dunes" (OUV Statement) I found a bit prosaic, as the two areas only touch at certain points.

Its main volcanic features are the Maar craters: shallow craters formed by steam blasts. We visited Cerro Colorado (known for its colouring during sunset) and El Elegante (just a pretty one!). Note that it took at least an hour on a bumpy unpaved road to reach Cerro Colorado, and the other ones are even deeper inside the Reserve. The circuit is signposted, there are car parks and an easy hiking trail will get you to the edge of the craters. We didn't encounter any other tourists during our visit to El Pinacate, we only met one park ranger on patrol by car.

There is a campground inside the park, in an area called Tecolote. It is nothing more than a flat area to pitch your tent plus a few benches and fire pits. It easily had space for our 15 tents. Only after a dog came begging in the evening when we had sausages roasting on the fire, we noticed that we had neighbours as well: 2 females (+ dog) in a van. The camp area also has two short trails and two smaller volcanic cones to climb.

In the 1940s and 1950s, parts of the area have been mined for its volcanic rock and pyroclastic material. It was used to build highway #2 and for construction purposes. Cinder mining has ceased since it was declared a national Biosphere Reserve, but it has left it with another colourful attraction. The Laja cone (see 2nd photo) shows its rusty-red colours due to the high iron levels. The top of the cone has collapsed due to mining.

When you stand on top of one of the volcanic cones and scan the surrounding desert, your eyes cannot evade the brown stripe in the distance to the north. It is what the Mexicans call "The Wall of Trump". Actually more a fence, it is the physical border that was built from 2020 on. As it limits the "connectivity and movement of key wildlife populations, such as the Sonoran Pronghorn and the Bighorn Sheep", the WHC in its last session has urged the US and Mexico to an "assessment of impacts that the construction works might have already had on the OUV of the property". Although I can see that the Mexicans find the whole construction an unnecessary provocation, it must be said that the aforementioned highway #2 on the Mexican side also is an eyesore with its continuous flow of white trucks. Many sheep will have been killed there as well. We did not see one mammal by the way, during our full 26-hour visit to the site.

The fence doesn't only limit the movements of larger animals between Mexico and the USA, it was meant to prevent human migration. The Reserve's Schuk Toak Visitors Center does focus on the story of the Tohono O'odham, the native people of the area. Maps show how they used a network of ancient salt trails to get around this barren region. One wonders whether the site couldn't have been proposed as a cultural landscape as well.

A few km beyond the Visitors Center, the sand dunes start. My tour mates liked this part of the tour the best, for me, it was a bit of "Been There, Done That". It's a hot walk for about 2km through the desert until you reach the golden sands. Its specialty is the very large star dunes, with sharp edges created by winds coming from many different directions. There were a few other US and Mexican day-trippers here as well, with a total of five cars in the parking lot.

In hindsight, I can think of 3 good ways of getting there & around:

1. When you're a confident driver on unpaved roads (with experience in Namibia and Botswana for example), you can explore the park in a rental car with high clearance. In case of need, there is cell phone reception in the areas on higher ground.

2. You can do the same camping tour as I did. I found it well-organized. The amenities are fairly basic though, and the ride from and to Hermosillo is long (6+ hours).

3. Base yourself in Puerto Penasco and try to find a full-day private tour with a driver/guide.

I doubted whether to award the site with a 3.5 or 4-star rating. Usually, I reserve 4 stars for the WHS where I have a real WOW!-moment and can clearly see the OUV. Here I only had a short WOW! at El Elegante crater at sunset. The volcanic and desert features certainly are good, but are they globally outstanding? Both scores combined, I go for a 3.5. But anyway it is a very interesting and satisfying place to visit, that has left me pondering about so many subjects. And I even didn't start writing on the issue of land ownership... or the many species of cactus (including the 'dancing' saguaro).
Leave a comment
Comments

Thank you so much, I've come to the site today to find information about this WH, I couldn't believe my eyes when I found your review on the front page :)

Thanks to your enthusiastic reviews, Kyle, I made a special effort for a "good" visit.

Great review! I am so happy you made it out there. It's a special place for me, perhaps I am particularly fond of the desert. Your experience with a camping tour sounds like a useful way to see the reserve.

WHS #766: Otumba

I didn't want to come back from a visit to the Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque with the same story and the same photos as all reviewers before me. So, after digging through the nomination file and looking at the official map, it became clear to me that the two endpoints of the hydraulic system, the towns of Otumba and Zempoala, also are part of the core zone. And luckily there are buses all day long from Mexico City to Otumba. They are run by the same company that goes to Teotihuacan from Area 7 at Terminal Norte bus station. They have a cute map on their website which suggests that you can reach Zempoala with them as well.

After a drive of about 1.5 hours, the bus dropped me at the town entrance and I walked on to the central square. The first (and maybe only) eye-catcher in Otumba is the Church and Convent of the Immaculate Conception, also built under the auspices of Padre Tembleque. The church seems much too big for the town. It has a spacious plaza in front: as in many places in early colonial Mexico, services for the indigenous people were often held in the open air.

Beforehand I had looked up a few places on the map where remains of the water supply to Otumba can still be found. The most striking one is a water tank on the outskirts of town. It is located on a street named after Padre Tembleque. You walk all the way down the street to where the row of houses ends and the fields begin. A large pack of street dogs also has their playground there, but fortunately, they only paid attention to each other. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when the characteristic stone building, with a cross on the roof, came into view. I was so stunned to even find an information panel in Spanish and English next to it, that I forgot to look inside the structure.

My next stop was the Gonzalo Carrasco Regional Museum. Carrasco was a 19th-century painter who lived in a beautiful house at Otumba's central square. I was enthusiastically welcomed by an elderly female guide. They probably don't get foreign visitors here often, but how would I tell her that I wasn't coming for the 19th-century residence at all, but for the water cistern? I couldn't, so I just went through all the rooms with her. They have beautiful wooden floors and wooden built-in furniture. A lot of stuff was imported from Europe. At the end of the tour, the guide wanted to take a picture with me, as proof that she had a visitor from Holland.

My last stop, after a delicious lunch in a local restaurant along the main road, was the "final reservoir". I discovered this location on Google Maps, where it is called 'Aljibe Terminal'. It is located somewhere at the back of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. During my search for it, I really noticed how big this religious complex is, it borders 4 streets. The reservoir turned out to be a large stone trough. It also has an information panel, and even the official UNESCO plaque is present here.

Many (including myself) have wondered how Mexico came to nominate this relatively obscure site, which isn't the oldest, the largest, longest, or otherwise technically most remarkable aqueduct in the world. The nomination file is very thorough and focuses on water management, which never seems to fail to impress the jury. But I actually think the Roman Catholic Mexicans like to believe in the romantic story of Padre Tembleque, whose missionary work was difficult because he couldn't master the native language. But he had a bigger task ahead of him: to heal the people of Otumba by giving them access to clean drinking water.
Leave a comment
Comments

Good that you made it to Zempoala, Esteban! I noticed your photo on facebook...

Great that you visited, Els, and that you provide so interesting insight on your visit to Otumba de Gómez Farías!
I visited Padre Tembleque's WHS on January 4th, just some weeks before you, on a trip that also included Tepotzotlán's Colegio de San Francisco Javier (for the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro WHS), with an initial stop at Arcos de Tepeyahualco, which I found really monumental and definitely a sight that I enjoyed, with the early morning light, despite breaking my record of low temperatures while wearing shorts.
I was also very heavily interested on visiting one of the implied towns and, in my case, it was Zempoala, Hidalgo.
I found Zempoala a very pretty, scenic, town, very quiet and with substantial remains at the 16th century Church and former convent of Todos los Santos (which I also found very big and reminded me of the Popocatepetl Monasteries with its massive atrium, too). The aljibe of the middle of the convent was what I was mostly looking to visit (as it appears in the Advisory Body Evaluation), and being there was my loneliest visit during my 18 days in Mexico, one could even hear the doves on the sides of the church.
I was intending to also visit the former Hacienda Los Arcos, which is the other "emerged" section of the aqueduct, but couldn't in the end. However, it is very reachable from Zempoala and I think it would be interesting if a WHS visitor is able to fit that hacienda in its itinerary.
Overall, it was a great experience and I hope to write a review sometime soon.

Best Countries

While travelling in Mexico and reading other people's reviews of Turkey, I was thinking that these 2 countries must be among the best WHS travel has to offer. But what about China? It has a huge list already, with many very fine sites. For an answer, I decided to query the data that we have gathered from the ratings of WHS by community members. Which countries are overall best for WHS?

Top Lists

I did a few selections that seemed appropriate to answer the question. You can do your own by looking at the Country Ranking page.

Overall the best countries, with an average score of 4 or higher, are:

1. Zambia - 4.8

2. Afghanistan - 4.7

3. DRC/Holy See - 4.6

4. Palau/Chad - 4.5

5. Haiti - 4.4

6. New Zealand - 4.3

7. Yemen/Sudan - 4.2

8. Guatemala/Honduras/Namibia - 4.1

9. Ireland/Libya/Solomon Islands/Tanzania - 4.0

Looking only at the countries with 5 WHS or more, the ranking is:

1. DRC - 4.6

2. Libya/Tanzania - 4.0

3. Egypt/Zimbabwe - 3.9

4. Algeria/Argentina/Syria/Turkey/Uzbekistan - 3.8

5. Australia/Peru/USA - 3.7

And among the large countries, with 20 WHS or more:

1. Australia/USA - 3.7

2. Canada/China/Russia - 3.6

3. India/Mexico - 3.5

4. Brazil/Italy/Japan - 3.4

Turkey is ominously missing from the last selection as it has 'only' 19 WHS so far. But with a Tentative List of 54 it's just a matter of time it will storm this top list as well.

Some conclusions

What can be learned from this?

The higher the number of WHS a country has, the higher the chance becomes there is a "miss" (a WHS with a rating below 3 stars) among them. The USA has only 3 of those, whereas China for example has 10.

Another effect that comes into play is that natural sites on average are ranked higher than cultural sites: 3.72 versus 3.25. So countries with a lot of natural WHS (USA, Australia) come out higher than a country like Italy which mostly relies on cultural sites.

Community bias

Finally, the community ratings should be looked at critically. Do they rate the worthiness of a site being a WHS, or the visitor experience? The latter seems to be the most common practice. Especially very old sites such as hominid fossils or neolithic remains do not score well.

Also, we see that ratings vary wildly per person. Mexico's Hospicio Cabanas is ranked between 1 and 4 stars for example. It may be that the lower rating reflects a view from the outside only, while the higher ones also take the murals in the interior into account. From the reviews, it can be gathered that the site has improved its visitor experience over the years as well.

And some WHS are visited more often than others, so these will have more outliers in their ratings. For the individual site score, this effect is already taken care of by using a toned-down Wilson score.
Leave a comment
Comments

Dariusz 31 January 2022

vvv Disregarding the dwarf countries Belgium should be actually on the top of the list: 1 site per 2000 km²!

Best countries from Czech perspective:
1. Czechia - 1 site per 4.900 km²
2. Italy - 1 site per 5.200 km²
3. Germany - 1 site per 7.000 km²

The density of Italy vs the other countries is astonishing though. China is still good to do with fast trains and flight connections but the US and Australia are spread out.

Turkey T-list is lots of garbage.

Clyde 23 January 2022

I would add Iran as well.

>> Or look at Poland: ex concentration camp has a higher rating than centuries old polis (Cracow) central to the development of the nation?

I think there is a clear reason why. Cracow is nice, but not unique if we compare across borders (Vilnius, Praha, ...).

Auschwitz is dark and terrible (so terrible indeed, that I found rating it hard), but most certainly a very unique place in human history.

Best WHS in Poland is Wieliczka as it's both stunning and unique.

Yes, the beauty is in the eye of a beholder but the aesthetics which perhaps influence the community rating most is never the only and often not the main reason for the enlisting yet many reviews here focus (understandably) in that direction.
Afghanistan and Libya have a sights with pretty highs scores and something tells me everyone visiting those should add extra star just for making it there and out (and perhaps thats the case).
Or look at Poland: ex concentration camp has a higher rating than centuries old polis (Cracow) central to the development of the nation?
I think itsnt just the list of sights which is inevitably going to expand but also there is a space for the growth of the visitors understanding.

WHS #765: Paquimé

Paquimé, located over 1,700 km north of Mexico City, is a site that is often overlooked. It doesn't have the great monuments that other pre-Columbian Mexican sites are known for. It's a niche site for archaeologists, exemplifying architectural and trading links between the area of the Classic Pueblo sites (now located in the Southwest USA) and Mesoamerica. Research has never been intensive, as archaeologists traditionally focus on either one of these worlds. But I was pleasantly surprised by its size and good condition. For me, it closed a circle after having already seen the other Puebloan sites of Mesa Verde, Taos, and Chaco. A visit also brings a lot of insight into the specific history of this region, always so far away from everything.

After walking past the still closed entrance barrier at the opening hour of 10 a.m., I was welcomed in by the guard and his German shepherd dog (I kept a safe distance, much more than 1.5m!) and sent on my way to walk the circuit that is signposted at the site. The first structure one encounters here is the ball court - it looks like a simpler version of the Mayan ones. The presence of a Mesoamerican ballcourt at Paquimé is often given as an example of the fusion of cultures that happened here, but the northern cultures had their own kind of ball courts as well and we do not even know whether they all played the same game.

The settlement consisted of several large residential compounds inhabited by family clans. In between them, structures for public use can be found, such as large ovens in which agave was turned into an alcoholic drink, irrigation canals, and places for religious ceremonies.

While preparing for my visit, I was most intrigued by the presence of bird pens for macaws. Although these birds are not found naturally in this desert area, they were kept and bred here. Their colourful feathers were used locally for religious rituals; the birds and feathers were also part of a lucrative trade with other settlements. Hundreds of bird skeletons have been found. On-site, a drawing shows how these bird pens were used: they used to have coverings and the birds were taken in and out via removing the plug at the front. The compound at the House of the Macaws even had special basins where they had their feathers removed.

The site in general looks well-looked after. The on-site museum is said to be excellent, however, this was closed when I visited in January 2022 due to maintenance reasons (this was not mentioned on their website, but my B&B owner had warned me). There is a fixed and signposted itinerary around the site that you have to follow. All along the route, there are information panels with texts in Spanish and English, adding to my knowledge even though I had read up well beforehand (see the links section for suggestions). It brought to light a few new connections, such as the astrological use of certain platforms and the clever canal system.

The visitor experience could be improved though: it is logical that you are not allowed to climb on the adobe walls of the buildings, but also you may not enter any of them. As all buildings are surrounded by earthen walls, it is hard to get a good look at the more interesting things inside the compounds. It would benefit from a couple of low viewing platforms like you see at Ancient Roman sites to be able to better view mosaics.

Getting there on public transport: best is to fly into the state of Chihuahua, to either Chihuahua or Ciudad Juarez. The city after which the dog species is named appealed to me more than the one associated with femicide. From Chihuahua, there are about 8 buses a day to Nuevo Casas Grandes. Both Omnibus de Mexico and Chihuahenses service this route, the bus I took continued to Nogales at the US border. Prebooking your ticket a day before (online, from a Mexican IP address) is advised. The ride takes about 4 hours. From Nuevo Casas Grandes it's another 7km to Pueblo Viejo, the village where Paquimé is located. Taxis are available to cover this last stretch, as is an hourly yellow school bus.
Leave a comment
Comments

Ughh.. It's too bad you couldn't see the museum, because I thought it really was the best part of that Site (of course, I have a particular fondness for ancient pottery, especially from the Americas.)

I have also been burned by the "official Website didn't mention that part/all of the Site is currently closed" problem more than once during the last few years. Would it be too much to ask for Sites to keep their sites up to date?...

very interesting info about the bird pens! thanks for sharing

Great review and I'm happy to see that you visited this site! I've planned to go here for years. Eventually, I will just take another trip to Tucson (1-2 nights). From there, I will drive to Douglass, Arizona and stay overnight. The drive from Douglass to the Museum of the Cultures of the North is about 3.5 hours. There are a couple airbnb options that look pleasant near Paquime. On the return North, I thought about visiting the Janos Biosphere Reserve, in which the largest herd of American Bison roam the prairie.

Lastly, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (Silver City, New Mexico) has along with staff at Casas Grandes developed a working relationship and informal partnership to highlight the historical connections between their respective archaeological sites. Seemingly, still in the early stages, there are hopes of one day of establishing a binational tourist corridor.

Luxembourg revisited

Generally, I find it hard to prepare for sites within my own region with the same level of detail as I do for more exotic WHS. For example the City of Luxembourg: I had been there in 1984 and 2001, but couldn't tell you more than I liked the panoramas. Most of the other reviews to date are also fairly superficial. A breakthrough in the knowledge of this WHS came when Jurre recently suggested some 25 new connections for it. During a 3 night revisit right after Christmas 2021, I further discovered that from a WH perspective it has at least 3 remarkable features that I was not aware of beforehand: its boundaries, a list of 20 notable monuments, and controversy before inscription.

The Boundaries

Although Luxemburg's city centre is only small already, the core zone of this WHS covers an even smaller part. There is a hugely detailed official map available, but on the ground, the borders between core and buffer zones are hard to distinguish. Unfortunately, not everything that looks like an old rampart is included, neither is every 19th-century public building. Previous reviewers mentioned Fort Thüngen, Place Guillaume, and Place d'Armes, but these are all outside of the core zone, as are most of the bridges and parts of the Wenzel Circular Walk.

I found the WH plaque at a viewpoint in the Chemin de la Corniche, directly below St. Michael's Church. The WH certificate is in a drawer in the City Museum. The museum includes a "UNESCO visitor center" too, but in the brochures on offer, the boundaries of the WHS core zone are also not strictly followed.

The 20 Monuments

The best guidance for a thorough visit is the map mentioned above: it shows 20 numbered places of interest. These 20 are detailed in the AB evaluation too, in a descriptive manner that is uncommon nowadays. On foot, I tracked down all 20 within an hour or 2 - an enjoyable, self-invented scavenger hunt. The most interesting ones were the two-story Castle bridge (#2), the fine residence Maison de Bourgogne (#14), and the Tree Towers (#7).

Along the way, helped by the information panels that are omnipresent in the city center, I even found us some more connections: there are 17th-century man-made terraces below the Bock-rock, the Tutesall used to be horse stables, the Ecluse du Grund was a sluice consisting of "a massive masonry dam" that could be opened to inundate the surrounding area as a method of defense ( irrigation and drainage), and Renaissance sculptures are prominent in the Notre Dame cathedral.

The Controversy

This is the first evaluation document that I know of with evidence of a dispute within the evaluating party (ICOMOS). "A distinguished French expert in the field of military structures", Dr. Nicolas Faucherre, opposed inscription as in his opinion, not enough was left after the dismantling of Luxembourg's fortifications in the late 19th century as a result of the Treaty of London. The expert mission, however, resulted in positive advice, because of its historical significance and "remarkable harmony between the city and its landscape". I found it strange to see that no further comparative analysis was executed, and I doubt that the City of Luxembourg would get inscribed nowadays as the historic city center is unremarkable and the fortifications are mostly gone.
Leave a comment
Comments

Meltwaterfalls 9 January 2022

I have a real soft spot for Luxembourg. I'm not 100% sure quite why, culturally it is very quiet, and it didn't exactly have a throbbing nightlife, but I have been three times and have throughly enjoyed each one.
I was surprised at how limited the WHS boundaries are though. It covers most of the parts I would have imagined, though I am a little surprised the Petrusse ravine and bridges aren't included.
Thanks for doing a bit of digging though, hopefully it will come in useful for my next visit!

I visited Luxemburg on a whim, just to complete the BeNeLux capitals, and it was a big surprise. It's such an intricated and complex cityscape! And it has a couple of great museums presnting the country uder all aspects. Moreover it was winter and I wandered alone the fortifications immersed in the fog, a surreal experience. I wonder how (apparently) it's not a more popular destination! An extension would make sense indeed.

The quest to 1100 visited WHS in 2030

Yesterday, January 1st 2022, I have started the next iteration of my life-long World Heritage Journey. I have quit my IT job and handed in my company lease car. I will do nothing else for a while other than travelling to WHS, writing about WHS, learning about WHS, engaging in the discourse on WHS, maybe even building a career out of it. It's a dream that I always have hoped to fulfill, and all signs are positive now to take the jump. My " Missing Map" shows the To-do List:

Why 1100 WHS in 2030?

My original goal was "to see all WHS before I die". But you never know when you are going to die, it may come earlier than statistics predict. And we also do not know whether the WH List will ever be finite. At this moment in time, I think I will be quite satisfied at reaching 1100. I do not long for those remote diving locations (eg. Cocos Island, Revillagigedo) and there's the issue that a longer list will not make the content better. With an average of 20 new additions per year, I expect that the List will be 1314 sites long in 2030. If I reach my goal, my coverage will improve from 66% (2021) to 84%.

What's the plan?

I plan to be on the road for 6 months a year and do 5 to 6 trips to countries or regions with significant clusters of WHS. I have identified some 40 of them. The trips will be mostly between 4 and 6 weeks long, as for me this is an ideal period. I travel more slowly than the average WH spotter and I like to use public transport. And I enjoy coming home for a few weeks to reflect on the trip and finish all the reports! My experience with a half-year-long trip in 2011 was that in the end, I had forgotten what I did in the first months; so I keep my future trips shorter than that. Focus on one coherent cultural region (a large country or a few neighbouring ones) also helps.

How feasible is it?

The mathematics behind it are:

I am on 764 visited WHS now, so I have 336 to go to reach my goal.

Divided over 8 years (2022-2029), this means an average of 42 a year.

Of these 42, I count on the yearly WHC meeting to contribute 10 (sites I have previously visited, are easy add-ons to other trips, or close to my home in Europe).

The remaining 32 will be picked from my Trip List, which includes trips where at least 3 WHS can be seen and the average all-inclusive cost of a WHS visit is 768 EUR.

Of course, life (such as personal health issues) can get in the way. But having a clear plan and focus always helps.

What does the Trip List look like?

The Trip List ( here is the full version) contains 40 itineraries with rough cost and time estimates. The cost estimates aren't rock bottom, there's some 10% risk margin included. Most trips now are 3-4 weeks long, I could combine a few (such as #29 and #33: Zimbabwe + NW South Africa) in order to save money on long flights. I did this already with the first one I am embarking on (#10).

This list is quite personal, as other people need to cover different WHS than I do. The A-List is where I focus on now, but there's enough flexibility to add Libya, Yemen, or Venezuela from the B-List if they open up properly during this period. Or add a tantalizing trip to Gabon or others from the C-List if I have enough money to spare.

The itineraries are designed around the WHS. TWHS will only be added if they appeal much to me or are up for nomination in the coming 2 years. Non-WHS side trips will be limited to a few easy picks on subjects that I like (capitals, national museums, mammals).
I'd like to offer up my Approach and Trip List for review by you, knowledgable WH Travellers! Are there ways I could improve on the efficiency, without breaking the bank? Leave a comment
Comments

Thanks to you all for the hints and tips, I will incorporate them in a future version of the Triplist! It seems that both time & costs can be lower than what I had calculated. Let's see how it works out this first year.

Agreeing re coming home every once in a while. Its good to have a base, but it will cost you in rent and flights.

One month was always a good number. Only recent exception was when I was doing work and travel last summer. Having meetings etc. really tied me back home.

An exciting undertaking! I wish you all the best. Moreover, your estimated times seem more or less in line with mine, so to me they are all just right :-) And costs look reasonable too: I'd like to be optimistic and say that somewhere you will spare something, e.g. in Ethiopia.

By the way, I share similar thoughts about very long journeys. I have met many long-time (6+ months) travellers, and have always wondered how it would be, but have not been too envious in the end. Often I found them too hectical, or sometimes oblivious... dunno, maybe it's just plain envy. But I think I'd also need ample "decompression times" between an itinerary and the next, to elaborate all the experiences. Indeed, I deem it's a moment nearly as important as the travel itself.

Veel geluk!!!!

Congratulations Els, that sounds fantastic! Here's a few inputs from my "a bit below Rucek" travel perspective:
Tunisia could also be done in 1 week. In 2 you can include some beach time.
Agree with Zoe, that Malaysia is def. too generous. Air Asia will fly you around the country for little money. 2 weeks would still be chilled.
Didn't visit Saudi Arabia yet, but my calculations came to max 10 days.
Thailand/Cambodia is of course worth 4 weeks, but probably not necessary. I did Ban Chiang on a day trip from BKK (flying in and out Udon Thani the same day) and Preah Vihear as a day trip from Siem Reap. So in max 2 days you could cover them, hiring a driver. The parks can be reached from BKK. Haven't done it so fare but looked into it.

I'm so excited for you Els! This looks amazing and I'm more than a little jealous. It's even more inspiring in these still uncertain times. I'm looking forward to reading all about it.
I'm sure your itineraries will be up on individual threads later for further tweaking also.
I agree Saudi is a bit much (and car rental is definitely the way to go) unless you combine something else. I flew from Jeddah to Eritrea via Ethiopia so that might be a natural add on. Or even Ethiopia itself.
Kenya and Tanzania make a natural pair.
I'd be more inclined to include Mauritania with Senegal/Gambia. Depending on your mode of transport it will be easier overland from the south. Since you have to fly to Cape Verde anyway you could add it somewhere else if you worry about time.

You're right about Saudi, that should take much less time. Especially as it is getting easier and easier to get in and around. For Malaysia and some other destinations marked with an *, I have included extra days & money for some serious mammal watching (Sabah indeed).

There is nothing to do in Saudi Arabia for 4 weeks. I think you want to self-drive there anyway, but you could take a bus to the oasis and get a local guide, then return. For the rest of the country I don't see that's possible if you are trying to tick of sites.

I'd recommend you combine Ethiopia with Kenya and Tanzania, where the latter are commonly combined as you drive across the border to visit both in one go. Saves a lot of driving. Also places like Eritrea only have flights from nearby countries and I remember asking for a visa before and they said you need to buy the ticket first :/ Consider adding that into a group or you find yourself going all out just for 1 WHS later.

Does Australia include the domestic flight costs to Lord Howe? It's $$$ because Qantas has a monopoly on it. Most people spend lots of time there because it cost so much to get there in the first place, so maybe consider 5 days. You can also spend a week alone in the rain forests, and with the Reef nearby that might make your 4 weeks too little. The trip up the west coast alone takes a while, maybe a week at your fast speed and that's with private transportation (I don't know if there are even buses).

Malaysia also seems excessive unless you like to spend time in Sabah for turtles and diving. Borneo maybe 2 weeks at the most - depending if you do the pinnacle hike at Mulu and Kinabalu only has the summit hike and that's pretty much it. The western part maybe over a week. I do recommend both Malacca and Georgetown, the valley will take you 1 day max and I would skip Taman Negara because it's a commercialized park and after Mulu you already saw the same but much better. The only thing I enjoyed was the glow-in-the-dark scorpions.

Good luck Els and congratulations! The plan looks totally realistic and the budget is not tight at all. I think travelling more slowly you will spend a lot less than you estimated.

Where time was the biggest restraint before, now that will be money. The total cost is estimated at 165,750 EUR. I have set aside a yearly travel budget of 25,000 EUR. (I noticed I made a mistake in calculating the average cost per WHS, it should be 647,46 EUR)

Pay my trips from Cashflow and prefer not to do total cost accounting... Speaking of: You have big savings to fund this?

Re itineraries:
Covid travel restrictions move plenty places to C. China is closed for the time being.

Chile and Argentina are a natural combination. I wouldnt go down to patagonia twice. Or I would, just saying its easy to get from Puerto montt to Puerto natales.

New Zealand can be combined with a target along the way. Found the flight miserably long. J think I would break the 4w limit for this one.

Kamchatka deserves more love. I would assume this can be tacked onto a russia trip.

Jay T 2 January 2022

Wow - that is an exciting way to start the year! Your trips ideas look fascinating; I think trip planning is one of the most fun aspects of traveling. If you need any recommendations on the Western US or Alaska, let me know (and I'm sure winterkjm would have some good recommendations, too). I was just in Glacier Bay last summer, and it was excellent for wildlife watching. Happy travels in 2022!

2021 - A Year in Review(s)

2021 wasn't the travel year we expected it to become, with a lot of Covid restrictions still or again in place. However, most borders opened in some form and after jumping through the right hoops (vaccine certificates, test results, QR codes) travel in large parts of the world was possible without a problem. This website thrived anyway, with visitor numbers back to normal so people at least have regained their appetite for reading about and planning travel.

Community Travel

Fortunately, the combined 2020/2021 WHC brought 34 new sites to tick off without having to leave the house. Each of these 34 has been visited by at least one community member; Dholavira proved to be the most difficult with 2 visitors so far claiming it. Zoe had the most of these 34 (25), followed by Thomas and Stanislaw with 17 each. Check the Top 50 scorers here.

Among the Top 10 travellers, Thomas has gained the most ground in the past year. Mikko has reclaimed his spot in the Top 10, due to his good score at the 2020/2021 WHC. Luis Filipe Gaspar banked over 80 and is close to the Top 10 now.

When you look at the numbers of new sites that the travellers have added to their tally in 2021, it is clear that travel right now is no level playing field. The Europeans that still had a lot to tick in Europe did well ( Randi & Svein's neverending summer holiday, Clyde, Nan, Luis Filipe). Older travellers and those in countries with severe restrictions (Australia, China, in a way the UK too) often scored a 0. Zos used his confinement within China to complete China.

Memorable Reviews

At 375, the number of new reviews still was low compared to pre-Covid times when we had over 800. Clyde managed to write 43 of them, detailing his extensive trip to Turkey.

1131 of 1154 WHS have now been reviewed, the coverage percentage-wise is the same as last year. The missing 23 can be found at the top of this page.

From the previously unreviewed WHS, we've managed to cover 3. Thimlich Ohinga was visited early 2021 by Michael Ayers. And he did it by bike of course. Michael is a master in visiting remote WHS and missing out on the easy ones! Ashur ( Thomas) and Babylon ( Wojtek) were the products of their fruitful trip to Iraq.

Also, a couple of sites that weren't covered in years received an update: Clyde went all the way to Ani and Diyarbakir. Michael Novins did Socotra. Martina covered Putorana (I still fondly remember the video of this shared privately!), Kyle the Gulf of California. And Jarek and I tackled the Talamanca Range from both the Costa Rican and Panamian sides.

The harder-to-reach new WHS of 2021 delivered 2 reviews of Lake Onega and White Sea Rock Art ( Martina, Alexander) and the Sudanese-style mosque in Kong ( Thomas).

Notable reviews among the TWHS include Ostrava ( Matejicek), Rijal Almaa ( Zoe), Civil Rights Movement sites ( Kyle, as part of an epic US road trip), Xinjiang Yardang ( Zoe), the Flow Country ( James), and the Ringed seal archipelagos of Lake Saimaa ( Juha).

Tsunami Award for WH travel misadventure

The Romanian WHS of Roșia Montană is just the thing our yearly contenders Nan and Tsunami enjoy: visiting a remote, recently added WHS without mature tourist infrastructure by public transport (preferably taking a late bus). Their shared takeaways: don't trust the online bus schedules, be prepared that there are no restaurants, hitchhiking works. Other difficulties encountered include: B&B host tested positive for Covid (Tsunami +1), phone out of battery (Tsunami +1), road closed due to flooding (Nan +1), 5km hiking with a sprained ankle (Nan +1), mine museum not open on weekends (Nan +1). Both, in the end, enjoyed the site and were grateful to its local people for support.
Are there any memorable reviews from 2021 that you'd like to put into the spotlight again? Leave a comment
Comments

I have to say, the review that made me "dream" more was probably the one about ringed seals in Saimaa by Juha! It is now among the top of my to-visit places in Suomi :-) Also, I'd like to book a wandering tour around Žatec with Matejicek :-D

Just for fun: I like that if you go to Openstreetmap, search for "Saimaa" and try to visualize its borders, it breaks down so complicated it is (at least on my laptop)!

Rain coat, overhead luggage bin, now in Istanbul.

What I definitely enjoyed were the interviews.

Lost your wallet again this year?

Wondering g why I have troubles so often. I think its a mix of public transport, tight/ambitious schedules and travelling out of season. With a car hassle would be less. With more time, delays would be less of an issue. And in season the weather tends to be at its best as well as the tourist infrastructure. Anyhow, 2021 was nice for Romania. But my travel smartness went down, as i am making repeat beginners mistakes...

On the review, hard to say without a list. Enjoyed Pawel in Zatec.

Erotic Art

Wiki defines Erotic Art as "a broad field of the visual arts including any artistic work intended to evoke erotic arousal, usually depicting human nudity and/or sexual activity." We've had a connection about it for a long time, bringing together WHS where examples of Erotic Art can be seen. Both "Erotic" and "Art" have to be taken broadly here: it includes what we now consider overtly sexual depictions or symbols, but weren't necessarily seen as such when they were made. The Meaning of Erotic Art seems to be a popular study object, shown by the number of Wikipedia pages and scientific articles devoted to it. Using these sources, I have been able to add some additional sites to the existing connection and better describe the ones that were already there.

Prehistory

Erotic Art is of all times, and the earliest examples can be seen in Rock Art across the world. While Tsodilo's "Dancing Penises" may just be geometric designs, the Saharan sites of Tassili n'Ajjer and Tadrart Acacus hold numerous examples of explicit rock paintings. The artists specialized in depicting men with large or erect penises. . Later on, this feature disappeared from the common depictions of men and only "privileged individuals" were shown with an exaggerated phallus.

Both at Valcamonica and Serra da Capivara, rock art showing sex between a human figure and an animal can be found. The meaning here may lie in hunting rituals or the domestication of animals. The Rock Carvings in Tanum have scenes of sexual intercourse at the Varlö location ("the bridal couple"), as well as figures having sex with animals.

Mesopotamia and Egypt

Ashur had a temple for the cult of Inanna, the goddess of sex and prostitution, where many explicit sculptures have been found. The occurrence was much rarer in Ancient Egypt, though the Turin Erotic Papyrus scroll discovered at Deir el-Medina ( Ancient Thebes) had twelve vignettes showing men and women in various sexual positions. Both however have been taken away to museums.

Etruscans, Romans, and Greeks

Two of the Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia have explicit sexual scenes: two men whipping a woman, and Hercules having sex with another man. These are explained as to keep demons away from the tomb. Similar scenes are more common in Roman and Greek settings, for example, the Columns with Phallus at the Stoivadeion in Delos and the Erotic Scene mosaic at Villa Romana del Casale. At Pompei and Herculaneum many scenes were discovered, notably graphic paintings in a brothel advertising sexual services. Most of the other original explicit artworks have been relocated to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Christian and Islamic

With the rise of Christianity and later Islam, the display of sexually explicit scenes in public surroundings became rare. An exceptional remain is the Fresco of a bathing woman at Quseir Amra: a wall painting of a topless woman is visible on the walls of this private bathhouse of an Umayyad dignitary. It was possibly painted by a Christian or Egyptian artist. At the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors ( French Route to Compostela), an erotic scene between a man and woman can be seen above its portal.

Hindu and Buddhist

Your best bet nowadays to admire sexually explicit scenes at WHS will be in India. Here the erotic art is religious and executed on the temples themselves. Hindu temples at Pattadakal, Ellora, Hampi, and Konarak have them. The best examples are the sculptures at Khajuraho: its Devi Jagdambi temple has rows of erotic sculptures including mithunas (couples participating in Tantric sex).

Not all Asian countries can appreciate the display of Tantric murals: at the Mogao Caves, Chinese authorities have declared a number of the caves off-limits, because they are considered too sexually explicit for visitors.
For more background reading on this subject, I'd like to point out the Erotic Art Connection where I have linked to the articles that I came across during my research. And to more explicit pictures! Leave a comment
Comments

I remember very nice buddhist erotic reliefs at Mrauk U and am just waiting for its inscription to see it in the connection! This makes me wonder if there are other somewhere, e.g. at the Shwedagon pagoda or Pagan, even if time periods are very different...

Kathmandu and Hampi were already there, see the full connection. Will add Sigiriya.

Probably you could also add Sigiriya with its frescos...

You can add Kathmandu Valley too with erotic wooden carvings and Hampi in India.

I've found it hard to find any references to erotic art at the Kakadu rock art sites, maybe because it's more taboo than at other places around the world where the images are from a very distant past. The image of Barginj at Nourlangie could count https://www.gettyimages.nl/detail/nieuwsfoto%27s/australia-barginj-woman-of-narmarkon-aborigines-rock-nieuwsfotos/549745031

Interested topic :)

You did not mention anything about Aboriginal and Maori art by the way, Kakadu has plenty and one is considered offensive to women so taking photos is highly advised against (allowed but you'd be the bad guy on the tour!) Totems frequently feature erect penises and get a good giggle out of any visiting high school group :p

Resources about WHS

Years ago we had a book section on this website. It fell victim to one of the many refurbishments, mostly because its content was quite static. However, books about UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the process around it keep on being published, and I have reviewed a number of them recently in blog posts. So I thought it would be a good idea to revive the " Resources about WHS " corner and extend it to include more contemporary media such as videos and podcasts.

Books

The Book section is an extension of the original listings from 2005. Recent notable additions include a new publication on India's 38 WHS and an ethnographic study of the World Heritage arena. You can sort them by country or year of publication.

The selection will be limited to studies about the World Heritage Process, generic overviews of WHS in countries, or volumes by theme (such as forests, coastal sites). It does not include site-specific books without a WH angle - it would be too much to include every book ever made about the Colosseum for example. It's also not meant to be an all-encompassing inventory, you can do a search on Amazon for that.

I decided to keep the 'old books', though you may only still be able to find some of them in your local thrift shop or Solivagant 's bookcase!

Podcasts

Totally new is the Podcast section. On long flights, bus rides and even lying in bed in the evening I enjoy listening to a captivating podcast about a WH-related subject. I don't know of any podcast series that solely focuses on WHS, but there are plenty that will prepare you for a visit. Even UNESCO's WHC is asking for podcasts now for its 50th birthday!

I focused here on the series and not so much on the individual podcasts. To be included they must be relevant to the World Heritage subject of course, but contrary to the book section site-specific episodes are still worth having here. I'd like to end up with a summary of 'podcast tips' that you'd want to recommend to a friend. They must be fun or interesting to listen to.

When we collect a lot of them, they could be presented per individual WHS in the future. But first, let's see what you come up with regarding suggestions. Meltwaterfalls has teased me for long that he has a whole list that he wants to share!

Other media

Inherited from the past incarnation is the section on " Articles": downloadable scientific studies about World Heritage listings. They are still valuable to those who want to read up on the subject. And I added a video section - there's Joel and Shandos for example who have been vlogging about WHS for several years now, they deserve a mention.
Do you have suggestions for additions to the lists of resources? Or know of even more types of media that have WH-related content? Post them below or in the "WHS in the media" Forum topic. Leave a comment
Comments

Do you think it would be really too much to include site-specific books, even if not specifically on the WH side? Or is it just that you'd prefer to keep the bibliography as general as possible? Excluding guidebooks and too general works (e.g. "Römische Geschichte" by Mommsen :-P ),I think that probably we would have to keep some threshold just for the most famous sites, otherwise having some key reference, especially for lesser-trodden sites, would be a treat! I already have some titles at the ready... :-) Or even, a "bibliography" section on each WHS page would be fantastic!

Besides, I'm really curious about those podcasts, now. It's something I've never delved into, but I'll try to listen to a couple before going to bed, the only moment I see myself able to give them proper attention without the urge of doing something else!

The longer ones of the Fall of Civilizations I find really too long, such as the Sumerian episode. But I did enjoy the Aztecs. The shorter ones on the Vikings and Easter Island are easier to handle. I have the same issue as you Michael with the UNESCO podcast, some 00:00 ones that do not play.

Good work, Els. I listened to two of the podcasts last night. Paul Cooper's episode on the Inca was really excellent (but very long for some, probably). I also enjoyed the first episode of the UNESCO culture series. I was somewhat expecting that to be a little dry, but I thought it was quite good. Is it only me, or are only half of the UNESCO episodes working (the ones with a time length of 0:00 won't play?)

Meltwaterfalls 12 December 2021

Oh no I definitely have to find time to do this now!!! Hopefully this is week
:)

WHS #764: Serra de Tramuntana

The Serra de Tramuntana is a beautiful landscape with steep mountainsides and lots of greenery. Like the rest of Mallorca, it is quite tourist trappy - so expect no lost paradise. An easy way to get to know the area is to take bus 203 from Palma. This is the 'slow' bus, that reaches the coastal town of Port de Soller after 1h20 min. It passes through the mountain villages of Valldemossa and Deia, and crosses large parts of the Serra de Tramuntana. These are narrow mountain roads, where two buses cannot pass each other. The stone villages seem glued to the steep mountain walls, that are so characteristic of this area. Near the coast, you can see dramatic cliffs.

The Serra is popular for hiking, even attracting long-distance hikers for a long weekend trip from Northern Europe. Since there are many daily flights from anywhere in Europe to Palma de Mallorca it is very accessible; from Palma it takes only 45 minutes by direct bus and then you are in the middle of this mountainous region. Crossing the mountain range on foot from west to east via the GR221 "Dry Stone Route" takes about 8 days with mountain huts available to spend the night.

I stayed for 2 nights in Soller, the liveliest place I encountered during my short week in Mallorca and Menorca in November. On my first day, I hiked a loop between Soller and Fortnalutx. Smaller towns like Fornalutx and Deia are included in the core zone of this WHS, while the bigger ones such as Pollença, Sa Calobra, Soller, and Port de Soller aren't. The hiking trails are signposted, but I recommend bringing an additional tool to really find your way. I had downloaded a description from the internet and used my phone with maps.me navigation.

The "long road" from Soller to Fornalutx mostly runs on narrow paths between terraced farm fields. Lots of stones here: from dry stone walls to the road itself. At breakfast I overheard an English tourist asking whether these roads date back to Roman times - "No" was the answer of the B&B owner, "they were built 2 years ago by the Spanish government"!

Every centimeter of this area seems to be in use for farming. There are lemon tree groves and I also saw almonds. With a cactus and a palm tree here and there, this results in a beautiful green landscape with colorful accents of flowers and plants.

The town of Fornalutx is a well-restored village with stone buildings and tiled roofs. Binibassi and Biniaraix are two other traditional villages along this route.

I had planned another day of hiking for Sunday, but the weather was against me. I still went on my way from Soller to Port de Soller, but it started raining so hard that I took the bus halfway to take me to the final destination. Port de Soller turned out to be a somewhat run-down seaside resort, perhaps caused by the winter season or by Covid closures. I still walked all the way up to the lighthouse of Cap Gros (part of the core zone - dating from 1859, "its construction took place without consulting engineers or architects"). The steep coastal cliffs are only partly visible from here.
Leave a comment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EPGDABR, short for "El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar National Biosphere Reserve", is another rarely visited WHS in the far North of Mexico. After contemplating a lot of options on how to get there ( Fly to Mexicali and rent a car?

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.brightspacecoaching.com/blog/tag/self-awareness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Oh boy, this is a big one.

We've all had moments in our lives when fear stopped us from doing something. Whether that was setting up an online dating profile, buying a new car or starting a new job. Think about a time in your life when fear stopped you in your tracks. What thoughts ran through your head? What emotions did you experience?

I've pushed through a lot of fearful thoughts in my life: I was afraid to go to college 10 hours away from my family, I was afraid to leave my six-figure job for an uncertain future, and I was afraid to start coaching. My dad passed away in 2011, and the one thing he taught me that I continue to teach others is to always do the thing that scares you.

Because here's the thing about fear: it's only as powerful as you make it.

Ever have that feeling that you just don't fit in?

Maybe it's at work or with a new group of friends. You try really hard to impress them, you give up part of who you are to be like who they are, but at the end of the day, something doesn't feel right.

That's how I felt in my last day job. I knew the organization's values were different from my own, but I didn't want that to be an issue because I cared deeply about the work I was doing.

But it was always an issue because I wasn't being true to myself. My confidence plummeted, I felt like I could never live up to who my boss wanted me to be, and I lost a sense of who I was.

That sense? That's self-awareness. That feeling that what you're doing isn't matching up with who you are on the inside. That inner wisdom that you stand for something bigger, or you're meant for something more.

Self-awareness is the most important quality any woman can have. When we focus our attention on ourselves, we evaluate and compare our current behavior to our internal standards and values.

Knowing and understanding ourselves are powerful guides toward living our best life. Improving our self-awareness builds confidence to help direct us on our life's path.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
self-awareness - Blog - Bright Space Coaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Oh boy, this is a big one. We've all had moments in our lives when fear stopped us from doing something. Whether that was setting up an online dating profile, buying a new car or starting a new job. Think about a time in your life when fear stopped you in your tracks.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/our-unique-approach-to-diversity-and-inclusion

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is so important to Culture Amp that it's part of everything we do. We spent a great deal of time evaluating how to build out this function within Culture Amp. During our research, we spoke with people across the globe and learned two important things.

First, there is no universally proven strategy for success. We know that culture cannot simply be copied and pasted; the D&I function at Culture Amp would be unique in that it would be the face of D&I internally, but also externally to our 2,000 customers. The role would have to be customized to fit our unique culture, business objectives and global footprint.

Second, speaking to different people gave us diverse and valuable perspectives. A light bulb went off - the role should be filled with various voices. That's how we made the decision to make the Head of D&I role a rotation for potential leaders. Anyone interested can apply for the opportunity to build their strategic muscle and learn new things in this role for 12 months. We're now coming to the end of the first year, and I believe this approach has worked well for us.

Our first Head of D&I is Steven Huang. In his final interview for the role, he said something that I really loved. His objective for the year was for everybody at Culture Amp to be able to articulate why D&I was valuable to them. Rather than only reporting on diversity metrics, he felt that we should focus on taking our people on a journey, helping them understand what inclusion really means, and creating a space where they can speak up if they don't feel included. The thread that runs through all of the work that he's done this year aligns with our first value of having the courage to be vulnerable. As Steven says, "It's okay to say the wrong thing as long as you're willing to listen to feedback. When people say they're offended, feel ostracized or don't feel included, we need to take that perspective on board."

Over the past 9 months, Steven has focused on three things in particular:

1. Creating a pathway to inclusion

The first thing Steven has focused on is creating a pathway to inclusion and giving people the space to have uncomfortable conversations. He has achieved this by building programs that incorporate ideas about D&I into our work at both a strategic and tactical level. His work has helped us all see issues that we weren't aware of.

Take recruitment as an example. Many people believe that unconscious bias training is best practice for hiring managers, but without context, this type of training can actually make differences more noticeable. Steven believes unconscious bias belongs in a portfolio of diversity management strategies that acknowledge that bias comes from somewhere - racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism.

While unconscious bias training is valuable, it assumes that we're getting diverse candidates but our managers aren't hiring them. But the truth of the matter is that we're not seeing a truly diverse group of candidates because our company has not been attractive to those people. So, a lot Steven's work in the D&I space is not just about helping employees and managers to confront and look past their biases. It's also about engaging the whole company to work out how to open up our arms and become a place where diverse people want to come and work.

Steven has also created Diversity and Inclusion Simulations. This open-source program creates simulations to engage people in discussions around D&I. These are run at our own internal workshops and at public People Geek events. Company leaders get involved so that the audience can watch them go through the process and create an environment where all employees can voice their perspective. I'll be involved in a simulation in Melbourne soon.

2. Hold ourselves to account with data

Through our D&I initiatives, we're now bringing data to bear and holding ourselves to account. A tactical way we've done this is in our calibration sessions, where we help managers decide how much people are paid. We do these sessions every 90 days so we can adjust levels and roles quickly.

After we've done the calibration, Steven and our Head of People run a series of analyses on our data and diversity splits across gender, job level, function, and location. For example, they look at whether we pay men more or less than women, or if women are promoted faster than men. This highlights if we have a systemic issue to fix or if there are any statistically meaningful differences that need to be explained, adjusted and communicated. We can then put our hand on our heart and say that we're not under or overpaying any group of people.

In our most recent calibration, we found that women at Culture Amp are currently promoted on average every 14 months and men every 16 months. Statistically, that's not a big difference but it's important to monitor.

Rather than just focusing on diversity metrics, Steven has also used our own Diversity & Inclusion Survey. Initially, he has focused on whether we have an inclusive environment or not. We want to understand where exclusion might be happening and, collectively, design strategies to remove disparate employee experiences.

3. Connecting Culture Amp to the broader D&I community

I think the most important thing Steven has done this year is connecting Culture Amp to the external D&I community. We're still early on in our D&I journey but we're going on that journey with our eyes wide open. We're not perfect and there are so many other people to learn from, so it's been great that Steven has spent a lot of his time talking to other companies (check out 21 diversity and inclusion influencers to meet some of them). He's shared notes and stories about what they're doing and reflected on how we can use those ideas at Culture Amp.

He's also shared what we're learning and what we're doing around D&I with others. While many are supportive of our innovations, we also receive a healthy dose of criticism. Being able to listen and understand the critics is a muscle every D&I function needs to develop.

I'm really happy with the approach that Steven has taken. The concept of this role is to train our attention and he's certainly shone a light on areas of D&I that are important. Ever since we started Culture Amp as four white, 30-something IT males, paying down our diversity debt has been important to us. It's great to see that journey has gone beyond the need to hire more women and is now a much more holistic, deeper and challenging conversation around what D&I actually means for our organization.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Our unique approach to diversity and inclusion | Culture Amp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At Culture Amp, we've taken a different approach to diversity and inclusion. Over the past 12 months we've focused on: - Creating a pathway to inclusion - Holding ourselves to account with data - Connecting Culture Amp to the broader D&I community

# data[].attributes.body
https://makeawebsitehub.com/examples-of-blogs/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you're thinking of starting your very own blog, but just don't have a clue on what to blog about, then fear not!

In this article, I have included a whole load of blog examples from a wide variety of different niches.

Since the beginning of the internet, millions and millions and millions of blogs have been created. Many have died due to lost interest or their owners giving up on the idea, while others have thrived and continue to grow, making money and earning their owners a steady income. It's a constant evolution of content that keeps people coming back for more, especially if these blogs contact highly resourceful material that people find useful and interesting.

Each example listed in this blog post are all different in some way and all bring something unique to their readers & subscribers. I want to show you what is possible and how you can take inspiration from them and create an awesome blog of your own.

Some of these blogs make over $100k a month, others are just a hobby for their owners, but all have the same purpose at their core... the love of writing and sharing information.

Want to Start Your Own Blog?

Remember that it doesn't cost the earth to start your own blog. You can be up and running for as little as $1.45 per month with Hostinger.

Bluehost offer web hosting, Free SSL, Email, web builder and a FREE DOMAIN for as little as $2.95 a month.

Examples of Frugal Blogs

Frugality blogs have really taken off in the past 3 years, mainly down to the state of the global economy. Saving money and being frugal with your wages is extremely popular as people have less and less money these days after paying rent, mortgage, bills etc. Creating a frugal / save money blog can also be a big earner for you, especially if you choose a good angle to take on this niche. The following examples all have really good angles. They target a specific demographic and they create content that they will love, share and take action with. Those actions can make you money through affiliate links, Google Ads and coupons.

One of the more popular frugal blogs in the UK, Miss Thrifty is targeting young mums with her money saving, frugal tips and articles. And rightly so! The market is massive and she's meeting a need for this type of information. Young mums aren't exactly rolling in cash. They may have had to give up work and are now relying on just one wage coming in, so the need to be more frugal with everyday living is a must.

The great thing about this blog is the conversational tone and the real person behind the brand. I think it's inspiring to other mums to see someone like them making such a difference in other people's lives by creating amazingly useful content that is 100% actionable. Also it may inspire mums to set up their own blog and to write about their experiences as a mother and a wife in the 21st century.

So when I talk about coming at a niche from a different angle, this example is exactly what I mean. Skint Dad is a site that helps young / new dads save money and be more frugal in their day to day living. There's also a section on their that shows guys how to make a little more cash on top of their monthly day job wage, which is vital in some cases just to keep your head above water. A lot of new dads have the added stress of not having their wives' or girlfriends' wage coming in each month, due to the temporary career change in being a full time mum of a baby. So having some content around how they can make a few extra "Ps" in their wallet each month, can ease the burden somewhat.

Examples of Entreprenurship Blogs

A very well designed and slick blog that's all about being your own boss and creating your own wealth. It's a blog with a very active podcast feed. Their podcasts are insanely popular on itunes, and no doubt they make a fair bit of money from selling ad space on those podcasts. Podcasts is something to think about when creating your blog as it could be a great monetization tool.

A very inspiring blog that contains motivational stories about startups and the people who work in them and create them. If you need a pick me up after a bad day at the office or think that you can't become that person who goes it along and starts up something awesome, then why not have a read. You'll soon hear about people who literally only had the shirt on their backs and who rose up to be a success in business and in life.

Examples of Tech Blogs

One of my favourite type of Blog is the "tech blog". Now this isn't something new to blog about, as Tech bloggers have been blogging about technology news and gadget reviews in detail online since the beginning of the internet, But because it's such a vast niche, you could carve out yourself a really good angle within the tech blog sphere. The trick is to have your own take on tech and don't just follow the trend. One area which hasn't really been covered specifically is eco tech, so something to think about. Maybe a blog specifically covering tech aimed at becoming more environmentally conscious.

Anyway, here's a few blogs in the tech niche that I really like and that I feel are doing something different and is thriving when it comes to organic traffic increases and revenue.

I've been following this site since it started and has seen its progression from just one guy writing about stuff he loves, to a site that get's decent traffic and has a team of writers.

Knowtechie is a great example of a site that started out as a hobby but has fast become a business. I like the angle they have as well. "Tech News For The Non Techie". KnowTechie is a blog for people who love tech, but live outside the bubble. This is so refreshing, because so many tech blogs out there are a bit too technical and full to the brim of jargon. It's nice to see a tech blog that has lowered the entry level to tech news.

Examples of Making Money Blogs

Like frugal blogs, making money related blogs have become insanely popular since the global economy has declined in recent years. The want for making more money in order to have a "Ok" quality of life, is increasing year on year. Wages are not rising, jobs are becoming less secure and the cost of living is constantly rising. This is why sites like the ones below in this section are becoming more and more popular.

Again, if you come at this niche with a different angle, then potentially you can have a great and successful website on your hands.

Side Hustle is an online community of entrepreneurs who's goal is to gain financial freedom through creating businesses that can help them achieve that. There's a collection of highly actionable blog posts on how to make additional income on top of your day job wage. They make good use of the podcast medium of content marketing by creating various podcasts with experts talking about a whole range of topics around entrepreneurship, making money online and creating wealth.

A great site, which is highly useful and inspirational for people wanting to change their 9 to 5 lives for something that will allow them to live a little and spend more time with the family. The site is really simple, and something you could build yourself on WordPress in a matter of day, but the content is where this site excels. Podcasts, tools, tutorials and blog posts that target a specific niche is where this guy makes his money. His podcasts are really popular and when you have content that gets a lot of ears and eyes to it, then so will the advertising income.

It's the same with written content. If you have a popular page that get's tens of thousands of views a month, then potentially you can sell ad space on those pages for hundreds of dollars a month, if not more.

Examples of Mommy Blogs

Mommy blogs are blog that are targeted towards parents, particularly women. Here's my pick on the best mommy blog examples that I think are worth looking at. They offer information that's resourceful and that can make parenthood that little bit easier. Most are monetised by sponsored post and display ads.

Giovanna is a writer, blogger, vlogger and mum. Her blog content is mainly about her life as a mother and a wife. She hosts a very popular podcast called Happy Mum, Happy Baby Podcast.

I love the variety of content on her blog. She mixes it up between informative blog posts about family life, what's going on in her world and tips for mums and a really cool podcasts that cover a variety of subjects to do with parenting and being a mum. The fact that she's not really hard selling at all is refreshing.

One of the best mommy bloggers around, Joanna has a really simple looking blog, full to the brim of useful stuff for old and new mothers alike. What I love about this site is the simplicity of the theme, the really current design features and the typography. The blog post ideas are really clever as well and sets Jo's site apart from all the other mommy bloggers.

Another well thought out and well designed mommy blog. This blog is quite varied in its content as its got a little bit of everything. If you love all things parenting, cooking with kids, craft with the children, health, family travel, stories, charity etc. then this site will give you plenty of inspiration on how you could start your own mommy blog.

Motherhood Diaries is an online parenting platform where parents and parents-to-be can share their opinions, expertise and solutions on all topics related to pregnancy and parenting. Leyla, who owns and maintains MHD, builds her traffic through targeting specific keywords related to parenting and creating resources around those phrases. She's also concentrating her efforts on social channels like Pinterest and Facebook to create lucrative audiences via an alternative traffic source to Google.

Examples of Parenting Blogs

WeTheParents.org is one of my favorite parent blogs. Rather than getting Mom's view or Dad's opinion, you get both sides of the parenting story. The content is a real mixture, Neve, the Mom tends to write about empowering mom stuff whilst her husband, Keane, seems to be a big kid who spends his time playing with and reviewing kids toys.

The main goal of this blog is to make parents' lives easier by doing the research for them. It can be a pain trawling through Google and to find the best products, so this mom and dad team get geeky finding out which products are the best for the whole family. (And which gear is just a waste of money!)

The site is beautifully designed and quick to load. It's a great example of a simple WordPress theme that's been well customized.

Examples of Adventure Blogs

Examples of Food / Wine Blogs

My favourite food blog is this one. I think the style, design and tone of voice is just top notch. Lindsay really has blogging down to a fine art, not just with the writing but also in knowing how to make money from blogging. I reckon she has a massive email list which she has built up over the years, that she can use to literally print money with. Targeting her email list with her latest blog posts, affiliate links, deals, offers, coupons will make her plenty of cash each month.

I love her blogger resources page as well. A clever way to inspire other bloggers to take the plunge and use what she uses to create a successful food blog.

A very slick and beautifully designed food blog. Much like Pinch of Yum, Cookie + Kate knows how to create compelling food content that effectively engages with their audience.

Another food blogger who fully understands the power of quality content and a knowledge of how to monetize a website. Stephanie Le's food blog is simple in design and in content form. The stuff she posts is 100% actionable. All the recipes can be made from home and she brings the content alive with amazing, high quality food photography. She gives it a personal touch by adding a bit of commentary and background to the photos.

There's also a really clever monetization method she uses with this page "What's in My Kitchen? Utensils Edition." She can easily add in Amazon affiliate links to earn income from this page, by recommending quality products that she uses on a daily basis.

This is a great example of an outstanding food niche blog. Think about what she's doing well and take note. Mouth watering photos, clean and simple theme layout, well formatted and styled recipe pages, excellent writing, conversational tone, and relatable back stories to each post.

12 By 75 is by far one fo my favourite wine blogs. It's well written and the information you get access to is via one of the most influential wine traders in the business. There's not many blogs out there that's written in the same tone as if your good friend was talking to you on a given subject. A fine example of a blog that's written out of the pure passion for the subject. Check out their homage to Bruno Mars.

Examples of Personal Development Blogs

If you're looking start a personal development blog that teaches and gives advice to people on how to improve themselves emotionally and spiritually then check out the great examples that I have listed below to show you exactly what can be done if you work hard enough at it.

Again this is a very simple site in terms of build but has a very good angle. It was set up by Lori Deschene, who is the author of Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself. The site is all about simple wisdom, inspiration, relationships, and mindfulness, which has gained in popularity over the past 2 years. There are many posts on this site which are based on Buddhism's teachings, but also contain things about relationships, healthy living and many other mindfulness related content.

I've shown you this personal development blog example because of its simplicity. You don't need to recreate the wheel in order to produce a popular blog within your niche. As long as you target the right niche and cater to that niche with resourceful content, then you're onto a winner.

Examples of Fitness Blogs

There's literally thousands of fitness blogs on the Internet in some shape or form. It's a popular niche and one that can be lucrative if you promote the right product or offer something different to the rest of the fitness blogs out there.

Below, I have added fitness blogs that do what they do incredibly well and examples that you can gain insights and inspiration from.

A very popular fitness blog mainly targeted towards women, where there's a positive encouragement of women of all shapes and sizes to get fit and start weights and strength training. Nia writes inspirational and empowering blog posts about how women can be fit, healthy and ripped by doing effective bodyweight exercises. She also promotes the mantra that exercise should never be considered punishment for eating.

I love this site because it has a purpose and a clear message, which resonates with her readers. A great tip that you should take a way with you and try and use when starting your own health & fitness blog.

Examples of WordPress Development Blogs

Here's a few examples of blogs that help people to develop their own blogs in WordPress and that offer advice and tutorials on the development of WordPress websites. These sites tend to monetize their traffic by having Adsense ads on their pages or have signed up to various affiliate programs to push certain products around web development and WordPress theme and services.

A very clean and simple design with easy to consume information on a whole range of topics around web development on the WordPress.org blogging platform.

WordPress Tavern is a site that's very simple in construction and design, yet is extremely popular with the WordPress dev community. It focuses on all things WordPress, from plugins to WordPress tutorials, they cover most things you'll want to learn about WordPress. What this proves is that your blog doesn't have to be flashy with bells and whistles attached. A simple theme with resourceful and helpful content is enough for your site to be a huge success.

Examples of Affiliate / Online Marketing Blogs

This is a new site launched back in Jan 2017 by Glen Allsop.

This site is going to be hugely popular. Not just because it's Glen, who is an excellent online marketer who created the monster that it ViperChill, but because the content is exceptional and inspiring. The one thing that I have noticed with incredibly popular blogs is the presence of what I call "The I Factor". It sounds cheesy, but if you can provide people with the inspiration to do something amazing with your content, whether that be to increase their website traffic, make amazing cupcakes, loose 20lbs in weight, save money on your food shop or create an amazingly popular online business, then your blog will continue to grow and grow and become the site you wanted to create in the first place.

Gaps.com is certainly one of those sites that inspire people to create their own profitable blogs & businesses.

Examples of Travel Blogs

Examples of Photography Blogs

Here's my pick on the best photography blog examples that I think are worth looking at. They offer something a bit different to what's currently out there on the web, which is what can make a popular and profitable blog.

I think the tone of voice on this blog is exceptional. If only everything was written this way. Its friendly, clear, easy to read and inspiring. I like the way they cover the simple things about photography with posts like "Shoot Different" and "Why your smart phone is the best camera". Enjoy this site. I did.

Starting Up Your Own Blog?

If you're ready to take the plunge then why not head over to my Start A Blog Tutorial where I will show you, for FREE, how to start your own blog in just 20 minutes.

Or if you're ready to start building your site straightaway, you can take advantage of my Bluehost promo link where you can get hosting + a FREE domain name from from just $2.95 per month by using this link.

Alternatively you can use this handy tool to see if your domain name idea is available to buy.

The following two tabs change content below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
19 Examples of Blogs That Are Loved by Their Visitors - 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you're thinking of starting your very own blog, but just don't have a clue on what to blog about, then fear not! In this article, I have included a whole load of blog examples from a wide variety of different niches. Since the beginning of the internet, millions and millions and millions of blogs have been created.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.yourmodernfamily.com/your-modern-family-blog/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Building a home your family will want to come home to..

.

Every moment of every day is yours to do with as you wish. I wish to make the most of my days - to fill them with joy, love, and family. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, therapist, and friend... I'm here to help you find the way to have your best moments, too. You'll find

When you land on Your Modern Family's Homepage, you'll find stories of family, activities to share with your kids, ideas for trips & vacations, ways to save money, easy recipes to share with your family, and ideas for organizing your home (so you can spend less time on things & more time on people). motherhood, health, and marriage.

Hi! I'm Becky...

I am a wife, a mother, an elementary school teacher, and a child developmental therapist. I believe that every day is the perfect day to build a strong relationship with your family.

I believe that it is the goal of all of us to have strong, close, trusting, and loving relationships... the kind of relationships that give our children & spouse a reason to want to come home each day... the kind of relationships that make us want to comehome each day. The kind of relationship that makes you say, "I wish ____ was here to share this with me!"

It's possible.

It starts now... today. Every moment matters. You can and will have the kind of home that your family wants to come home to - today, tomorrow, and always. It begins with you.

Our Story...

In middle school, I was introduced to Mickey. While I was over-the-moon at first glance, he told his friends that I "talk too much." (Not to worry- he got used to it! haha!)

Over the next few years, we became best friends. Then, a few years later, in 9th grade, he asked me to be his girlfriend, in front of my house one evening. The rest is history.

We were engaged in the summer going into our junior year of college. Two years later, after graduation, we were married. Our wedding was in the summer of 2004, in our hometown, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

We moved to North Carolina that same summer, bought our first house, and had our first jobs out of college. It wasn't long before we realized that we were ready to start a family.

We have four kids...

While teaching second grade, I was excited to learn that I was going to become a mother! Our oldest son was born in 2006 (and I became a stay at home mom.) We then had a baby every two years (with one loss).

2006: Our oldest son was born (Jack) & I left my job as a 2nd-grade teacher.

2008: We welcomed another beautiful baby boy (Beau) and I earned my certification to become a part-time child development therapist, AKA, play therapist.

2012: We welcomed our baby girl (Allie Elizabeth).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Your Modern Family blog - parenting, lifestyle, home & more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Building a home your family will want to come home to.. . Every moment of every day is yours to do with as you wish. I wish to make the most of my days - to fill them with joy, love, and family. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, therapist, and friend...

# data[].attributes.body
Where blogging begins