TRAVEL SPECIAL...Past Glories

Past Glories 

Venture through some of the world’s known and lesser known historic sites to get a blast from the past

    There’s more to Heritage Tourism than simply looking at age-old building structures. It offers the traveller an opportunity to delve into the past and understand the lives and stories of the people of the time.
    While at Abul Simbel, take a moment to imagine the Egyptian civilisation at its prime. Bring alive the prehistoric paintings on the walls of the Lascaux Caves in France and imagine how the people who drew them spent their lives.
    But then again, heritage is beyond just manmade structures. Nature itself plays an important role in heritage tourism. Want to experience something out in the open wild? Sumatra’s rainforests are home to numerous endemic species of flora and fauna that are on the ‘endangered’ list. Here’s your chance to spot them up close.
    Enjoy this old world charm when you go travelling.
 
NUBIAN MONUMENTS
REGION: Abu Simbel, Egypt
    Built by Ramesses II to celebrate his reign and commemorate his favourite wife, Nefertari, the Abu Simbel site is made up of two rock temples known as the Nubian Monuments. The original site was moved from near the banks of the River Nile to higher ground to prevent it from being inundated, following the building of the Aswan High Dam and is recognised as an important event in archeological engineering. www.egypt.travel
TROPICAL RAINFOREST OF SUMATRA
REGION: Indonesia
    With more than 200 mammal and 800 bird species, the Sumatran rainforest is an important natural heritage site. Sign up for tours or safaris via Gunung Leuser National Park or Kerinci Sablat National Park and come up close with Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran rhinoceros, and pigtailed monkeys. Trek through the Bukit Barisan Mountains and cool off at Lake Gunung Tujuh here. While at the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, take a boat ride through the jungle.
www.sumatra-indonesia.com
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
REGION: Wyoming, USA
    Widely regarded as the first national park in the world, Yellowstone is known for its wildlife consisting of bears, deer, bison and wolves. One can also go fishing in the park, though certain permits are needed and some varieties of fish are required to be put back into the water if caught.
    Yellowstone’s geothermal zone is one of its biggest attractions and the largest in the world. Hot springs, sulphur pools and geysers draw in numerous visitors. Check out the steaming hot springs
Morning Glory, Grand Prismatic, Emerald and Sapphire. Visit Old Faithful geyser and watch as the hot steaming water bursts forth from the ground here.
www.nps.gov/yell
TOWER OF LONDON
REGION: United Kingdom
    ‘Sent to the Tower.’ The line has been used in many writings as well as movies depicting the Tower of London as a prison area. Famously, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I were all kept at the Tower prior to their coronations. The castle complex however, was more often used as a royal residence, armoury, treasury, menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint and the official residence of the Crown Jewels. Visitors can check out the Imperial State Crown along with other important jewels at Waterloo Barracks here. There are legends about the ghosts of Anne Boleyn (beheaded at the Tower), Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey and other others who are said to haunt the White Tower of the complex. Take a trip to the nearby Tower Hill, a historic execution area as well.
www.hrp.org.uk/ TowerOfLondon
LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA
REGION: Near Sichuan, China
    Known to be one of the world’s tallest stone-carved statues, the Leshan Giant Buddha was built near the confluence of the rivers Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi. Visitors can take a boat cruise to the UNESCO site and marvel at the ingenious detail which took 90 years to build. Also visit Mount Emei, which lies opposite the Leshan statue.
LASCAUX CAVES
REGION: France
    Go back to the stone age when you visit the Lascaux Caves in Dordogne. Take a tour through the cave system where the guide will point out a series of Upper Palaeolithic wall drawings. Venture through The Hall of the Bulls, the Passageway, the Shaft, the Nave, the Apse, and the Chamber of Felines.
www.lascaux.culture.fr 

Compiled by Lara Rebello ETTR130516