Great Mosque of Djenne

The Great Mosque in Djenne, the capital of Mali, is considered by many to be an architectural wonder. From the photographs I've seen of it, it looks like one big beautiful sand castle. In a way, it is, since it's apparently made of mud.

Madurai Meenakshi Temple

I just discovered a temple in southern India which is surrounded by a few tall towers that appear to be made of countless Hindu idols. While religions like that are somewhat creepy, an environment shaped by such practices for hundreds of years would be quite amazing to see. Also, this temple is located in the middle of one of the most populated places in the world. The crazy amount of figures on these towers seem to reflect that area's characteristic.

Sigiriya

These are the ruins of the ancient capital of Ceylon. A main interesting feature of it is a great stone landmark over a thousand feet high. Its location in Sri Lanka would create a very interesting atmosphere in addition to the unique architecture.

Chan Chan

Most of (or at least a big chunk of) Peru's tourism probably comes from Machu Picchu. Although pictures I've seen of it are quite beautiful, the place is imaginably run over by tourists.

Today, however, I found another remarkable archaeological site in Peru, south of Trujillo. It's called Chan Chan, and it is beautiful, grand, and apparently made from mud... mmuuuuuuddd! (to my future self reading this: you were quite bored today)

Marquesas Islands

I discovered the island of Hiva Oa because of its amazingly seahorse-like shape. Further information about Hiva Oa showed me that its natural features are wonders of the Pacifc. Its main city Atuona is surrounded by mountains over three thousand feet high. Its plant life is very exotic and tropical, and the pictures I've found of the island make me wonder why I hadn't heard of it before, or the Marquesas Islands of which it is a part of.

I would love to visit any main island of that entire chain; these islands are beautiful.

Iqaluit

Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut, and is very north. However, it has a population of over seven thousand residents. It's a small town, but its near-arctic setting makes me want to visit it to see how it has been shaped in such a climate. The natural scenery surrounding the capital would also be worth seeing, imaginably.

Beli Iskar Valley

This month I was touring Google Earth with its flight simulator feature, visiting every European capital to get a sense of each country with the available satellite photographs and terrain provided. Going from Sofia to Athens, I discovered an amazing valley in the Rila Mountains of southwestern Bulgaria. The valley which the Beli Iskar River passes through appears to be uniquely beautiful and grand. Others describe it as a place which is as a far away land.

Paris

Paris has many interesting sights I'd be interested to see, including the famous Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomph.

There's also the Champs-Elysées. I first heard about this on a TV show episode focused somewhat on beautiful landmarks of Paris. After some more research, I quickly learned that it truly was a wonder of that French capital. Just having the experience of walking from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomph would give a lasting impression of the culture of Parisian luxury in that area. Photographs I've seen of it are beautiful, and being there in person would be quite amazing.

South Pole

Although there are probably more beautiful places to see in Antarctica, the geographic south pole would be a very interesting destination. It is most likely representative of the majority of the Antarctic landscape: icy, cold, and empty. Of course, the South Pole area has facilities to ensure human survival, so it seems like the most ideal barren Antarctic spot to visit.

What is amazing is that the American station at the South Pole is open for visitors, though transportation to the pole area is most likely terribly inconvenient. It would be quite a journey, though, and possibly a great adventure in the journey there.

Valley of Flowers

Today I just learned of a beautiful valley in the Himalayas of Northern India called the Valley of Flowers. As implied from the name, great amounts of flowers are plentiful there. Definitely on my list of places to see.

United States

I recently planned a month-long trip through the United States, using a similar method to a previous month-long world trip I planned. This American trip includes destinations from the different cultural regions of the United States, making sure that a full experience of the nation would be enjoyed. So, here it is.

day 1: San Juan, Puerto Rico. - The capital of the territory of Puerto Rico. I'm guessing they speak a lot of Spanish there for an American land. Maybe it'll be part of the Union if this trip is ever taken.

day 2: Newport, Rhode Island. - A city on the Atlantic coast of New England, which includes its own Cliff Walk with views only available in Rhode Island. Also has mansions like "The Breakers" and stuff.

day 3: Manchester, New Hampshire. - The largest city in New Hampshire.

day 4: Mount Washington, New Hampshire. - A mountain famous for its altitude and terrible weather, including extremely strong winds at times.

day 5: New York City. - The largest city in the United States, and one known throughout the world for many reasons, including economic and diplomatic significance.

day 6: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - A large and historically important city.

day 7: Letchworth State Park, New York. - A park featuring the Genesee River and a gorge above it known as the Grand Canyon of the East.

day 8: Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. - A large national forest in the Appalachian Mountains.

day 9: Great Smoky Mountains. - The most-visited national park in the United States. Home to many southern Appalachian mountains. (update: I went there during a time living in Tennessee in summer 2011! Beautiful.)

day 10: Atlanta, Georgia. - The largest city in Georgia, its capital. Home to many national headquarters of various companies and corporations.

day 11: Houston, Texas. - The largest city in Texas. And since Texas is so large and populous, it must be pretty important. Also, Galveston Island.

day 12: Cahokia, Illinois. - The site of a large ancient city, now across the river from Saint Louis and characterized by the numerous mounds there.

day 13: Chicago, Illinois. - The United States's third-largest city, and the birthplace of many creepy politicians. It makes one wonder why. (update: I have been here, and had the privilege of seeing very many amazing things in the city. I would still like to return to see the stuff I didn't visit the first time, though.)

day 14: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. - Wisconsin's largest city, located by Lake Michigan. While close to Chicago and most likely part of the same urban area, it appears to have a separate culture of its own.

day 15: Isle Royale, Michigan. - An isolated island within Lake Superior. Due to the very small population and its status as a national park, it is a very natural land.

day 16: Badlands, South Dakota. - A Midwestern location that is somewhat void of agriculture. Cool.

day 17: Denver, Colorado. - Largest city in Colorado, and its capital. (update: I've been here, and, like in Chicago, have seen a good number of neat sites. I probably wouldn't mind seeing more, though.)

day 18: Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado. - Really deep and steep canyon in the Rocky Mountains, containing the Gunnison River.

day 19: Big Bend, Texas. - A large park located on the Texas side of the "big bend" of the Rio Grande.

day 20: Phoenix, Arizona. - The largest city in Arizona, and of course its capital. Known for its heat.

day 21: Bryce Canyon, Utah. - It's a canyon in southern Utah. Those two characteristics must combine into something awesome to see.

day 22: Los Angeles, California. - It's huge in size and population, and the home of celebrities, studios, and Disneyland. This must therefore be a very scary place, but it's culturally influential, so it has to be visited for the full experience.

day 23: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. - Volcanic activity creeps me out. Yellowstone was tough for me, so I'm not sure how I'd be able to handle an active volcano, with lava and steam and scary stuff like that. But I think it's what Hawai'i is made of, literally, and you won't see anything like it elsewhere in the United States.

day 24: Honolulu, Hawai'i. - If I survive the volcanoes, Honolulu would be probably a great place to emotionally recover. It is the capital of the state, and was very influential in World War II's involvement in America.

day 25: San Francisco, California. - Another large city in California, but this one is known for its creativity. Of course, in California, that may not always be a good thing. But it'd still be quite nice to visit.

day 26: Crater Lake, Oregon. - The deepest lake in the United States, which is unique in itself, but the fact tat the lake is located in an enormous crater is something amazing.

day 27: Boise, Idaho. - A principal city in the northwest region of the country.

day 28: Glacier National Park, Montana. - I apparently came here as a child, but that doesn't count. I've also seen beautiful pictures of the scenery here, so I would quite like to return.

day 29: Anchorage, Alaska. - The largest city in Alaska, which is even further north than most Canadians.

day 30: Denali, Alaska. - The highest mountain in North America, and one of the world's most dangerous to climb. I'm planning to just tour the area surrounding the mountain's base. The Alaskan wilderness is very famous, and the views must be amazing there. Hopefully the northern lights would also be visible while we were there.

Andorra

Andorra is a small country located between Spain and France, and normally that alone is interesting but not enough to spark possible travel plans. However, this little nation is located high in the Pyrenees mountains, and somehow still survives. It would most likely be quite a lovely place, at least one with a culture worth experiencing for a while.

Rio de Janeiro

This entry used to be about Copacabana, but since then I've learned that the beach there isn't very clothed generally. However, Rio de Janeiro as a whole is indeed certainly somewhere I really want to tour.

During some reading on the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, I learned of a region of the city known as Copacabana, famous for its enormous beach. Having been to a few beaches myself, nothing about beaches really interests me; however, Copacabana has a view of the famous Sugarloaf Mountain, and lots of businesses alongside the curved border by the Atlantic Ocean. This mix of city, ocean, and terrain would be something I'd enjoy seeing someday. Also nearby is the Niteroi Art Museum, which seems to have a really neat-looking saucer-like building.

I would especially like to get up close to the famous Cristo Redentor statue, for the great view of the city below and also for a photo op I'd like to take with my Buddy Jesus, doing a side-hug kind of thing.

Sulawesi

Looking in the archipelago of Indonesia, one island stands out among the others as special: Sulawesi. It stands out because of its interesting shape, consisting almost entirely of peninsulas. To me, it seems to be begging to be visited because of this interesting cartography.

I especially want to see the twelve-mile narrow point north of Palu, conveniently labeled on this map as "north of Palu". This appears to be a location very interesting. Not only does it barely keep the north "arm" of Sulawesi connected to the other three, but it is located directly on the earth's equator.

There is nothing in particular I am expecting to see there, but because of its unique position, I would like to be surprised while exploring that small area.

Yosemite

I've been to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Arches National Park, but sometimes it really bothers me that I've yet to visit Yosemite Valley. The photographs are beautiful, the topography is amazing, and it appears to be one of the most fantastic places in America. This is the national park I want to visit most.

A tour through the park would be absolutely lovely, but mostly I just want to view the Half Dome from the western entrance, between the two enormous valley walls.

Trans-Siberian Railroad

Siberia is a place I'd like to visit because it is so remote, and therefore, most likely more untouched than other places in the world. It is large, making it difficult to travel around, and it is cold, making it not the ideal place to live. These factors, I assume, make it one of the least-obstructed regions in the world. Normally, when I see land untouched by human development, it becomes part of creation that reminds me of God's power, beauty, and glory, and I greatly enjoy viewing those natural things the way they have been from the beginning of creation.

Of course, a trip around Siberia could be a terrible experience depending on the weather, and great effort it takes to travel that way. However, one of the most famous solutions to this problem has been provided, stretching from Moscow all the way to Vladivostok. This Trans-Siberian Railroad seems to be the ideal mode of transportation to accomplish this insane trip.

Of course, traveling Russia, the world's largest nation, must include some stops along way for curious travelers like myself. A stop to see Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake, would definitely be a must. Stopping at some of the important Russian cities to take small tours would also be an interesting experience.

Fiordland

For the past couple years or so, I've heard about the fjords (or fiords down there, apparently) of New Zealand, and how beautiful it is, starting with checking out books on New Zealand from the local library. One of these contained a stunning photograph of a Kiwi fjord. The first times I even heard of fjords were researching Scandinavia and Alaska years before, so it was surprising back then to hear that New Zealand had these. Now, years later, I've learned that New Zealand's fjords appear to be some of the world's most beautiful, and I now want to see them.

Fiordland, on the nation's South Island, contains these spectacular fjords, along with other beautiful natural features. Fiordland National Park is the home of many of these, including the most famous one, Milford Sound. There also seems to be a larger but less accessible Doubtful Sound. Both of these, I imagine, should be amazing sights to see.

Northwest Ireland

A couple of my friends think Ireland would be an excellent place to visit. I agree, not mainly because of any real reason why Ireland is special, but because I think almost any country in the world I haven't been to yet would be an excellent place to visit. However, I decided to look into what there is to see on this "Emerald Isle", and I found some interesting things. My friends have pointed out the magnificent castles and the beautiful green scenery, so I created this trip to include those two things, along with my own idea of tourism.

day 1: Trim, Ireland. - Located in this area is Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Along with seeing the castle grounds, a tour of the green Irish landscape could easily be included.

day 2: Newgrange, Ireland. - In the same Meath County is Newgrange, the site of an enormous ancient landmark known as Brú na Bóinne, which must be famous, for the name had to be copy-pasted.

day 3: Dublin, Ireland. - The capital of the Republic of Ireland, and a city filled with opportunities to explore. Things to see include the Dublin Spire, St. Stephen's Green, the Dublin Castle, and many unique bridges.