Astraftis:
I admit having no plans yet other than a desire for desert countries
I love this statement and I have a similar feeling now and then, despite living close to the Mojave desert!
Astraftis:
I tend to dive deep and go for all components
I resonate with this mindset, more than ever when feasible, I will try to 'complete' a serial WHS, there is a feeling of accomplishment and often greater appreciation having done so.
What were your exploration patterns? What did you like the most, and the least? What was the biggest surprise for you? What about 2025?I noticed only afterwards that the countries we (including my spouse) visited from the very end of 2023 to just a few weeks ago were Spanish speaking (Mexico twice, Costa Rica, and Spain). It was not something we were trying to do, it just happened. Last year we completed a trip to Central Mexico (
Guanajuato,
San Miguel de Allende, and
Querétaro) on New Year's Eve and arrived back to the US just in time to celebrate the New Year (2024) with friends in San Diego. In March, we took a short trip to Costa Rica and enjoyed multiple hikes over a few days within the
Area de Conservación Guanacaste. During the Summer, I revisited Frank Lloyd Wright's
Unity Temple in Chicago while visiting family in Wisconsin. My first visit to Unity Temple was January 2010, so it had been a while. In November, inviting some friends with us, we returned (driving) to a favorite place of ours Sonora, Mexico and specifically
El Pinacate and the
Gulf of California, where we visited a remote component for the first time - Isla San Jorge. Both were revisits, but it has been particularly rewarding to keep chipping away at the massive Gulf of California world heritage site and we look forward to other trips to see its various islands. The last trip of the year was the holiday season in Spain, my 3rd trip (2007, 2018, 2024). Reviews are completed and queued up. It was a lot of fun to fully visit all 7 components of the
Works of Antoni Gaudí and perhaps a potential Gaudí extension component or two. Seeing a concert at the
Palau de la Musica Catalana is a special memory from 2024. Its counterpart,
Hospital de Sant Pau made for some fantastic pictures. Getting a chance to explore
Mudejar Architecture in Zaragosa and then staying right next to
Vizcaya Bridge in Portugalete / Bilbao was special.
During the 2024 WHC I only picked up one new site,
Beijing Central Axis. At least 2025 is a bit more hopeful, with past visits to
Álvaro Siza's Architecture (though only 1 component),
Faya Palaeolandscape, and
Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream.
I enjoyed all the WHS I visited the past year, but the 3 natural sites stand out Guanacaste, El Pinacate (3rd visit), and the Gulf of California (2nd visit - approaching half of its components). Thoroughly visiting the Works of Antoni Gaudí was also a major highlight, especially after only visiting the exterior of Sagrada Familia in 2007!
In 2025, only the Summer is planned out, a return to Korea for the first time in 9 years! I guess my previous trip I did a good job visiting the right tentative sites, since Korea's WHS remains complete for me. Since the trip will be for about 50 days, we will have plenty of time for some excursions in various parts of Asia. A trip South to Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia will be exciting for us and likely a short flight from ICN to Hokkaido to explore Shiretoko. In Korea, I will revisit a few WHS and hopefully tick off any last unvisited components (various Getbol, Sansa, Seowon, Dolmen, Joseon Tombs, etc). I am crossing my fingers that Korea will do a little update of its tentative list by June, but if not I will cover the last few tentative sites that I missed previously or recent additions (Unjusa, Hoeamsa). A handful of the more promising 'aspiring' candidates are also on my itinerary. Not sure about the 2nd half of the year, but return trips to Mexico may be the most likely, either short trips to Paquimé and/or El Vizcaino, or a longer trip to the Yucatán Peninsula utilizing the somewhat controversial Mayan Train.