#873 Petra, Jordan

Probably on everyone's bucket list, Petra is one of the most amazing sites in the world and really deserves that place on the must-see list. Some would say that it was made famous by Indiana Jones, but it has been a wonder for millenia ever since the Nabataens built it in the centuries before Christ. Whether it is your first glimpse of the Treasury between the narrow slabs of rock (lit up in the morning sun, or in the afternoon shadows), or the hike up to the Monastery high above the valley floor, its grandeur, its seemingly perfect architecture, symmetry and form and its beautiful pink and red hues are only the beginning of the wonder. 

An enormous city complete with large ampitheatre, houses, government buildings, temples, and other structures, it was no doubt also filled with many temporary structures that form puzzle pieces long gone. The wind has softened many a line, fires lit by sheltering Bedouin have colored many a ceiling, and pathways have changed and been worn by many a donkey. It is beautiful architecture in its own right, but its magnificence is in that instead of being built up, it has been carved out of sold rock, and to enter a room that was once sold and to feel the space shows just what a feat of engineering it was. Oh, what a spectacular place it must have been!

The walk up the mountain to the sacrificial platform was fascinating -- something that no doubt many visitors would be happier to ignore. It was also not the natural formations that were so important -- the control of the water supply was what allowed the city to gain its strength. There are Greek, Syrian and Egyptian influences. Like so many other delights, it was hidden and unknown to the western world until 1812 

I dream of visiting its lesser-known cousin Medain Salah just over the border in Saudi Arabia. One day, I will!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra

#886 Wadi Rum, Jordan

There are few places in the world that are so much the center of the world, yet so isolated and desolate that very little life exists there. Wadi Rum is such a place. Very close to Aqaba on the Red Sea, it is an area that has been inhabited and traversed for millennia, yet there are almost no settlements and minimal inhabitants. It is a spectacular place, as beautiful a desert as could exists, with unique and beautiful windswept rock arches and towers, rich red and gold sands, and vast vistas of mirages and shimmering heat. The Bedouins have roamed this area for centuries and still call it home. There is nothing more welcoming than a small fire in a Bedouin desert tent, with tea ready for consumption, a soft red woolen cushion and the blissful shade from the scorching sun.

Rock art decorates the ancient walls showing images of a story that has long been forgotten. Lawrence of Arabia was much at home here and his legacy lives on amongst the people. Wadi Rum is a mystical, special place, Wadi representing a valley, and rum definitely not translating to what we know it as!

#904 Musandam Peninsula, Oman

Very few people, if they know where Oman is, know about the enclave of Oman at the northern tip of Arabia, jutting into the straits of Hormuz. The most common visitors tend to be from the United Arab Emirates, as it is much closer than the main cities of Oman proper. Forming the land barrier between the Indian Ocean and the Arabian/Persian Gulf, the geology is similar to that of Oman on the other side, and is an ancient rock formation of spectacular arrangement. With barely one sealed road, and many off-road 4WD excursions available, it is a place to go with your own car. 

The main town on the western (and more developed side) is Khasab, but really, it is a one-service station town, with only a handful of hotels and even fewer restaurants. It is the setting off point for cruises into the isolated bays of Musandam, where you can find Telegraph Island, where poor souls were stationed for months on end to man the British telegraph station that was connecting continents here.

Because most of the peninsula is made up of small primitive villages, little has changed in the past millenia. Rock art can be seen in many villages, and the animal life is great -- many egrets and other birds nestle on the sea-side rocks, while dolphins frolic through the bays jumping over the wake of the relatively few boats that visit. Most boats are in the image of the ancient dhows that have plied the water routes across the gulf for centuries - a lovely day out!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musandam_Governorate 

#923 Huacachina, Peru

If ever you wondered where movie makers got the idea of the oasis, it is possible to imagine that they visited Huacachina in Peru, which fits the description perfectly with its large shimmering pool, palm trees and dunes of sand surrounding it. Ica, the main town, is just over the next dune, so you are never far from civilization, but it just appears idyllic. 

As they always are, the sand dunes are deceptively small. What looks like a 5 minute wander to take a picture of the sunset turns into a huff-and-puff hour long ordeal where you look over at the sand-boarders and wish you had one, except that it would go up. The sand is soft and this only makes walking on it even harder. For every 5 steps up, it feels like you take 3 steps back.

Although there is a permanent population (of 115 or so), the main appeal is for tourists and other visitors. Most of the buildings are hotels or restaurants, and as they have dug wells, it has had a negative impact on the lagoon itself -- meaning that the Peruvian government actually pumps water in.

Nestled in a pretty grove where the rest of the world cannot be seen from within, the dunes only have no footprints (or dune-buggy lines) if you manage to get up early enough. The view from the top (several hundred meters high) is superb, and the dunes appear to go on forever into the distance, although this is only a smaller part of a larger (earth) desert.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huacachina