Naturally wonderful Philippines of late have gained a prominent place in the travel plans of the globetrotters. The natural wonders, heritage, culture, food and the arts here are matchless. Philippines' natural wonders are the mix of beauty and mystery.
Can you imagine a complex of 52 pre-Ankorian temples deep inside Cambodian forest or the city of Incan, where tourists truly get lost? These places don't attract many western travellers as some of these wonders are located in remote areas. Let’s just have a quick look at the top five human handmade wonders of the world.
1. Medieval churches made out of volcanic red rock: Lalibela, Ethiopia
People, who are not Ethiopians, have least chances to know about these 11 churches of the medieval period situated in the small mountainous village of Lalibela in Ethiopia. Eleven medieval monolithic churches were carved out of rock. This special destination, known as Rock-Hewn Churches, is a place of pilgrimage and devotion of Ethiopian Christianity, hence the Ethiopians have not open the place for tourism.
2. Cambodia's Oldest Temple Complex: Kampong Thom Province
Kampong Thom, the second largest province of Cambodia by area, is a beautiful and eye-candy town situated on the bank of the Stung Saen River. The Kampong Thom Province is the former capital of Chenla kingdom, a bygone domain that once controlled much of current-Cambodia. There are 52 standing temples, which were built in the 7th century, are spread across three square miles of forest area in the province.
3. World's Oldest Freestanding Monuments: Malta and Gozo
Gozo also called as the sister island of Malta, is very close but different from Malta. It is the second largest island of the Maltese islet. The man made stone temples based on these small Mediterranean islands chunked in the mid of Sicily and Tunisia are worth seeing, although the destination don't get much heed these days. These temples won't be seen in any movies or television shows.
4. A gravity-defying palace: Lucknow, India
Lucknow, capital city of eastern state of Uttar Pradesh, India is known to few people of the world and even fewer crowds have heard about the maze-like palace complex in the city, which is a great mixture of dual architectures (European and Arabic).
5. The Truly Lost Incan City: Choquequirao, Peru
Choquequirao - a ruined Incan city in Peru, established in 15th century contains a central plaza and many slope terraces constructed around 6000 feet above Apurimac River and below Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top.