What are the Seven Wonders of Nature

There are 28 nominations for the world to vote from, to choose seven Wonders of Nature. I checked them out and it is going to be a very hard decision to get seven from all the wonderful places that have been nominated. I feel lucky to have personally visited 10 of the 28, and while not trying to influence anyone, here are my favourites, the top 7 I would vote for.

If you have been fortunate to have visited any, or all, of these new wonders and want to vote go to www.sevenwondersofnature.org

I decided to start with the one that is closest to where I live, The Grand Canyon. It is located in the Grand Canyon National Park and is millions of years old it is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and 1 mile deep. The Pueblo People have lived here for centuries and consider it a holy place. It was visited by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, an avid outdoorsman and staunch conservaationist, he established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906.

The South Rim Village in the Grand Canyon is a hub of activity, where there are a variety of accommodations such as the El Tovar Hotel built in 1905; many historical places to see, among them the cabin of Buckey Oneill, a miner, which was built in the 1890s and is the oldest structure in the South Rim,it is now used as a guest house and the Hopi House built in 1905, which was used as a place of residence for the Hopi Indians, who sold arts and crafts to visitor. There are modern camping facilities with hook-ups for RV's, museums, gift shops and restaurants are all clustered here. From here visitors can take guided trips into the canyon walking or riding a mule or go horseback riding.

One of the newest additions to the Grand Canyon is the Skywalk, a unique cantilevered bridge that extends 65 feet over the west rim of the Canyon while soaring 4000 feet above the Colorado River, this engineering marvel has a glass floor that supports the weight of 800 people, withstands 100 MPH winds and major earthquakes. It was opened in 2007 and remains open 365 days a year, giving the best views into the canyon

For those who come, not so much for the view, but for the activities, they will not be disappointed as there is so much to do - Helicopter tours, open jeep tours, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, ATV tours, fishing or visit historical buildings such as the 800-year old Tusayan Ruin and the adjoining museum for an authentic view of long ago Pueblo Indian life.

The Bay of Fundy with its dramatic coastline and highest tides in the world is on the Atlantic coast of Canada, a 170 miles long, stretching between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, at the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine. The seawater rolling in and out of the Bay of Fundy create currents, ripples, and swells, when the power of the high tide is spent, the waters begin to recede, and by low tide the ocean floor lies unprotected snd expoosed to the atmosphere. During low tide you'll see mudshrimp, crabs, clams, periwinkles and barnacles, as well as plant life such as rockweed, seaweed, kelp, irish moss and a local delicacy - dulse, an edible seaweed called the "salad of the sea".. Low tide is the best time to be there as you can explore the bottom of the sea for flotsam, jetsam and driftwood - the cast offs of man and nature.

The Bay of Fundy has amazing marine life, there are 8 species of whales among them the North Atlantic Right whale, who use the Bay to raise their calves, as well as Dolphins, Porpoise, Seals and a variety of fish. The Whale season runs from June to october. Another special sight each summer, for a 4-6 week period beginning in mid july the Bay plays host to million of Shorebirds who break their migratory journey south, to stay awhile in the upper regions of the Bay. If you are a Bird Watcher this is a must, and the best place to see the shorebirds is at the Hopewell Rocks.

When I visited the Bay of Fundy, I visited from the New Brunswick side, near Moncton. This is the best place to see the famous Hopewell Rocks, which are also called the Flowerpot Rocks. I visited during low tide, the best time to exploring the quiet coves and see the Rock Formations, with names such as ":Lovers Arch" and "Mother-in-law", then watching as the tide shifted and the bay began to fill with billion tonnes of salt water, covering it all, until the next low tide. These are the highest tides in the world and they happen twice a day everyda, is any wonder that the Bay of Fundy has been nominated as one of the "Seven Wonders of Nature".

Lying, primarily between Argentina and Brazil, with Uruguay at the southern tip, Iguazu Falls was one of the most awesome natural sights I ever saw. They are actually hundreds of individual falls, spread over a 2 mile area between Argentina and Brazil, with most of them being in Argentina. Both countries have created nationall parks to protect and preserve the Falls whose thunderous roar can be heard miles away.

On the Argentine side the falls are in a Park setting with many walking trails, beautiful flora, birds and butterflies. There is a free train that takes visitors from the gate to the falls themselves and a catwalks that goes right up to the most impressive of the Falls - the "Devils Throat" or "La Garganta del Diablo" - where the "spray hits your face.". There is a hotel, at the far end of the Park, with direct views to the Falls.

On the Brazilian side the raised walkways goes to the edge of the Falls, this side of the falls is called" Iguacu", which is also a city with hotels to fit every budget, restaurants and a well developed tourist infratructure. For the adventurous there are boat rides to the base of the falls.

Legend says that a big snake called a "boi" lived in the river, to calm its ferocity the aborogines sacrificed a woman every year as a offering. One year a brave kidnapped the woman and saved her from the traditional sacrifice, this made Boi very angry, he bent his body and split the river, forming cataracts seperating the man and the woman.

The first contact with the Galapagos Islands was in 1535, when a off-course spanish ship landed there in search of food and water, they wer so barren with loittle fresh water that the deemed them worthless. Then In 1832 Ecuador decided to establish a Penal colony there and claimed them. Consisting of a barren and volcanic landscape, the 13 main islands and 6 smaller isles, lie in the Pacific Ocean about 620 miles off the South American Continent, Their highest mountain Volcan Wolf, 5600 feet high, is on Isla Isabela. You will not go to the Galapagos for the weather, from December to June it is hot and rainy and June to November there are cool winds with temperatures in the 70s, you will go for the marine life and animal population.to.

Everyone arrives at Isla Baltra Airport on the central island of Santa Cruz, unless you get their by sea. Due to the fasct that the National Park regulates the number of people that can visit the island at one time, it is important to make reservations in advance of visiting. Groups of 16 with a naturalist guide are allowed ashore at one time, so as not to upset the local inhabitants, and only at designated landing sites, everyone must follow the instructions of the guides, cannot wander off the marked paths and must obey all the rules established for the protection of the wildlife. All visitors pay a Park entrance fee of 100.00 which helps defray the cost of maintaining this exceptional national park.

The Galapagos Islands were named for the Giant Tortoise found there when the first ship visited the island, and which, although still there, are in fear of extinction. It is believed giant tgortoise live to over a hundred years, and weight over 660 lbs, the females weight a little less. They are also able to go without food or water for long periods of time, as the 18th century whalers discovered when they took them onboard their ships, as a vital supply of fresh meat, some of these whalers stayed at sea for over a year.

The Charles Darwin Foundation administers research stations through the islands, and is an integral part of any visit to the islands especially its Tortoise Breeding Center on Puerto Villamil, where I was fortunate to see a 100 year old tortoise. At present the Foundation is trying to find a mate for "Lonely George: so that they can continue the species of which he is the last remaining tortoise.

Certain species live on certain islands, the Marine Iguanas can be seen on Punta Espinoza and Fernandina Island sunning themselves - marine iguanas need to raise their body temperature to 97F as the waters are cold and they dive up to 40 feet and stay up to 30 minutes while feeding. The Land Iguanas live on Santa Fe, South Plaza and Fernandina islands, the can stand on their hind legs to reach the flowering plants and because of their tough tongue they do not have to remove the spine of the cactus before eating it. Like the Tortoise they are bred at the Charles Darwin Center.

A large variety of birds call the Galapagos home, the only flightless cormorants in the world, can be seen on Isabela Island, the only Pengujins found in equatorial waters, live on Isla Isabela, Fernandina and Bartolome. Blue-footed and masked Boobies, who are incredible divers can be found on Esponoila Island and north Seymour Island, they are famous for their courtship ritual and the sounds they make to attract their mates. There lots more birds such Finches, gulls, terns, swallows, herons and hawks, they are everywhere, actually the birds are what I remember most from my visit to the Galapagos Islands as there were so many of them.

Ayers Rock, as it is known to most of the world, but known to the Aborogines as ULURU is a place you'll always remember and want to return. A large sandstone rock in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is sacred to the Aboriginal people of the. The best time to see the ROCK, as it is often referred to, is early in the morning as the sun rises, or late in the evening when the sunset sets giving it a red glow. The Rock changes colors as it is touched by the sun at different times of the day or year. It is the second largest monolith in the world more than 986 feet high, 5 miles around at the base and extends 1.5 miles into the ground.

Climbing Uluru is a popular pasttime for the many visitors to the area, it is long steep climb which starts out with a rope handhold, to make the climb easier, but it gets steeper and more difficult as one continues up the side of the rock. I tried it and halfway up I resorted to coming down by sliding on my bottom, it is a climb not for the faint-hearted. Instead I walked the 5 mile base of the Rock, which was almost as hard, however there is a small oasis, and few caves that one can rest and cool off.

The Aborigines believe that ground below is hollow and there is a energy source called "Dreamtime" or "Tjukurpa" . There is a Museum nearby where visitors can learn about the site and the aborigini beliefs. One of them is "Uluru was built during the creation perios by two boys who played in the mud after it rained. When they finished their gsme they trvelled south to Wiputa, fighting together they made their way to the table topped Mount Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders. There are many more aborigini stories, vist for yourself and learn about them all.

Whatever your take on the Vietnam war, this is a place no one should miss. We spent a day sailing on a Chinese Junk in Halong Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin. One of the attractions of Halong Bay, also known as the "descending drsgon" are the thousand of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. Many are toppped with thick jungle vegetation, rising from the ocean, some have floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for fish and mollusks; others have small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is permitted. For lunch we stopped at one of the floating villages and were treated to a large variety of seafood, the best I ate on the entire trip. At another we went swimming in the clear waters.

The limestone formations, over thousand of years, have corroded to the point where they seem to be balancing on thin air. The shapes and position of these formations often resemble people or animals, many of them being given names by the locals, such as -Pelican Cave, The Virgin or the elephant, a few of the thousands names.

It is easy to get to Halong Bay as it is only 165 KM from Hanoi.

This is the last of my picks for the top 7 Wonders of Nature, and what better to end with that a place in Ireland, where my husband is from. Located just south of the village of Doolin, in County Clare, the Cliffs ascent to over 700 feet and stretchiong south for five miles to Hags Head. While there is no tourist infracture at the Cliffs, the town of Doolin has hotels, bed and breakfast accommodations, pubs and restaurants and as the Irish would say a Pub is all you need.

Midway along the Cliffs is a round stone tower - Obriens Tower - which was built by Sir Cornelius O'Brien a descendant of Ireland's high king "Brian Boru". From atop the watchtower, visitors can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, the Maum Turk Mountains and the Twelve Pins in Connemara. There are about 30,000 birds, representing over 12 species that live in isolated parts of the Cliffs and on small Goat Island. There is a Visitor center with a large screen multimedia display allowing visitors to experience a birds eye view of the cliffs as well as seeing the inside of underwater caves at the bottom of the Cliffs. There are also Ferry rides that let the visitors see the Cliffs from sea level. The Visitors Center is open year round from 9AM to 5:00pm. You can visit the Cliffs of Moher at your leisure anytime.