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The New 7 Wonders Revealed!

After much hype and months of voting, the New 7 Wonders of the world were finally revealed today in Lisbon, Portugal. The event was a massive affair with hosts Ben Kingsley,Hillary Swank, and our very Bipasha Basu. I claimed my vote several months ago and was thrilled to bits when our very own Taj Mahal was revealed as one of the 7 wonders. Yes yes, my Indianta jaagofied and goose bumps tickled my skin. So? Whats the big deal? Taj Mahal has been on the “unofficial list” for a long time, no? Why do I have to go out and prove and vote for Taj? We know its good enough!?True that, but it never got the international attention that it will now get. The tagline throughout the show was “Our heritage is our future” and apna heritage would have slowly given away to pollution, corrupt government maintenance, etc etc.

However, this global event(or such) was not devoid of its own share of controversies like there was no way to prevent double voting by members, that UNESCO although having prepared a list of some 800+ heritage sites did not promote or condone the New 7 Wonders project, and that the Pyramids of Giza, the only surviving member of the ancient 7 wonders were withdrawn from the N7W by the government of Egypt. Undoubtedly, it still remains one of the wonders of the world along with the New 7 Wonders and has an honorary title.

Something else notable is that the new wonders span all across the globe, while the ancient wonders were concentrated in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. A whopping 3 out of the 7 are from the continent of South America! Yay for them, they are finally getting on the global platform what with Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim apparently being alleged as the world’s richest man overtaking Bill Gates (Forbes however maintains Bill Gates to be the biggest moolah man! Go Billu!)

I know my old college roomie and dear friend who is from Jordan is excited about Petra being on the list. New reports indicated that people in Jordan were rejoicing and partying on the streets after Petra was announced as one of the big ‘uns.

Here is the list of the New 7 Wonders, a very doable list of your top *new*7 places to visit! Some personal notes accompanying each.

- The Great Wall of China
I remember Aishwarya Rai dancing to the song Ajooba perched atop the Great Wall and I know it has been on my places to visit for a very long time. It is the longest human-made structure known and can reportedly be seen from the moon! Don’t know about seeing it from the moon, but sure hope to get up close and personal in Badaling, China!

- Petra in Jordan
Aaah! Dear old roomie, this one is for you. My first college roomie and now a very dear friend is from Jordan. After 4 years of broken promises of making sure I visited her in Jordan, it still eludes me. If I were to go on the streets and ask people where Jordan was, very few would answer correctly. Petra is an archaeological site popular for its buildings and structures carved into rocks of several hues of brown and red. Jordan’s tourist revenue is sure to skyrocket after this announcement.

- The Taj Mahal in India
Awwwww, isn’t that sweet? Yes, yes that little girl shy with the Taj Mahal towering behind her is indeed me. The picture was taken sometime in the 80s and thanks to scanners, proudly presented here! Reality check - honestly, I don’t remember what this great monument of love looks like in person. Its on my list (yea, you see the list keeps getting longer) of places to visit again next time I am in India. It took some 22 years to build and some 20,000 workers! What other love story boasts of such a grand memorial that has withstood the test of time? Taj Mahal has to be the most visited place in India hands down, and now with its announcement as one of the New 7 Wonders, it should not have a problem retaining its position for many many ages to come!

- The Statue of Christ Redeemer in Brazil
Our desi junta’s bulbs should light when they see this Statue. They definitely remember it from the dhooming Dhoom 2. Images of Bipasha Basu and Uday Chopra prancing at its foot come to mind. Okay, so Uday did not have anything to do with it being chosen as one of the N7W, but he sure has helped the Indian public in getting a glimpse of it along with the tunes of “Axecuse me too pliss”. Honestly, I had no idea what or how or when the statue was built, so a little bit of Google search helped! The Statue celebrated its 75th anniversary last year in October and stands tall at 105 feet overlooking the city of Rio De Janeiro. A religious landmark for the city and Brazil, this statue is now part of history!

- The Roman Colosseum in Italy
You cannot help but conjure up images of eons of history, culture, and ofcourse the Roman Empire when you think of the Colosseum, Europe’s only winner in the N7W. Originally an amphitheater, this colossal arena has been used by generations of romans for various purposes from holding political meetings to exciting bull fights and public spectacles that included execution and gladiatorial contests. Although several parts of the structure have been damaged over time due to earthquakes and robbers, a considerable amount is still intact and hopefully will be preserved for years to come. Situated in the heart of Rome, the epicenter of culture and architecture in Europe, this heritage site is proof of the grandeur of the Roman empire and its opulent architecture. Ya know ya have arrived in Roman (and world for that matter) treasure when ya spot this mammoth arena!

- Machu Picchu in Peru
My first encounter with a site named Machi Picchu happened during a visit to a local bookstore. There were several tour books on sale and the book on Machu Picchu caught my eye because of a title that went something like hidden ancient civilization high in the mountains (something of the sort). I remember Googling it up and finding an endangered World Heritage Site. Also known as the “Lost City of the Incas” this ancient city is located in the Urumba Valley in Peru. One of my patients had just returned from Machu Picchu and described it as “the most unbelievable sight you will ever see.” Its a mystery how the Incas built this city atop a mountain thousands of feet above ground without modern technology. Its hidden location protected it for years from many a conquests by foreigners. The Peruvian government now fears that too many visitors and commercialization might destroy the natural balance at this site. The locals guard it with passion. Although selection as one of the N7W will bring thousands more each year to Machu Picchu, I do hope that the natural balance at this beautiful place is preserved and not overtaken by commercialization and overcrowding! Definitely on my list (there goes more of my moolah!)

- Chichen Itza in Mexico
Chichen Itza stands for “At the mouth of the well of Itza” and was built by the Maya civilization in what is now Mexico. Chichen was attractive for settlement and civilization in the northern Yucatan peninsula due to the presence of three natural sink holes that were the only sources of water due to a lack of above ground rivers. This world heritage site contains several buildings formerly used as temples, palaces, stages, and markets. The biggest attractions in Chichen Itza are the Temple of Kukulcan (aka El Castillo) and the Temple of Warriors. The buildings are large stepped pyramids with steps running on all four sides. El Castillo is actually a larger pyramid built above a smaller one. Excavations have revealed a staircase leading to a smaller temple and a throne room. This New 7 Wonder is a world heritage site and is maintained by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Now for the good part, I was quoted by a desi newspaper who actually credited me for my lines that went: In my limited travels across the world, I have realized that we are brought together by what we preserve and not what we destroy. Someone far off on the east end of the world might dream of seeing the Statue of Liberty and someone right here in the US would dream of visiting the Great Wall. Yay for me! I can claim that I have been quoted in a newspaper! A list however unofficial it may be, might just bring some much needed attention to some long forgotten places.

N7W will now host voting for the Natural Wonders of the World. The Grand Canyon better feature on that one!

1. Images courtesy New7Wonders, Wikipedia, GujjuPunju.com
2. Resources for info Wikipedia and Google search zindabad!
3. Wheeheee, my first footnote ever.
4. Yay! I am so proud of embedding pictures with text! Took me all of two hours to figure codes but what the heck YAY!