What makes a Wonder of the World? Is it the details in architecture? Or is it the emotion you feel when you stand before the monument? Is it the history or legend that surrounds it?
It is a fruitless — if ultimately harmless — exercise which is better suited to Unesco's World Heritage Committee, which aims to “catalogue, name and conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity''.
Just like the act of travelling itself, choosing the architectural or natural Wonders of the World is a personal choice, based on our experience, education and opinion.
Catch up with Robin Esrock's global journey at his website
www.moderngonzo.com
Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
No disrespect to the passion of Brazil but this 40-metre landmark doesn't belong anywhere near this list. Sure, it's synonymous with Rio de Janeiro but no more than the Statue of Liberty with New York or the Eiffel Tower with Paris.
From atop Corcovado Mountain, I see stunning views of Sugarloaf Mountain and the jewel that is Rio but putting this statue in the company of ancient feats of mysterious genius or historical cornerstones of humankind is like listing Turkmenistan as a global centre of finance.
Great Wall of China
There's little controversy about this one, since there's nothing little about a 5,000-mile wall that many people mistakenly believe can be seen from space. Most tourists in Beijing visit a carefully manicured chunk of the wall nearby, struggling to take a photo clear of package tours.
I joined a more adventurous lot to drive three hours outside the city, barely escaping the choking pollution, to a section known as Jinshanling. From here it's a tough, yet rewarding, 7-mile hike to Simatai, crossing 67 watchtowers. Parts of the wall are immaculate; others crumble under the weight of history. A historical hike beats a tourist trap any day.
Roman Colosseum, Italy
When I visited the Colosseum — built between AD70 and AD80, and capable of seating 50,000 people — I was bewildered by Europe's magic. The crumbling façade surrounded a crumbling interior, although the Italian government has invested millions in restoration.
Gladiators have captured the public imagination for thousands of years and some of the events that took place in the arena recall a bloodthirsty history. This must-visit is a striking symbol of Europe's past.
Chichén Itzá, Mexico
We print calendars; the Maya built immaculate jungle pyramids. Both tell the date. Like the other New Wonders, tour buses line the parking lot of the misspoken “chicken pizza'', a site you will surely recognise by shape if not by name.
Lost for centuries, it is a complex of stone temples, sports fields and gift shops that boggle the mind with ancient ingenuity. Amid the tour buses and tourists, I somehow picked up a strong wireless signal at the base of the pyramid.
This might explain why Chichén Itzá, and not Tikal in Guatemala, gathered enough online votes to be included as a New Wonder of the World.
Treasury at Petra, Jordan
Many people, when seeing a picture of the Treasury, assume it's a set from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It's tough to stop whistling Indy's theme song as you walk through the canyons en route, watching the rocks change colour with the rising Sun.
Jordan's most popular tourist attraction, Petra is a huge complex of temples and tombs carved into rock by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago. The Treasury is actually a tomb but got its name from the enthusiasm of treasure hunters. Seeing it appear in a gash of canyon is a thrill, no matter how many times you might have seen the rock façade in photographs.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Although the fabled “Lost City of the Incas'' receives thousands of tourists every day by bus, you only appreciate it after hiking for four days on the Andes. But even the Inca Trail has limits and trail junkies are required to book months in advance.
I passed Incan forts and terraces. Things started easing up after Dead Woman's Pass, with the original Incan stones providing a stable route through the mountains. On the final morning, I woke up at 3am, hiked for two hours and reached Sun Gate at sunrise. I was dazed by the physical effort and the incredible reward of seeing Machu Picchu before the tour buses arrived.
Taj Mahal, India
I had a day left in New Delhi before flying to Bangkok, so I took a quick trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. When I reached there, I paid a “tourist price'' and the security guard wanted to confiscate my calculator for no reason either of us could discern.
I got in just in time to watch the Sun light up the Taj Mahal like a neon sign in an Indian restaurant. It was a breathtaking sight. I had to catch the last train back to New Delhi, so I kissed the monument goodbye and hit the station. The colours, smells and the realness of it all overwhelmed me. Visiting the Taj Mahal symbolised my journey in India — a wonder unto itself.
