aesballard's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

aesballard

World traveler, writer, photographer, and videographer. Travel correspondent for ABC television affiliates.

https://wemarriedadventure.com

2023
joined atlas
obscura

countries
I've visited

places
I've been

places
I want to go

place
published

Leaderboard Highlights

aesballard's activity rankings

1^st

Places visited in Damascus, Syria

1^st

Places visited in Fiji

1^st

Places visited in Sewanee, Tennessee

2^nd

Places visited in Benin

3^rd

Places visited in Caribbean Netherlands

Loading map...

Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Arun

This dazzling Buddhist temple was constructed from over one million ceramic tiles salvaged from a British shipwreck.

Amber C Snider

Added by Amber C Snider

Underwater Post Office

The fully functional, submerged Vanuatu Post Office is definitely one of a kind.

bertshetler

Added by bertshetler

Naboutini, Fiji

Garden of the Sleeping Giant

This garden boasts a magnificent collection of orchids and a spectacular view of the surrounding valley.

Added by sierrakuo

Fiji Museum

Recently revamped museum of Fijian history located within a gorgeous colonial-era garden.

Hanoi's Train Street

Twice a day a speeding train passes only inches from the homes of this residential neighborhood.

AbiInman

Added by AbiInman

Vientiane, Laos

Patuxai

When the USA donated cement and funds to expand the airport in Laos, the Laotians built a massive monument instead.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Vientiane, Laos

That Dam (Black Stupa)

This mysterious tower is said to enshrine a dormant seven-headed serpent that once protected Vientiane from destruction.

Fred Cherrygarden

Added by Fred Cherrygarden

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Beatles Statue of Almaty

Beatlemania is still going strong... at least in Kazakhstan.

Added by Tawsam

Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Dushanbe Flagpole

The world's second-tallest flagpole stands proud despite dropping rank.

Rachel

Added by Rachel

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Mongolian Military Museum

Thousands of artifacts tell Mongolia's military history, from the Bronze Age to the present.

Max Cortesi

Added by Max Cortesi

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Natural History Museum of Mongolia

An exceptional assortment of fossils recovered from private collections.

Alex Mayyasi

Added by Alex Mayyasi

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Genghis Khan Statue Complex

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

PaperTiger

Added by PaperTiger

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Chorsu Bazaar

Prowl through this sprawling bazaar under a massive Soviet-era dome for delicious eats.

Added by soloobscuro

L'Agulhas, South Africa

Cape Agulhas Marker

This small monument marks the divide between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at the southernmost tip of Africa.

Added by hm1945

Mossel Bay, South Africa

The Post Office Tree

South Africa's postal service began with a letter left in a boot beneath this tree.

adamrodman

Added by adamrodman

Tangier, Morocco

Meeting of the Mediterranean and Atlantic

A sign marks where the two bodies of water meet.

Michael Reinhardt

Added by Michael Reinhardt

Black Star Square

An enormous public square and parade ground built to celebrate Ghana's independence.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Voodoo Temple of Abomey

A giant chameleon, with a fascinating purpose.

Added by bensongoring

Ganvie Lake Village

Africa's Venice on stilts.

Added by Facebook1092450099

The Temple of Pythons

Dozens of snakes are housed and worshipped within the walls of this Vodun temple.

Erin Everywhere

Added by Erin Everywhere

La Porte du Non-Retour (The Door of No Return)

A monument to the more than one million enslaved Africans deported from the port of Ouidah.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Nahr El Kalb, Lebanon

Stelae of Nahr el-Kalb

In a narrow river valley just north of Beirut, Lebanon, is a chronicle of human history unlike anything else in the world.

michaelsballard

Added by michaelsballard

Santiago Tepeyahualco, Mexico

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

In the 16th century, a Franciscan monk pulled off a construction miracle by building a Roman-style aqueduct to save the town of Otumba, Mexico, from certain death.

michaelsballard

Added by michaelsballard

Damascus, Syria

Umayyad Mosque

Also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, this is one of the world's largest and oldest mosques.

Mac Carey

Added by Mac Carey