Four
of the world’s most popular tourist attractions
which
are worth the wait!
There’s
nothing worse than having your heart set on somewhere extra special
for your upcoming holiday than having your plans dashed. Think about
it. You’ve reached Orlando, you can see Donald Duck waving
frantically in the distance and that pinnacle of your dreams that is
Space Mountain, only to be informed that there’s a minimum two hour
wait. Two agonising hours before you can clamber on board your
favourite fairground ride of all-time!
‘book early to avoid disappointment’.
If
you think that’s tough, wait until you’ve seen how difficult it
is to get to this lot.
The
Wave, Arizona, USA
Actually
found on the border of Arizona and Utah, the Wave is a fragile rock
formation with a psychedelic appearance formed from 200 million year
old Jurassic dunes compressed through time to produce the phenomenon
we now see.
Until
recently, the Wave was deemed only one of dozens of geological
attractions in an area close to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and
Utah’s stunning Bryce and Zion national parks. Now it’s all the
rage but here’s the catch: the US Bureau of Land Management (they
sound a bundle of fun) allows only 20 visitors per day to the area.
Ten passes are issued through an online lottery, the other ten are
handed out in another lottery to people turning up on the day. If it
takes your fancy, arrive early or you’ll find yourself looking at
the backs of over 100 other hopefuls.
Turin
Shroud, Turin, Italy
The
Turin Shroud is claimed to be the burial shroud of Jesus. Bearing the
faint image of a man who appears to have been crucified, the validity
of the shroud has understandably been at the centre of controversy
over the years. Nevertheless, people clamour to see this precious
cloth which is normally kept in a sealed aluminium case containing
argon gas to preserve it.
Owned
by the Vatican, the Shroud is unveiled for exhibition around five
times in every century. During its last outing in 2010 half a million
people queued to see it over a two month period. The next showing is
scheduled for 2025 so if you’re interested you’d better contact
His Holiness the Pope and well, form an orderly queue.
Outer
Space, the Solar System
Space,
it looks like Captain James T Kirk was right, it truly is the final
frontier.
Obviously
bored and looking for something new to do, Richard Branson unveiled
plans for Spaceship Two (the successor to an earlier Spaceship One).
For
the ultimate in activity
holidays,
Virgin Galactic offers you the chance to join a space tour and head
beyond the stars - as long as you have plenty of dosh that is. Around
$200,000 to be precise. Oh, and lots of patience. The waiting list
currently stands at 80,000 and counting. Plus you need to be fairly
fit for the rigours of real space travel but I wouldn’t worry too
much. Safety statistics for manned space travel don’t match the
commercial air travel requirements so they won’t be letting any of
us up there for quite a while. Time to get fit and save up the cash
then!
Alcatraz,
San Francisco, USA
Immortalised
in the Clint Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz (and revisited in
the Sean Connery/Nick Cage escapade, The Rock) this once grim prison
is now a popular tourist attraction. Ranked as one of the most
haunted sites in America, reports abound of ghostly whistling,
apparitions and prison doors slamming shut. With its history of
suicides and inmates murdering other inmates, the infamous ‘Rock’
sounds more like a place to avoid than a starting place for your
adventure
holidays.
Not
so because as well as a hot spot for tourist days out, groups of up
to 35 people can now enjoy an overnight stay in the infamous Cell
Block D, reserved for solitary confinement and allegedly the most
haunted part of Alcatraz. Believe it or not, there is a waiting list
for this privilege. Would-be ‘guests’ must be members of a
non-profit organisation, take part in a lottery and pay $2,000 for
the privilege. On top of that, on arrival two hours are allocated to
cleaning duties! You pay for this? Why?
This
smattering of in-demand tourist attractions is only the tip of the
iceberg. From the White House to Welbeck Abbey (yes, Welbeck Abbey
in Nottinghamshire) waiting lists are getting longer and longer.
So,
you know what they say: ‘book early to avoid disappointment’.
Biog:
Kate Smedley queues up patiently to bring new and interesting
activity holidays to you.
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