Seven Wonders

Back when I was a kid in Manila I was fascinated with the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I had a book which detailed each one of them, along with some modern Wonders like the Empire State Building and the Panama Canal. My favorite was The Colossus of Rhodes; watching Lost, I got a kick out of that four-toed giant foot off the coast of the Island.

Me at Chichén Itzá, a couple of years, a couple of pounds and a whole lot of hair ago

Today I came across a site which aims to select Seven New Wonders for the Modern World. They're allowing people to vote (either online or by text) for each Wonder. Of course, results are showing people largely voting for their local wonder--Asia's leading in the votes, of course; it's a safe bet that The Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal will probably make it in. Too bad the Banaue Rice Terraces aren't there, because it would have been a shoo-in otherwise.

For my money, here's my new Seven Wonders:
(1) Pyramids of Giza
(2) The Great Wall of China
(3) Pyramids of Chichén Itzá in Mexico
(4) Easter Island
(5) Stonehenge
(6) Petra (the city carved out of rock featured in Indy)
(7) Taj Mahal in India

My criteria is simple: the site should make you want to know more about it, how it was built, and why it was built. For example, the Statue of Liberty, while impressive, is just...there. When I visited Chichén Itzá, I was filled with a sense of awe, and a desire to know more about it and the people who built it.

Vote now, if you're so inclined. They'll release the results on (what else?) July 7, 2007.