Chasing fading beauty and capturing the last untouched landscapes

Written/Compiled and Reported by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network | Partial data source/MOOK Editorial Department

 

Visiting scenic wonders and UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the globe has always been a key reason for travelers to go abroad. Some even make “bucket lists” of must-see destinations and tick them off one by one to fulfill their dreams of seeing the world. However, among these famous attractions, some are under threat from human damage or climate change, gradually losing their original appearance and even at risk of disappearing entirely. These include Angkor Wat, famed for its ancient temple ruins; the Dead Sea, where you can float on the surface and read a newspaper; Pamukkale, with its snow-white, cotton-like terraces; and the Maldives, with its crystal-clear waters and azure skies bathed in sunlight — all of which make people eager to pack their bags and see these vanishing sights before it’s too late.

Since the end of its civil war, Angkor Wat has seen a steady increase in tourist visits. According to a 2010 report by the World Monuments Fund, the number of visitors to Angkor Wat rose from 840,000 in 2000 to 2.4 million in 2009. Due to the heavy foot traffic, climbing, and trampling by tourists, this ancient Khmer stone-carved city can hardly bear the load. Tourists’ unintentional or intentional touching of the carvings and statues, and moving of stones, have also caused cumulative damage to the Angkor Wat ruins over the years. In addition, the influx of tourists has led to a surge in hotels, restaurants, and shops around Angkor Wat, which extract large amounts of groundwater, putting the 54 towers of Bayon Temple at risk of land subsidence and even potential collapse of the ancient structures. Currently, aside from verbal reminders by Angkor Wat staff urging visitors not to touch the ruins, South Korea provided $9.2 million in 2010 to build an alternative pathway around the site to reduce direct trampling damage. As for the issue of groundwater extraction, it remains under consideration by the Cambodian government.

The name “Pamukkale” comes from the white, cotton-like natural wonder: terraced pools formed by natural hot springs bubbling up from underground. When sunlight shines on this “cotton field,” the blue-green hues of the water contrast beautifully against the white landscape.

This breathtaking and unique landscape is actually formed by calcium-rich hot springs seeping through limestone formations. The spring water, flowing along the terrain, accumulates and circulates, slowly depositing calcium carbonate to form travertine terraces over thousands of years. The white surface comes from calcium deposits, while underground natural hot spring pools are rich in carbonates, calcium, sodium, and magnesium — all beneficial to health whether soaked in or consumed, making it famous since ancient times.

 

Unfortunately, since being developed as a tourist destination, the surrounding area has seen numerous hotels and hot spring pools built in just a few years, leading to a gradual decline in water volume. Coupled with tourists’ reckless trampling, the fragile travertine has been severely damaged. Therefore, visitors today are required to remove their shoes and socks and walk only along designated paths, with no swimming or playing in the pools allowed, in hopes of restoring the landscape. Turkish authorities have also implemented different water management plans for summer and winter, making optimal use of three water sources. A hotel near the Pamukkale water source has been shut down, and now only one public hot spring pool remains open — located right in the center of the entire Pamukkale scenic area.