There is currently an online poll to determine the seven wonders of nature; in other words, what are the seven places with the most outstanding natural beauty on our planet?

I know this is somewhat of a popularity contest as some places have well established reputations. Furthermore, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and is a very subjective matter. Among some of the likely candidates for this prestigious honor are Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), the Grand Canyon (USA), Ha Long Bay (Vietnam) and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia).

I have seen so many places of outstanding natural beauty in my lifetime - the Grand Canyon, the Pitons of St. Lucia, the seascapes at Cabo San Lucas as well the surreal boulder strewn beach at Bathsheba in Barbados to name just a few - that I would really be hard pressed to come up with a top seven.

For the fun of it, let’s say we did a poll on the three most beautiful nature spots in Thailand, a destination that I am very familiar with - I would put forth my nominations in no particular order as follows:

#1 The Sunflower Fields of Mae Hong Son Province
During the months of November and December, the golden yellow blossoms of the wild sunflower blanket the mountain slopes near the small rural village of Doi Mae U-Kor in northwestern Thailand. What a heavenly vista - I could stay here for hours gazing at the sea of yellow with the green forest clad mountains of Myanmar looming in the background.

#2 Chiang Dao Mountain
About 75 minutes north of Chiang Mai is the small market town of Chiang Dao. Rising above the town and the surrounding countryside is the majestic Chiang Dao Mountain. Located partway up the mountain is a very important Buddhist temple and shrine, which has been carved out of the mountain.

#3 Chiang Saen Lake
Located not too far from the small town known as the Golden Triangle is Chiang Saen Lake, a popular stopover for migratory waterfowl during the winter months. Located in the rural countryside of Northern Thailand, the setting here is so peaceful and serene.

What’s your opinion? What do you think are Thailand’s three most beautiful nature spots?

This entry was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2007 at 9:01 am and is filed under Nature, Thailand, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.