Phuket Post :: Article :: Phuket Post Vote Phang Nga campaign

The Competition

The resounding success of the New 7 Wonders campaign, in which more than 100 million voters picked their chosen Wonders, culminated on the 7/7/7, with the new wonders being announced to the world.

The new campaign by the same organization seeks to elect the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Everyone will have a say and voting for finalists will continue until December 31, 2008.

The Process

A panel of experts will create a list of 21 candidates from which voters worldwide will elect the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The New7Wonders Panel of Experts, under the leadership of Prof. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO, will select the 21 Finalists from the top-ranked Official Supported Nominees. The 21 finalists will then be put to popular vote.

Vote Phang-Nga!

This is the exciting part! Phang-Nga bay, just a hop, skip and lap away from Phuket is in the reckoning. And there certainly is no doubt about why it deserves a space in 21 finalists and eventually, the Spectacular Seven...

The Wonder that is Phang-Nga Bay

These limestone giants were formed 260 million years ago. A shallow sea, running the entire length of South Asia deposited corals and shells later buried under sediments that were washed in from lands. It's living evolutionary history.
Phang Nga Bay is a 400 sq. km., bay in the Andaman Sea wedged between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Malay peninsula of southern Thailand.

The limestone karsts of southern Thailand have mesmerized tourists and locals for decades and have made their way into many famous movies, including James Bond�s "The Man with the Golden Gun" hence the name James Bond Island. These majestic karsts rise from the waters' edges like an apparition, growing to stunning vertical heights of 900 metres.

These limestone giants were formed 260 million years ago. A shallow sea, running the entire length of South Asia deposited corals and shells later buried under sediments that were washed in from lands. It's living evolutionary history. The corals and shells- calcium carbonate in their essence were compressed over centuries, to eventually form the limestone karsts that encounter the vision. In Phang-nga, the karsts are some of the most amazing in the world.

Rain water can easily carve through limestone and karsts support a unique flora and fauna which, for the little soil that is supported by the limestone, learn to survive in extremely dire straits, exploiting every millimetre of moisture and soil.

Water also works its magic on the karsts, eroding away at the bottoms which eventually leads to bewitching caves dotted with stalactites and stalagmites. The caves are more often than not homes for bats.

However, as magical and ancient a setting they be, karsts in Thailand are under threat from demand for cement production. A large part of the bay is protected as the Ao Phang Nga National Park. Join Phuket Post in voting for Phang-Nga bay. Let's get our favourite place in the world in the Top 7, where it belongs.

What to do!

Phang-Nga is currently 48th (March 16) on the list of Live world-wide rankings. Lovers of Phuket and Thailand unite! Log on to www.new7wonders.com and vote for Phang-nga.

When you're done voting, email us at 7wondersphang-nga@kolbis-psit.com and tell us why you think Phang-nga should be on that list of 7. The reasons could be many: from saving the karsts...to just loving Phuket.

Voting ends December 31, 2008. Time to Vote. Join Phuket Post and the TAT in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

To see how we're doing and to place your vote, go to: http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking/