Notes & Queries response - What would be included on an up-to-date list of the seven wonders of the world?

This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 5th February, 2023.

The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead.

This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use.

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What would be included on an up-to-date list of the seven wonders of the world?

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I have limited my selection to three places that I have visited, and can vouch for as being sufficiently 'wondrous' to qualify.

The Hotline

Traversing the Ploskiysneg (Southern Russian Tundra) and therefore, in the present political turmoil, inaccessible to Westerners, the Hotline is a miracle of 1960s engineering filtered through the prism of the previous decade's science fiction utopianism. It is a ground-based monorail that uses guided fluctuations in the track temperature to draw trains along its surface, and also to vary the speed.

Equally fascinating is the human ecosystem that has grown up alongside the Hotline, on land that, under normal conditions, would be far too inhospitable to eke out more than a bare bones existence. These settlements are encouraged to an extent, with parts of the track built out to accommodate facilities for cooking, heating water, and bathing.

The sleeper compartments on Hotline trains incorporate a trapdoor compartment, into which a kettle or small pan can be lowered, and the contents slowly warmed by the transference of heat from the rail passing underneath the train.


The Red Aquarium at Taiyōnokita

A legacy of the notorious fishing port's infamous red light district, which once occupied over half the buildings in the settlement. At the town's dissolute peak it was conservatively estimated to be home to over 75,000 prostitutes (who were referred to locally as mermaids) and perhaps double that figure during national holidays.

This insalubrious district was gradually purged in the decades that followed the end of the Second World War. Urban redevelopment, coupled with legislation passed in the early 2000s, mopped up what was left of the once-thriving sex trade During this time, the town's importance as a fishing port also diminished. At the time of writing, in 2023, Taiyōnokita's economy is based predominately on conventional (non-sex-based) tourism.

The Red Aquarium was conceived as a wall, separating the (then) unsavoury waterfront area from the more respectable part of town. Work commenced on the structure in 1823 and was completed by 1839. The funding for the project was provided by the brothel owners, who earned their coin from patrons drawn from the farthest corners of the world. From a certain point of view, the aquarium can be regarded as a global venture.

The structure is exactly a mile long, uniformly 30 feet high and 20 feet across. It is made from sheets of quartz glass, each of which was polished for 13 years prior to installation, It is divided into ten panes by a brass framework that is embossed with hand-cast sculptures of marine-dwelling animals. Four archways pass through the aquarium at regular intervals. Each one is 20 feet across and 10 feet high. They are open to foot, bicycle, and motorcycle traffic only.

The aquarium derives its name from the discolouration of its waters by the red weed, that roots itself to the bottom, where it grows into bushy columns. Staring through the glass, past the gently swaying vegetation, towards the buildings dimly silhouetted on the other side, is an eerie experience, as if one is gazing upon a permutation of the end of the world.

The 77 different species of animal that occupy the tank have also been selected for their red pigmentation. On three separate occasions, when fish of a different colour have been introduced, they have been savagely torn to pieces by the other inhabitants. Now may a good point to mention that, in China, the aquarium is referred to as 'The Blood Wall'.

It has survived three earthquakes unscathed and was dealt only minor damage during the American bombing raids of World War Two.

The Bukitanpapohon Tunnel / Sulphur Garden

Joining the coastal Indonesian town of Cara Garam to Airtelur, in the interior, the Bukitanpapohon Tunnel is a stake plunged though the heart of an active volcano. Mount Bukitanpapohon is now held in grumbling suspension by titanic machinery calibrated to suppress any hint of eruption with territorial rumblings of its own. It is a contest of wills between the might of nature and the technological weight of humankind, as the latter attempts to hold the snoring volcano in check.

The jagged interior walls of the three-mile tunnel consists of multifaceted panes of polished basalt. Blossoms of crystalline sulphur, that resemble yellow roses, will spontaneously erupt along the seams with such speed that you can hear the sound of the lattices knitting themselves together. The shape of these mineral flowers is a reflection of the geothermal forces at work within the volcano.

The sulphur blossoms you can purchase in souvenir shops across the country are made by hand from alternative materials. Special permission is required to remove those that grow on the walls of the tunnel. Although in the past specimens have been auctioned by the government, no sales of this kind have taken place during this century and the roses cannot be legally transported out of the country.

I hope this is of help.

image generated by Craiyon