1. Pingtang Telescope, China

The Pingtang telescope was completed in September 2016, becoming the world’s largest radio telescope in the process.
Its dish measures more than 1,600 feet across and is capable of capturing signals more than 1,000 light years from earth.

2. Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland

The world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel became operational in December 2016. It is 35 miles long, took 17 years to construct, and lies 6,500 feet below the Gotthard Massif, a mountain range within the Swiss Alps.

3. Panama Canal, Panama

The original Panama Canal, which was constructed more than 100 years ago, is one of the Modern Wonders of the World, but a century of progress meant that it had to be widened. Some 40,000 workers worked on the expansion project, and the completed canal opened in 2016 at a cost of $5.4 billion.

4. The Bride Skyscraper, Iraq

Who ever thought such a proposal would be possible? The 3,779-foot-tall “Bride” skyscraper is proposed for construction in Basra, Iraq.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s the site of the first battle of the 2003 US invasion.

The design is covered with solar panels, so the skyscraper will be able to power itself. It will also be the world’s tallest building if (when?) completed in 2026.

5. Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, China

This 26-mile-long cross-sea bridge is the longest of its kind in the world, stretching almost 26 miles out into the open ocean.

When it opened, it cut the travel time for people traveling between east China and the island of Huangdao in half.

6. Itaipu Dam, Brazil

Completed more than 30 years ago, this hydroelectric dam produces more power than any other in the world.

In fact, its energy generation is so large that it supplies Paraguay with 75% and Brazil with 20% of their energy needs respectively.

7. Crossrail Project, London

The largest construction project ever undertaken in Europe will see 10 new train lines added to the existing London Underground system,

and 30 existing stations connected via brand-new tunnels. It will begin service in 2017, and be in full operation by 2020.

8. Hyderabad Metro Rail, India

This railway system marks the first time that communication-based train control will be implemented in India.

With three brand-new metro lines for the city of Hyderabad, the network is set to open in 2017.

9. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China

More than 42 million people live in China’s Pearl River Delta, and this gargantuan project will link its three major cities,

namely Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong, via a series of bridges and underwater tunnels. It will open to traffic in December 2017.

10. Mall of the World, Dubai

The proposal for the largest mall on earth comprises more than 48 million square feet of enclosed, air-conditioned luxury in the middle of the desert.

As part of the design, the largest indoor game park in the world will be constructed, as will 20,000 hotel rooms to cater to the 180 million annual visitors

that the development is expected to receive when completed in 2029.

12. Riyadh Metro, Saudi Arabia

This $23.5 billion rail line will boast a flagship station designed by world-famous architect, Zaha Hadid.

Operation is scheduled to begin in 2019, and the railway will have 109 miles of railway on completion, revolutionizing how the residents of Riyadh get around.

13. Songdo Smart City, South Korea

Built on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land along the waterfront of the South Korean city of Incheon, this smart city

was completed in 2015. Home to some 67,000 residents, it has near-comprehensive internet access and offers a taste of future urban life.

14. South-North Water Transfer Project, China

The Chinese have set about moving some 45 billion cubic feet of water from the mighty Yangtze River in the south of the country,

to the more arid industrialized north. They will do so via three canals and have spent some $79 billion on the project thus far.

15. Sognefjord Submerged Floating Tunnel, Norway

Perhaps the most intriguing of all the projects on this list is a Norwegian proposal for building a $25 billion submerged

floating tunnel beneath the Sognefjord, the largest Fjord in Norway, which is 3,000 feet wide and 4,000 feet deep.

This radical tunnel will be the first of its kind in the world if the vision is realized.

16. Urban Renewal Project, Turkey

Turkey has incredible ambitions for renewing its urban areas. Over the next 20 years, the country plans to demolish more than

7 million buildings and build earthquake-resistant, modern structures in their place.
The colossal cost of all this is estimated at $400 billion.

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By Terri Hirsch

The 36-floor luxury Waldorf Astoria Panama located just 15-minutes from Tocumen International Airport (PTY) offered us a personalized hospitality experience. Our very own concierge made our appointments for private car arrangements, tours and enticing dining experiences. Nearby attractions included the Panama Canal (5 miles), the financial district with restaurants and bars just steps away and a world-class championship golf facility designed by architect Jeffrey Myers – 5-minutes away on the east bank of the Panama Canal.

Our morning excursion started with a visit to the Panama Canal Miraflores Locks, the first locks of the Canal coming from the Pacific Ocean, considered to be one of the world’s most acclaimed engineering marvels. We observed the movements of the ships in the locks and learned about the Panama Canal operations as we toured the Canal Museum. The museum photos included people at work in the early 20th century, the bridges and ships in transit and prints illustrating the history of the Panama Canal.

The next day we embarked on our Gateway to Adventure at the Shelter Bay Marina in Colon, Panama as we boarded the 32-cabin Mega-Yacht Variety Voyager. The Voyager would take us through the Panama Canal, crossing the Gatun, San Pedro and Miraflores Locks to Punta Patino, Darien, Panama and Coiba Island, Panama before continuing to Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos and Curu and Tortuga before reaching Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

The ship was outfitted with oversized cabins, large windows, a spa and fitness equipment, a glass-enclosed dining room and a sundeck. Day-by-day shore excursions were led by an on-board naturalist who guided us through tropical rain forests, natural parks and wildlife up-close. Beach picnics with swimming and snorkeling and a thrilling zip-line where you soar through the canopy of rainforest treetops were also on our program. There would be Zodiac wet and dry landings – towels and bottled water were given to us as we left the ship.

The Variety Voyager set sail to Punta Patino in Darien, Panama, a nature reserve in the San Miguel Bay, where the ship anchored overnight near the Punta Patino Reserve. After breakfast we stepped into dugout canoes (flat bottom boats) for sightseeing through the Mogue River and then continued upstream to the settlement homes of the Embera Indians. We were welcomed by the sound of local instruments and a group of villagers in colorful traditional costumes. They showed us their homes perched on tops of silts, performed traditional dances and shared traditional food before returning to the ship for our early afternoon sailing to Coiba Island.

Coiba Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest island in Central America. Once we arrived on the beach our naturalist led us to a location where we could towel off the sand and mud and put our shoes on. We were now ready to explore and started to walk up the San Juan Hill (1400 feet above sea level). Not only did we see monkeys, eagles, macaws and birds, but we had a spectacular view of the cove where we landed. Returning to the Coiba Beach area we were joined by our hotel manager and the barbeque team for lunch. There was free time for swimming and snorkeling with turtles and other species of fish including sharks and sting-rays. The waves had picked up on our return to the ship and one actually went over the zodiac and drenched us. Late in the afternoon we left Panama and sailed to Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica.

The Voyager arrived the following morning for immigration procedures at Golfo Dulce, Costa Rice before continuing to Casa Orquideas Botanical Gardens, one of the oldest and most interesting botanical gardens. Casa Orquideas has been planted and cultivated by Ron and Trudy McAllister. Arriving at the gardens our naturalist guided us through hundreds of different species of tropical plants such as palms, heliconias, orchids, exotic fruit trees. We discovered an exotic world of ornamental wild and edible plants and were able to smell and taste exotic fruits most of us never heard of before. Afterwards, the ship set sail across the Bay of Puerto Jimenez while having a deck barbeque and arrived in the afternoon at the Osa Peninsula Reserve.

Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula offered us some of the best birding on the Pacific Coast of Central America. The trail, part of the Corcovado National Park, was mostly flat and shaded. We had a chance to see numerous birds including one of the most beautiful birds in the world – the scarlet macaws. Scarlets are primarily a vivid red with bright yellow and blue edging on their wings. Returning to the ship for dinner, the Voyages continued sailing overnight to Quepos, Costa Rica.

Buses were waiting for us in Quepos after our zodiac transfer. The Manuel Antonio National Park is considered to be one of the most beautiful parks in Costa Rica. Our local guides and naturalists led us through trails abounded with wildlife citing iguanas, sloths, red squirrel, white-faced and howler monkeys. Manuel Antonio had one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica – a half mile long with white sand bordered by deep green mangroves and palms. There was time for shopping, swimming and snorkeling. We returned to the Voyager for lunch and by mid-afternoon we were on our zipline canapy tour of rainforest tops.

Curu Hacienda and National Wildlife Refuge is located on the southern Nicoya Peninsula of northwestern Costa Rica, Central America. Once we arrived on the beach our naturalist led us to a location where we could put our shoes on and get ready to explore. This area was teaming with abundant wildlife, such as white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, scarlet macaws, white-tailed deer and hundreds of species of tropical and migratory birds. On the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridge the sounds of rare bird species can be heard and seen.

In the afternoon the Variety Voyager sailed to Tortuga Island for a barbeque at Tortuga Beach with swimming, snorkeling and time to explore the island before the ship sailed during the night to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, where we said goodbye to this dream vacation.

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