Geamana, The Romanian Village Flooded by a Toxic Lake

Geamăna is an abandoned village in Romania and it is truly looks like an amazing place but it has a very sad story which starts when the valley was flooded by toxic water from a copper-open-pit mine (Roșia Poieni). Copper exploitation at the mines of Rosia Poieni in the Apuseni Mountains, in Alba County, in Romania, was like a scourge for residents of the twin villages located in the foothills where excavations were carried out. Their ordeal started in 1977, when Romania’s communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu decided to exploit the massive copper deposit discovered underground. 

The government forced the residents of the nearby village of Geamana to quit their homes and abandon their way of life in order to make way for the toxic waste from Roşia Poieni mining pit. There’re about 400 families were exiled and their village swapped by an artificial lake that served as a kind of catch-basin for the mine’s contaminated sludge to flow into. The lake water is highly toxic laced with cyanide and other chemicals. As the lake grew, it surrounded what was once an attractive village. Few towers and houses are all that remains today.

Source: Amusing Planet

Sajjikot Waterfall Havelian Pakistan

Sajjikot village is located at a distance of approximately 24 kilometers from Havailian in the Hazara region of KPK province in Pakistan. Sajikot waterfall is one of the most good-looking but rarely visited waterfalls in that region. You will have to pass through Havelian city. Just before the bridge on a big Nala you will take a right turn (If you are coming from Haripur side. Then you should ask about the Sajjikot road. It is a very popular road and village and everyone in Havelian knows about it and will guide you to the right path. However; the first few kilometers in Havelian and in the suburbs the road is not in good condition. But once you are out of Havelian the road is in excellent condition. The only bad thing about this road is the enormous speed breakers in almost every town that we pass on the road.

Also note that during this 25KM patch you will ascend and there’re a few hair pin bends with steep ascend just like Pir Sohawa. Therefore; if you’re comfortable to take your transport to Pir Sohawa there will be no problem at all for you to take it to Sajjikot. It is roughly one and half kilometer ahead of Sajjikot market on the same road. When you’ll cross Sajjikot Nala, you’ll see waterfall is visible from the road or at least audible from the road. Also note that it is a three step waterfall. The first two are small steps and the last one and the most well-known one is huge. But the upper two steps are also lovely. If you want to visit them then you should descend just before the main waterfall. Sometimes it is get polluted by visitors. The height of the waterfall is around 200 feet from the very top, where a smaller waterfall goes into an emerald pond before falling further down into a bigger, shallow pool of emerald waters. The area is badly littered with plastic bags and I reckon that the sewer waste from Sajikot village makes its way into this water as well.

 

 

 

Sugarloaf Mountain Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Brazil is widely famous for its beautiful landscape and lively atmosphere. Sugarloaf Mountain (Portuguese Pão De Açúcar) is one of them and world’s most prominent natural landmark peaks overlooking the Rio de Janeiro and the entrance of Guanabara Bay, in southeastern Brazil. The name comes from the unique shape of mountain’s similarity to a concentrated sugarloaf used in the 19^th century, so acquainted in the city during its sugar cane hey-day. 

The shape, the conical, granitic peak 1,296 feet lies at the end of a short range between Rio de Janeiro and the Atlantic Ocean. A cable car which was first installed in 1912, blossoming the tourists industry to operate from its summit to the adjacent Urca Hill, nearby the foot of which is the site of the Praia Vermelha Campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The summit of the Sugarloaf can be reached by cable car, from where the sights over the city and the bay are remarkable. Tourists from all over the world are attracted to this striking landmark every year and it continues to be one of the most visited places in Brazil. Reaching the top of Sugar Loaf is actually about four to five hours round trip.

Rock Climbing at Sugar Loaf Mountain is one of the largest and most admired urban rock climbing endpoints in the world. There’re over 270 different routes to explore in the area as you climb high above the Atlantic Ocean and the sprawling Rio de Janeiro. You can give it a hand yourself, or watch other adventurers conquer the iconic mountain. Sugar loaf neighboring mountains are adding tranquil beauty of the entire peninsula. Morro de Babilonia, or Babylon Mountain and Morro de Urca, or Urca's mountain are two neighboring natural wonders. These two mountains are also accessible to the public and open to rock climbers. 

Morro de Urca offers a play area for children and a restaurant that serves up delightful dishes. Guanabara Bay a historic Guanabara Bay stretches in front of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Translated as "the bosom of the sea", it was home to a number of fortifications built by the colonial government in the 16th century. As with Corcovado, climbing the back side of Sugar Loaf is possible for the daring fighter. It’s not very well recognized because the hiking trail paths near where you catch the cable cars are blocked by a pillar to dispirit the curious hiker. Walk around them and you’re on your way. Be advised. This is a very rugged climb and not for the uninformed, and once you reach the top you won’t able to climb down and you can’t buy a ticket at the top. Buy your one-way ticket first and take it with you.

Guanabara is made up of more than 130 islands and surrounded by attractive natural scenery you can grasp from high above as you tour the mountain. Two comfortable cable cars take visitors to the summit where they can relish fabulous views of Rio de Janeiro from a height of 1,296 feet. The cable cars themselves are enclosed by glass panels. As you start to ascend to the very top, you can get the wonderful experience of breathtaking views unfolding below you. Because Sugarloaf Mountain sits on a peninsula that stretches into the Atlantic Ocean it offers a unique scenic combination of a bustling city, a tranquil bay, and a sparkling ocean. You will love reaching the summit, but the journey there will be just as enjoyable.

It is believed, that 600 million years ago Mother Nature’s geologic hand formed a princely natural wonder, which has converted into most commonly recognized and sought after tourist attraction in Rio. But it has served its past inhabitants equally well. Navigators for years would spot the imposing figure as the entrance to Guanabara Bay. The first Portuguese arrivers chose the landmark as a settling location for the magnitude of visibility afforded towards the sea and mountains assuring their continued protection. Riding or walking, Sugar Loaf Mountain is an undying attraction which should be taken advantage of by all who visit Rio. Without any doubt the views are gorgeous, the photo ops endless, and most of all the experience priceless!