Colorful cave underneath the city of Yekaterinburg in Russia

Probably you may have heard about colorful cave underneath the city of Yekaterinburg in Russia lies you have ever laid your eyes upon. The walls of abandoned salt mine are covered with psychedelic patterns, caused by the natural layers of carnallite, a mineral used in the production of plant fertilizers, and is most often yellow to white or reddish, but can sometimes be blue or even entirely colorless. A little portion of the carnallite mines remain in use, but many of the passageways are now closed and off-limits to the public without a special government permit. 

These gorgeous pictures were taken by photographer Mikhail Mishainik, who spent more than 20 hours exploring the dimly lit labyrinth and has stayed overnight on at least three occasions. The mines are massive and stretches on several kilometers in width and length, a single tunnel can be more than four miles long. It is extremely hard to describe how it feels being so far down, you lose all track of time and the air was very dry, you always feel thirsty,” said Mikhail Mishainik to The Daily Mail. 

The air is filled with small particles of salt and if we didn't have our torches switched on it would be pitch black. It is easy to get lost as many of the passageways look the same; we navigate our way around very carefully. Many people know about the mines but it is very difficult to access them if you don't have an official permit. We take our safety very seriously but of course there are always dangers. There is a chance of a gas leak from chemicals such as methane, hydrogen sulphide carbon dioxide as well the jeopardy of a landslide. The danger element is part of the fun and it’s an exceptional feeling being somewhere very few people have seen.

Paso Internacional Los Libertadores

Paso Internacional Los Libertadores is also called Cristo Redentor, is a beautiful mountain pass in the Andes between Argentina and Chile. This is the foremost transport route connecting the Chilean capital city of Santiago to Mendoza city in Argentina. The route is carries quite heavy traffic with 29 hard switchbacks on a tremendously steep incline; it is also one of the most challenging roads to navigate.

The road starts on the Chilean side with a steep rise, nearly 50 kilometer from the city of Los Andes which lies 70 kilometers north of Santiago. The switchbacks start soon after. The first twenty switchbacks stretch over 4 kilometers with a change in elevation from 2,275 m to 2,550 m. Then road climbs gently for 2 kilometers to an altitude of 2,650 m. The next nine switchbacks take you up to an altitude of 2,800 m over a distance of 2.5 kilometers. From this point, it’s another 5 kilometers to the Chilean immigration post and then two more kilometers to the start of the old road leading up to the summit. 

There’s a few kilometers beyond the Chilean immigration post, at an elevation of 3,175 m, lies a tunnel leading across the border into Argentina. Which was opened in 1980, the tunnel of the Christ is 3,080 m long, and serves as a significant land crossing between Chile and Argentina. Wind combined with the high altitude will make for some pretty slow going, but don’t worry, there’s a refugio at the top where you can take rest over a cup of hot chocolate. The summit is at 3,840m, and it is here that you’ll find the Redeemer statue and enjoy breathtaking views of Aconcagua and out over the valley below.

The path normally closed during winter seasons because of heavy snows blocking both ends and the threat of rock fall and land sliding. The pass on the Argentine side is well maintained and gentler grade and much better sustained. It also carries extra traffic as lot of tourists drive up and back to enjoy the views. From the summit, you will descend approximately 1,000m over 9km before reaching the Argentine immigration post at Las Cuevas. The travelling on this road is best to take on in the summer months, as the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores can close due to snow and severe weather during the winter. On 19 September 2013, approximately 15,000 Chileans got stranded on the Argentine side, when the pass had to be closed for almost 10 hours because of freezing temperatures between 40-50 centimeters of snow.

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