Lake Puma Yumco Tibetan Plateau China

Lake Puma Yumco, located on the Tibetan Plateau, is considered world’s remote lakes. The Lake Puma is 32 kilometer long and 13 kilometer wide and it is situated at an altitude of 5,030 meters above sea level. The Puma Lake is fed by melting water from the snow-capped surrounding mountains, but it has no outlet. Notwithstanding this, the nutrient concentrations in both the water column and lake sediments are exceptionally low, a condition known as UltraOligotrophy.

 In this area the lake water varies their colors and tends to be blue to blue-green and to have high clarity due to low levels of photosynthesizing organisms such as phytoplankton. The Puma Lake appears bright blue when viewed from above the earth. Indeed, the name Puma Yumco literally means “The Blue Jewel which is floating in the sky”.

The most prominent feature of the beautiful lake is the intricate ice block pattern which develops on the lake surface during the winter seasons. The lovely ice pattern is caused by repeated cycles of freezing, fracturing, and refreezing of the ice due to variations in temperature and wind-induced ice motion. Generally, when lakes freeze over, they’re tend to develop a thick crust of uniform ice, which only breaks apart when the warmer season comes.

But, in order for that to occur, environmental conditions must remain stable for at least a short while, letting the ice to establish itself. But when this does not happen, only superficial layers of water freeze over, while the others do not. Minor variations in ambient temperatures can then break specific of the ice apart, reorganizing it into new patterns. When temperatures drop by a few degrees, the ice solidifies again.

Angra Dos Reis Islands of Brazil

If you’re looking for a peaceful calm place to relish your summer vacation then you should plan your journey to Angra Dos Reis, convenient yet exclusive destination to relax. These islands are the most prominent tourist attraction in Brazil for local and global visitors. Lush vegetation and the emerald waters can be explored with your private boat. Building on the raw and unmatched potential of these islands to seduce, it is Blue Parallel which makes the experience memorable with our closely unlimited capability to deliver luxuries, activities, amenities, and local guides; all designed and planned exactly for you. Apart from the town, Angra dos Reis is well comprised of 365 beautiful islands and two thousand beaches filled with natural beauty, legends and social events. To know very well this part of the Fluminense Green Coast, one should be travel by boat, being able to understand the crystalline waters, and the mansions of the rich and famed, erected on private islands.

The Sand Dunes of Maspalomas

The remarkable Dunes of Maspalomas is a four square km field of sand; well located in the popular tourist town of Maspalomas in the south of the island of Gran Canaria of Canary Islands. The sand originated from coral reefs crushed into reasonable golden grains of limestone by the grinding action of glaciers approximately more than thousands of years ago. The present ocean dragged them to the shore and ultimately wind accumulated them into dunes.

The sand is blown inland from the beach and amasses around the shrubs, recognized as balancon that dots the landscape. Once the gathered sand grows larger than its protective shrub, it starts to move across the dune field and so creating the fabulous, undulating landscape. These days the dunes are moving at the rate of two to five meters from east to west. Therefore the area has declared a Natural Reserve in 1987.

From the heart of the dunes the stunning views of the island's mountainous interior are terrific and the adjacent hustle and bustle in the neighboring resorts is all but forgotten. Few secluded areas of the dunes are widespread with naturists. If you'd rather not stumble over the dunes on foot, there’re opportunities to see the sights them from the comfort of a camel's back.

Just a little further on from the Maspalomas Palm Tree plantation (Palmeral) is another protected natural space “La Charca”, a beautiful pond which lies between the sea and the sand, providing a relaxing spot for birds migrating from Europe to Africa. The massive expanse of sand dunes start beyond this “pond”, varying their shape frequently, chiseled out by the wind coming off the ocean.

In 1861 there was a decision made to build the lighthouse which actually took 28 long years to finish, the 68 m tall lighthouse, called “El Faro de Maspalomas”, at the southern point from where the 12 kilometers long beach and dunes lead to the resort Playa del Inglés, a popular destination of tourist. This is deserves a place on every visitor's itinerary. These days everything around it has changed. Now it is at the start of an eventful promenade area with a whole host of restaurants and gift shops.

However; Maspalomas continues to be the perfect place to unwind, enjoy the sea or simply while away the hours sunbathing. This hasn’t changed, and neither has the long shadow of the Lighthouse, in the same place as ever. Whereas before it looked out for boats crossing the Atlantic, it now envies beach-goers spending their days under the gentle sun in Maspalomas.

The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania

The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania is actually a tomb situated on the road between the cities of Cherchell and Algiers, in Algeria. Well, this is the final resting place of Berber Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II, who were the last king and queen of Mauretania. Cleopatra Selene II was the only daughter of the well-known Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and her husband Mark Antony. 

The mausoleum was built in 3 BC by King Juba II himself intended not just for him and his wife, but as a dynastic funeral monument for their royal descendants. The tomb is famous by numerous names. It is occasionally referred to as the Mausoleum of Juba and Cleopatra Selene. In Arabic, the mausoleum is called the Kubr-er-Rumia or Kbor er Roumia. While in French it is call Tombeau de la Chretienne or "the tomb of the Christian woman", because there is a cross-like shape of the division lines on the false door.

The mausoleum was constructed according to ancient mausoleums found in Numidia and their architectural design created from mausoleums originates in Egypt and Anatolia. Although the circular mausoleum is constructed from stone and stands on a square base with a pyramid or cone comparable structure at the top. The measurement of tomb is between 60 to 61 meters in diameter but originally believed to be 40 meters tall. Because with the passage of time and natural elements have decreased its height to about 30 meters.

This monument has been the victim of pillage very early on. The base of the monument was once ornamented with 60 Ionic columns whose capitals were stolen. Therefor in the center of the tomb there’re two vaulted chambers “whose contents were perhaps also ransacked by treasure seekers”, that can be reached by a spiral passage approximately seven feet in height and 489 feet in length. The burial chambers are detached by a short passage, and are cut off from the gallery by stone doors prepared by a single slab which can be moved up and down by levers.

Though early rulers tried several time to destroy the monument. But in 1555, the Pasha of Algiers furnished orders to pull down the mausoleum, but the attempt was reckless when big black wasps swarmed out and stung some of the workers to death. At the end of the 18th century, the attempt of Baba Mahommed got in vain to destroy the monument with artillery. However later on the French occupied Algeria the monument was well used by the French Navy for target practice. Lastly, in 1866 it was explored by order of the Emperor Napoleon III, after which the site was ordered to be protected and preserved.

In 1982, the mausoleum along with nearby archeological sites containing monuments from the Byzantine and the Phoenician ages were recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Though these archeological sites remains are protected, but the ruins face continuous threats from urban construction and expansion, open sewage drainage run offs, meager maintenance, and continuous vandalism. Due to these constant problems, these archaeological remains face an indeterminate future.