The Little Tourlitis Lighthouse perched on the islet of Tourlitis Greece.

The charismatic little Tourlitis Lighthouse is beautifully perched on the islet of Tourlitis, a chunk of rock opposite the harbor at Chora, on Andros Island. The lighthouse is situated about 200 meters out to the sea. This is Greece’s first modern lighthouse and the most striking lighthouse in the world. A flight of stairs carved into the rocks lead to the lighthouse.

The Tourlitis Lighthouse is the only Greek lighthouse to be built completely by Greek hands, and also the nation’s only wave-swept rock sentinel, visible to the brunt of heavy seas. This is the first automatic lighthouse of the Greek lighthousing system, as the lighthouse keeper doesn't really reside there. The history tells us, the first lighthouse here was built in 1897.

However it was destroyed after the Second Word War, a simple scaffold tower was erected on Tourlitis. The present lighthouse is a striking replica of the original, and was built in 1990s at the expenses of Alexandros Goulandris, an oil tycoon of Andros Island. Goulandris and his wife devoted the lighthouse in memory of their deceased daughter Violanda.

The Unique Shaped Tent Rocks

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks is a distinctive group of rock formations situated in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains, north-central New Mexico, U.S., between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, about 40 miles southwest of the latter. The Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks features big tent-shaped rocks hugging the steep cliffs of Peralta Canyon, the product of potent forces of vulcanism and erosion, which have built up and then torn down this landscape. The unique cone-shaped tent rock shaped out of pumice, ash, and tuff deposits more than 1,000 feet thick that escapes from volcanic eruptions from Jemez volcanic field that occurred six to seven million years ago.

Over this, “pyroclastic flow” composed of rock fragments and searing hot gases blasted down slopes in an incandescent avalanche. Over time, wind and water cut into these deposits, creating canyons and arroyos, scooping holes in the rock, and contouring the ends of small, inward ravines into smooth semi-circles. As a result, the tent rocks cones have cores composed of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder cap-rocks. Some tents have lost their hard, resistant cap-rocks and are decaying. While fairly uniform in shape, the tent rock formations vary in height from a few feet up to 90 feet. The Kasha-Katuwe area was populated by humans for over 7,000 years. 

In the history, during the 15th century the ancestors of present-day Pueblo Indian peoples built pueblos here and left numerous petroglyphs and ruins to make available evidence of their habitation. Even though a Spanish expedition was passed through in 1598, the first modern settlers even did not arrive until the late 1700s. The unique monument’s name is derived from the Keresan language of the area’s Pueblo people which means ‘white cliffs’. The area was designated a National Monument in 2001.

 

Source: Charismatic Planet

Jumbo Hostel: A Jetliner Hotel

In Sweden there’s unused runway at Arlanda airport stands a decommissioned 747-200 jetliner. This gigantic air has served plentiful airline companies around the world; the airplane was towed into the tarmac in 2008 for final time. The plane wasn’t refueled and no ground staff checked the tire pressure. In its place, it was well placed on a concrete foundation and the landing gear was secured in two steel cradles, for the 747 was to serve the rest of its life as a hotel. Therefore; Jumbo Hostel can be reached by a 15 minute walk from the main terminal or via a five-minute shuttle bus.

The hotel is well equipped with a budget dormitory, a couple of twin and three-bed combo rooms with shared shower and toilet and an extravagance suite in the converted cockpit that provide a lovely panoramic view of the airport. When it was decided to build the hotel and accommodate all the beds, the plane was stripped down to its shell. All the seats were removed and the plane was sanitized completely.

The hostel was built similar to any building, subjected to the matching demands on climate control and insulation, following to all common energy standards. Some elements of aviation were kept undamaged still, for example, the signs next to sinks advising users to wipe down the surfaces for the next passenger and warning notices around emergency exit hatches. In the flight deck, the pilot's original controls, now inoperable, adds fascination to the cockpit suite. Though plane all rooms have a flat screen television where visitors can lookout the times of departure for all flights.

All over the jetliner visitors have easy access to wireless broadband. All rooms, though, share a shower and toilet in the corridor, excluding cockpit suite and a single individual room which features their own. Moreover on the upstairs, the first class cabin has been beautifully converted into a funky 24-hour café. The owner of Jumbo Hostel’s Oscar Dios is next plan is to put in glass shelter over the wings for boarders to sit out there and be relaxed. Sooner or later, each engine will also house a capsule-style double bedroom. Therefore if your itinerary calls for an overnight stay at Stockholm before the next flight, Jumbo Stay is an excellent choice without any doubt. 

Source: CP 

Source: CP

Alpamayo Mountain Peru

Alpamayo is one of the most conspicuous peaks in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes. It is named after the river Allpamayu which originates. Alpamayo is remotely located than most other peak sin C. Blanca. It is one of most stunning ice faces of the Andes as the hike to the BC requires two to three days. The Cordillera Blanca comprises over 300 major summits and more than 20 of these rise over 6000 meters. The peak is considered by several to be the world’s most striking mountain, an ascent of Alpamayo is an achievement valued and recognized by mountaineers the world over. 

The beautiful peak is eventually climbed first time in 1957 by a German expedition via the N ridge. However the peak was not in the map of Cordillera Blanca from 1932. But these days, Alpamayo is most famous peak and even elected one of most beautiful mountain in the world. It is not difficult as that inspires the climbers, but it is wonderful setting among the everlasting snowcaps of the Cordilliera Blanca, 6000 meters above sea level. Unluckily, this makes the peak very widespread and sometime overfull. It can transform a beautiful five hours climb, when alone, into a nightmare of 15 hours with all the traffic when crowded.

 It is not infrequent to find 10 to 15 parties’ camping at the col, waiting in line for a chance to scratch the face. Alpamayo is sited in the NE part of the Cordillera Blanca, which means that clouds come up from the Amazonas Basin more regularly. Believe 1-2 days - week with less impeccable conditions fog and snowfall during the climbing season. To be honest, if you want to get to this point, then you require little hard work and solid mountaineering and ice climbing abilities. Before reaching the well-known summit face you must approach over 25 kilometers, place two lower camps, and carry heavy packs filled with climbing equipment and food over 4,000 feet of moraine, scree, and steep glaciated terrain. 

Though there’re number of climbing routes on the Southwest Face, but the most common is recognized as the Ferrari or Italian Route. It was well opened in 1975 by a group of Italian alpinists led by Casimiro Ferrari. It begins at the top of the highest point of the snow slope where the bergschrund separates the upper face on the left and then ascends a steep runnel to the summit ridge.