Monte Kali: A Beautiful White Mountain of Table Salt

In the small town of Heringer of Eastern Hesse, Germany, a beautiful white mountain called Monte Kali, made of spoil heap landmark. The Monte Kali containing nothing but sodium chloride or common table salt, which is a byproduct of potash mining. In this region, potash mining has been major industry from last 120 years. Therefore, it is begins with the opening of “Wintershall” potash works, which started mining work in 1903, and currently he’s world’s biggest potash mine with an operational area about the size of Greater Munich’s. 

It is important to keep in mind that Potash mining produces a mixture of potash and sodium chloride, with potassium content falls between 20% and 35%. Therefore, for each ton of potash recovered, a number of tons of sodium chloride are produced, which can be  dumped at many sites around the region. The dumps comprise up to 96% sodium chloride.

However, as the time passes, Monte Kali started growing in 1973, and it’s where the K+S chemical company dumps sodium chloride. The Monte Kali heap rises more than 200 meters above the surrounding land, and covered an area of 93 hectares till January 2014. Moreover, it contains about 188 million tonnes of salt, with additional 900 tonnes being added every hour and 6.4 million tonnes a year. Furthermore, lying next to the border with the state of Thuringia, “Monte Kali” towers over Heringen and is a widely held attraction. Because, local folks are refer to it as “Kalimanjaro” a play of words between Kali (shorthand for Kalisalz, German for "potash") and the well-known volcanic peak Mount Kilimanjaro. 

The hikers are having serious interest in climbing this artificial mountain, and it is observed that more than 10,000 visitors climb every year. Another important point to be notice, that Monte Kali and other spoil heaps in this region are seriously environmentally destructive, because a massive amount of salt seeps into the ground polluting the soil, rivers and groundwater. Though in result surrounding soil has become eventually barren and only a few halophyte plants resistant to salt can grow there. The Werra River too has become unfriendly to freshwater organisms.

Bibi Jawindi, The Most Ornate Monuments at Uch-Sharif

The Tomb of Bibi Jawindi is one of the five monuments in Uch Sharif, in the Bahawalpr state and Punjab province of Pakistan. Uch is an important historical city, having been founded by Alexander the Great, previously located at the confluence of the Indus and Chenab rivers. The Bibi Jawindi is considered one of most ornate monuments in Uch, and on the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The tomb was submitted by the Department of Archaeology and Museums Pakistan in Jan 2004 to be inducted in the World Heritage Sites along with four other monuments in the region. In 1493, Iranian prince, Muhammad Dilshad Of khorasan has built shrine for Bibi Jawindi, who was great-granddaughter of Jahaniyan Jahangasht, who was famous Sufi Saint. The Personage Lying buried here was the pious lady popularly Known as “Bibi Jawindi”,The site Uch, is locally recognized as Uch Sharif, is famous for the home of the "shrine culture" because of its cultural importance and the presence of numerous monuments and shrines.

However, the tomb of Bibi Jawindi is famous place for visitor. The exterior of the tomb building is octagonal in shape and has three tiers with the top one supporting a dome, while the interior is circular due to thick angled walls rising up two stories. Therefore, both the interior and exterior of the building are splendidly decorated with Islamic scriptures, with beautiful carved timber, and bright blue and white mosaic tiles recognized as faience. Moreover, the base tier is well supported by eight tapering towers in each corner, and compound encompassing the shrine is preserved in its original desert-like conditions and is regularly covered with cemented graves. The surrounding area is exquisite covered with green vegetation due to a network of river tributaries and canals crossing the area. The other important monuments in this area are the Tomb of Baha'al-Halim, Tomb of Ustead, Tomb of Jalaluddin Bukhari, and the Mosque of Jalaluddin Bukhari.

From last several centuries, the tomb of Bibi Jawindi has poorly disintegrated due to environmental conditions, and during torrential floods in 1817 even half of the structure washed away.  Presently, only the remaining half of the structure is still standing, although the Conservation and Rehabilitation Center of Pakistan invited international bodies and city officials to work on the conservation of the place in 1999. Though, due salt infiltration, humidity and erosion the complex monuments are still disintegrating. Moreover, inappropriate techniques of repair have further damaged the complex. The World Monuments Fund placed the structure on their Watch in 1998, 2000 and 2002 to gather international attention and managed to obtain grants to conserve the tombs.

The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is Most Famous Lost Mine in American History

The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine is, a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States. The site is commonly thought to be in the Superstition Mountains, nearby Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Every year, myriads treasures hunters try their luck to find the mine, and there have been many stories about how to find the mine. The Lost Dutchman's is probably the most famous lost mine in American history. More than 125 years, Lost Dutchman Mine has been told over and over, growing in proportions to such an extent that some claim the entire legend is nothing but a myth.

The mine and its legends are exceptionally real, hidden in the forbidding peaks of the Superstition Mountains. “Real” or not, the haunting tales endure, ongoing to draw prospectors to the Superstition Mountains these days, and making the story one of the most well-known lost treasure tales of all time. The Gold mine is named after German immigrant Jacob Waltz (1810 – 1891), who supposedly discovered it in the 19th century and kept its location very secret. Another former Arizona Attorney General “Bob Corbin” is among those who have looked for the mine. Few argue that there’s little or no evidence for the mine's existence, but many believes that the main components of the story have at least some basis in fact. According to legends of Arizona, the Lost Dutchman's story had been printed or cited at least six times more often than two other relevant recognized tales, the first story is Captain Kidd's lost treasure, and other story is Lost Pegleg mine in California. More than 8,000 researchers annually made efforts to find the Lost Dutchman’s mine, because finding of this mystery have been taking place since 1892.

Another legend “Robert Blair” have said, at least four legendary Lost Dutchman's gold mines in the American West, one Lost Dutchman's mine is said to be in Colorado, another in California; while the other two are said to be located in Arizona. Tales of these other Lost Dutchman's mines can be traced to at least the 1870s. One of the best treasure tales in the history of the American West, well shrouded in mystery, rich in gold, but also said to have a curse upon it, leading to a number of strange deaths, as well as people who mysteriously go "missing” when they try to locate the old mine. Moreover, be careful, there have been several deaths or disappearances in the Superstition Mountains. Some searchers for the mine have disappeared in likely wilderness accidents. The Lost Dutchman could only be a figment of someone’s overactive imagination.

Iceland. Aerial drone and time lapse compilation. Southern Iceland landscapes and the northern lights.

Time lapse, slow motion, and drone footage from a 6 day trip to southern Iceland.
Shot on a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, Nikon D750, and Sony RX100 IV.
Music: Sing by Bellarive.
Filmed and edited by Colby Moore.

Iceland. Aerial drone and time lapse compilation. Southern Iceland landscapes and the northern lights. from Colby Moore on Vimeo.

Portrait of Iceland

A short glimpse of our trip to Iceland in June 2015. This amazingly beautiful country exceeded all expectations. To see photos of the trip go to oftwolands.com | instagram.com/oftwolands

Music : Luke Atencio - Counsel. (licence through The Music Bed). Filmed on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, Edited in Final Cut Pro X and Graded with Film Convert.

Portrait of Iceland from • of two lands • on Vimeo.

The Ultimate Villa on Dunbar Rock in Pristine Caribbean Waters

Wow, yes this is ultimate diver's paradise! The incredible resort that's perched on a rock in pristine Caribbean waters, only two ways to recommend at this spectacular resort either by boat or helicopter. The luxurious resorts sit on a solid rock in the Caribbean and are surrounded by water on all sides, if someone wants real protocol there's a helipad for who wants to arrive in dramatic style. Believe it, the sea literally at your doorstep, as there’s a private beach and eight suites for guests. Therefore, Villa on Dunbar Rock, despite the proximity of the sea, throws in an infinity pool for its visitors anyway the rock offers handy access for those keen to explore under the surface of the idyllic marine area.

Moreover, the exclusive rock retreat is situated around 44 miles off the north coast of Honduras, though visitors will never be absolutely stuck there if they don't want to be. The trained staff can arrange boats to take you to see the sights of Guanaja area, which has waterfalls, sea kayaking, bars, restaurants and fishing. Don’t worry and keep expecting, there’re more than enough to entertain on the private island. The Rock resort 7-night packages at the Villa on Dunbar Rock start at $1,952 per person with dives included in the price.

Well, the $1.7 million rock home took two years to be transformed into an extravagance $10 million dream island mansion, with 15,000 square feet of rooms spread across four floors. Moreover, visitors can submit to their isolation on balcony sun loungers and relish incredible views. There’s even a chef on hand to make meals, made using local flavors. If you demand to hone your diving skills, Padi certified instructors are on hand to support you to explore the Guanaja reef. The Villa on Dunbar Rock also comes with a dive center stocked with new rental equipment and three dive boats. Forget battling with other holidaymakers for space on the beach, because the rock retreat comes with its own private stretch of golden sand. The island could be the impeccable place to book out for a group holiday or event, as the eight air-conditioned rooms can sleep up to 18 adults. 

Source: Dailymail

The Mysterious Stone Jars in Laos

The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos, comprises thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xieng Khouang. The jars are frequently arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred. Various travelers that make it to this remote corner of Laos will find fields of ancient stone jars. Who put them there, and what were they for? Hence what purpose these stone jars served and who constructed them remains a mystery? So far 90 jar sites have been well recognized within the province of Xieng Khouang, and each site has from one to 400 stone jars. However, jars are varying in height and diameter amid 1m and 3m and are all hewn from rock. The Jar shape is alike cylindrical with the bottom always wider than the top. Unidentified to most traveler’s, thousands of stone urns dating back to the Iron Age (500 BC to AD 500) are peppered over hundreds of square kilometers in the mountains surrounding Phonsavan a lengthy detour from the typical transportation routes. 

Due to jar size and the adjacent bones, some archaeologists believe the urns were prehistoric burial sites for an ancient civilization that travelled along an elapsed overland trade route among the Mekong River and the Gulf of Tonkin. The jars lie in clusters on the lower foot-slopes and mountain ridges of the hills surrounding the central plateau and upland valleys. Therefore, a number of quarry sites have been recorded, generally close to the jar sites. Five rock types have been identified: sandstone, conglomerate, granite, limestone and breccia. Others believe the urns were used as distilling vessels during the early stages of funeral rites. So, a body would be placed inside and left to decompose before being moved to a crematorium or secondary storage location and after the corpse had fully decayed, the remains would be returned to the urn and an additional fresh body would join it, repeating the same cycle.

This faith is well supported by the traditional Southeast Asian mortuary practices used for members of royalty. Moreover, Thai royals historically had their bodies cremated several months after their death, with their body remains being moved from urn to urn until the final day of incineration, in the faith that the soul moves through a slow transformation, exiting the earth and entering the mystical world. Furthermore, the rims on to each jar are believed to have reinforced lids that would be placed on top until the body decomposed, adding credit to this theory. However, the local’s inhabitants, on the other hand, have more thrilling philosophies. Various local says the stone vessels were shaped to brew powerful rice wine to rejoice the victory of a band of mythological giants over their enemies; while the others say the jars held whisky for a thirsty hulk that lived in the mountains above Phonsavan. However, on the other side the truth is, no one knows the secret behind this ancient mystery.

In the early 1930s a French investigator concluded that the jars were related with prehistoric burial practices, well excavation by Lao and Japanese archaeologists in the intervening years has supported this interpretation with the discovery of human remains, burial goods and ceramics around the jars. The Plain of Jars is dated to the Iron Age and is one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia. Since most of the jars have lip rims, it is thought that the jars originally supported lids, although few stone lids have been recorded; this may propose that the bulk of lids were fashioned from unpreserved materials. Stone lids with animal carvings have been found at few sites such as Ban Phakeo.

The bas-relief carvings are supposed to portray monkeys, tigers and frog, though no in situ lid has ever been found. Walking through the fields, you can spot dozens of red and white markers placed prudently on the ground signs of a far more disturbing secret amid the mystery. Thus, “Phonsavan” was located on a flight path for United States fighter jets during the Vietnam War and became the unauthorized dumping ground for 270 million cluster bombs, manufacture it the world’s most heavily bombed place per capita. More than 80 million of these bombs failed to detonate upon landing, treacherously polluting the area and creating much of the land surrounding the Plain of Jars unusable.

Well, tourists to the site must stay close to the marked, cleared zones, because answers to the mystery were long gone; only spider webs and still water remained. Time and war may have removed any chance we have of understanding who built these marvels and why. The Lao PDR government and “NZAID” built a visitors center that was opened on 13 August 2013 at the Plain of Jars Site 1 and it is at the bottom of a hill 200m before a car park. The center provides English language information panels on the history of the Plain of Jars culture, as well as its modern history during the 1964 to 1975 conflict. Moreover, Lao PDR government is considering applying for status as a UNESCO World Heritage site for the Plain of Jars.