The White Desert of Egypt

Just a few hours from the bursting metropolis of Cairo lies a strange desert that will make you feel like you have landed on the surface of the moon. The White desert is located about 45 km north of Farafra, Egypt. The main geographic attraction of Farafra is White Desert (known as Sahara el Beyda, with the word Sahara meaning a desert. The white desert is clear contrast with the yellow desert elsewhere, something which you will not believe before seeing with your own eyes. The exclusive calcium rock formations crop up across the landscape like great abstract statues, resemble food, names like “mushroom” and “ice-cream cone,” while others have inspired more impressive designations, such as “the Monolith” and “Inselberg.” Perhaps the most characteristic of these unusual natural formations is the famed “chicken and tree” set, also called “chicken and mushroom,” or, better yet, “chicken and atomic bomb.” Only in The White Desert will you encounter such a inexplicable and breathtaking natural museum of chalk-rock.

In the night time, several of the organized trips out here include overnight stay out in the desert. If you want to enjoy the real view of white desert, the best viewed at sunrise or sunset, in the light of a full moon, which gives the amazing landscape an eerie Arctic appearance. The tourists can observe the changing faces of chickens and mushrooms and monoliths as the bright sun of the afternoon sinks into a shadowy dusk. As the sun goes down, the calcium sea seems to reflect all the fuchsias and oranges of the sky. However, any night under the stars of the Western Desert is an experience not soon forgotten; the fortunate few that catch a full moon will witness the desert giving off a ghostly, iridescent glow. Tourists are well advised not to get too close to the formations because any certainly not touch them.  Millennia of erosion have made a lot of them extremely unstable and an unwitting hand could cause these ancient creations to collapse.

The White Desert is a widely held tourist spot for its melodramatic and rare rock formations. The magnificent snow-white desert is actually made of chalk that has been exposed for years to what geologists call "differential weathering," the erosion of soft particles that results in strange protrusions of hard rock. The mushrooms shaped rock formations are 10 to 15ft tall. The limestone bases had been worn away by the mixture of wind and sand that had blown by them at high speeds for thousands of years. The differential weathering explains the very striking forms that now fill the White Desert including shapes like domes, minarets, castles, towers and so forth. The rock formations of the desert are often quite dramatic; you should not miss out on the weird rock balancing, on top of a white pillar. Much of the white desert is accessible only by four-wheeled drive or, for the more traditionally minded, the camel. It’s an anthropomorphist’s paradise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fly Geyser of Nevada, USA

Fly Geyser is completely a natural phenomenon that Mother Nature gives us strange characteristics. Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser is a small geothermal geyser located in Washoe County, Nevada approximately 20 miles north of Gerlach. Fly Geyser is a geyser with several channels which is located in the black rock desert of Washoe County, a rural part of northwest of the state of Nevada, USA. The source of the Fly Geyser field's heat is attributed to a very deep pool of hot rock where tectonic rifting and faulting are common. It was unintentionally created by well drilling in 1964 for the study of sources of geothermal energy.

At that time it was not correctly packed, the earth minerals started flowing outside and build up with travertine hillock on which the geyser stand and continues growing. Moreover, pump water continually, reaching with the height of 5 feet under the sky. Around an area of 74 acres, the geyser is possessed of several terraces discharging water into 30 to 40 pools. Two additional geysers in this area were created in a same way and continue to grow. The first geyser is approximately three feet and is shaped like a miniature volcano; however, the second is cone-shaped and is about five feet. The geyser is made up of a series of different minerals, and its brilliant colors are due to thermophilic algae. Nevertheless, the truth is that Fly Geyser is located just inside a private ranch Fly Ranch in Hualapai Flat, owned by Todd Jaksick. There’s a high fence and a locked gate topped with spikes to exclude trespassers.

Thus, back in 1916 a group of farmers started construction, and they were looking for water tanks under the drylands to feed their crops. Hence, they drilled at this point in the landscape and found water, but a geothermal pocket of water was struck resulting in a geyser of boiling water which turned the area into a desert wetland, a thermal aquifer that flowed more than 200 °. Decades later in the 60's, the underground boiling water found a weak spot in the ground and a natural geyser was born. It is quite close to where the celebration of well-known bohemian festival every year outdoors, the Burning Man. Albeit small, in its place of full pressure of water in numerous times a day, but the highlight of the place is the spectrum of shapes and colors, just like a filmy set. It is caused by the combination of calcium carbonate rocks and presence of thermophilic algae. Moreover, inquisitiveness is that it has no precise natural origin. 

6 Replica of Taj Mahal Around the World

Taj Mahal is the symbol of eternal love has been standing tall over the centuries since Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the loving memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The elegant white marble mausoleum located on the banks of Yamuna River in Agra. Taj Mahal has been regarded the most photographed monument across the world and one of seven wonders of world remains bestowed with the pouring of such appreciations. Such has been the beauty and charisma of Taj Mahal that it has been copied, inspired, cloned and being replicated into many more such monuments. The replica of Taj Mahal is many but we’ve chosen 7 that have tried to their best to look like this grand monument.

1: Mini Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh

80 years old retired postmaster Faizul Hasan Quadri repeated the act of building Taj Mahal in loving memory of his wife. He built ‘Mini Taj’, in his village in Bulandshahr of Uttar Pradesh. Making this mausoleum became the aim of Faizul’s life after his loving wife Tajammuli Begum who died of throat cancer in 2011. He needs more finances to cover the mausoleum with marble and cover the area with lush greenery just like real Taj Mahal. We really hope, he gets successful with his vision and mission.

2: Taj Mahal of Bangladesh

Replica of Taj Mahal in Bangladesh is located 10 miles east of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka in Sonargaon. It is a scaled copy of the original Taj Mahal Unlike the original work on the building took only five years. A rich Bangladeshi film-maker, Ahsanullah Moni has announced his “Copycat version of Taj Mahal” project at a cost of about USD$ 56 Million in December 2008.  It was built 20 miles northeast of Capital Dhaka.

3: Taj Mahal of United Kingdom – Royal Pavilion, Brighton, UK

The building of the Royal Pavilion started in 1787 as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wale. Also known as Brighton Pavilion, the British monument is famous for closely resembling the iconic Taj. It’s so because the construction and architect of Brighton Pavilion is inspired from the 19th century Indo-Saracenic style prevalent in India.

4: Taj Arabia, The Taj Mahal of Dubai

Taj Arabia, built same on the lines of Taj Mahal will be a 20-storey glass hotel as maximum as accommodating 350 rooms. Taj Arabia will be open for the public by 2017. It is said that after all the clearances Taaj Arabia should be able to welcome people. The vision is to have the attractive architect as the centerpiece of Mughal Gardens that will cover an area of 210,000 square feet. It is expected to have 2,000 underground car parks, multi-cuisine restaurants, and night clubs.

5: Window to the World: Taj Mahal of China 

How can China not remake anything famous in the world? So, they built their very own Taj Mahal and placed it in theme park in Shenzhen, China that has been named “Window to the World”. The specialty of this park is that it consists of replicas of all the historic monuments around the world. Do not be surprised to find Taj Mahal beside Eiffel Tower or Leaning Tower of Pisa.

6: Taj Mahal of Deccan or Bibi ka Maqbara

If you thought it was only Shah Jahan who dearly loved his wife from the Mughal clan and built an iconic monument in her memory then you would be amazed to know that his next generations continued with the glorious custom. His grandson and son Aurangzeb Prince Azam Shah built “Bibi Ka Maqbara” in memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begum, which is located in Aurangzeb, Maharashtra. The mausoleum closely resembles the original Taj Mahal in many ways.

The Strange Red Lagoon of Chile

The South American country of Chile holds many attractions for travellers, from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Valparaiso to the islands of Chiloe. However, its most striking and least known is the Red Lagoon in the northern area of Camina. So in Northern Chile the town of Camina, lies a strange Red Lagoon, 147 km from the city of Iquique, approximately 3,700 meters above sea level. The water of the lagoon is so strong red that it seems like blood or ink. The lake was though familiar to locals, but unfamiliar for others, even to the National Service of Tourism until 2009, though several miles downstream lies the Caritaya Reservoir.

This part has historically been populated by the Aymara culture and ancient civilization, who have managed to preserve the secrets and legends of its land, and which have just recently been revealed. The mysterious curses that have been associated with Egyptian tombs, actually red pool is possesses by a curse that affects those who approach its red waters. That's the reason nobody knows where it is precisely and it does not appear on maps. The disappearance of thousands of Aymaras is also attributed to this lake because they drank from its waters. The beautiful red lagoon is surrounded by two other pools of yellow and green water, and they are believed to bubble when surrounded by unfriendly people.

Thus, it is so common belief that these accumulations of colored water are owned by the devil himself. According to a few specialists the color is due to different species of algae living in its depths. So far various studies have been conducted in this place by expert biologists assuring that the color is due to different species of algae living in its depths, but the mystery still remains, stalking the least intrepid. The Red Lagoon has long been one of Chile’s best kept secrets. The local town has plans to set up guided tours and wants charge entrance fees.  No doubt tourists will be eager to experience the mysteries of the lagoon for themselves. However, it’d indeed take a brave soul to go into for a swim.

 

Thor’s Well, The Odd Natural Wonder on the Oregon Coast

On the coast of Oregon, there’s an odd natural hole that seems to be draining the sea. Thor's Well is located in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, just three miles south of Yachats, a natural bowl-shaped hole carved out of the rough basalt shoreline. It’s a gaping; seemingly bottomless sinkhole swallows the unbroken stream of seawater around it. This is called “Thor’s Well” a very dangerous natural wonder is known, is not bottomless.  Thor’s Well is also known as the “drainpipe of the Pacific” and some call it “Gaping Hole”. About 20 Feet deep Thor’s Well is actually a hole in the rock that only appears to drain water from the ocean. Although, the well is not quite as magic as it seems, but it still manages to produce amazing sights however not for the faint of heart!

According to Gary Hayes, a publisher of Coast Explorer Magazine, the feature likely began out as a sea cave dug out by the waves before the roof eventually collapsed, leaving openings at the top and bottom through which the ocean surges and sprays. However, it’s a circular shape aside, not so different from the other features around it- rugged Cook's Chasm, a spouting horn and adjacent Devil's Churn - but its shape and location, right against the Pacific Ocean, result in some pretty rare behavior.

Although it’s a treacherous spot, but not for the reasons people generally think. Because, the past incidents took place here, due to people foolishness, they have been hit sneaker waves while looking at the feature. Those people didn’t get sucked into hole, got plenty of scrapes and cuts against the sharp volcanic rock. After all, it's the ocean that's dangerous, not Thor's Well. A sneaker wave can drag anybody into watery grave anywhere along the Oregon coast, whether you're standing at the edge of a chasm or just walking down the beach. Thor's Well is unique by shape and behavior only - otherwise, it's just another fascinating hole in the basalt.

The Thor’s Well is most amazing site at high tide during storms; it washes water violently over the rocks and funnels into the hole. Moreover, during the sudden torrents, unwary visitors to the site run the risk of being swept right into the maelstrom. Nevertheless of high risks place, photographers and nature lovers continue to flock to the spectacular fountain to see the aggressive waters that live up to their godly namesake’s stormy personality. There are plenty of other rugged and beautiful sites all around it, but Thor's Well seems to be special. Maybe there is something mystical about it - but that power comes courtesy of the ocean, not the hole that it carved in the rock.