A compendium of interesting places, hidden wonders, Beautiful Places, strange travel destination, tourist attractions.
Monday 17 September 2018
Tuesday 11 September 2018
Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire England
Brimham Rocks are collection of weird and wonderful balancing
rock formations on Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England. The rocks stand at
a height of nearly 30 feet in an area owned by the National Trust. That is part
of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area was recognized
as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1958. The natural
spectacle was created by a river 100million years BEFORE the first dinosaurs
walked the earth.
The different rock formations caused by Millstone Grit Being
eroded by water, glaciation and strong wind. Many formations are unbelievable
formed amazing shapes. There are extensive views of the rocks jutting above
woodland from North West as well as 360° views of the nearby countryside and
beyond. Many of the rock outcroppings reach over 30 meters into the sky, and
the protected Brimham Rock area covers more than 400 acres.
This landscape is an untouched heathland north of
Summer-bridge has been drained for agricultural improvements and large-scale
forestation. The strangely shaped rock formations tower over heather moorland,
offering panoramic views across Nidderdale and to the Vale of York. The area
covers approximately 1.66km² weathered to create dramatic shapes. And this site
where the landform is higher, drier and cloaked in species such as heather and
bilberry. Let your imagination run wild as you explore the labyrinth of paths
through this unique landscape.
Many formations required some imagination to call. So,
different formations have been named in various angles. Like Sphinx, Pivot
Rock, The Watchdog, Cannon Rock, The Camel, Idol Rock, The Turtle, and Dancing
Bear. The site has been filmed in various movies. In June 2018 an act of
vandalism caused a rock to fall from the top of one of the crags and damage the
crag face. On lower lying land, the ground is wetter and several springs form
small streams that meander through the wetland scrub.
Across the rocks, natural clumps of birch woodland have been
allowed to regenerate remaining naturalistic and wild. Thousands of tourists
flock to the spectacular landmark every year to see the weird and wonderful
shapes sculpted by wind and ice over millions of years.
In the summer season, the heather flowers turn the moorland
purple, attracting bees and butterflies. This intriguing landscape is like no
other you will have seen. The area is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific
Interest) managed by the National Trust and open to the public all year round. It
is easily accessed by a network of public footpaths including the Nidderdale
Way.
There are many choices of activities available, from regular
guided walks and climbing days to family trails to make your own adventures. The
site is open typically from 8 a.m. until dusk. Hence entry is free but car
parking is charged for visitors who are not members of the National Trust. Brimham
Rocks makes a great day out for families, climbers, walkers and those wanting
to enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air and magnificent views. Source: CP
Monday 10 September 2018
Giant Hands Lift up The Golden Bridge Vietnam
In the mountains above Da Nang,
Vietnam sits a rare piece of bridge design. It is called The Golden Bridge,
a 490 feet long pedestrian bridge in the Bà Nà Hills resort. The Golden Bridge
is designed to connect the cable car station with the gardens and to provide a
scenic overlook for tourist attraction. The five meter wide, pedestrian bridge
is support by simple steel with the two giant stone hands acting purely as
decoration. The Golden Bridge has a timber
deck with stainless steel handrails colored golden. It creates a walkway in the
sky, among the foggy and fairy-like lands of Ba Na Mountain. The bridge loops
nearly back around to itself, and hands designed to appear to support the
structure. The bridge is avoiding a steep incline. The bridge opened for public
in June 2018. It is a latest tourist
attraction in Da Nang previously the site of an American base during the
Vietnam War. And now, a vacation hot spot for tourists.
The Golden Bridge hands are
decorated with cracks and moss to make them look like aged stone ruins. The
remarkable appearance of two huge grips looks like they drew the bridge out
from the land and adore it as it were a gift from nature. The mix of city,
beach, and mountains is drawing people to the area. The China Beach is for
fresh seafood and good waves. Marble Mountains are for exploring temples and
caves. Now the city itself offers for a burgeoning culinary scene.
The client for the project was
the Sun Group. A curved golden bridge designed by TA Landscape Architecture
based in Ho Chi Minh City. The company's founder, Vu Viet Anh, was the
principal designer. Initially Sun Group was hesitant about the design, have
concerned about this bridge. But it took months too persuaded by the practice
for final design. The Ba Na Hills, a popular getaway for the French during the colonial occupation of Vietnam, received over 2.7 million visitors last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. This project looks like humans can do anything. You will feel to walk on clouds as it’s so unique. Source: CP
Friday 7 September 2018
Ovniport, The UFO Landing Pad in the Desert of Argentina
The strange monument UFO landing pad built by a
man who claimed aliens told him to construct it. The UFO landing pad has been
built in the middle of the Argentinian desert with the collection of white and
brown rocks. The man gives the shape of a star, known as an 'ovniport'. It appeared in the small town of Cachi in the
province of Salta. The site is a huge attraction for UFO fanatics who hope to
contact aliens.
The Swiss man Werner Jaisli travelled to town of Cachi in
search of extraterrestrials. After that he have claimed to receive a 'telepathic
message' from aliens telling him they required a place to land on earth. They
landed about 100 meters above our heads and projected on us a beam of light
that made us both see their own brightness. The funny thing is that it did not
affect our vision. Something began to bubble through my brain: it was an order.
They asked me telepathically to build the airport.' Visitors flock to the site
and no wonder, because it's magnificent built.
He is thought to have instantly got to work, making a large
star in 2008 with 36 points that measures 48 meters in diameter. Jaisli also
made a smaller star and it took him till 2012 until his work was done. As a
tourist’s point of view, the UFO landing pad is also popular with
UFO enthusiasts. They believe they may be able to contact beings from another
world from the site.
However, soon after the “ovniport” was built, the local
people of Cachi stopped seeing Jaisli, who had a large beard and would often
wear a Druid outfit. It is imprecise where he travelled to but some people sparking
theories, that he may have been abducted by aliens. Although, it is thought he
actually traveled back to Bolivia - with another theory that he went to
Switzerland. Also Read: Mount Danxia
Wednesday 5 September 2018
Mount Danxia, China
Mount Danxia “Dānxiá Shān” is a prominent scenic mountainous
area near Shaoguan city in the northern part of Guangdong China. In 2004 the Mount
Danxia is listed as a "world famous UNESCO geopark of China". Mount
Danxia has been honored National Scenic Area, National Geomorphologic Nature
Reserve, and National Geo-park etc. since 1988.
It covers an area of approximately 280 square kilometers. The
stones and peaks are rhythmically interspersed making it a sculpture garden of
red sandstone rocks. Set against the blue sky, white clouds, jade waters, green
trees and the colorful algae, the mountain becomes a picturesque painting. Mount
Danxia is not only bright in color, but peculiar in outlook.
Mount Danxia is named for its unique danxia landforms. With a
deep red color, bright like sunset glow, different from other Danxia Nature
Reserves owns the most graceful views. The area is formed with reddish
sandstone, eroded with the passage of times. It is a series of outcrops
surrounded by spectacular cliffs and many unusual rock formations known as
Danxia landform.
The stones have been formed the shape of human body, birds
and even animals. Many cliff tombs and cliff coffins were left by our ancestors
who inhabited the mountain. The Danxia Mountain consists of many other
wonderful scenic spots, including Zhanglao Peak, Yangyuan Hill, Xianglong Lake
and Jin River. The Jin River features charming waterside scenery and wonderful
aquatic programs, such as swimming, boating and yachting.
The area beauty is added by several temples located on the
mountains. Many scenic walks can be undertaken. There is also a beautiful river
winding piercing the mountains where you can have boat trip. The scenic area
contains more than 680 different stone peaks, stone fortresses, walls, pillars
and stone bridges. Yangyuan Hill and Zhanglao Peak face each other across a
river. The hill is renowned for the marvelous Yangyuan Stone, which looks like
a male genital.
The area has moderate subtropical climate suitable to rich
variety of plants. These ancient Danxia Phoenix Trees 'Dharma Orchid' are very
rare and most distinguished species of the mountain. It was discovered in 1987,
that only tree of this species existed in the world. Moreover, 28 ancient trees
are more than 100 years old. Out of them 14 trees are more than three centuries
old.
Therefore, as soon flowering season arrives, the sweet scent
of the orchid tree lingers & thrives in the mountain and visitors swarm to
its attraction. Visitors arrive here and take photos, some giggling and posing.
And if that’s not enough silly selfie opps, there’s a trail from here to Breast
Rock and elsewhere there’s a narrow cleft some imagine as a women private part.
Moreover, the mountain has been a busy place for various
religious activities. The mountain prospered a great number of poems, carvings
and inscriptions praising the bewitching scenery were left behind by writers,
poets and painters throughout past dynasties. The Xianglong Lake sits to the
south of Zhanglao Peak, named so because the lake resembles a flying dragon.
There are numerous attractions that make the Danxia range
interesting. The area has the different stone formation.
- Yang Yuan Stone, bearing a remarkable resemblance to a phallus
- Yin Yuan Stone, which somewhat resembles the female vulva.
- Breasts Stone, human breast-shaped rocky outcrops on a cliff hanging 30 m above the ground.
- Sleeping Beauty, a rocky range resembling a sleeping maiden.
World Heritage Site
In the 2010 UNESCO list of world heritage sites,
Mount Danxia was recorded as a natural World Heritage Site as part of China's
Danxia landform. Whenever you go to China, you must visit Mount Danxia, it’s a must
see area. You will bring unforgettable memories with Mount Danxia. Also Read: Mount Katmai Eruption! Biggest Bang of 20th Century
Source: CP
Thursday 30 August 2018
Mount Katmai, Alsaka
Mount
Katmai has long been recognized for its caldera collapse. Mount Katmai rises at
the head of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes on the upper Alaska Peninsula,
along the volcanic front of the Aleutian arc.
It’s a large compound stratovolcano that consisted of two contiguous
cones, both beheaded by the caldera collapse of 1912.
Still
many people don’t even hear its name. Mount Katmai is 6.3 miles in diameter
with a central lake-filled caldera about 3 by 2 mi in area. Mount Katmai was
formed during the massive Novarupta eruption in 1912. The sound of the
explosion would be heard in Atlanta and St. Louis, and the fumes observed as
far away as Denver, San Antonio, and Jamaica." (Robert F. Griggs, National
Geographic Magazine, 1917, v. 81 no. 1, p. 50)
In
June 1912, the most spectacular Alaskan eruption in recorded history and the 20th
century's largest measured volcanic eruption formed a large summit caldera at
Katmai volcano. The volcano has caused ten known fatalities due to gas
exposure. The caldera rim reaches a maximum elevation of 6,716 feet. In 1975
the surface of the Crater Lake was at an elevation of about 4,220 feet, and the
estimated elevation of the caldera floor is about 3,400 ft. The flows were
still hot enough to release gases and boil water and would be until the 1980's
Mount
Katmai is centered on the regional drainage divide, the edifice is amazingly
asymmetrical. It was one of largest eruption in the 20th century, ejecting
almost 30 cubic kilometers of ash and debris into the atmosphere. It is well
beating 1991 Pinatubo by a factor of 3 in volume and, for comparison, 1980 Mt.
St. Helens by a factor of 30.
The
magnitude of the eruption can perhaps be best realized if one could imagine a
similar outburst centered in New York City. All of Greater New York would be
buried under from ten to fifteen feet of ash. Philadelphia would be covered by
a foot of gray ash and would be in total darkness for sixty hours. And Washington
and Buffalo would receive a quarter of an inch of ash, with a shorter period of
darkness.
The
mountain is located in Kodiak Island Borough, adjacent to its border with Lake
and Peninsula Borough. The massive eruption happened at a vent about 10 km to
the west of Mount Katmai. More than 60 hours, the volcano eruption took place 28
km³ of ash flows and tephra representing 13 km³ of magma volume. Mount Katmai
consists mainly of lava flows, pyroclastic rocks, and non-welded to
agglutinated air fall.
However,
very little is known about the historical activity of Katmai volcano before
1912 eruption. The Quaternary volcanic rocks at Mount Katmai and nearby cones
are less than 5,000 feet thick. Much of the volcano is mantled by snow and ice
and some valley glaciers radiate out from the flanks. The gigantic eruption
produced a cloud of suffocating gas and ash that blackened the sky for the
inhabitants of the town of Kodiak. The ash falling on them were quickly led to
the harbor and evacuated by boat.
In
1919, geologists noted a lake covering a large part of the caldera floor.
However at the end of 1923 the lake was gone and many fumaroles, mud pots, and
a large mud geyser had replaced it. Please keep in mind that Mount Katmai
should not be climbed without mountaineering skills and equipment. Because high
winds, regular rain and drizzle, brown bears, icy stream crossings, crevassed
glaciers, and particularly its remoteness make the area a true wilderness. But
it’s exhilarating and risky, occasionally wonderful, rarely comfortable, and
never to be trifled with.
The
withdrawal of magma beneath Katmai resulted in the collapse of the summit area,
forming the caldera. After the subsidence, a small dacitic lava dome recognized
as “Horseshoe Island” was emplaced on the floor of the caldera. That is the
only juvenile material erupted from Katmai caldera during the historical
eruption. It was visible at the time of the expedition in 1916.
After
that it has since been submerged by the Crater Lake. Still, the eruption from
Katmai had a VEI of 3, and possibly involved phreatic eruptions. The nearby
Trident, Griggs, and Snowy Mountain volcanoes became active long before Mount
Katmai, and activity at Mageik volcano began about the same time as at Katmai.
The
massive eruption had a decadal impact of wildlife, affecting the spawning of
salmon in the rivers near Novarupta for years. The Mount Katmai cluster was
built on a set of rugged glaciated ridges, marine siltstone and sandstone of
the Jurassic Naknek Formation. The lake has since refilled to a depth of over
800 feet. Moreover, small glaciers have also formed on a bench within the
caldera beside the lake. Pumice still floats on Naknek Lake nearby.
Access
is difficult because the Katmai cluster lies completely within the Roadless
wilderness of Katmai National Park. The only convenient access is by boat or
amphibious aircraft from King Salmon to Brooks Camp on Naknek Lake. The
fascination with the eruption goes beyond the size of the event.
Modern
geology had never seen the deposition of such a large ash flow sheet. So it was
the first time geologists could examine first-hand how the sheet cools and
welds after an eruption. Overall, the 1912 eruption shows how interconnected
magmatic systems in a cluster of volcanoes might be. The area of the Alaska
Peninsula is still sparsely populated, but important things occurred nearby
actually, directly above: air traffic.
Not
only would the trans-Pacific lines be affected by ash of a Novarupta-scale
event, but the ash fallout distribution shows that the potential exists for air
travel across much of Canada and the northern United States (especially
Seattle, Portland, Vancouver) to be halted. Thankfully, the eruption only
lasted 60 hours, but it took at least a week for the ash to settle out of the
atmosphere.
Today, only infrequent earthquake swarms occur in the Katmai Cluster and
many of the hydrothermal features created during the 1912 eruption are dead.
However, the eruption at Novarupta does show the potential for a new colossal
eruption to occur where none has happened in the geologically-recent past.
Hence a reminder of how vital volcano monitoring and research can be in helping
notice the signs of such an event well in advance.
Source: CP
Tuesday 28 August 2018
The Alnwick Poison Garden
The Alnwick Garden is featuring intoxicating and poisonous plants. A sign at The Alnwick Garden gate reads! “These Plants Can Kill”. The Alnwick’s boundaries are kept behind black iron gates, in which visitors are explicitly told not to stop and smell the flowers. The Poison Garden is home to 100 notorious killers. Due to the plants’ dangerous qualities, visitors are prohibited from smelling, touching or tasting any of them. Even though some plants are caged, and the garden is secured each evening behind gates under a 24-hour security watch. Any garden without people is lifeless and people have bought The Alnwick Garden to life and restored its soul.
The Poison Garden includes many species like, hemlock, Strychnos nux-vomica, foxglove, Ricinus communis, Atropa belladonna, Brugmansia and Laburnum. The main purpose of Poison Garden to aware the drug education, plantings of cannabis, coca and the opium poppy Papaver somniferum. The Alnwick Garden was established in February 2005 as just a portion of the ambitious 14-acre new gardens. The Poison Garden features different themed plantings designed around a central water cascade.
The Alnwick Garden is a complex of formal gardens nearby to Alnwick Castle in the town of Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The Alnwick Garden is contemporary pleasure place which brings joy to millions people. The Poison Garden is inspired with botanical gardens in Padua, dedicated completely to floras which are deadly and narcotic. The colorful plants are enticing visitors to wander through rows of fragrant roses, manicured topiaries and cascading fountains.
The ideal time to visit Poison Garden is spring season. Countless bulbs appear, heralding the start of new life. The Cherry Orchard is transformed a cloud of white cherry blossom, carpeted with thousands of alliums in a sea of purple. In 2017 The Alnwick Garden won “Northumberland’s top Large Visitor attraction”. The Alnwick Garden is most exciting contemporary gardens and a floral wonderland. But this isn't just an attraction for keen horticulturalists. The Poison Garden prides itself on being a place for families with lots of chances to get wet and play.
One can see acres of captivating plants, water sculptures. The landscape is eclectic, from the gentle waves of color and scent in the Rose Garden to the riotous, fascinating water displays of the centerpiece the Grand Cascade. The pergola-covered paths of the rose garden combine shrub and climbing roses with clematis and honeysuckle. The Ornamental Garden features the best of European garden design and planting.
The Alnwick Garden holds dangerous plants and many stories. One poisonous plant “Brugmansia”, or angel’s trumpet, that grows in the wild in South America. It’s an amazing aphrodisiac before it kills you. Just take a flower from the plant and add small amounts of its pollen to tea are an amazing way to die because it’s quite pain-free. A great killer is usually an incredible aphrodisiac.
According to the Poison Garden, Castor Oil, made from “Ricinus communis” is harmless. However, a single seed from the same plant can kill an adult in the most horrible way. The poison, Ricin causes much suffering in its victims (severe vomiting, nausea, convulsions and subsequent disintegration of the kidneys, liver and spleen).
It is also home to the Bamboo Labyrinth and one of the world's largest tree houses, with rope bridges. You may also find the looming Alnwick Castle strangely familiar, having seen it stand in as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films. Visitors are often surprised to learn that the laurel hedge, nearly ubiquitous in English gardens, can be highly toxic.
So, be careful, don’t do anything silly, even with guidelines in place, visitors can fall victim to the plants. The Alnwick Garden is planned in several phases, some of which are still incomplete as heavy funds in the millions of pounds have not been as forthcoming lately. The Alnwick Garden is open every day from 10am to 7pm in summer; and in winter opening hours vary please check website for full details. Also Read: Rainbow Mountain
Source: CP
Source: CP
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