Aogashima! A Volcanic Japanese Island

Aogashima is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tokyo. The island's area is 8.75 km2 and, its population is about 200.  Aogashima is a volcanic island 3.5 km in length with a maximum width of 2.5 km. Aogashima is also within the boundaries of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Aogashima is approximately 358 kilometres south of Tokyo and 64 KM south of Hachijō-jima. It is the southernmost and most isolated inhabited island of the Izu archipelago. The village of Aogashima administers the island under Hachijō Subprefecture of Tokyo Metropolis. In the center of the island lies a geothermal sauna, scuba diving is popular, and the alien landscape is something you will never forget.

The island was the site of a series of earthquakes, known as an “earthquake swarm” in the 1780’s and a large eruption in 1785 that killed 130-140 people, nearly half of the island’s population. This island is formed by the overlapping remnants of at least four submarine calderas. The island is surrounded by very steep rugged cliffs of layered volcanic deposits. The southern coast also rises to a sharp ridge forming one edge of a caldera named Ikenosawa with a diameter of 1.5 km. The caldera is occupied by a secondary cone named Maruyama.

It is still considered a Class-C active volcano by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The locals don’t worry and not tries not to spend too much time worrying about the possibility of another eruption. After all, it’s been more than 230 years since the last one the odds are in his favor. During a massive eruption in 1785, some 130–140 of the population of 327 islanders perished. Aogashima has several roadways, with the majority zigzagging throughout the island’s center.

The last eruption of Aogashima was during a four-year period from 1781–1785 the deadliest event in island history. The history of human settlement on Aogashima is uncertain. Most of the people in Aogashima are Japanese. This remote island is truly a great place to relax.  The Island is blessed with hot springs and geothermal energy because of the volcano.  Despite the island’s small size, most of its residents travel by car rather than biking or walking and for good reason. People hesitate to travel by bike due to the strong winds and rainy climate.  The Tokyo city life is intimidated by the congestion there’s just too many people.

 However in Aogashima one can feel great nature that you cannot experience in big cities. This magnificent island is rich in nature and breathtaking views. Maruyama is perhaps the main attraction here to hike. This hike is short and you can expect to finish the full course in around 20 min depending on how many pictures you decide to take. You can see view seasonal flowers and trees. Wildlife is also present and birds as well as other small critters can be found here.

The natural saunas on the island are a great place to take a rest and loose yourself in the dazzling surroundings. Tourist here likes to Stargazing activity, which you won’t enjoy in any other part of the world. There are no houses or even streetlights up there, your only company will be a few cows and the stars in the sky. Not only is there an absence of light pollution, but there is no excess noise. The view from here is so beautiful that the Japanese call it “The Coliseum of the Stars”.

Access to Aogashima Island?

Aogashima is a difficult place to reach due to its extreme isolation. Only single helicopter goes to containing only 9 passengers. However the best way to go there is to take Airplane from Haneda airport to Hachijojima island and then transfer to a helicopter there. A boat journey could be risky and dangerous.

 

Hide and Seek Beach: The Miracles of Nature in Odisha

This world is full of so many places to discover, that even a lifetime of travelling will not be sufficient for it. An Indian strange Chandipur beach, located in the Balasore district of Odisha, is a place waiting to be discovered. This is called the Hide and Seek Beach, actually a miracle of nature. Hide and Seek beach always spellbound us by its lovely and unusual creations. Due to its rare and exclusive phenomenon, it is globally popularized as ‘vanishing sea’. Apart from this, there are other amazing features which add to its exceptionality.

One place which is every person would look at through his own perspective, and that's what discovery really means. A phenomenon that is rarely seen in any other part of the world, the sea here recedes by as much as 5KM every day.  Odisha, fondly called the “Soul of India”, is highly rich in its culture and heritage, making it one of the most visited tourist destinations in India. Also, every year in the month of February, a beach festival takes place here to setting folk dance, art, and culture of the State. The beach is also home to biodiversity and supports a wide variety of sea animals.

Well, believe us or not, the beach is not a constantly existing feature on the map. At least it doesn't look the same every time. Is it surprised? Hence, whenever you are at the Chandipur beach, you can actually see the sea disappear in front of your eyes, and come back again and see the area of sand dunes. So, when you are at the beach during the ebb, you can see the water receding massively from the beach and then coming back during the high tide in order to fill up the emptiness. This Hide and Seek of the sea comes to play with you twice a day. However, the locals are fully aware of the time of the high and low tides.

This is the reason why the beach is home to a host of unique species, i.e., horseshoe crab and the red crab. It’s a surreal experience to watch the sea disappear before your eyes and walked on the exposed sea bed. One can find pearls, seashells, crabs and tiny fish on the shore during the times of low tide. This is not something that every other beach offers. The sight of Casuarina trees and sand dunes also call for a visual treat. The ultimate golden colored sea beach has gorgeous casuarina trees and the solitary sand dunes which make the ambiance over there more peaceful and soothing.

However, travelers can visit this dramatic beach anytime. The best time according to the locals is from November to March. Hide and Seek Beach is in depth feel of magic of nature, to feel the wet soft sand under your feet and live up the unforgettable experience. A trip to Hide and Seek Beach will leave you mesmerized on how beautiful and interesting place in India. If you’re visiting beach in the afternoon, then don't miss the spectacular sunset here. Source: CP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Alien Beauty of Socotra Island

Socotra is an isolated island, situated around 250 miles off the coast of Yemen. It is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The exclusive characteristic of Socotra Island is to home of some of weirdest looking plants that are found nowhere else on planet earth. The largest member of the archipelago also called Socotra. The Socotra is also spelled Sokotra, Arabic Suquṭrā, Island. Actually, Socotra Island is an archipelago formed of four islands, near the Gulf of Aden. It is very isolated, and has a harsh, hot, and dry climate, used to be part of Africa six million years ago. The trees are out of Land of the Lost and the feeling you have is like nowhere else.

Socotra Island is swarming more than 800 rare species of plants of which more than a third are endemic. The extremely high levels of endemism also take place in Socotra’s reptiles. Also 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else on the earth. In recognition of its distinct plant and animal life, the archipelago was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. The Socotra Island has a rich fauna, including several endemic species of birds, i.e., Socotra starling, the Socotra sunbird, Socotra bunting, Socotra cisticola, Socotra sparrow, Socotra golden-winged grosbeak and a species in a monotypic genus, the Socotra warbler.

Socotra Island marine life is very diverse with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp, and well represented in the property’s marine areas. The Socotra Island is considerably inhabited, and has been for more than 2,000 years. Almost 50,000 people now live on the main island of the archipelago, engaged with fishing, animal husbandry, and the cultivation of dates are the primary occupations of the indigenous population. In 2010 a Russian archaeological team discovered the ruins of a city on Socotra dating to the second century. The island is also held by some to be the location of the original Garden of Eden, due to its isolation, biological diversity, and the fact that it is located on the edge of Yemen’s Gulf of Aden, which many connect with the ancient Sumerian tales of a paradise called Dilmun.

More than 250 million years ago, Socotra Island stood apart, when all planets were joined and most main life forms roamed freely. Socotra has been breeding many species of plants, birds and animals. The most famous plant is secular Cinnabar or Dragon’s Blood Tree “Dracaena cinnabari”, which is an umbrella shaped tree. Locals have different superstitions about this tree, believed this tree has red sap thought to be dragon’s blood of the ancient. However, this plant is used in medicine, dye, paint & varnish, various endemic aloes, and for cosmetics. Socotra isolation from other land masses meant whatever evolutionary process the flora and fauna underwent never spread to the mainland.

Another great plant is Desert Rose Tree (Adenium obesium), which appears to have some captivating forms that are trying to penetrate the rocky soil. It also produces striking massive pink flowers in April. Its trunk is a precious reservoir of water for this area with a nearly desert climate and it can reach five meters in height and three meters in diameter. Other endemic plants includes the massive succulent tree Dorstenia gigas, the cucumber treem Moraceae, Dendrosicyos socotranus, the rare Socotran pomegranate (Punica protopunica), Aloe perryi and Boswellia socotrana. In the interior, nomads keep cattle and other animals and raise some crops. Socotra Island main exports are ghee (clarified butter), fish, and frankincense.

On the other hand, the only mammals native to Socotra are bats. However, on the island there are many cats and dogs, which are much bigger than the European ones, reaching up to 27 pounds. Socotra has unbelievable Alien beauty and natural habitat, mesmerizing place and welcoming, simple people. Socotra Island has airport facility. The best time to visit Island from October till April. The other months have heavy monsoon rainfall, making it difficult for tourist survival and flights often cancelled. Moreover, keep in mind Socotra Island doesn’t have any well-established hotels, only few guest houses for travelers to stay.

 

 

Tomb of Nur Jahan

The Tomb of Nur Jahan situated in Shahdara near to Lahore Pakistan. The Tomb of Nur Jahan is a 17th century mausoleum was built by Mughal Empress Nur Jahan. Empress Noor Jahan lies buried in a tomb not far from that of her husband, Emperor Jahangir. The beautiful red sandstone mausoleum, is located in Shahdara Bagh, across the River Ravi from Lahore. The Tomb of Nur Jahan is part of an ensemble of nearby monuments, including the Tomb of Jahangir, Akbari Sarai, as well as the tomb of Asif Khan. In the 18the century the Tomb of Nur Jahan was plundered by army of Ranjit Singh.  And tomb was stripped of its ornamental stones and marble during the occupation of Lahore. And material & marble was used in decorating their Golden Temple in Amristar.  Even The Sikh ruler opened the grave of Nur Jahan and ordered her skeleton to be thrown to dogs and wolves. It has been said that half the Golden Temple's splendour derives from marble plundered from Nur Jahan's shrine.

 

Nur Jahan's tomb was separated from the other monuments by open fields. Then later interrupted by construction of the Lahore to Peshawar Railway Line during the British rule.  Also Quranic verses are inlaid in marble on the cenotaph. Nur Jahan was the most powerful Mughal Empress. During her reign between 1611 and 1627, she efficiently shaped the expanding Mughal Empire, and contributed towards religious causes and helped foster overseas trade. The Tomb of Nur Jahan suffered under British rule when a railway line was built between the tombs of Asif Khan and Nur Jahan. The tomb underwent minor repairs but is slated for major restoration.

 

Mehr-un-Nissa bestowed with the title Nur Jahan spent 18 years with Mughal Emperor Jahangir.  she died at the age of 68 years and much of the mausoleum was most probably constructed during her lifetime. She was fourth child of Asmat Begum and her husband Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who had both immigrated from Persia. a migrant from Persia, who along with his family had fled to Hindustan, and rose to exalted positions in the cosmopolitan court of Akbar. She married Jahangir in the sixth year of his reign, and, because of her abilities, soon became the fountainhead of authority at the Mughal court. The Tomb of Nur Jahan took 4 years to finish with the cost of 3 Lakh Rupees. The Tomb of Nur Jahan lacks a demarcated boundary, and mostly serves as a cricket ground for local boys. Indeed, it’s really amazing, how an average king gets himself a masterpiece, and perhaps the strongest woman of the Mughal timeline is unable to carry that strength to her lasting abode.

 

The Tomb architecture built on a podium in the takhtgah style. The platform measuring 158 square feet, and tomb is in the shape of a square and measures 124 feet on each side, and is 19.6 feet high. Minarets may previously have risen from the corners of the mausoleum, similar to the nearby Jahangir tomb. The tomb stands in the center of a Persian-style Charbagh. The original garden no longer survives, but once included tulips, roses, and jasmine. Noor Jahan, along with her widowed daughter Ladli Begam, lived in Lahore until her death in 1645, Shah Jahan having settled an annual allowance of two lakhs of rupees on her.

 

Contrasting to her father's tomb name “tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah”, which was constructed in white marble. However, Nur Jahan's mausoleum is primarily clad in red sandstone, with a flat roofline alike to that of her husband's tomb. Also the exterior features 7 vaulted arches. Which were covered with marble and wrought with flower mosaics in semi-precious stones. The central arch on each side protrudes out from the three flanking vaulted arches. The initial photos of the mausoleum show its ravaged condition, where the bare shell, shorn of its decorative facing, with some traces of delicate fresco in internal muqarnas could be seen. Minute paneling was executed in intricate patterns and cornices are honeycomb shaped in several rooms. The inner floor is covered with marble and the outer platform with sandstone. The exterior, encased in red sandstone, was inlaid with floral motifs in addition to white, black and yellow marble.

 

The central vaulted chamber of the tomb contains a marble platform with two cenotaphs. One that commemorates Nur Jahan and the other to commemorate her daughter, Ladli Begum. This was built by Hakeem Ajmal in 1912. Moreover, the original marble sarcophagus bears decorative workmanship and the name of Allah, in the same style and size as seen in the tombs of Jahangir. The Tomb of Nur Jahan is inscribed an epitaph: "On the grave of this poor stranger, let there be neither lamp nor rose. Let neither butterfly’s wing burn nor nightingale sing". However, In the recent times, an attempt to restore the monument has been made to look completely new, having lost the delicate traces of floral and geometric flourishes she so loved.