Glenfinnan Viaduct the West Highland Line¸ Scotland

The beautiful Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct built between July 1897 and Oct 1898 on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. The project cost was around £18,904. It is situated at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands of Scotland, and has been used as location in several films and television series. This project is considered great engineering work of largest concrete without reinforcing built by Sir Robert McAlpine. Sir Robert McAlpine took on a massive civil engineering task with the building of the Mallaig Extension of the West Highland Line from Fort William west to Mallaig, though that was not the originally intended destination. The 21-Arch single track viaduct forms part of the Mallaig extension of the West Highland Railway which was constructed in between 1897 till 1901, which is also built entirely of concrete.

It is a popular tourist event in the area, and the viaduct is one of the major attractions of the line, the lovely viaduct contains of 21 arches, each spanning 15m and has a maximum height of 30m proffering remarkable views down Lochaber’s Loch Shiel. These kinds of projects always offers great scarifications of labour work, and during construction a cart-horse and driver were killed when they fell into one of the piers while dumping their load, and were buried in the concrete. In the latest research has shown that the sad incident happened at Loch Nan Uamh Viaduct, further down the line, near Arisaig, and the driver survived. Memorial plaques are at the latter viaduct and at Glenfinnan Station Museum.

The West Highland railway line connects Fort William and Mallaig, and was a vital vein for the local fishing industry and the highlands economy in general, which suffered extremely after the Highland Clearances of the 1800s. The line is used by passenger trains operated by ScotRail between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig, usually diesel multiple units. The viaduct project was not often appreciated, and several authorities criticized when this viaduct was first proposed. According to them; it would be prove a monstrosity, enough in ugliness to take away all the charm and beauty of natural scenes. Some would endorse this opinion now and wholeheartedly agreed.

Luoping Spring Seasons Yellow Flowers

Luoping is a little countryside in eastern Yunnan situated about 228 KM north east of Kunming China. In the spring, Luoping turns into an ocean of flowers. It is located close to the border of Yunnan with Guizhou and Guangxi provinces. The town was frequently ignored by visitor passing through the region until recently. It had become a Mecca for photographers, who flock to this little county every early spring to capture the wonderful “sea of yellow” of blooming rapeseed flowers. The magnificent photos in turn, draw more and more tourists to this beautiful rural photographic haven. It's that time of the year that the rapeseed flowers or canola are in full bloom. Photographers flock to this beautiful destination to capture the stunning sight rolling hills surrounded by bright yellow flowers as far as the eye can see. The blooming buds fill the air with the refreshing smell of spring that not only is a magnet for human, but also bees. The attractiveness of the yellow sea of rapeseed flowers swaying in slow swirling waves in the gentle breeze is a sight that is out of this world. It is also the period for beekeeping and honey processing. Beekeepers set up base in tents surrounded by the rapeseed farms every spring to keep bees and harvest their honey- the bees feed on the rapeseed flowers. Hence the majority rapeseed farms are also abuzz with bees in the spring and can be a small irritating. These beekeepers move on to other locations within Luoping after the rapeseed season, using wildflowers as feedstock for their bees.

The Beauty of Kanas Lake Captivate Tourist Hearts

Kanas (Also called Hanas which is the name used by local Kazakhsare) is a nature reserve which means beautiful, rich and mysterious in Mongolian, could be most fascinating resort in Northern Xinjiang. Kanas are located in the Altay Mountains of Northern Xinjiang in China. Travelers rave about the wonderful alpine scenery at R&R-perfect Kanas Lake, a long finger of a lake found in the southernmost reaches of the Siberian taiga ecosystem. The Kanas nature reserve bounding is the only one in China to border three other nations - Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

It is most popular natural ecosystem formed by lakes, glaciers, grasslands, forest, and rivers. But the main highlight of nature reserve is Kanas Lake, located 1,375 meters above sea level, and covers an area of 45.73 square KM. Kanas Lake is 140 KM away from Burqin County, and 246 kilometers away from Altay City. Well you can take a plane to Altay City or take a coach to Burqin County at Urumqi, and then rent a motorcar to get there. Moreover; there are free bus rides available after you buy the tickets of Kanas. The service is quiet good and all the places are quiet well connected. You can also ride horses with local guides. The attractiveness of Kanas Lake is more boosted by the changes in its color according to the season. During the thaw in May it is a deep grayish blue, which by June, when it reflects summers mountain greenery, has turned sky blue.

The long bean-shaped lake provides rise to the Kanas River which flows out for about 125 kilometer across pristine, alpine forest before discharging into the Irtysh at Burqin Town. In autumn, the attractive landscape bursts into a riot of colors with gold, red, blue and green. Many tourists to be here just to hoping for to catch a glimpse of the Kanas Lake Monster, a mythical beast that myriad tourists swore to have seen. It’s same to Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster. After 1980’s the hype of stories sightings have regularly appeared in Chinese media. July is the flooding season, when deluges from the White Lake upriver bleach Lake Kanas milky white. High rainfall in August deepens its color once more to an aqua green, which turns bright emerald in the drier months of September and October. Amongst the numerous contributing features to this marvel are the various minerals that are carried downstream from the upper rivers, the varying colors of plant life on the mountains around the lake, and the varying angle of sunshine on the water surface throughout the year.

These stories attract more tourists and settlers came to this area bringing countless journalists and conspiracy hounds although researchers have dismissed the Chinese Nessie as a large member of the salmon family. Apart the temptation of monster, Kanas Lake is breathtaking place with its vivid, minty green water surrounded with forest and snow packed mountains. There is a 2000-meters long bank of dead trees on the one side of the lake, which have accumulated over the years, carried by strong wind and waves. The massive dike of dead trees is an uncommon spectacle. In winter it is extremely cold, so be sure to take proper protection, it abruptly becomes excessively cold during the night. The beautiful Kanas Lake is also home of thousand Mongolians, whose stout log houses are clustered into numerous villages. They quite habitual of eat fish from the lake, keep herds cows and sheep, and trade animal products for wheat grown in the south. 3 to 4days' trekking around the area is the perfectionist way to witness the beauty and an extraordinary experience practiced by all backpackers who travel to Kanas.

July is the flooding season, when deluges from the White Lake upriver bleach Lake Kanas milky white. High rainfall in August deepens its color once more to an aqua green, which turns bright emerald in the drier months of September and October. Amongst the numerous contributing features to this marvel are the various minerals that are carried downstream from the upper rivers, the varying colors of plant life on the mountains around the lake, and the varying angle of sunshine on the water surface throughout the year.