Jilong Castle Country Club, a four-star hotel, sits in the center of Wanfeg lake in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province. The castle looks like the famous Bavarian Neuschwanstein Castle. In recent decades, modern takes on medieval structures have popped up around China.
Continue reading Castle in China looks like it’s been plucked straight out of a fairytale
By sam garza from Los Angeles, USA – mono lake serenity, CC BY 2.0, Link
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve is located near Yosemite National Park within Mono County, in eastern California. The lack of an outlet to the ocean causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake. Many columns of limestone rise above the surface of Mono Lake. These limestone towers consist primarily of calcium carbonate minerals. This type of limestone rock is referred to as tufa, which is a term used for limestone that forms in low to moderate temperatures. The tufa originally formed at the bottom of the lake. It took many decades or even centuries to form the well-recognized tufa towers. When lake levels fell, the tufa towers came to rise above the water surface and stand as the majestic pillars seen today.
Continue reading Dramatic tufa towers emerge from the surface of Mono Lake
By Wojciech Strzelecki “Wojtrix” – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon in south east Iceland. The Fjaðrá river flows through it. The canyon has steep walls and winding water. It is up to 100 m deep and about 2 kilometers long. Its origins date back to the cold periods of the Ice Age, about two million years ago. The canyon was created by progressive erosion by flowing water from glaciers through the rocks and palagonite over millennia. A waterfall flows down the western side of the canyon, visible from an observation platform at the end of a one-mile hike up the eastern edge.
In May 2019, authorities closed the canyon to visitors after it appeared in a music video by Justin Bieber. The resulting stream of visitors threatened to damage the canyon’s environment.
info: wikipedia
Continue reading Enchanting Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland
The Grand Capucin at 3,838 meters is a rock pinnacle in the Mont Blanc Massif in Haute-Savoie, France. The red granite tower is an attractive target for alpine rock climbing.
By Resegun – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Continue reading Grand Capucin – A granite tower in the Alps
YND 223-14 Cafe in western Seoul looks like an optical illusion in which the tables, chairs, decorations and floor have lost all depth. Even the drinks are served in cups designed to look like they are part of a drawing. The design concept was inspired by a TV show in which the characters are caught partway between the real world and a cartoon existence. A black and white wonder where you can drink coffee and eat fancy treats.
The lake near the Siberian city of Novosibirsk with turquoise water and white sandy beaches similar to those in the Maldives is actually a man-made toxic dump and contains the ash that results from burning coal at the nearby thermal power station. After an explosion of interest on social media, the Siberian Generating Company (SGC) warns that people cannot swim in the ash dump. Its water has high alkaline environment. This is due to the fact that calcium salts and other metal oxides are dissolved in it. Skin contact with such water may cause an allergic reaction. Also the bottom of the lake is so muddy that it makes getting out almost impossible. But despite warnings it has remained a popular site for selfies that have gone viral on social networks.
The Mount Fanjing, located in Tongren, Guizhou province, is the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in southwestern China. It has been a sacred site for Buddhists since the Tang Dynasty and several temples have been built in the area. Atop Red Cloud Golden Peak, a thumb-like peak, sit two of these temples. There is a steep vertical ascent of 100 meters to the top The Temple of the Buddha and Maitreya Temple are separated by a narrow gorge that visitors can cross via a short bridge. The Mount Fanjing is described by Unesco as an “island of metamorphic rock in a sea of karst”
Continue reading Mount fanjing – a combination of Buddhish culture and natural beauty
