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| Pamukkale |
This place has been considered as a wonder of the world. It is created naturally by the earthquakes that created fractures on the surface and allowed powerfulhot springs to bring water rich in calcium carbonate, thousand of years ago. The word pammakale means Castle of Cotton but the greeco-romans built a town above it called Heirapolis (Holy city/Sacred city). They also recognised this place as a rare and important place attributing healing powers to the milky-white waters.
2. NINE HELLS OF BEPPU
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| Nine Hells of Beppu |
This is the second largest producer of geo-thermal water in the world located on the Japanese island of Kyushu. There are nine hells(ponds) located in the same area each of which has own remarkable colour, character and variety of minerals to the outflows. Seven of the strange geo-thermal springs are located in the Kannawa area and known as: Sea Hell, Shaven Head Hell, Cooking Pot Hell, Mountain Hell, Devil Hell, Golden Dragon Hell and White Pond Hell.
3. GREAT BLUE HOLE - BELIZE
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| Great Blue Hole |
Found on both land and in the ocean throughout the Bahamas and is circular hole entering to the cave network. Some of them are 14 kilometres in length. A vast numbers of aquatic creatures were found on there some of which are still new to science. About 65000 years ago, when the world was in the grip of major ice, this place was upto 150 metres lower than it is today. Over time the limestone of the island was eroded by water and vast cave networks created. When sea levels rose again about 10,000 years ago some of these collapsed inwards and the Blue Holes were formed.
4. Blood Falls in Antartica
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| Blood Falls in Antarctica |
South of New Zealand is Victoria Land, where the 35-mile long Taylor Glacier’s white face is marred with what looks like blood stains. Rest assured, however, that this is not actual blood but a result of a community of sulfur-eating bacteria, which stays underneath the glacier in underground lakes. Their iron-oxide excretions are the color of red, and these dye the ice, creating an illusion of a waterfall of blood. What seem to complete the sordid picture are the corpses of lost penguins and seals scattered in the area, which never decompose. To see this, get a cabin in the final voyage of Kapitan Khlebnikov, a Russian icebreaker which will spend ten days in that region, during October of next year.
5. Las Pozas in Mexico
This surreal sculpture gardens was created by Edward James, a Scottish poet, trust-funder, and a great fan of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali. It is located in the rainforests of Xilitla—north of Mexico City. Building it in 1949, he kept adding to this wondrous architecture with staircases that lead nowhere, turrets that are off-kilter, and atriums with open sides, until he died in 1984. His own home was a mock Gothic castle that he shared with hundreds of birds, forty dogs, and a boa constrictor. You can visit Xilitla between April and July, for perfect warm weather. His home has also been turned into a budget hotel called La Posada el Castillo.
In the town of Ouadane is a thirty-mile-wide series of concentric rings, which remind you of crop circles. Unlike their famous counterparts though, we know how these circles came about—the natural erosion of the upwelling of the sedimentary rock has created a rippled pond. It’s not quite easy to travel to Mauritania, as the roads are bad and banditry abound. It is also not easy to see the shape at ground level, so in order to have a great view of the place, hop inside a charter flight from Morocco. The Eye of the Sahara can be seen from space.
7. Door to Hell in Turkmenistan
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| Las Pozas |
5. Las Pozas in Mexico
This surreal sculpture gardens was created by Edward James, a Scottish poet, trust-funder, and a great fan of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali. It is located in the rainforests of Xilitla—north of Mexico City. Building it in 1949, he kept adding to this wondrous architecture with staircases that lead nowhere, turrets that are off-kilter, and atriums with open sides, until he died in 1984. His own home was a mock Gothic castle that he shared with hundreds of birds, forty dogs, and a boa constrictor. You can visit Xilitla between April and July, for perfect warm weather. His home has also been turned into a budget hotel called La Posada el Castillo.
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| Eye of Shahara |
6. Eye of the Shahara - Mauritania
In the town of Ouadane is a thirty-mile-wide series of concentric rings, which remind you of crop circles. Unlike their famous counterparts though, we know how these circles came about—the natural erosion of the upwelling of the sedimentary rock has created a rippled pond. It’s not quite easy to travel to Mauritania, as the roads are bad and banditry abound. It is also not easy to see the shape at ground level, so in order to have a great view of the place, hop inside a charter flight from Morocco. The Eye of the Sahara can be seen from space.
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| Door to hell |
Geologists who were drilling in the Karakum Desert in 1971 were surprised to find a cavern that’s 300-feet wide, which was filled with natural gas. When they decided that burning the methane was better than letting it seep into the village nearby, they lit it, expecting a fire burning for weeks. But what really surprised them was that forty years later, the fire is still burning brightly. At night, the bright flames seem to be a picture of hell, hence its local name. Organized by Intrepid Travel, get to camp in yurts with the seminomadic indigenous tribes and listen to their stories. You are advised to bring gas masks, as the sulfuric smells can be quite overpowering.
8. The Boneyard in Arizona
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| Boneyard in Arizina |
When fighter jets die, where do they go? Where else but Boneyard, Arizona. It’s a dirt lot near Tucson, around three thousand retired military aircraft’s final resting place. These aircrafts range from really old (harvested for parts) to still working (a little polishing will make them fly again).
Aficionados will enjoy the one hour tour organized by Pima Air and Space Museum. Where else can you find B-52 bombers? Make sure to reserve weeks ahead, as plenty of people visit.
