Turquoise-Emerald Ice Blocks - Lake Baikal

At some point in your life you might have heard of Lake Baikal. And what most people know about this lake is that it is the world's oldest and deepest freshwater lake. What else? Lets find out.

1. "In March, due to a natural phenomenon, Siberia’s Lake Baikal is particularly amazing to photograph. The temperature, wind and sun cause the ice crust to crack and form beautiful turquoise blocks or ice hummocks on the lake’s surface.”

Photograph by Alex El Barto

2. It is declared an UNESCO World Heritage Centre in 1996.

3.  It is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world containing roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water, and at 1,642 m the deepest.
4.  Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science.

5. Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is also the oldest (25 million years) lake in the world.
6. It lies in a cleft where Asia is literally splitting apart, the beginnings of a future ocean.
7.  Surrounded by mile-high snowcapped mountains, Lake Baikal still offers vistas of unmatched beauty. The mountains are still a haven for wild animals, and the small villages are still outposts of tranquillity and self-reliance in the remote Siberian taiga, as the forest is called.
8. Lake Baikal is nicknamed "Older sister of Sister Lakes (Lake Khövsgöl and Lake Baikal)"

9. Since 1993, neutrino research has been conducted at the Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope (BDUNT). The Baikal Neutrino Telescope NT-200 is being deployed in Lake Baikal, 3.6 km from shore at a depth of 1.1 km.
10. More than 300 streams and rivers flow into Lake Baikal, but there is just one outlet, the Angara.
11. More than half the species found in Lake Baikal are unique to this place.

Source: whc.unesco.org, www.lakebaikal.org

Kumbalgarh Fort

Kumbhalgarh, in the Rajsamand District of Rajasthan state in western India, is considered as the second most important fort of Rajasthan. It is known world wide for its great history and architecture. The fort was built in the 15th century by Rana Kumbha under the supervision of famous architect Mandan. It is also the birthplace of  Maharana Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar.  It is at a distance of about 80 km northwest of Udaipur amidst the Aravalli hills.

1.  Even the mighty mughal couldn’t capture it alone and it took the combined armies of Delhi, Amber and Marwar to breach its defences. Standing majestically on 1180m high ridge and representing the past glory of the Rajput rulers, the Fort also provides a panoramic view of the countryside from the top.

2.  Rana Fateh Singh (1885-1930 AD), one of the greatest builders of the time constructed Badal Mahal inside the fort. The important buildings within the fort are Badal Mahal, Kumbha Palace, Brahmanical and Jain Temples, water reservoirs, baoris, chhattris etc.

3. Because of its inaccessibility and hostile topography the fort had remained un-conquered.
4. Thirteen mountain peaks of the Aravali range protect this impregnable fortress. Seven huge and imposing gates stand like sentinels at the approaches and seven ramparts, one being folded within another with crenulated walls strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watch towers, make this an impregnable mountain fortress.

5. Built on a hilltop 1100 metres above sea level, the fort's massive wall stretches some 36 kms with a width enough to take eight horses abreast. Maharana Fateh Singh renovated the fort in the 19th century. The fort's large compound has very interesting ruins and a walk around it can be very educative.
6. This wall is second longest only to the 'Great Wall of China'. This grand fort also has 360 temples within the walls.
7.  The width of wall varies from 15 to 25 feet. This wall runs through surrounding mountain cliffs of the Aravali range. The wall is a great example of architecture brilliance of Rajput Era. Its architectural brilliance is proved by the fact that in spite of being around 700 years old it is still intact and in a very good shape. This wall is not in a regular straight pattern but it runs through mountain cliffs and valleys. It has steep ascend and descend throughout its length the wall has stairs and walk way .
8.  Kumbhalgarh in its present form was developed by, and said to be personally designed by Rana Kumbha. Rana Kumbha's kingdom of Mewar stretched from Ranthambore to Gwalior and included large tracts of erstwhile Madhya Pradesh as well as Rajasthan. Out of the 84 forts in his dominion, Rana Kumbha is said to have designed 32 of them, of which Kumbhalgarh is the largest and most elaborate.

Images from http://kumbhalgarhfortwalk.com/

Shibazakura Flower Festival of Japan

Shibazakura is Japanese for Moss Pink or Phloxes flowers. The Fuji Shibazakura Matsuri (Festival) is one of the best occasions to witness the beauty of shibazakura. Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. Shibazakura in Fiji is a seasonal event that attracts thousands of tourists each year. So what is this festival all about?

1.  People come here to behold the vast expanse of red, pink, white and lavender flowers as if laid down like a a carpet over 2.4 hectare  of land.
2.  The official “festival” takes place from April 20 to June 2, 2013. The blossoms so thoroughly cover the ground that you see only shades of pink, no green, truly creating a floral carpet.
3. May is the season for “shibazakura”, which literally means “cherry lawn” but really refers to the pink carpet created by blooming moss phlox. 
4. Shibazakura Hill, a beautiful spring sightseeing spot located in Hitsujiyama Park, overlooks the entire city area of Chichibu.
5.  About 400,000 moss phloxes are in full bloom from early in April to early in May on a hill that is approximately 17,600 square meters in size
6. Approximately 1,000 cherry trees, including yoshino cherry, weeping cherry, and double-petal cherry trees, planted in the park, blossom out in April. The moss phloxes and cherry trees serve as colorful harbingers of spring in April.

La Brea Pitch Lake

The largest asphalt deposit in the world, the Pitch Lake, measuring around 100 acres and 250 feet deep in the centre, is found in southwest Trinidad in the village of La Brea. The liquid asphalt is black and viscous, but the surface is semisolid, and can be walked on.

1. About 20,000 tourists visit the Pitch Lake annually.
2. The asphalt is an emulsion of water, gas, bitumen and mineral matter, the latter consisting largely of fine silica sand and a lesser amount of impalpably fine clay.
3. La Brea is the Spanish word for "pitch".
4. The lake was created thousands of years ago by the process of subduction, when the Caribbean continental plate was forced under another plate.
5. In some parts of the Lake there is a small influx of soft material. This is accompanied by a stronger evolution of gas consisting principally of methane with a considerable proportion of carbon dioxide, and which also contains hydrogen sulphide. This influx gradually hardens and becomes like the main deposit of the asphalt.
6. In appearance the surface of the Lake is a uniform expanse of asphalt which is intersected by areas of water, the extent of which naturally varies according to the season.
7. Visitors occasionally swim in the waters of the pitch lake which some say is therapeutic because of the sulphur content.
8. Trinidad and Tobago National Commission for UNESCO has submitted request for nomination for inclusion in World Heritage sites List recently in
August, 2011.

Giraffe Manor hotel in Nairobi, Kenya

Can you guess how this small hotel in Nairobi, Kenya got its name and is so popular? Well, it is unique in its own way and only one of its kind in the whole world, I think.

Giraffe Manor is about 20 km from the city centre. It is located in 12 acres of private land. Giraffe Manor is one of Nairobi’s most iconic historical buildings dating back to the 1930s and is reminiscent of the early days of Europeans in East Africa. Whilst the building itself resonates with the past, very much present is the herd of eight resident Rothschild giraffe who tend to visit the Manor in the mornings and evenings to greet guests and sniff out some snacks before venturing out into their sanctuary of 140 acres. From 1974, Giraffe Manor was the home of Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, whose lifelong ambition became the preservation of this beautiful and threatened species of giraffe. Giraffe Manor, together with its associated Giraffe Centre, serves as a home to a number of endangered Rothschild giraffes.

Visitors share your breakfast with the giraffe popping their heads through the window. the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (set up by the Leslie-Melvilles) continues to protect and nurture the Rothschild Giraffe

Travelers from all over the world now make The Giraffe Manor part of their East African safari, the only place in the world where you can enjoy the breathtaking experience of feeding and photographing the giraffe over the breakfast table and at the front door.

Personally hosted, The Giraffe Manor is an elegant and exclusive small hotel with a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained staff and one of Nairobi's finest kitchens.

The wall of 'I Love You's

This wall is in Paris, France. The phrase 'I Love You" is inscribed here more than 1000 times in over 300 diffetrent languages.

Two artists Frederic Baron and Claire Kito built a 40 square meters monument for lovers using 612 tiles at Abesses Garden, Montmartre in Paris. This place is called Le Mur Des Je T'aime. The man behind the whole idea was Frédéric Baron. He took the help of Claire Kito, an oriental calligraphic artist, in writing varied scripts. The Wall is built on a surface of 40m2 (10 x 4) and composed of 612 tiles of enamelled lava of 21x29.7 cm in size.

Says Frederic Baron: “The bursts of color on the fresco represent the pieces of a broken heart, the heart of a humanity so often torn apart and which the wall tries to gather together". This unusual monument, dedicated to love, stands in a Square at the Place des Abbesses in Montmartre.
Le Mur Des Je T'aime is a must-see for couples from all over the world visiting Paris, the city of romance.

James bond Island, Thailand

The islet Ko Tapu called 'James Bond Island'

Khao Phing Kan, a pair of islands on Thailand's west coast. Khao Phing Kan, popularly called as James Bond Island, is just a short distance north east of Phuket in Phang Nga bay which is a beautiful National park.  The island and a tall islet Ko Tapu earned the name 'James Bond Island' after the 1974 hollywood James bond movie 'The man with the Golden Gun' was shot here. Since then this island and the national park have become a major tourist attraction.

There are a few more exciting places nearby.
1. The Monkey Caves
Near Suwankuha temple in Phuket you see hundreds of monkeys in and around these caves. There are many buddhist statues inside the caves. there is a large reclining golden Buddha statue inside the caves.

2. Sea Gypsy Village (Panyee Island) -
It is a floating wooden village in the middle of the water. There are houses, restaurants, shops, school, mosque everything on it. It is a Muslim fishing village. Sometimes, this village is locally nick-named as 'Bin Laden Village'.

According to some reports online the island was said to be extremely hard hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Kapok Tree

Ceiba pentandra or the Silk Cotton tree is tree belonging to tropical areas. It can reach a height of about 150 feet or even more.

1. It is a tree considered sacred by indigenous people of America.

2. It is one of the tallest trees in a rainforest vegetation.

3. The diameter of the trunk of the tree can measure upto 9 feet.

4. In many places the straight trunks of the kapok tree are used to make dugout canoes. 

5. According to Taino myth, the tree would talk to the woodsmen and tell them if it was all right to cut it down. The tree spirit would also specify how it would like to be carved and painted. Those who were involved in chopping down these trees would then have a life-long responsibility to care for the transformed spirits and to make offerings to them.

Kapok tree-pod

6. A huge kapok tree, approximately 300-year-old, on the island of Antigua, has a large hollow area at the base of its trunk that can hold around 20 people at a time. It has become a spot of tourist attraction.

7. The kapok tree is deciduous, shedding all of its leaves during the dry season.

8. The white and pink flowers of the kapok tree emit a foul odor that attracts bats.

9.  On the dark side, a Mayan legend warns of the evil Xtabay woman who hides in the buttresses at night and emerges to seduce and kill young men who are bewitched by her beauty.

10. The young kapok trees cannot be climbed by monkeys as they develop conical spines about an inch long.

11. The seeds, leaves, bark and resin have been used to treat dysentery, fever, asthma, and kidney disease.

12.  Kapok oil has some potential as a biofuel and in paint preparation.

13. According to the folklore of Trinidad and Tobago, the Castle of the Devil is a huge kapok growing deep in the forest in which Bazil the demon of death was imprisoned by a carpenter. The carpenter tricked the devil into entering the tree in which he carved seven rooms, one above the other, into the trunk. Folklore claims that Bazil still resides in that tree.

Emperor Tamarin

Saguinus imperator, also known as "Brockway Monkey" in parts of the United States is native to South America, Amazon and other nearby areas.

Photo from a2zanimals.com

1. There are two sub species - Black-chinned Emperor tamarin and Bearded emperor tamarin.
2. The most remarkable feature of these is the presence of long, white moustache so long that they reach their shoulders!
3. It is a quadruped living mainly in the tropical rainforests.
4. Its face has got resemblance with the German emperor Wilhem II, hence its name.
5. The oldest female of a group, usually of 8-10 individuals, leads it. A group has predominantly males.
6. It is grey in color with black hands, feet and a brown tail.
7. These are omnivorous. Mostly they give birth ti twins..
8. The father helps in the birth of the child, washes the baby after birth.
9. They got claws on all its fingers and toes except on the great toe which has a nail.

Vampire Bats

Vampire Bats are haematophagic creatures, i.e. their only food is blood. It feeds on sleeping animals in the night. Many of us have seen in English movies that vampires are really nightmarish creatures. So, I thought about knowing more of these vampire bats.

Photo by M. Fenton
nature.com

1. Like all other bats, these are also nocturnal animals.
2. These are native to North and South America.
3. unlike what we would think, it is so small that it would fit in our palm (or may be a little bigger!) and weighs just about 60 g.
4. The bat’s saliva, left in the victim's resulting bite wound, has a key function in feeding from the wound. The saliva contains several compounds that prolong bleeding, such as anticoagulants that inhibit blood clotting, and compounds that prevent the constriction of blood vessels near the wound.
5. It has small ears and a short tail.
6. In one year, a 100-bat colony can drink the blood of about 25 cows.
7. Their usual prey are cattle, horses, pigs, etc. but occasionally humans.
8. They have few teeth but razor- sharp ones to pierce the skin.
9. Its saliva acts as an anticoagulant.
10.  These are limited to warm climates.
11. Swollen muzzle, pointed ears are its remarkable external features.
12. Infrared sensors are located on the bat's upper lip and modified noseleaf.

Palm Jumeirah

Ever imagined that there was a housing colony, themed hotels, villas, apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, and a variety of retail outlets all on a beach? Each house in the colony facing the beach and each having its own swimming pool!!! Ah.. this appears to be dream and you won't believe me if I say this is true at some parts of the world. So today I'm gonna write about one of those many.

Palm Jumeirah, an artificial archipelago, as they call it, is located on the Jumeirah coastal area of the emirate of Dubai.  The construction of this archipelago of artificial islands began in 2001.  The Palm Jumeirah is in the shape of a palm tree with a main trunk and 16 fronds and a surrounding crescent island.  Palm Islands are the second man-made construction on the Earth (along with the Great Wall of China) that can be seen with the naked eye from the Moon. An artificial reef has also been created near the Palm Islands to attract tourists.

The total area of the trunk and the fronds taken together is around 800 football patches.

The Green Praying Mantis

Mantis religiosa is a mantis species native to temperate areas of Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but has spread around the world and is now well established across the United States and into Canada. More commonly called European mantis, it is a favourite pet worldwide. It is a species of the 'praying mantis' category. praying mantis have got this name owing to their typical 'prayer-like' posture with folded forelimbs. 

The females can be as long as 10 cm in length. Usually the males are smaller than the females. Although a carnivore and an impressive predator, this mantis is completely harmless to humans.

In most mantis species, the males are victims of sexual cannibalism. Females are known to eat the males after mating. The green praying mantis can swivel its head nearly 180 degrees to spot potential prey.

The European mantis has shades of bright green to tan. This arthropod is usually well camouflaged in its surroundings and is difficult to see also because of its usually motionless stance.

The curious way it turns its head to look at you over its shoulders is quite unique amongst insects. The males are more slender and have longer wings than the females. The males have long antennae, the female has shorter ones.

Firecracker Flowers

Crossandra infundibuliformis , i.e Firecracker flowers is another flowering plant native to Southern India and Sri Lanka.

It is an evergreen shrub with flowers having fan-like petals.

These flowers can be of different colors - red, orange, yellow, shades in-between and even turquoise.

These flowers are considered auspicious by people in these regions. The flowers are strung by a thread into a garland and are offered to temple deities or used to adorn women’s hair.

The seed pods 'explode' after the flower has dried. This exploding sound has given this flower the name 'firecracker flower'. This plant is suitable for growing indoors also.

All these photos are from our own garden.

Jasmine flowers in our garden

The flower is as beautiful and elegant as the name. Pure white jasmine flowers with mindblowing fragrance are a favourite of many people. A few yellow varities are also available. The buds are more fragrant than the flowers.

These are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. It is believed to have originated in the Himalayas in western China. It is the national flower of Indonesia & Philippines . The leaves may be deciduous or evergreen. Oil is extracted from the buds, flowers which also is equally fragrant and is believed to be good for hair. It is also used in creams, soaps and shampoos.

It is intertwined into bridal flowers at weddings, and woven into garlands for important guests at diplomatic functions. It is considered quite sacred. Women in Southern India adorn their hair with garlands made out of these flowers (or sometimes together with firecracker flowers

There is also a false jasmineflower belonging to genus Gelsemium commonly called yellow jessamine or jasmine, Carolina jasmine or jessamine, evening trumpetflower. But the nectar of this flower is quite poisonous.

Jasmine is known in India as the "Queen of the Night" because of it's intoxicating perfume that is released at night. In China ,Jasmine is used a symbol of feminine sweetness and beauty. Jasmine also symbolize deep affection, happiness and elegance. This is why it is used in wedding toss.

Flame of the woods in our backyard

Ixora coccinea (flame of the woods) of the family Rubiaceae is native to Southern India and Sri Lanka and is very popular. One can find Ixora flowers of different colours - orange, yellow, pink, white, red, etc. They are a must in almost every garden in these regions. I, myself being a south Indian make sure that I have this plant in my garden wherever I go. So many flowers together in an inflorescence mark the actual beauty. The flowers bloom throughout the year.

This plant is popular not just for the beautiful flowers but also many of its medicinal uses. Here are a few. Various parts of the plants i.e, the leaves, roots, stem, etc. are used for curing skin ailments, as a natural remedy for diarrhoea, etc. They also have anti-helminthic properties.

Ixora is also called the 'Queen of Karachi Gardens'.

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Serthar, Tibet

Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, that you can see in this picture, situated at Larung Valley near Serthar, Sichuan Province, China, was established by Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche in 1980. His main objective behind this institute was to revitalize Dharma. Some people say that another motive was to meet the need for renewal of meditation and scholarship all over Tibet in the wake of China's Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. Some more aims include  to unite Buddhists in harmony; to uphold pure precepts; to study, reflect upon, and practice the sacred Dharma; and to propagate the Dharma and benefit all beings. The academy was declared the largest and most influential centers for study of Tibetan Buddhism in the world by the New York Times in 1999.

Sertar is remote, difficult to reach and is often closed to foreign travelers. The institute sits in the Larung Valley at an elevation of 4,000 meters, about 15 km from the town Sêrtar, At present, there are over ten thousand resident monastics of both Tibetan and Han origin at the institute. One of the most surprising elements of Serthar is that more than half of those who come to study are women. In more than 30 years, the institute has produced hundreds of eminent Buddhist scholars and practitioners who in turn have founded numerous Dharma centers around the world.

The campus of Larung Gar is enormous. Houses for monks and nuns sprawl all over the valley and up the surrounding mountains. A huge wall through the middle of Larung Gar separates the monk side from the nun side. Monks and nuns are not allowed out of their designated areas except in front of the main monastery assembly hall which is common to both nuns and monks. The houses are all built in a wood style that is traditionally found in this region, and built so close together that they appear almost on top of each other.

Despite its remote location, Larung Gar grew from a handful of disciples to be one of the largest and most influential centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. Today it is home to over 40,000 monks, nuns and lay-students.

 

Tidal Islands

Do you know what Tidal islands are? The best definition of a tidal island that I can find says that it is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide.

A diagram of a tidal island at low and high tide.
Image Source : Wikimedia Commons. 

This image here shows clearly how a piece of the mainland becomes an island at some times in a day (depending on the tides as said earlier). Such tidal islands exist in many places in the world. In Asia, such islands are present in Hong Kong and South Korea. Europe has the highest number of tidal islands. North America and Oceania also have a good number of them. Let's know about  few of the above.

Ma Shi Chau island in Hong Kong

It is connected with another island, Yim Tin Tsai, by a narrow strip of land that is only accessible when the tide is low.u, located in the middle of Tolo HarbourIt is located in Tolo Harbour in

View of the tombolo connecting Ma Shi Chau to Yim Tin Tsai.
From wikipedia commons

South Korean Islands - Jindo and Modo
 "Moses Miracle"is a local phenomenon due to the tide-related sea level variations. A land pass 2.9 km long and 10–40 meters wide opens for an hour between Modo and Jindo islands approximately twice a year, around April-June. It had long been celebrated in a local festival called "Jindo's Sea Way". Nowadays, nearly half a million foreign and local tourists attend the event annually.

Crowd at Jindo's Sea Way
photo from korea-fans.com

Mont Saint-Michel, France
The tides in the area change quickly, and have been described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse".The tides can vary greatly, at roughly 14 metres between high and low water marks. Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by medieval pilgrims.

Mont Saint Michel
Photo from francetravelthemes.pro