Gold 2 GO!

Gold to Go is a product brand made by the TG Gold Super Market corporation designed to dispense items made from solid gold from automated banking vending machines.  The first of these machines was placed int he lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel loced in the UAE.   Today there are more than twenty of these machines, even one located in Boca Raton, Florida.   They dispense up to 320 items made of gold including 10 gram gold bars and custom gold coins.  The vending machines are smart and update their prices to market value every 10 minutes :)!

Psychedelic Cave

The amazing and psychedelic Reed Flute Cave is located in Guilin, Guangxi, China.  This amazing cave formed of limestone is only about 180 million years old.  The cave is now a major tourist attraction and has been fitted with psychedelic lighting to make this a very unique experience.  The cave has inscriptions dating back to 792 AD in the Tan Dynasty, so this cave has been an attraction for a very long time. The cave was rediscovered in 1940s by refugees fleeing from Japanese troops.

Nature's Pool

The Hamilton Pool Preserve is located just outside of Austin, Texas (about 23 miles).  The pool was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion over thousands of years.  Since the 1960s, the pool has been a popular swimming hole for local residents.   The perserve consists of 232 acres of protected natural habit including the pool that has a 50 foot waterfalls making it even more spectacular. The pool is surrounded by  large slabs of limestone and stalactites grow down from the ceiling.  The cave also is home to moss, ferns and cliff swallows.

Dubbed most Beautiful

Rua Goncalo De Darvalho, located in Porto Alegre, Brazil is  home to "the most beautiful street in the world"!   The street is flaked on either side with Rosewood trees growing up to seven stories high. The trees were planted in the 1930s by employees of German origin who worked in a brewery in the neighborhood.  Today there are well over 100 massive green trees in the heart of the city.  City projects to expand the road have threatened the future of the trees, however various groups came together to protect this tunnel of green and won... thank goodness!  All city streets should be this wonderful.. no?

Cursed Island

This is the Island of Gaiola (Isola La Gaiola Island) located in the Gulf of Naples, Italy.  The island has an villa on one side while the other is left in it's natural state .  The island appears to be quite beautiful, but locals warn that looks can be deceiving.  Apparently the island  is cursed and tales of death and misfortune surround the island.  In the early 1900s, the island was inhabited by a hermit known to locals as "The Wizard". The island has had several owners, but unfortunately, many of them have seen misfortune and untimely deaths.  One being Hans Braun who was found murdered and wrapped in a rug on the island.  The next owner, Otto Grunback, died of a heart attack on the island.  Another owner, Maurice-Yves Sandoz, committed suicide in a mental hospital.  Baron Karl Paul Langheim, went into financial ruin.  Giaanni Agnelli's, yet another owner, son committed suicide, then his newphew died of a rare cancer at age 33.  Paul Getty's (of course another owner) son was kidnapped after buying the property.  The final owner Gianpanssquale Grappone was sent to jail after his insurance company failed. Today, the island abandoned and I understand why :).  Not sure if I would want to step foot in this island..

 

Fishing Fued

Migingo Island located off the coast of Kampala, Uganda is a tiny soccer field sized island made of about 100 homes with an estimated population of 200.  It's on Lake Victoria and acts as a impasse between Uganda and Kenya.  The island homes are simple shacks made of corrugated iron sheets, but don't let that fool you.  This island docking station is a lucrative fishing point on the lake, leaving Uganda and Kenya disupting which country actually owns the island. The Ugandans believed strongly that owned the island and charged Kenyans higher taxes for fishing from the island.  Kenyans and Ugandans weren't happy with the situation, but in 2009,  the situation resolved and the it was officially declared that the island belongs to KENYA.  So there it is..  a cute little island with a big history of dispute almost leading to war.  This seems to be a common thread with many small islands. What amazes me is it that it takes 4 to 6 hours to get to shore from this little island, depending on if you are heading to Uganda or Kenya. 

  

 

 

One Grandchild Only

Shanghai soul searching :)!  This is the ultra modern city of Shanghai, China's best low tech dating service as  desperate Chinese parents go soul mate searching for their unmarried 20-30 something  children.  As China has been living under the 'one child per couple' law for decades, many families find it a priority to find their only child a good spouse.... to assure they will have grandchildren.  The ads found in People's Square park share the potential mate's age, height, job, salary, horoscope, education and so fourth.  The area is packed with potential suitors, but many of the faces posted have no idea their parents took the initiative to find them a spouse :).  Can't find the success rate online, but I'm guessing it's a bit of a challenge.

 

Getting there!

Find you way to  9842.52 feet in the Alps, and you will find a futuristic bright red fiberglass tube (aka Bivacco Gervasutti) that welcomes exhausted climbers to a comfortable warm nights rest.  The bunker includes 12 bunk beds, a biological toilet, a living area, a kitchen and a fantastic view of the  Freboudze glacier (Italy).  It is equipped with communication devices, powered by solar panels and internet connected.  The only problem.. getting there :)!

Japan's Apline Route

This is the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート, Tateyama Kurobe Arupen Rūto^?), a 22 miles stretch of mountain road between Toyama and Nagano, Japan.  This amazing scenic route was first opened in 1971.  You can enjoy the entire route from only April to June, before the snow arrives.   The main attraction of the route is the Tateyama Mountain Range which is part of the Chubu Sangaku National Park.  The route is even more spectacular in spring when accumulated snow in the upper sections of the route form a majestic snow corridor whose snow walls reach up to 65 feet tall!

 

Elephant Beach :)

Wanna swim with these cuties?   Head on down to Havelock Island :).  This island is part of the Ritchies Archipelago, just east of Great Andaman in the Andaman Islands (territories of India).  The island only has a little of 5,000 residents, many of them elephants.  Elephant beach is virtually untouched by commercialism.  What more could anyone beach goer want.. clear water, coral reefs, white sand beaches and ELEPHANTS! 

 

 

 

Circles

This is Loktak Lake (Manipuri Mayek) located in East India and is known as the Floating Lake due to it's floating phumdis.  Phumdis is a mass of vegetation, soil and other organic matter.  The lake is one of the largest in India and is located in the Manipur state and has one of the world's larges phumdis at about 4 square miles.  This mass of land is now Keibul Lamjao National Park, the world's only floating national park and is home to a variety of wildlife including the Brow-antlered Deer also called Sangai.  The lake is utilized by rural fisherman who often live on the  phumids.  The lake is also a source of livelihood for the rural fisherman who live in the surrounding areas and on phumdis, also known as “phumshongs”.  The phumdis are used to build hut homes and for farm fishing.  Circular  enclosures are  created from phumids for this farming.