Posstume contest?

                                                                

Who doesn't love New Zealand with it's beautiful mountains, rustic coast and  wonderful people :).   To top this off,  the North Island of NZ  is home to one of the strangest contests known to man.  Actually, make that TWO strange contests.   The first being the possum throwing toss and the other being a beauty pageant for dead possums.. both for elementary school kiddos.  Let's start with the possum toss.  Now don't be so harsh..  NZ isn't the only place where weird traditions such as this exist.  Here is US, on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, citizens enjoy an annual mullet toss contest (cute big fish) during a massive beach party (just saying).  Colyton School in NZ also enjoys their possum toss contest in which both children and parents participate together.  It starts by grabbing the dead possum by it's tail and then tossing it into the air to see who tosses the furthest.  The possum is considered a major pest in NZ.  The Colyton School out did itself with the possum beauty pageant in which elementary school children tapped into their creative sides by dressing dead possums in various costumes.  It was considered a positive community event in which children learned that shooting is a far better death for possums than traps or poison.  They also learned guns are tools and participated in a fundraising event to raise money for a new shade structure for their school. 

 

 

Rat Beach?

The lovely Zlatni Rat Beach is also known as Golden Cape or Golden Horn.  Rat Beach or Golden Cape?... you decide.  It's a stretch of land located in Croatia on Broc Island near the harbor town of Bol on the Adriatic Sea.  The landform is composed of a white pebble beach and Mediterranean pines
The shape of the landform changes shape and length with respect to tide, current and wind. The end is typically slightly turned towards the east but will often change to the west in certain conditions. The waters are typically cold and perfectly clear.  The current can be a bit dangerous a the tip as it can be difficult to swim back.  The western most edge of the beach are home to a few coves that are clothing optional.  Think Croatia :).  And try not to think of the word "rats".

 

Dreamy!

The Plitvice Lake National Park (Nacionalni park Plitvička jezera) is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, bordering Bonsia and Herzegovina.  The park is about 73,350 acres and is a World Heritage Site.  Over one million visitors enjoy the park each year. The park is famous for it's amazing lakes arranged in a cascading fashion. Sixteen lakes can be seen from the surface and all are interconnected.  They are separated by natural travertine dams.  The lakes are separated into upper and lower clustesrs formed by runoff from the mountains.  The waters from the lowest lake form the Kornana River.  The lakes are clear and beautifully colored from blue to green to green.  The colors often change with the contents of minerals and organisms in the water and the level of sunlight :).  Beautiful.. no?

 

A Petting Zoo????

Welcome to the Lujan Zoo on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Venezuela!  Here the zoo isn't just a full service zoo but it's a full scale PETTING ZOO.  Yes, you too can ride a lion, cuddle with a leopard or even swim with a tiger.  Think that's sounds fun,  then you might want to head over to the bear exhibit to let the grizzlies fruit you carefully place between your teeth.  Playing with elephants up close is not out of the question or even holding monkeys. The zoo opened in 1994 and yet there has been not a single accident related to animal human interactions (thinking that might be better than most zoos in the US and other countries).  The zoo is so confident with their safety that visitors aren't even required to sign a waiver and small children are welcome. No one really knows what makes these wild dangerous animals so tame around humans.  Many say the animals are sedated but from the videos I've seen, they appear quite alert.  Zoo representatives deny these accusations, citing that the these animals could not tolerate constant sedation and would eventually die.  The zoo director (Jorge Semino) claims it is his unique method of raising animals, which involves constant interaction with humans.  Apparently the training starts at birth.  Competition for the mother's teet is eliminated, making sure each cub has equal access. As the cubs age, the teach vocal commands to teach them to recognize the difference between their hands and the meat they are fed.  The also use dogs to emulate good behavior in front of the cubs.  The main focus is eliminating the competition for food. The animals are constantly fed keeping them satisfied and preventing them from eating you :).

Many of the animals in the zoo are rescued unhealthy house pets people obtain illegally.  The zoo reports rehabilitating these animals and training them to be great with humans.  The Born Free Organization, an international animal rights group, is asking authorities to investigate the practices of the zoo, stating it exploits animals for commercial gain.  They also believe visitors are at risk.

 

 

 

Dream Land for Cars!

This is the AutoStadt in Wolfsburg, Germany.  It's more or less a theme park for car enthusiasts and a Volkswagen factory. This amazing place  features a museum, a customer center where you can purchase and pick up your new car, a factory tour and a cinema.   It also has a small off road track for the VW Tourareg. The track features a 21 degree angled hill, a sand pit, a log road, mounds and more.  The grounds are beautiful and the architecture is out of this world.

They also have a mini track for the little ones to drive electric cars in the form of VW Beetles.  There are a variety of exhibits including famous cars and so much more.  The main highlight of Autostadt are the two 200 ft tall glass silos (Auto Turme) used to store new VWs.  They are both connected to the factory.  If you decide to pick up your new car at the Autostadt,  you are provided with a free admission, meal tickets and a variety of events.  You can follow your car on a screen as it enters the automatic elevator and down the silo.  The car is brought to the customer with exactly "0" miles.

 

 

 

Let's Get This Straight!

I love this street.  I also say it's located in one of the best cities in the USA:)!  This is Lombard street on Russian Hill in San Francisco, California.  It is dubbed as the most crooked street in the world (if you know a more crooked street, let me know).   It's a one way street with eight sharp turns.  It was built in 1922 to reduce the hills 27% grade (too steep for cars).  The street is paved with bricks and lined with lovely flowers and San Francisco style homes. 

In 2009,  the street celebrated it's 60th anniversary and was transformed into Candyland (from the children's board game) for a day.  Fun stuff! 

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Deadly Golf Balls!

                                            Camp Bonifas is The World's Most Dangerous Golf Course.   Why you ask?  Well,  it's located in the demilitarization zone  between North and South Korea (who aren't the best of friends).  South Koreans have been threatened for years with the danger of a North Korean invasion.  Needless to say,  the atmosphere is tense and surrounded by ready and willing soldiers.  It maybe only a one hole course,  but it has more than one danger!

If the machine gun nests or the razor sharp wires that surround the course don't make you nervous, don't worry, there's more.  The course in the middle of active minefields!    If you still want to play golf here,  you must pass through an area surrounded by North Korean soldiers who are fully armed and carefully watching your every ore.  It is recommended that eye contact not be made with the soldiers.  Upon your arrival, you must sign a waiver stating you fully understand that "serious death or injury" is a distinct possibility on your trip.  And remember, no chasing after your lost balls.  At least once, a ball was teed off and actually detonated a mine!