Bat Cave!

Monfort Bay Sanctuary in located on Samal Island in the Philippines.  According to the Guiness Book of World Records,  it is the single largest colony of it's kind.  There are an estimated 1.8  million Rousette fruit bats that call this place home.  Rousette fruits eat about 1.5 to 3 times their body weight each night of fruits and nectar. Fruit bats search in a 30 mile range and are nocturnal.  The bats in Monfort Bat Sanctuary are  unusual because they are killed for food by crows, rats, pythons, feral dogs/ cats and lizards.  Typically most other types of fruit bats survive these attacks. The land is privately owned by the Indigo-Monfort family who has maintained the property since 1900s.   The owners have attempted to secure the entrance to the cave with a fence to discourage bat hunters.  She also has hired guards to protect the bats.  The bats are so abundant that the bat can easily been seen from outside any of the caves five entrances. Late afternoon the bats take flight and is the best time to visit the sanctuary.  About 400 students visit the sight daily :).

 

Lily Pads :)

The Pantanal Matogrossense National Park is the world's biggest swamp located in South America's Brazil.  Somewhere in this massive park you will find Victoria Regia water lilies and lily pads.  I just found these pictures so relaxing (I need to find seeds).  Enjoy! 

 



How Do You Do the Voodoo That you Do?

 

  

The people of Benin do not believe their religion is a dark mystical force, its simply a legitimate religion (a 'normal' religion).  It even has it's own Pope that apparently drives around the streets in his SUV.  Voodoo has strong religious beliefs and traditions that embrace a way of life including how to raise children, a notion of what education means and an awareness of politics.  The religion appears to evolved from ancient traditions of ancestor worship and animism.  Once banned, Voodoo is now officially recognized as a religion in Benin.  National Voodoo Day in Benin is Jan 10th :).Voodoo is widely regarded as a mysterious and sinister  practice that is taboo in many cultures.  It conjures images of bloody animal sacrifices, sticking dolls with pins, possessed dancers in drum circles and evil zombies.  Apparently there are many misconceptions about the religion :). Voodoo (aka Voudon) is a complex relgion and much more than this blog can handle.  Like most religions it seems to have some problems with corruption and yes,  the do sacrifice animals, however they honor them as well.  So much to learn about the people we share life with on this planet.

The temple of Pythons

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Observe This!

Oh I love this spot, even though I've never had the chance to visit.  This is the Sphinx Observatory above the town of Jungfraujoch, Switzerland.   It is an astronomical observatory named in honor of the Sphinx summit on which it resides.  It is the highest of it's kind in the world.  The mountaintop has been tunneled to fit an elevator which takes you to the top :) from the Jungfraujoch train station. But first you must walk through a long tunnel.  The station is accessible year round!  It was built in 1937 on the side of a very steep cliff at more than 11,000 ft above sea level.  Most of the station is only accessible to scientists, but there is an observation deck that provides a stunning 360 degree view of the Alps and the valley down below.  It has many rooms, labs and a 76cm telescope.  I would think it would be a great day trip!

 

Park or Lake? Lake or Park?

This is Green Lake (Gruner See) located in Tragoess, Austria, which sits at the foot of snow-capped Hochschwab mountains. Through the frozen winter months the area is utilized as a county park and is completely dry.  It is a popular destinations for hikers during these dry month.   As the temperature increases in the spring, the snow melts into the basin below creating Green Lake.   The ice cold lake appears green in color secondary to the grass and foliage below the water.    The water, at peak, is over 30 feet deep in June.  By July,  the water begins to once again recede. Green lake is quite extraordinary as it's invaded by divers who are curious to see what a mountain park looks like underwater.  Fish can be seen swimming over wooden benches creating a surreal environment.  The bottom of the lake is covered in bright green grass.  Trees, roads and even a footbridge can be enjoyed almost as if they are on dry ground ;).   Just another interesting place to go for a SCUBA dive.

Glass Sky Deck Shatters!

Willis Tower (formally known as Sears Tower) is a 108 story skyscraper in Chicago.  I had been wanting to do a strange spot post about the  tower's 'Skydeck' for a while,  but after stumbling upon an article online,  today is the day!  It takes about 60 seconds to make it to the top of the building where you will find the Skydeck (on the 103 floor).  The building sways on windy days and views can be seen all the way across Lake Michigan to Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.   If that's not exciting enough,  all glass boxes were installed on the side of the building to allow visitors to look through the floor 1353 feet down!   Today, May 29, 2014 the (almost) unthinkable happened, an acrophobic's nightmare!!! A trusting family of four walked into the glass box enclosure and it SHATTERED!  Visitors are informed the glass is unbreakable and can withstand 4.5 metric tons.. apparently NOT!   Fortunately, all four walked out of the glass enclosure safely.  Officials from the Willis Tower said they'll release a statement about the incident later on Thursday.  Wonder if the four young adults were jumping. Regardless, I'm fairly confident that they can't jump 4.5 metric tons of weight....

 

 

Seashell Stoop!

Sanibel Island,  off the west coast of Florida, USA is home to about 7,000 people and about a billion trillion seashells :).   The beaches of Sanibel attract tourist from around the world largely due to the massive amount of seashells that wash up along the shore.  The shells accumulate on the beaches as Sanibel is a barrier islands which is part of a large plateau that extends into the Gulf of Mexico for miles.   The plateau acts as a shelf for seashells to gather :).

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Not Easy Being Green :)!

Does Hawaii have a beach for every color in the rainbow?  thinking maybe, YES!   Today,  I've exploring a GREEN beach named Pakolea on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA.  It's nestled in near the Mahana Bay.   It's olive green color is a result of volcanic eruptions from a cinder cone volcano (Pu'u Mahana)  on the island that erupted in the past. Three sides of the cone are still present, however the eastern edge you will only find the ocean.  The olive color is from the olivine crystals shared by the volcano :). When olivine crystals are gem quality,  they are considered Hawaii "diamonds" or peridot.  The green sand beach is often called "Green Beach".. go figure :). There are only four beaches in the world :).  The beach is fairly isolated and about a 2 1/2 hour drive from resorts along the Kohola Coast.  It is accessible only by raised vehicles or by foot, however the area is extremely rugged and needs an experienced driver. Some locals offer rides to the beach for about $15.00 USD per person.  To actually reach the beach, an additional climb down the cinder cone is required :).Unfortunately (or fortunately), there are no guided tours yet to this area just yet.

Yes, WAVES!!!!

Playa De Gulpiyuri is a small STRANGE beach in the middle of a meadow just about 300 ft from the seashore (Cantabrian Sea) in Llanes, Spain.   The beach is only about 1200 feet in length and located in the  middle of a MEADOW!!!, however it produces small WAVES!!!!  Yes WAVES!!!!!  The sinkhole is connected to the sea by a series of underground tunnels that constantly feed the small 'beach'.  This allows for the creation of these waves. It is also affects by tides :).  The beach was created initially by a flooded sinkhole.  As the water flows under the earth for some time,  it can be rather chilly yet undeniably inviting and crystal clear!  Some say you had better bring your GPS to find this beach, however enough folks do find their way is it is quite crowded on the weekends.  Fortunately, this enchanted place is  a natural monument protected by Spain!  I wonder if it has any little fishes?

 

 

Faded Glory :(

The Morning Glory Pool is a hot spring located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA). It was named after it's similar appearance to the morning glory flower. The color of the pool is due to bacteria which inhabit the water. 
On a few occasions the pool has actually erupted as a geyser following an earthquake or seismic activity in close proximity. Entryways have been clogged by tourists throwing objects into the pools which reduces the hot water supply, which in turns alters the pool's color and appearance.  It is not sometimes referred to as "Faded Glory"... not good!  The park has attempted to articially induce eruptions to clear blocked entryways with some results. The depth of the pool is 23 feet, the temperature 69.8 degrees and the elevation is 7,300 feet above sea level. Nice little strange spot :).