Isolated Island

 

In the early 1900s, the Japanese government (occupying Korea) decided to confine leprosy patients in an island called Sorokdo.  It's only 5 minutes by boat to the mainland of South Korea but patients for decades were not allowed to leave the island.  Today, those remaining choose to stay on the island.  Initially, the island used the island as a detention center to use patients for labor to produce food and Japanese war material.  During it's peek, there were over 6,000 persons with leprosy residing on the island.  Many died do to forced labor, illness and famine after the Korean war.  Now there are about 600 patients and 100 staff members who live and work on the island, most at the Sorok National Hospital.  These patients are not longer contagious, but still suffer the scars of their once active disease.  The majority of the patients are over the age of 75 and have never left the island in over 50 years.  Leprosy (aka Hansen Disease) is curable today with modern medicine and these remaining people are the last remaining in our society.

 

 

Home Sweet Landfill :(

 

La Churcheca is located in the country of Nicaragua. La Churcheca is Spanish literally means 'the city dump'... which describes it perfectly.  It is an area outside of the city Managua and it is the local waste disposal site.   It is also the largest open air landfill in all of Central America and home to about 1000 people (half of which are children).  The families work at the dump sorting waste.  Fortunately some new housing has been built for about 400 families provided by the Spanish3
The dump became populated with residents after a major earthquake in the 1970s that destroyed 70% of the city of Managua.  People lost their homes and jobs, forcing them to dig through rubbish seeking salvageable materials.  To this day the dump continues to grow and people continue to filter and sift through the garbage hoping for scraps of something valuable.  Vultures also soar over the dump hoping for their share. Over 300 people make the dump their full time occupation. It has obvious health and safety dangers. 

The people who work at the dump are called ‘churequeros’, and are some of the poorest people in Nicaragua.  As many of the workers are under age, it is considered the worst child labor in the country.  The worker in the dump are 'self employed'. Chureca produces approximately 20 million (US $) a year in marketable garbage and Churequeros earn between $1.50 (US) and $2 (US) a day (Bergin, 2008).

 

Covers?

 

There's something for everyone in this world and Nancy 3. Hoffman has definitely found her 'something'.    62-B Island Avenue, Peaks Island, Maine, the home of the one and only UMBRELLA COVER museum :).  Is this strange enough?  An umbrella cover is just the little pocket that are used to cover up your closed umbrella.. often tossed away after using your umbrella for the first time.
The museum opened in 1996 and is still going strong as people are flocking by the 10s.  Regular Museum events include guided tours and the singing of "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella," with accordion accompaniment.  The museum's mission statement is as follows...  "The Umbrella Cover Museum is dedicated to the appreciation of the mundane in everyday life. It is about finding wonder and beauty in the simplest of things, and about knowing that there is always a story behind the cover."

Towering Towers

 

These are the0 Trango Tower's located in northern Pakistan.  They are a group of tall granite spikes and are some of the largest cliffs and the most challenging rock climbs in the world.  The highest point is Great Trango Tower at 20,608 feet and is also the greatest vertical drop in the world.
The Tower's are extremely difficult to climb do to height and steepness of the route.  Towers group and make them so attractive to climbers; however the summits do get higher.

City Rink

 

When it drops below zero in the Netherlands,  the local get a sparkle in their eye of hope.  Hope that they will have the good fortune to once again go ice-skating.  Unlike most of the world, a skating rink isn't required.  Netherlands is a natural rink as it's a country filled with canals, rivers and more.  Cities and towns are connected by water.   Can you imagine the skating experience?  It's not every year that it freezes well enough for a skating adventure, but one the good years, a major skating marathon called the Elfstedentoch is held.  It's an 11 city tour of over 124 miles of constant ice.  Also during years with a good freeze, national parks can be explored being frozen waterways that would typically be difficult to access.

 

Home of Acrophobia

 

Holy guacamole!   A city of 30,000 inhabitants living at 16,732.28 feet above sea level.  La Rinconada is located in Peruvian Andies and holds the record for the highest city in the entire world.  What brings these folks up the mountain in Peru is gold as their is a productive local goldmine nearby. The goldmine works work for 30 days without pay. One the 31st day, the workers are permitted to carry as much ore as they can tolerate on their shoulders.  If gold is found in this ore, they are permitted to keep the gold.   They live on luck!

The town has some environmental concerns including no sewage, plumbing or sanitation system.  The area is also contaminated with mercury due to the mining practices. 
Temperature in Fahrenheit

ANNUAL

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

39.9

42.1

41.9

41.9

40.6

37.8

35.1

34.7

37

39.9

42.3

43

42.8

Desert Whales?

 

Wadi Al-Hitan (Arabic: وادي الحيتان‎, "Whales Valley") is located southwest of Cairo, Egypt.  It is known as a paleontological site with hundred of fossils from some of the earliest whales known to man.  No other place in the world has the number, quality and concentration of such fossils.  The fossils are so well preserved that even some stomach contents are still intact.  In the area, you will also find other fossils from sharks, fish, crocodiles, sea cows, turtles and rays.  If fossils don't interest you.. just look at the scenery!   The area, as beautiful and interesting as it might be, attracts few visitors each year (less than 1,000).  This is due to the fact that it is quite remote and difficult to reach. One must drive a 4WD (or a camel) as the track is unpaved and crosses unmarked desert sands.  Most of the visitor are foreigners who camp in the valley during prearranged tours.  It is slowly becoming a more popular tourist area and fossils are on display and small shelters have been built. 

The area is highly protected, but  a pair of cars driven by Beligian diplomats entered the protected zone and caused $325,000 worth of damages... the Belgium government disputes this fact and the issue has yet to be resolved.   The guy in the picture below looks so tiny!

 

Swimming On The Wall

 

Ever dreamed strolling along the Great Wall of China?   Well,  in Panjakou, China, you don't need to limit your self to just walking.  You can climb it, swim along it or even SCUBA dive on it.  After a deadly earthquake in 1976, China built a reservoir and flooded battered village and a half mile section of the Great Wall. The area has facilities to SCUBA diving at a local resort and it's a quite popular way to enjoy the wall for tourist.  Fewer than 100,000 people in China are SCUBA divers..  I found that odd.

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Bike Bridge

 

In the Dutch city of Eindhoven, you will find a very unique suspension bridge.  This steel bridge is a 'roundabout' that is 236 feet in diameter and 230 tall with a pylon of 24 cables.  It was built in 2008 for bicycle traffic only as congestion on the street 'roundabout' was overwhelming and bike safety was at risk.  While building the bike bridge, the roundabout street below was converted into traditional x crossing.  I like it :).  Maybe not so strange if you live in Netherlands,  but where I live, you are lucky to find even the simplest of biking lanes.