The Kissing Dinosaurs of Erenhot in China

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In the far north of China on the Sino-Mongolian border, near the town of Erenhot (also known as Erlian), you will find the statues of two towering Brontosauruses. The two dinosaurs are located on either side of the main highway, their long necks stretching to the other, until the two dinosaur's mouth meet as if to share a kiss. Each dinosaur statue is 34 meters wide and 19 meters high. The span of the two together reaches 80 meters. The ground near the kissing couple is littered with many dozen smaller statues of dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes.

Erenhot is located in the Gobi Desert, in the Xilin Gol league of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The city was established as the only train trade route between Inner and Outer Mongolia back in the 1950's, but the area has been gaining international attention since the 1920's with the discovery of dinosaur fossils in the Erlian Basin. 14 more images after the break...

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Crystal Clear Swiss River Verzasca

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The Verzasca River, in Switzerland, is known all over the world for its clear, turquoise waters, but until now its beauty had only been captured from the surface. Photographer Claudio Gazzaroli decided to change that, so he put on a diving suit, took his waterproof camera and dived onto the riverbed to take some truly mind-blowing photos.

The 30-km-long Verzasca mountain river originates at Pizzo Barone and flows into Lake Maggiore, in Italy. The river valley is located in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland and is a popular tourist destination. People come from all around the globe to see the turquoise waters of Verzasca, do scuba-diving and admire its vibrant colored rocks. Most of them prefer to take photos of Verzasca from the mountains that surround it or from the many bridges built over it. But photographer Claudio Gazzaroli wanted to offer a different perspective on this unique wonder of nature. He dived town 50 feet to the bottom of Verzasca and managed to capture the almost unearthly clarity of its waters. �I wanted to show the beauty of this place in a new way,� Gazzaroli said. Looking at his work, one wonders why wee need software like Photoshop when Mother Nature seems to do thing better herself. 19 more images after the break...

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Yakutsk � The Coldest City in The World

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Yakutsk, a remote city in Eastern Siberia along the Lena River, is the coldest city in the world. Located 1840 km away from Irkoustk and 5000 km away from Moscow, this city founded in 1632 by the Cossacks imposes upon its inhabitants an extreme way of life. And yet, despite particularly harsh conditions, Yakutsk boasts a population of 270,000, or a quarter of the entire population of Siberia. No other place on the planet experiences the temperature extreme found here: in winter, the temperatures regularly fall to minus 40� (the coldest temperature recorded was �64�C) and in summer often reaches temperatures above 30�C. Photos: January 2013. A scene in Yakutsk, Siberia, the coldest city in the world. 19 more images after the break...

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10 Most Unusual Parks in the World

Nature - The best artist, but sometimes it interferes with the idea man, and because such an alliance appear surprising places. We offer you a selection of the most unusual parks in the world.

Park Buddhas � Laos

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The park was started in 1958 by Luang Pu (Venerable Grandfather) Bunleua Sulilat. Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat was a priest-shaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism. His unique perspective was influenced by a Hindu rishi under whom he studied in Vietnam. After the revolution in 1975, anxious about the repercussions of the rule of Pathet Lao, he fled from Laos to Thailand where he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku in Nong Khai. Both parks are located right next to the Thai-Lao border (Mekong river), only a few kilometers apart from each other, and the tallest structures of the Buddha Park can actually be seen from the Thai side of Mekong.

The statues are made of reinforced concrete and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, in design. The statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons. There are numerous sculptures of Buddha, characters of Buddhist beliefs like Avalokitesvara, and characters of Hindu lore, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Arjuna. These sculptures were presumably cast by unskilled workers under the supervision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat. One notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin. It has three stories representing three levels - Hell, Earth and Heaven. Visitors can enter through an opening which is a mouth of a 3-metre-tall demon head (9.8 ft) and climb staircases from hell to heaven. Each story contains sculptures depicting the level. At the top, there is a vantage point where the entire park is visible. Another sculpture, an enormous 120-metre-long (390 ft) reclining Buddha, is also a park attraction. Text � Via... 09 more after the break...

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Terrace Unkai � A Magical Place Above the Clouds

Located in Japan�s Tomamu Resort, on the island of Hokkaido, the Unkai Terrace is a unique scenic spot perched high atop a mountain peak that is often above the clouds, offering tourists breathtaking views of the white, fluffy sea beneath them.

The �unkai� (sea of clouds) phenomenon has been attracting tourists to the resort town on Tomamu for years. The natural hot springs in the area and the differences in temperature during the few hours when night turns into day determine the formation of an immaculate white blanket of clouds over the mountainous region, but only a few people had the chance to see the unique effect from above, until a gondola system was put in place. It takes early-bird tourists up the mountain to the Unkai Terrace, right above the sea of clouds, where they can watch the sunrise, take photos of the Hidaka and Tokachi mountain peaks as they pierce the fluffy fog and enjoy a refreshing cup of coffee or a bowl of soup. Although the gondola fare is pretty expensive (around $20), the view from Unkai Terrace is definitely worth every yen. 12 more images after the break...

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Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou � Morocco

Located in the foothills on the southern slopes of the High Atlas in the Province of Ouarzazate, the site of Ait-Ben-Haddou is the most famous ksar in the Ounila Valley. The Ksar of A�t-Ben-Haddou is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture.

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The ksar is a mainly collective grouping of dwellings. Inside the defensive walls which are reinforced by angle towers and pierced with a baffle gate, houses crowd together - some modest, others resembling small urban castles with their high angle towers and upper sections decorated with motifs in clay brick - but there are also buildings and community areas. It is an extraordinary ensemble of buildings offering a complete panorama of pre-Saharan earthen construction techniques. The oldest constructions do not appear to be earlier than the 17th century, although their structure and technique were propagated from a very early period in the valleys of southern Morocco. The site was also one of the many trading posts on the commercial route linking ancient Sudan to Marrakesh by the Dra Valley and the Tizi-n'Telouet Pass. Architecturally, the living quarters form a compact grouping, closed and suspended. The community areas of the ksar include a mosque, a public square, grain threshing areas outside the ramparts, a fortification and a loft at the top of the village, an caravanserai, two cemeteries (Muslim and Jewish) and the Sanctuary of the Saint Sidi Ali or Amer. The Ksar of Ait- Ben-Haddou is a perfect synthesis of earthen architecture of the pre-Saharan regions of Morocco. 18 more images after the break...

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Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan � Mexico

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Pyramid of the Sun, It was massive, one of the first great cities of the Western Hemisphere. And its origins are a mystery. It was built by hand more than a thousand years before the swooping arrival of the Nahuatl-speaking Aztec in central Mexico. But it was the Aztec, descending on the abandoned site, no doubt falling awestruck by what they saw, who gave it a name: Teotihuacan. A famed archaeological site located fewer than 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Mexico City, Teotihuacan reached its zenith between 100 B.C. and A.D. 650. It covered 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) and supported a population of a hundred thousand, according to George Cowgill, an archaeologist at Arizona State University and a National Geographic Society grantee. 13 more images after the break...

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Desert and Ocean Meets � Namib

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The Southern Namib desert is home to some of the tallest and most spectacular dunes of the world, ranging in color from pink to vivid orange. These dunes continue right to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The cold waters of the sea brushing against the dunes of the Namib desert is one of the most surreal sights.

While the sea coast extends for hundreds of miles, one of the best places to see these dunes is at Swakopmund. Known as Swakop in Namibia, it is the country's biggest coastal town and a mecca for Namibians on holiday. The city's German origins are quite pronounced in beautiful old German Colonial buildings throughout the city, making an even starker contrast for this town sitting at the edge of the Namib Desert. 13 more images after the break...

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Sliding Rock - A Natural Attraction of America

Sliding Rock is a naturally occurring 60-foot waterslide with a seven-foot deep pool that has been developed by the US Forest Service into a recreation area. Sliding Rock is extremely popular on hot summer weekends. But, as the picture above shows, there are those willing to slide even on cool fall weekends. You can either slide yourself or watch others do it from an observation deck opposite the slide. 06 more images after the break...

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Maytszishan Caves � China

Buddhist complex Maytszishan little known. It is located in Gansu Province in northwest China. This is a striking architectural complex, carved out of the rock. Maytszishan has 7,000 Buddhist sculptures and nearly 1,000 square meters of murals. 11 more images after the break...

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Cloud Gate � Chicago Millennium Park

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Cloud Gate � Artist Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 by 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons) Said to have been inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties. 20 more images after the break...

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Eisriesenwelt � World of the Ice Giants

The Eisriesenwelt (German for "World of the Ice Giants") is a natural limestone ice cave located in Werfen, Austria, about 40 km south of Salzburg. The cave is inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps. It is the largest ice cave in the world, extending more than 42km and visited by about 200,000 tourists every year.

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The Tennengebirge mountains were formed during the late Tertiary period, during the W�rm glaciation period of the Pleistocene. The mountain range, one of the massifs in the Austrian Alps, is the largest karst plateau in the Salzburger Alps, and the Eisriesenwelt is located at the rim of this plateau. Although the cave has a length of 42 km, only the first kilometer, the area that tourists are allowed to visit, is covered in ice. The rest of the cave is formed of limestone. Eisriesenwelt was formed by the Salzach river, which eroded passageways into the mountain. The ice formations in the cave were formed by thawing snow which drained into the cave and froze during winter. Since the entrance to the caves is open year-round, chilly winter winds blow into the cave and freeze the snow inside. In summer, a cold wind from inside the cave blows toward the entrance and prevents the formations from melting. 18 more images after the break...

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The Beauty of Cliffside City of Ronda � Spain

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Ronda is a city in the Spanish province of M�laga. It is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of the city of M�laga with a population of approximately 35,000 inhabitants. Ronda was first settled by the early Celts, who, in the 6th century BC, called it Arunda. Later Phoenician settlers established themselves nearby to found Acinipo, known locally as Ronda la Vieja, Arunda or Old Ronda. The current Ronda is however of Roman origins, having been founded as a fortified post in the Second Punic War, by Scipio Africanus. Ronda received the title of city at the time of Julius Caesar. The city is situated in a very mountainous area about 750 meters (2,460 ft) above mean sea level. The Guadalevin River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100 plus meters deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches. Three bridges, Puente Romano, Puente Viejo and Puente Nuevo, span the canyon. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 metres (390 ft) above the canyon floor. All three serve as some of the city�s most impressive features. American artists Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda�s old town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda�s beauty and their collective accounts have contributed to Ronda�s popularity over time. 16 more images after the break...

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Kuldhara � Abandoned Village Near Jaisalmer

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Kuldhara village near Jaisalmer has a very unique history! It is said that the residents of 84 neighboring villages including Kuldhara vacated the villages overnight around 170 years back!! No one is sure where they have gone, but they are believed to have migrated to a place somewhere near Jodhpur. The residents were Paliwal Brahmans � said to be very intelligent, and residing there for about 500 years. So what made them do such an act? Stories say that the ruler of these villages pounded the Paliwals with heavy taxes and treated them very inhumanly; the ruler was unethical and forceful to them. They had no alternative, but to vacate all the 84 villages overnight and just disappear from the vision and reach of the ruler. When the Paliwals left the villages, they left a curse that nobody can inhabit the villages ever. Residents of Jaisalmer say that there have been some attempts by some families to stay there, but they did not succeed. 22 more images after the break...

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The Narrowest Street In Prague

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Walking down from the Prague Castle to Charles Bridge through picturesque narrow cobbled streets one comes across a narrow path between ancient buildings with the board Vinarna Certovka leading down a flight of steps to the river bank . This is the narrowest street in Prague - just possible for people to walk in a single file ( I am not sure if a heavy built person would be able to walk through) and has now become a major tourist attraction. 07 more images after the break...

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Christ of the Abyss

Christ of the Abyss is a submerged bronze statue of Jesus, of which the original is located in the Mediterranean Sea off San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. It was placed in the water on 22 August 1954 at approximately 17 metres depth, and stands c. 2.5 metres tall. Various other casts of the statue are located in other places worldwide, both underwater and in churches and museums. The sculpture was created by Guido Galletti after an idea of Italian diver Duilio Marcante. The statue was placed near the spot where Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, died in 1947. It depicts Christ offering a blessing of peace, with his head and hands raised skyward.

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Due to increasing amounts of corrosion and the growth of crustaceans, the statue was removed from the water and restored in 2003. A hand that had been detached by an anchor was also replaced. The statue was returned to the water with a new base on 17 July 2004. A second bronze sculpture cast from the same mould exists off the coast of St. George's, Grenada. This was a gift of the navy of Genoa for assistance in rescuing the crew of Italian vessel Bianca C destroyed by fire in the port of St. George's. The sculpture was placed under water on October 22, 1961. 14 more images after the break...

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Lake in the Hole � To Sua Ocean Trench in Samoa

Independent State of Samoa - An island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. For tourists who love to spend time after study has interesting corners of our planet, here is a great place. Get even, for example, is a picturesque little lake called the To Sua Ocean Trench, located near the National Park in the village of lotus-eaters. This lake is of natural origin. It was formed in a huge hole, pit. Body of water surrounded almost surrounded by dense greenery and the water in it - transparent blue, salty sea. To Sua Ocean Trench has an outlet to the ocean, the surf here is clearly audible. Are very close and the most common beaches. Go down to the lake and ponaslazhdatsya this marvelous borough of the stairs can be a long of 30 yards.

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Despite the fact that among the tourists, after flipping through the flyers for Samoa, To Sua Ocean Trench is a popular place to visit, not every local guide knows where the lake. In addition to this picturesque lake in the pit in Samoa there are plenty of interesting and unusual places created by nature itself. This stunning beauty of Cape Asuisui, blow holes (holes with ocean fountain), forest Tafua (Tafua Peninsula Rainforest Preserve) with flying foxes, Bird Cave (Peapea) in the National Park O Le Pupu-Pue, as well as the largest waterfall in Samoa Togitogiga. 15 more images after the break...

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Stunning Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m). Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the State of Oregon. It is credited by a sign at the site of the falls, and by the United States Forest Service, as the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. However, there is some skepticism surrounding this distinction, as Multnomah Falls is listed as the 137th tallest waterfall in the United States by the World Waterfall Database (this site does not distinguish between seasonal and year-round waterfalls).

Underground springs from Larch Mountain are the year-round source of water for the waterfall, augmented by spring runoff from the mountain's snowpack and rainwater during the other seasons.

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A foot trail leads to Benson Footbridge, a 45-foot (14 m)-long footbridge that allows visitors to cross 105 feet (32 m) above the lower cascade. The trail continues to a platform at the top of the upper falls where visitors get a bird's-eye view of the Columbia Gorge and also of "Little Multnomah", a small cascade slightly upstream from the "upper" falls, which is not visible from ground level. The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail starts at the falls and continues through the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge to Starvation Creek. The footbridge is named for Simon Benson, who financed the bridge's construction in 1914 by Italian stonemasons. 11 more images after the break...

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Lencois Maranhenses National Park � Brazil

The Lencois Maranhenses National Park Brazil (Parque Nacional dos Len��is Maranhenses) is located in Maranh�o state, in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Ba�a de S�o Jos�, between 02�19��02�45� S and 42�44��43�29� W. It is an area of low, flat, occasionally flooded land, overlaid with large, discrete sand dunes. It encompasses roughly 1500 square kilometers, and despite abundant rain, supports almost no vegetation. The park was created on June 2, 1981. It was featured in the Brazilian film The House of Sand. Most recently, it was featured in the song "Kadhal Anukkal" from the Indian film, Enthiran.

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Visiting � Located on the eastern coast of the state of Maranh�o by the banks of the Pregui�as River, the park embraces the municipalities of Humberto de Campos, Primeira Cruz, Santo Amaro and Barreirinhas, the latest serving as the main jumping off point into the protected park.

There are several regular bus/truck routes between Barreirinhas and S�o Lu�s, Brazil (Maranh�o's capital), a distance of about 260km. There are also air taxis from S�o Lu�s to Barreirinhas. The Rio Pregui�as river connects the park to Atins, a city at the edge of the park. The most important access roads near the park are BR-135, BR-222, MA-404, MA-225, and

The National Park is quite extensive and has no access roads. Because of the nature of the park's protected status, most vehicles are not permitted access. Entrance to the park is made exclusively by 4-wheel drive trucks. 14 more images after the break...

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Ubari Lakes � Libya

Recent archaeological research revealed the existence of several fresh-water lakes, known as palaeolakes, in ancient Fezzan, Libya. Some of these lakes were located in the southern regions of Wadi Irawan, Wadi al-Ajal and the Ubari Sand Sea. The archaeological finds from the area include dark layers of organic matters, shells, hand axes and other Palaeolithic and Neolithic implements and tools which strongly suggested ancient human activity in Fezzan. These lakes were part of a larger network of lakes which have included the legendary nearby Lake Tritonis and Lake Chad among numerous other smaller lakes.

Precise dating of the lakes is yet to be confirmed, but current studies, conducted by the Fezzan Project, suggest Pleistocene and Holocene human presence. However, results from Wadi al-Ajal's playas (: which are mud flats with rough surface, cracks and salt encrustation, like the Playa of Germa which represent the lakes just before drying out) indicate these lakes to have disappeared around 3000 years ago.

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Findings from the lakes also suggest that the impressive sand dunes of the Ubari Sand Sea are at least 100,000 years old. Numerous lakes were thought to have covered the eastern and southern regions of the sea, some of which still exist today, as in the case of Gaberoun (or Gabroun), Umm al-Maa and Maafu, where the land surface intercepts the water table.

The main river systems that fed the giant lake: Tasilli N�Ajjer and Hamada Mangueni. The locations of the current Ubari lakes are situated near the middle of the above lake; probably left over as the mother-lake slowly evaporated away into thin air. 09 more images after the break...

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