THE NATURE ...

Punch Hole Clouds:

Punch hole clouds, also known as fallstreak hole are large circular clearings that can appear in cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds. Such holes are formed when the water temperature in the clouds is below freezing but the water has not frozen yet due to the lack of ice nucleation particles. When a portion of the water does start to freeze it will set off a domino effect causing the water vapor around it to freeze and fall to the earth as well. This leaves a large, often circular, hole in the cloud.

Punch hole clouds have been puzzling sky gazers and scientists alike since the 1940s.

Because of their rarity and unusual appearance, fallstreak holes are often mistaken for or attributed to UFOs. It is only during the last decade the cause of formation of these clouds has been somewhat understood.

It is believed that a disruption in the stability of the cloud layer, such as that caused by a passing jet, may induce the domino process of evaporation which creates the hole. Such clouds are not unique to any one geographic area and have been photographed from the United States to Russia.

Danxia Landform (China)

This unique geological phenomenon, known as a 'Danxia Landform', can be seen in several places in China. This example is located in Zhangye, Gansu Province. Danxia, which means "rosy cloud", is a special landform formed from reddish sandstone that has been eroded over time into a series of mountains surrounded by curvaceous cliffs and many unusual rock formations... 

Panjin Red Beach, China:

The Red Beach is located in the Liaohe River Delta, about 30 kilometer southwest of Panjin City in China. The beach gets its name from its appearance, which is caused by a type of sea weed that flourishes in the saline-alkali soil. The weed that start growing during April or May remains green during the summer. In autumn, this weed turns flaming red, and the beach looks as if it was covered by an infinite red carpet that creates a rare red sea landscape. Most of the Red Beach is a nature reserve and closed to the public. Only a small, remote, section is open for tourists.

Tristan da Cunha - The Most Remote Island in the World:

Tristan da Cunha is a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean lying 2,816 kilometers from the nearest land, South Africa, and 3,360 kilometers from South America. ‘Edinburgh of the Seven Seas’, the main settlement of the island, is regarded as the most remote permanent settlement in the world, being over 2,400 kilometers from the nearest human settlement, on Saint Helena.

The island is roughly circular in shape with an average diameter of 11 kilometers and a total area of 98 square kilometers. The island is mostly mountainous - the only flat area is the location of the capital, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, on the northwest coast. There is a volcano named Queen Mary's Peak, which erupted in 1961 forcing almost the entire population to abandon the settlement and move to the UK. The islanders, however, returned in 1963 and the settlement was rebuilt. Narrow valleys or gulches radiate from the central peak which remain snow covered in winter. During the wet season the steep valleys become fast running torrents washing minerals down from the slopes, to the regions below. On the northwestern plain, the deposits has formed green fields where the islanders grow their potatoes.

The remote location of the islands makes transport to the outside world difficult. Lacking an airport, the islands can be reached only by sea. Although passing fishing boats from South Africa regularly service the islands, the RMS Saint Helena visits the island once each year during its February voyage between Cape Town and Saint Helena.

The islands were first sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha but rough seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, Ilha de Tristão da Cunha, which was later anglicised to Tristan da Cunha Island. It took another 140 years before the first human set foot on the island. 

Today the island has a population of only 264 people, as of 2007, and they share only eight surnames among them. The current population is thought to have descended from 15 ancestors, eight males and seven females, who arrived on the island at various times between 1816 and 1908. All of the residents are farmers and they own their own stock. No family own personal property on this island - all land is communally owned. There are even various measures in place to prevent better off families from gaining excess wealth!

The Settlement of Edinburgh has a district air of yesteryear about it, although it has all the modern conveniences of mains water, electricity and sanitation. Health care is free, but there is just one resident doctor from South Africa and only five nurses. There is a small but interesting museum, one school, a craft shop, a swimming pool and a radio-station. There are old style local shops, and a large supermarket.

Just wonderful

A view of Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia.

Navagio Beach, the Most Beautiful Beach of Greece:

Navagio Beach or the Shipwreck, is an isolated sandy cove on Zakynthos island and one of the most famous and most photographed beaches in Greece. Navagio Beach is often referred to as the Shipwreck Beach or just simply “The Shipwreck” because it is home to the wreck of a ship called Panagiotis that is believed to have been a smugglers ship. The presence of alleged smugglers ship gave Navagio Beach yet another nick name – Smugglers Cove.

This small and isolated, yet strikingly beautiful sandy cove is located on the north-west shore of Zakynthos Island, near the Anafotiria village, quite opposite of island’s capital Zakynthos. The area is defined by its sheer limestone cliffs, white sand beaches, and clear blue water, which attract thousands of tourists yearly. The strip of beach is accessed only by boat, but you can see it from above if you stand on the high side of the cliffs that overlook it.

Navagio Beach was originally known as Agios Georgios. Then sometime in 1981, the Greek authorities were tipped that a freightliner in the waters around Zakynthos Island is smuggling contraband which included cigarettes, wine and women, and a chase began. Stormy weather and bad visibility resulted in the ship running aground right on Navagio Beach. The ship was abandoned and still rests buried in white sandy dunes of the beach that now bears the nickname Shipwreck. 

The Dark Hedges in Ireland:

The Dark Hedges is a unique stretch of the Bregagh Road near Armoy, in Ireland, that looks like something from the mists of Celtic twilight. Over the past 300 years or so, the Beech trees guarding either side of the lane have reached up and across to each other, becoming heavily intertwined to create a natural arched tunnel where shadow and light plays through entwined branches.

This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House, which is now a golf club. Two centuries later, the trees remain a magnificent sight and have become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland.

The White Desert of Egypt:

About 45 km north of Farafra, the White Desert begins. It’s truly a white desert in clear contrast with the yellow desert elsewhere, something which you will not believe before seeing with your own eyes. At night, and many of the organized trips out here include overnight stay out in the desert. The white desert is best viewed at sunrise or sunset, in the light of a full moon, which gives the landscape an eerie Arctic appearance.

The White Desert is a popular tourist spot for its dramatic and unusual rock formations. The snow-white desert is actually made of chalk that has been exposed for years to what geologists call "differential weathering," the erosion of soft particles that results in eerie protrusions of hard rock. These mushrooms shaped rock formations are ten to fifteen feet tall. The limestone bases had been worn away by the mixture of wind and sand that had blown by them at high speeds for thousands of years. The differential weathering explains the very beautiful forms that now fill the White Desert including shapes like domes, minarets, castles, towers and so forth.

The seven colored earth is the most visited tourist spot of Mauritius...

Situated in the small village of Chamarel,the area covers several hectars..the area is finely colored with

red,blue,green,yellow,pink,brown somewhere maroon,indigo and orange.

The sight is even more enchanting during sunset when the naturally multicolored land creates a magical color changing look.. 

Two-tiered waterfall...

Limunsudan Falls is a two-tiered waterfall located in Barangay Rogongon, Iligan City, in the Province of Lanao del Norte, Philippines, 55 kilometers away from the City proper.

It is said to be the Philippines' highest waterfall with the height of 870 feet, with the lower part cascading alone higher than the Maria Cristina Falls.