PAVAN MICKEY

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Fly Geyser in black rock desert, USA

Fly Geyser is an entirely natural phenomenon that nature gives unusual characteristics, as if made for our enjoyment. It is a geyser with several outlets which is located in the black rock desert of Washoe County, a rural part of northwest of the state of Nevada, USA. It is quite close to where the celebration of famous bohemian festival every year outdoors, the Burning Man. Albeit small, instead of full pressure of water in several times a day, but the highlight of the place is the spectrum of shapes and colors, just like a filmy set, caused by the combination of calcium carbonate rocks and presence of thermophilic algae. Another curiosity is that it has no exact natural origin.

Photo credit Đời Thừa

It was accidentally created by well drilling in 1964 research for sources of geothermal energy. At that time it was not properly packed, the earth minerals started flowing outside and build up with travertine hillock on which the geyser stand and continues growing. Pump water constantly, reaching with the height of five feet under the sky. Around an area of 74 acres, the geyser be possessed of several terraces discharging water into 30 to 40 pools.

The truth is that Fly Geyser is located just inside a private ranch Fly Ranch in Hualapai Flat, owned by Todd Jaksick. There is a high fence and a locked gate topped with spikes to exclude trespassers. Back in 1916 a group of farmers began construction. They were looking for water tanks under the drylands to nourish their crops. They drilled at this point in the landscape and found water, but a geothermal pocket of water was struck resulting in a geyser of boiling water which turned the area into a desert wetland, a thermal aquifer that flowed more than 200 °. Decades later in the 60's, the underground boiling water found a weak spot in the ground and a natural geyser was born.

man-made small geothermal geyser. Photo credit Q Myers

Fly Ranch Geyser. Photo credit Tanya wheeler

Photo credit Tanya wheele

Photo credit Peter Thoeny - Quality HDR Photography

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Photo credit Geo Thermal

Photo credit Beau Rogers

Guinigi Tower Crowned With Oak Trees

The Guinigi Tower located in Lucca, a beautiful and historic city located in Tuscany, Italy. The Guinigi Tower, which shows the greatness of one of the most famous and richest families of Lucca. Guinigi Tower is one of the few towers left standing in the city and one of the most representative monuments of Lucca. Throughout its history up to 250 towers and many bell towers were built as monuments to the rivalry between different factions in the Middle Ages. And some of these relics arrived until today, despite its turbulent past. As the Guinigi Tower, which today has become an essential point to watch the walled city. It stands majestically at 44.25 meters and with total 225 steps, with an unusual group of oaks on top, trees symbolize the Renaissance. The palace of the same name which belonged to Michele, Francesco and Nicolao Guinigi.

Torre Guinigi. Photo credit David Jones

The Tower is Romanesque and Gothic style and one of the main attractions of Lucca. The tower was built in brick and decorated with shields, cornices and slabs. The tower at the corner of Via San Andrea stands out among all the buildings of the city by the trees growing at the top. Among the medieval towers, belonging to private and richest families, it is the only one that has not been severed or destroyed in the sixteenth century. At the top of the tower is the original hanging garden, which consists of a container filled with earth walls, in which seven oaks were planted. There is no any historical record when the garden was created, but an old image collection of the 14 century shows that among the many towers of Lucca, was a crowned trees. It is assumed, therefore, that the plant Guinigi Tower is very old even if the oaks present today were definitely replanted in time. A true distinctive symbol of the city of Lucca. Today the tower is owned by the City of Lucca. People enjoy the views shelter shade of the oaks, admiring the jewels of Lucca from above.

Torre Guinigi. Amazing medieval skyscraper with roof garden. Photo credit Thomas V.

Guinigi Tower covered on the upper terrace with holm oaks. Photo credit Norman F

Photo credit HEN-Magonza

Photo credit Michel Rodriguez

Photo credit Annemarie Rüegger

Photo credit The Sanguine Bee

Photo credit Sid

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Photo credit Rich Jacques

Agrasen ki Baoli, New Delhi

Agrasen ki Baoli on Hailey Road, near Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, India. One of the protected monument by the Archeological Survey of India. The word Baoli is use for step well including more words like - baoli, bavadi, vav, vavdi and vavadi. The legend says it was built by Maharaja Agrasen during the Mahabharat in epic era, almost more than 5000 year, but there is no any historical records to prove it. It was rebuilt by Agrawal community in the 14th century. This huge size step well is a 60 meter long and 15 meter wide with ancient step, made up of a series of superimposed arches supported on piers or columns. The step well includes about 103 steps leading towards the base that once stored water and consists of five different levels, The red stone walls of the Baoli arranged with inventive designs with a series of arched structure are grim and desolate, but still beautiful.

Photo credit Karan Kapoor

The Baoli had water till recent times, but now it has dried up and one can see the bottom of the reservoir, full of bird feathers and droppings. It is well known for the pigeons and bats residing in the loafty places of the dry reservoir, and the presence of birds as well as "love birds" will make you realize that the Baoli is not a secluded place at all. It is a cool and silent place in the heart of the capital. The silence deepens as one moves to the bottom of the stairs, the magnificent view of the skyline disappers gradually, and the light of the day starts fading, assuring the fact that it is considered on of the spooky haunted places in Delhi. The gradual increase in the gurgling sound of pigeons, and squeaky chatter of bats echoing off the stone walls makes this place creepy.

The scuttlebutt about being followed by something or sombody invisible, the intensity of which increases if you increase your pace, makes the Baoli feels mystic. There are rumors of evil sprits in this ancient architecture since quite some time. As per the claims, the Baoli was earlier fill with filthy Black water which attracted mostly disheartened, discouraged and depressed admirers with magnetic effects. The fatal attraction of the mystic waters hypnotized people to their death by alluring them to jump in the waters. It is believed that the "Baoli of the unseen", used to call for people to offer their lives and raise its water levels.

Photo credit Gaurav Pandey

Photo credit Prateek Rungta

Photo credit Karan Kapoor

Photo credit nidhi dhingra

Photo credit Karan Kapoor

Photo credit sanghamitra mazumdar

A line of pigeons sitting at Urgasen Ki Baoli. Photo credit Souvik Das Gupta

Photo credit sanahdewan

Big Dog Peak

Pico Cão Grande means Big Dog peak is the planet vertical volcanic cone, a needle rises dramatically in the middle of the Obo National Park on the island of Sao Tome. Definitely one of the greatest tourist attractions of these African islands. The Pico Cão Grande has a height of over 300 meters above the surrounding terrain. The summit is located 663 meters above sea level and is often covered with clouds that give it an even more mysterious and shocking aspect. To accommodate such a resounding geologic shape as the eruption of the volcano whose crater is at the top of this peak had to be sudden, violent and very concentrated. Upon cooling, it left as a souvenir this column a kind of skyscrapers in the middle of the jungle.

Pico Cao Grande volcanic cone on the island of São Tomé and Príncipe

Cão Grande peak. Photo credit André

It is very difficult to climb Pico Cao Grande. The walls of volcanic rock are often dampened by the dense fog and covered with slippery moss. Climb them is like trying to ascend a giant glass bottle. Also, to access its base must be traversed a difficult path through the jungle. A step full of ferns, vines and abundant snakes . These reptiles appear to be the masters of Cao Pico Grande. They have even come to colonize the summit.Sao Tome and Principe is a small nation composed of two islands in the Gulf of Guinea, off the African Atlantic coast. A little known but full of wonders and surprises like this tourist destination.

São Tomé e Príncipe. Photo credit Rosino

São Tomé e Príncipe Photo credit Rosino

Sao Tomean rainforest with Cao Grande, with its top in clouds. Photo credit Art

Sao Tome: Cao Grande, with top in clouds. Photo credit Art

Cão Grande. Photo credit Isaac

Photo credit Art

Pico Cão grande. Photo credit Daniel Martins

Photo credit Art

Photo credit Os Putos

The largest cemetery in the world

Wadi Al-Salaam means Valley of Peace is an Islamic cemetery, located in the Shia holy city of Najaf, Iraq. It is the largest cemetery in the world. The cemetery covers 1,485.5 acres and contains some 5,00,000 bodies and attracts millions of pilgrims annually. According to an undertaker at the cemetery, each crypt can hold up to 50 bodies. The burial plots are controlled by Marja'. Shia tradition holds that Abraham bought land in Wadi-us-Salaam and that Ali said the Wadi was a part of heaven.

Photo Credit imgur

Daily burials have been on going for over 1,400 years and the site is on the Tentative List of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. Burials in Najaf have been documented as early as the Parthian and Sassanid eras and ancient Mesopotamian cities often had similar cemeteries, where there was an accumulation of tombs. It is estimated that during the Iraq War about 200 to 250 corpses were buried there daily, however, in 2010 this number had decreased to less than 100. Approximately 500,000 new bodies are interred in the cemetery annually. This figure is an increase on the approximately 20,000 bodies, primarily from Iran, that used to be interred annually in the early 20th century. Most Iraqi and many Iranian Shi'ites have a relative buried in the cemetery. [wikipedia]