In south-central China, a famous national park has recently gained more attention then it’s used to. For many years it was claimed to be inaccessible, remote, and even dangerous; but that is no longer the case. Zhangjiajie National Park has gained universal notoriety for inspiring the  setting for the world renowned movie ‘Avatar’. The 135 square miles of mountains, foliage, and water forms into a mystical, unearthly place that formed for the perfect starting point for the design for another planet. Ninety percent of the park is covered in foliage and forests, providing for an incredible variation in rare species of animals and trees. While it’s extraordinary landscape is awe inspiring, another draw is the countless ways to view it’s spectacular formations. The options seem endless and give many different viewing points to the overwhelmingly large park.

The Tianmen Mountain cable way is the longest mountain cable way in the world spanning almost 4.5 miles, and is certainly not for those with a phobia of heights.

The Heaven-linking Avenue is a winding path used for mountain bikes that begins at the foot of the mountains and leads to the ‘Heaven Ladders’ at the mouth of Tianmen Cave. The path is 11 kilometers long and it s uphill, so it should probably be avoided for those not looking for a workout with a scenic view.

For those inclined to less exertion while touring there is Bailong Elevator. A glass elevator going up to 1070 feet, it is the world’s tallest full exposure outdoor elevator. Certainly a once in a lifetime event all on it’s own.

My favorite option is a cruise around Baofeng Lake, it offers the beauty of the park with none of the height. It is certainly the most peaceful option available.

If the above ground park is not enough for you, and you have an affinity for caves such as the ones posted on this blog before, there are options for that too. The Yellow Dragon Cave is one of the earliest caves open for tourism and is lite for a light show to impress .

The Zhangjiajie National Park holds so many options for enjoying the outdoors it was inevitably going to end up on my list, so if you ever had the chance to visit, which viewing spectacle would be the first on your list?

Works:

http://www.zhangjiajietourism.us/what-scenic.html

In the northeastern part of Argentina, there is a national park, known for it’s stunning natural waterfalls.The Iguazu Falls are some of those most breathtaking water formations known to man. The river that feeds these magnificent sights, is the international border between Argentina and Brazil, and separates the two national parks, Iguaca and Iguazu. At 80 m high at some points the falls surpass Niagara falls by almost 30 m and while the falls both sit on borders, there intensities are quite different. The curves and cascades of the Iguazu falls boast more of a water show, with phenomenal sprays, while Niagara is impressive for it’s unending uniformity and length. While I cannot compare the two adequately without first hand experience, Eleanor Roosevelt simply proclaimed ‘Poor Niagara,’ upon viewing the falls in Argentina.

But the view, while breathtaking, isn’t the only thing that drew me to this part of the world. If you so chose, you are able to white water raft through the falls. The excitement of rafting is something you don’t soon forget, and I love to white water raft, but I can’t even imagine how incredible and difficult and worthwhile the three hour rafting is. And it’s not the only extreme sport offered, rock climbing is also available, where you get the chance to rappel down the cliffs from almost 180 feet for an hour. The activities are testing and possibly could be dangerous if they didn’t take the precautions they did, so the only limit on the climbing is an age requirement of twelve years.

Perhaps Niagara Falls is all you’ll need to see,because once you’ve seen one waterfall you’ve seen them all, but for me I don’t think the water dividing the U.S. and Canada is going to cut it now that I know I can white water raft under a waterfall in the tropical rain forest. This is definitely a must-do for me.

Works Cited:

http://loves4free.mobi/14-places-to-visit-wonders-and-nature-adventure?page=14&v=5255myBk1DL0H4rrIpg6A9QE1xBVgk0gk

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/303

http://www.getyourguide.com/foz-do-iguacu-l497/iguassu-falls-2-hour-river-rafting-tour-in-brazil-t24426/#reviews

The next point of interest takes us to central Europe, to an underground cave located in Slovakia. The beautiful place is one of the largest ice caves in Europe, and one of the most famous in the world. The cave was discovered in 1871 and has been open to the public since, though it is thought to be round 250,000 years old, it was also the first cave in Europe with electricity to illuminate its confines.  The picture above is referred to as ‘The Hole’, and is the entrance to the attraction, inside The Slovak Paradise National Park. It takes thirty minutes of sightseeing trails to simply make it to the hole, from the village of Dobšinská.

The cave itself can be considered famous, in 2000 it was added to the UNESCO heritage list, and is the lowest ice cave in the world in terms of sea level.

The cave is halls and domes made completely of ice, a marvel of frozen water that is 1.230 long, and from what I can tell simply from pictures, breathtaking. It is also full of ice formations and glaciers that have reached up to the ceiling at points.

To take the tour you simply need ten Euro and a good pair of gloves, the temperature in the caves gets down to twenty six degrees Fahrenheit. The beauty and history is most certainly worth the cold, and the reason why this magnificent landmark has been added to my blog. So if you ever find yourself bored and in the middle of Europe, this icy underground kingdom may be just what you need to occupy your sightseeing time. As for me, I definitely hope to be crossing this one off the list in the near future, once I get over my fear of small spaces, that is.

Works:

http://slovakia.travel/en/dobsinska-ladova-jaskyna-cave

http://www.slovakia.com/caves/dobsinska-ice-cave/

http://dobsinska-ice-cave.slovakian-mountains.eu/

The Festival of Lights is featured in many religions  and cultures across the world, each with a different meaning and celebration, but in India, it is referred to as Diwali. Diwali is the mark of the Hindu new year and is celebrated on the 15th day of Kartika, around October for us. The festivities go on for almost five days and each day holds significance for the religion. The actual holiday is a religious one with a few different legends surrounding it, but the most popular is that it memorializes the return of Lord Rama (a Hindu deity referred to as The Ideal Avatar) after 14 years in exile and his conquest over a demon-king Ravana.

The observance of the festival is a beautiful one, fireworks and candles, lamps and bonfires, all of the light signifies the triumph of good over evil, or alternatively light over darkness.

All of India is illuminated for almost a week, the picture below is taken from a satellite during the festivities.

The chance to see India in all it’s glory is one of my dreams, this culture is so foreign to me and I have no greater wish then to experience it at this time of year when its heritage is on display for the entire world to ogle. I fully recommend giving this festival your full attention and researching it as much as possible, and hopefully at least one of us will be able to revel in it’s beauty. The pictures are only the slightest taste of the magnificence that can be experienced, imagine the light and the noise and all of the candles are something that needs to be seen in person, which is why i have added this festival to my bucket list of must sees before I die. I encourage you to add it to yours.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/diwali

http://hinduism.about.com/od/diwalifestivaloflights/a/diwali.htm

This blog is a place where I’m going to share all the places and things I’ve ever wanted to see or visit. It will include festivals, parties, and celebrations around the world, historic landmarks or simply beautiful geographic miracles. I suppose it’s my own personal travel bucket list.