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Monday, April 28, 2014

The Door to Hell | Derweze, Turkmenistan

Derweze — The word Derweze translate in Turkmen means "gate", is a village in Turkmenistan of about 350 inhabitants, located in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 km north from Ashgabat and 90 km from the village Erbent. The diameter of 70 meters and a depth of 20 meters. The Derweze gas well, and the story of its discovery is quite interesting, In 1971, a team of Soviet scientists was drilling at the site when their rig collapsed into a cavernous pocket of natural gas. Concerned that the hole would release poisonous methane gases, the geologists set it on fire, expecting the fuel would burn out in a few days. Since 1971, the natural gas coming from the crater, but the gas is still burning today. Locals have dubbed the cavern "The Door to Hell".


That was more than four decades ago, and the crater is still burning. Its glow is visible from Derweze each night. Fittingly, the name Derweze means "gate" in the Turkmen language, so locals have dubbed the burning crater the "Gate to Hell." Although it is a slow-burning ecological disaster, the crater has also become one of Turkmenistan's few tourist attractions, drawing adventurous souls out into the Karakum, where summer temperatures can hit 50ºC (122ºF) without any help from the Derweze fire.


Despite the Derweze Door to Hell's potential as a tourist site, Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov issued orders for local officials to find a way to put out the fire, after his 2010 visit to the crater. The president expressed fears that the fire would draw off gas from other nearby drilling sites, damaging Turkmenistan's vital energy exports. The country exports natural gas to Europe, Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. Turkmenistan produced 1.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2010; its Ministry of Oil, Gas, and Mineral Resources published a goal of reaching 8.1 trillion cubic feet by 2030. Impressive though it looks, the Gates of Hell at Derweze seems unlikely to make much of a dent in those sorts of numbers.











Extreme Swings | Giant Swing Canyon

Extreme swings — Giant Canyon Swing, located at an amusement park in Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and the swing is situated on the edge of the canyon at an altitude of 396 meters above the Colorado River - Glenwood Springs is a small town in Colorado, which is famous for its wide variety of attractions for the whole family. The 2011 edition "USA Today" said "the most fun city in America," This metal beast set on a hillside cliff, about 400 meters above the Colorado River. Swing throw up once the four passengers, angle 112 degrees at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Being at the highest point of the ride, thrill seekers can directly beneath a seemingly bottomless precipice see what makes them scream with excitement, fear and laugh. The creator of these swings, 41-year-old Steve Buckley, rolled them only once, and he also afraid to try it again, but it gets a lot of fun looking at the faces of skiers people and hearing their screams during skiing, lasting 60 seconds .











Thursday, April 24, 2014

El Caminito del Rey | The Most Dangerous Walkway

El Caminito del Rey is often regarded as the most dangerous passage in the world. It is located along the wall of El Chorro Gorge in southern Spain near the village of Alora. The walkway was built to provide workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials, and to facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel. Construction began in 1901 and was finished in 1905. The track was completed in 1905, but the discovery took place only in 1921, when the Spanish King Alfonso XIII crossed, for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce. Since it is often called "The Way of the King." track has a width of about one meter and rises 100 meters above the river, resting on steel rails and racks with a slope of about 45 degrees. The trail runs between the two waterfalls and Gaytaneho Chorro (Chorro Falls, Gaitanejo Falls).


It is currently in a highly deteriorated state and there are numerous sections where part or all of the concrete top has collapsed. As a result, formed a large open air spaces, which are connected only by narrow beams and residues do not even have handrails. Local government officials permanently closed the entrances to El Camino del Rey after two accidents in 1999 and 2000 resulted in the loss of four lives. Determined tourists don’t seem to be deterred by the closed entrances, though. Climbers from all over the world continue to flock to the area for a glimpse of, or an experience on, the walkway. Curiosity aside, the walkway at El Camino del Rey is still the only shortcut between the two waterfalls and this is one of the main reasons that people continuously attempt to cross the path. In 2006 the local government decided to section off part of the budget so that the walkway could be repaired but as of today the walkway is still in disarray.
















Finger Rings in the form of Animals | Jiro Miura

Artist from Japan Jiro Miura making funny, fine jewelry made from polymer clay. This is tiny beasts. Charming hedgehog in a funny gesture finger girth mistress, small nose and eyes - beads so faithfully reproduced that you can admire such a ring. Chanterelles, tiny birds and svinushki.