HAWAII

 



The Hawaiian Islands formed over a million years ago from a hotspot in the earth's crust. Over time, molten lava from the hotspot continued to grow and formed a chain of islands that are four times the height of Mount Everest. The once desolate islands gave birth to life from the ohia lehua plant and fruit flies, and were inhabited by Polynesian islanders who followed the migration of the pacific golden plover. Today, Hawaii is one of the most culturally diverse places in the world and home to some of the rarest types of species.

 

 

 

 

Zone of Silence 

“Zone of Silence” is a mysterious nature place, located on Chihuahua᾿s desert  in  the north of Mexico, only about 180 km from “La Laguna”.It᾿s set in desolated and magnetic area  and a tipical place to researchers and  biologists. The weather it’s so hot and there’re sand anywhere. Is considered a natural biosphere reserve by CONACYT since 1974. At the “Zone of Silence” you can find a lot of interesting phenomenons which make a magical and wonderful  place. The most important phenomenon it´s about the radio᾿s signal therefore it isn᾿t  broadcast. Also here,  the  watches, cars and compasses  doesn´t  work!!!

Usually  people have seen  peculiar lights, however it hasn't explicated yet by the researchers. Too of types of extraterrestrial rocks are attracted by this place.

The flora includes  several  cacti, ocotillos,sabanetas and agaves, some of them endemic. So have animals only ones on the world such as the desert tortoise, rabbits, mice and kangaroo rats, foxes, coyotes and owls.

The truth is that this area is attractive for the investigation  around the world and American scientists have stated that by the characteristics of the  “Zone of Silence” would be an ideal place to establish a base of interplanetary spacecraft launch, a nuclear plant and several things more.

Moreover, this area is rich in historic resources, cultural and paleontological because was found numerous fossils, mainly of animals who lived for at least 70 million years. And is that what today is a desert, during the Mesozoic era was the sea Tethys.

Colmar, the town of your dreams in France

Colmar is located in the northeast of France and it was founded in the 9th century. This was the location where the Carolingian Emperor Charles the Fat held a diet in 884. Colmar was granted the status of a free imperial city by Emperor Frederick II in 1226.

The old city center has several buildings as well as a number of old churches, among which is the collegiate church of St. Martin (XIII century) as the largest and most notable.Local artist Martin Schongauer painted what is considered his masterpiece, The Virgin of the Roses, in the Eglise des Dominicains (Dominican church). The famous Isemheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald is the treasure housed in the Museum of the City Unterlinden.

So now we’re going to enlist the most interesting places in Colmar, which you have to visit. Make sure to keep an eye out for dates painted onto the side of buildings. Some of the oldest date back to the 1300's.

• Colmar's old town is the main attraction if you come to Colmar. It is stunningly beautiful and well preserved. 

• Maison des Tetes (House of the Heads) - a Renaissance building decorated with faces, and the Pfister House, a marvelous old wooden house, one of the oldest in Colmar.

• Dominican Church worth visiting only because of a famous Schongauer painting. It costs 4.50 euros (2006) to get in. 

• St. Martin Church a large church entirely made of pink stone. 

• Unterlinden Museum. It is a most interesting museum situated in a medieval convent near the tourist information center. Entrance costs 7 euros (2010), but this includes an excellent audio guide for many of the paintings. 

• Bartholdi Museum. Dedicated to the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, who was native to Colmar. 

• Little Venice, enjoy this little corner of the city; with small canals reminiscent of Venice, Italy. 

• Bartholdi High School, near the Little Venice. Dating back to 1698, it is worth a sight. 

In addition in Colmar you also will find festivals such as “Colmar Wine Fair” and “International Music Festival of Colmar”

The Colmar Wine Fair is a unique concept at the height of summer. Over 300 exhibitors invite you to taste their delicious vintages each year, but there is also a series of fantastic concerts for the pleasure of one and all.

The International Music Festival of Colmar was quoted by the New York Times as being among the top 10 festivals in Europe since 1994, the International Music Festival in Colmar pays homage to a particular musician, instrument, country or culture each year. A great opportunity to rediscover classical music!

Writting by Jaquie & 

Charly 

THE RED FOREST

---

As a result of the Chernobyl accident, tens of thousands of hectares of forests have experienced massive radioactive contamination, located in the immediate vicinity of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (Ch.NPP). All of the conifers in the surrounding forest died rapidly and when their needles dried up, their reddish-brown color led to a new name: The Red Forest

The Red Forest is nearly 4,000 acres of pine trees, that were blanketed with radioactive isotopes and microscopic pieces of uranium that roiled from the blazing core of reactor number four over 10 days in April and May of 1986.

However by the pass of time the natural process of radioactive decay has already removed some toxic particles from the environment. About a decade ago, the animal sightings began. Naturalists started to report signs of an apparently remarkable recovery in the ecology of the quarantined territory. 

A 2006 report by the Chernobyl Forum lent scientific weight to the evolving notion that the Exclusion Zone was turning into a haven for wildlife. The report explained that levels of radioactivity in the zone had declined several-hundred-fold and took an optimistic view of the disaster’s aftermath, both for human beings and animals. While there was no denying that some central areas of the zone, including the Red Forest, remained acutely contaminated and potentially lethal, the authors stated that no adverse effects of low-level radiation had been reported in plants or animals in much of the area around the reactor. Rather, the size and diversity of the animal population had actually expanded in the absence of people. “The Exclusion Zone,” the authors concluded, “has paradoxically become a unique sanctuary for biodiversity.”

RESTAURANT 

Alcatraz ER (JAPAN)

Alcatraz, the crazy old uncle of Japanese theme restaurants, kickstarted the trend about a decade ago by capitalising on everyone's love of hospital food. The setting is a "medical prison". You are the patient. The waitresses are dressed as the type of nurses that exist only in Benny Hill re-runs. They handcuff you, pretend to inject a giant needle into your rear, and then lock you in a cell. There, you can order such dishes as Dead Chicken (in which two chicken feet are clasped together in peaceful repose), Penis Sausage (in which a sausage is carved to resemble a severed penis) and Intestine (another sausage, and sort of odd considering that you can order actual intestine in any of Tokyo's zillion yakitori restaurants). Try the cocktails: the false teeth in a jar has particular bite. Occasionally, the staff will "accidentally" open your cell door and it's your mission to go screaming around the restaurant in a wheelchair evading the outstretched hands of other prisoners.

Great Blue Hole

The Great Blue Hole is a large submarine sinkhole located in the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef that is 70 km (43 mi) far away from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 m (984 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep. It was formed during several episodes of quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower. Analysis have shown that formation took place 153,000, 66,000, 60,000, and 15,000 years ago. As the ocean began to rise again, the caves were flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Photo taken from National Geographic.

This site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world.
This is a popular spot among recreational scuba divers who are lured by the opportunity to dive in crystal-clear water and meet several species of fish, including giant groupers, nurse sharks, and several types of reef sharks such as the Caribbean reef shark and the Blacktip shark.

View from the bottom of Blue Hole.