Interesting Tourist places and things

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Derawar Fort - The Property of Royal Family

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Dangereous tourist rout in Tibbet

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The Chocolate Hills of the Philippines




No, they are not really made of chocolate, but they do look good enough to eat. Some people can’t believe they are just the work of Mother Nature and that man played no part in their creation, but that is probably why they are so unique.

The Chocolate Hills get their name from the brown-colored grass that covers them during the dry season, which makes them look good enough to eat. The rest of the time they are just as green as the forest that surrounds them. There are 1,268 cone-shaped hills spreading across 50 square kilometers, in the middle of Bohol Island.



Geologists from all over the world came up with different theories about how these perfect limestone cones were formed, but so far no one can really say for sure. The most widely accepted theory is that the Chocolate Hills were once coral deposits that rose up from the sea during a huge geologic shift. The shapes we see today were molded by winds and erosion over hundreds of years.



Just like most of nature’s masterpieces, the Chocolate Hills have legends passed on by the locals, from generation to generation. The most popular one tells of two rival giants who threw rocks and boulders at each other for days. Exhausted, the giants forgot about their meaningless conflict, became friends and left the island without cleaning up the mess they made. The hills are testimony of their great battle. Another myth tells the story of Arogo, a young, powerful giant who fell in love with Aloya, a mortal girl. When she died, Arogo shed thousands of tears and when they dried up, they formed the Chocolate Hills.



They may look like just a bunch of hills to some people, but they managed to put Bohol Island on the international tourist map long before its hot, sandy beaches became so popular. People travel from all over the world just to gaze at the spectacular scenery offered by the seemingly infinite number of hills. The fact that they are all about the same size (between 30 and 50 meters) and shape makes the view even more surreal

Getting to the Chocolate Hills is easy once you get to Bohol. Once in Tagbilaran, catch the bus to Carmen. The locals are always happy to help strangers who want to take a look at their national treasure, so they’ll direct you to the right bus station. The Chocolate Hills Complex lies 4 km before Carmen and you’ll have to walk 10 minutes from where the bus drops you off, but it will be worth it once you arrive to your destination. There are plenty of tourist hostels and restaurants in the area so the only thing you have to worry about is running out of funds.

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The White Desert of Egypt




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.



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.



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.

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The Royal Residence - England


Leeds Castle a former royal palace begun in the 12th century, Leeds Castle has to be one of the most beautifully situated medieval castles in England, projecting into its natural lake, and surrounded by 500 acres of beautiful parkland and gardens.



About six miles southeast of Maidstone, on the A20, stands Leeds Castle, situated on two islands in a lake, formed by the River Len. It has been described as the loveliest castle in the world.

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The Incredible Monastery of Taung Kalat.



Built atop an extinct volcano plug, the Buddhist monastery of Taung Kalat is one of the most breathtaking sites in Burma and the world.



Many people call the hill on which the monastery was built, Mount Popa, but they’re mistaking it with the much higher volcano, close by. The hill is called Taung Kalat and though it looks like a mere bump when compared to Mount Popa, climbing it is quite a task. There are seven hundred seventy seven steps to from the bottom, all the way to the Buddhistmonastery.



The locals believe Nats (37 demigod-like beings) live inside Taung Kalat hill and judging by the heavenly views from up there, they just might be right.



Climbing up Taung Kalat, you’re bound to run into some adorable Macaques, but be careful, they’re wild creatures and are likely to snatch anything you lay on the ground, before you even have the chance to blink. Taung KalatMonastery and its surroundings are truly unique, but unless the Burmese government intervenes soon, they will degrade beyond recovery.

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Star fort Bourtange -Netherlands


Bourtange


Approximately 25 km away from my hometown you find the star fort of Bourtange. The fort was built in 1568 by William I of Orange because he wants to control the only road between Germany and the city of Groningen. Later in 1594 the fort became part of the fortifications on the border between the northern provinces of the Netherlands and Germany. It was never captured by enemies.


Bourtange fortification


Between the years 1593 and 1851 the star fort was a very important one before it was given up in 1851 and Bourtange became a normal village. In the 1960s the municipal of Vlagtwedde decided to renovate the fort which took place between 1967 and 1992. Today it's a lovely open-air museum and visitors feel like going back in old times.


Church at Bourtange

Many activities take place there during the year like presentations of canon shootings; guided tours across the fort, a middle age festival and a nice and cosy christmas market at 2 weekends in december.


Centre of the village

It's a great place to stroll around the whole year.