Interesting Tourist places and things

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Skeleton Lake of Roopkund India



Roopkund is in Uttarakhand in India and is famous for its skeleton lake. This lake consists of about 400 skeletons. The actual reason for the death of all these people remains a mystery even today. Countless theories for the reason of this lake of skeletons were put forth through the past couple of decades.



Many believed that it was a ritualistic sacrifice bestowed by the people who died themselves while scientists say that these people died because of an epidemic. The lake was discovered by a park ranger in 1942 by accident. After extensive research on the area, scientists were able to uncover the actual reason for the deaths.



The scientists concluded that the group of people died from a large hailstorm in the region. They could not find any shelter in the open Himalayan mountains which lead to mass death. The lake is covered with ice for most part of the year. However, there are several treks that are conducted around the area and is a good option to explore if you want to get a glimpse of this skeleton lake.

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Le Palais Idéal


From far way this palace looks like a cross between a temple of Angkor and La Sagrada Familia, but up close it's much like a Monet painting with small pebbles and stones replacing the intricate brush strokes. Pillars, flying buttresses and grottoes carefully crafted of found stones form the 26 meters long and 10 meters high "Palais Idea".



Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924), a French postman, began work on his dream palace in the late 19th century. As the story is told, Cheval tripped on a rock in 1879 along his mail route, picked it up and was so fascinated by its peculiar shape that he was inspired to build the imaginative palace. Coming from humble beginnings, Cheval had minimal formal education and no architectural experience, however, he was self-educated with help from the Le Magazin Pittoresque. Over the course of 34 years he enduring the criticism and mockery of his neighbors as he continued building. Pushing a wheelbarrow along his expanded mail route of 42km, he collected stones and he completed the building with no outside help. The criticism eventually turned into admiration, and tourists began flocking to Hauterives to see the Palais Idéal.



The architecture is inspired by different styles and eras, mingling together Chinese, Algerian and Northern European influences to create a fantastic and completely original castle of grottoes. "You start wondering," the postman wrote of his palace, "if you have not been carried away into a fantastic dream with boundaries beyond the scope of imagination." The fantastic dream brought to life in Le Palais Ideal is completed by fanciful statues resembling ostriches, elephants and bears.

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Drvengrad - The Wooden Town of Serbia



Drvengrad, the wooden Town in Serbian is a traditional village that the Serbian film director Emir Kusturica had built for his film Life Is a Miracle. It is located in the Zlatibor District near the city of Uzice, two hundred kilometers southwest of Serbia's capital, Belgrade. It is located near Mokra Gora and Visegrad, best known for Yugoslav Ivo Andric's Nobel-winning novel, The Bridge on the Drina. Kusturica was the 2005 recipient of the Philippe Rotthier European Architecture award.

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White Temple-Thailand



The city of Chiang Rai in northernmost Thailand is one of the remaining areas where traditional Thai art and culture flourish. Located near the city of Chiang Rai, about 5 kilometers to the south, is the beautiful Wat Rong Khun or White Temple. The White Temple of Northern Thailand has become a national landmark and, as one of the most recognizable temples in the country, attracts an increasingly large number of visitors every year.



Wat Rong Khun is unique from other temples in that it has been constructed entirely in a radiant white color with sparking reflections from mirrored glass mosaics embedded in the white plaster. The temple is the idea of Mr. Chalermchai Kositpipat, one of Thailand’s most renowned artists, who wanted to build a temple all in white to signify the purity of Lord Buddha. The artist continues to puts his religious belief and desire to enrich Buddhism in Thailand into his contemporary art design. The construction of the White Temple is Khun Chalemchai’s master work, which he refers to as an offering to Lord Buddha and his beloved country.



To approach the main entrance to the main chapel, I assume must signify a kind of passage to enlightenment because this is how I feel approaching thetemple . The passage is flanked by two tremendous man-like giants who somehow frighten me until I have to lower my eyes. But this doesn’t help me at all, as those grasping hands near the floor shake my nerves again. The hands are in assorted array, outstretched and seem to be pleading. I realize that this piece of art must symbolize hell and how people in hell will suffer from their bad karma.

While climbing the bridge to the main hall, I notice that I am surrounded by a huge pond containing white fishes and fountains that spout up every now and then. The pond, to me, perhaps signifies the river – Si Tarndon – that divides the mundane world from heaven. As I get closer to the main building I think that this must be a representation of heaven.

Wat Rong Khun is still a work in progress and will be for years to come. It is planned to comprise nine buildings including the ubosot (chapel), pagoda, hermitage, crematorium, monastery hall, preaching hall, museum, pavilion, and rest room facilities which will be built on an area of 7 rai (about 3 acres).

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Pulpit Rock-Norway



Pulpit Rock is a massive cliff 604 metres (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway. The top of the cliff is approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 by 82 feet) square and almost flat, and is a famous tourist attraction in Norway.During the four summer months of 2009, approximately 130,000 people took the 3.8 km (2.4 mi.) hike to Preikestolen, making it one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway.[citation needed]There is a trail from the Preikestolen Fjellstue (mountain lodge) through a variety of mountain landscapes.



A trip to Preikestolen from the closest car park and Norwegian Mountain Touring Associations-staffed refuge, Preikestolen fjellstue, takes about 3-4 hours for a round trip hike.[1] The parking facility and hut are about one hour from the city of Stavanger by ferry and car.The walk to Preikestolen is very steep in places.



The path starts at the Preikestolen fjellstue, at an elevation of approximately 270 metres (886 feet) above sea level, and climbs to 604 metres (1982 feet). The hike takes 1-3 hours depending on experience and fitness level. Even though the elevation differential is only 334 metres (1096 feet) and the walk is not particularly long (3.8 km each way), the total elevation gain and loss over the course of the hike is more than one might initially expect, as the path climbs and descends various ridges.

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Potala Palace: Red Hill of Lhasa - Tibet China



The Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill of Lhasa, Tibet. It was riginally built by King Songtsen Gampo in the 17th century. The Potala Palace was the main residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama escaped to Dharamsala, India.

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Kliluk, The Spotted Lake



Spotted Lake is a saline endorheic alkali lake located northwest of Osoyoos in British Columbia and is very highly concentrated with numerous different minerals. In the summer, most of the water in the lake evaporates leaving behind all the minerals. Large “spots” on the lake appear and depending on the mineral composition at the time, the spots will be different colors. The spots are made mainly of magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer. Since in the summer, only the minerals in the lake remain, they harden to form natural “walkways” around and between the spots. Spotted Lake contains some of the highest quantities in the world of magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium sulphates.