World's Largest Building - Century Global Center, China

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If you say it's Dubai's International airport terminal 3...you are wrong. As of July 1, 2013 a building in China - Century Global Center located in the growing city of Chengdu has now been crowned with the title. Under the clouds in this Chinese city it's a building which is having state of the art design and being more than 600 miles away from coast but still having it's own seaside. You can do ice skating, take a nap in  five star hotel and can have a sun bath on a beach and that too without ever stepping outside.

An exterior view of the New Century Global Center which has a man-made lake in the front

According to the reports on - thesun.co.uk : the newly built building is a glass dome 3 times the size of the pentagon building in Washington, D.C. It is 500 meters long, 400 meters wide and 100 meters high and is compared as equivalent to the size of Monaco. This building is located just opposite to the Chengdu Contemporary Art Center which is designed by the world famous architect Zaha Hadid.

It is really amazing to know that this building covers 19 million sq.ft and is having office spaces, shopping centers, IMAX cinema with 14 screens plus the most rejuvenating and thrilling spot a water park- 'PARADISE ISLAND'. The in built beach can hold 6000 persons at a given time. If you worry about how to have a sun bath in the closed enclosure...the building has it's own 24x7 sun. The giant structure is having it's own fake sun to shine 24 hours.It is believed that this sun is a borrowed  Japanese technique.

Don't get surprised if we tell you that this master piece was built in just a year!! Yes it's true the entire structure was constructed in a year and Chinese have yet again proved their ability and will.

Image Source : Google, Barcroft Media

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Lainio Snow Village Ice Restaurant: Ylläsjärvi, Finland

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Set within one of several ice hotels around the world, the Laino Snow Village Ice Restaurant will make you dream about saunas, hot tubs and 100-degree weather in no time. That's right, this restaurant is ice cold and kept that way at between 23 and 28 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. Its a destination which denies to go off your memory. The arctic adventure of Snow Village offers a large ice hotel with an ice restaurant and ice bar, along with activities like ice maze and snow slides. Opened in 2000, this ice hotel's accommodation consists of 20 igloo bedrooms and 7 fancy ice suites.

Dress Code??

There is no set dress code, but arriving in anything less than a full snow suit is a mistake. The entire restaurant is made of snow and ice. The walls, the tables, even the chairs, all frozen. It needs to be rebuilt every year!

Because it would be impossible to keep any food warm, the restaurant serves cold meals. Just as the menu changes, the restaurant changes each year as well. That's because it's built from the ground up with snow and ice every winter, then everything melts when the weather warms up in Spring every year!

This photo of Lainio Snow Village is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Lainio Snow Village is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Lainio Snow Village is courtesy of TripAdvisor

More info at: www.snowvillage.fi 

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The Desert Paradise of Petra: A New Wonder of the World

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"A rose-red city, half as old as time" - "Petra" by Dean burgen.

Petra, in western Jordan, is a enchanting ancient city about 80 kilometres south of the Dead Sea, which was half-build, half-carved into stone, that stands beautiful testimony to Eastern and Hellenistic architecture.

Petra, Jordan, by Candlelight. If the gorgeous rock colors are dazzling during the day, imagine more than 1,500
candles flickering in the ancient city, through the Siq to the Treasury where Bedouin music is playing.
Photo by Paul Stocker

With its giant red mountains and vast mausoleums, Petra is testament of the greatest wonders ever wrought by Nature and Man. It is already often described as the eighth wonder of the ancient world because this vast and unique city is completely carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans more than 2000 years ago.

Petra is sometimes called the "Lost City". Petra means ‘rock’ in Latin and it is also said that Roman emperor Hadrian named it Hadriane Petra, after his own name. In spite of its being such an important city in antiquity, after the 14th century AD, Petra was completely lost to the western world. It was rediscovered in 1812 by the Swiss traveller, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who tricked his way into the fiercely guarded site by pretending to be an Arab from India wishing to make a sacrifice at the tomb of the Prophet Aaron.

Located between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, Petra was once an important centre of trade and commerce and was an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into a sophisticated system of water conservation and dams that provided water to the arid region. This was as remarkable achievement of the Nabataeans as was their skill in carving this city out of sheer rock face more than 2000 years ago!

Besides these two outstanding features of Petra that deservingly cast it among the Seven Wonders of the World to survive since ancient times, there are other aspects of this desert city that make it a tourist attraction. Petra also boasts elaborate tomb and temple architecture, sites that are of religious significance to different religions, remains of copper mines, churches and other buildings.

The Hadrien Gate and the Cardo Maximum in Petra. The city quickly fell into a decline under Roman rule.
Photo by Jean Housen

Great Temple of Petra was built in the 1st century BC. The two-level structure is on of the largest complexes in Petra.
Photo by Bernard Gagnon

Path to Petra

Among the rock-cut temples and tombs showing traces of both Hellenistic and Nabataean architectural are ‘royal tombs’, including the Khasneh, the Urn Tomb, the Palace Tomb and the Corinthian Tomb, and the Deir (monastery), while sacrificial and other religious high places can be found on Jebels Madbah, M’eisrah, Khubtha, Habis and Al Madras. High above, on Jabal Harun, is said to be the tomb of Aaron, the brother of Prophet Moses.

Urn Tomb at Petra

Petra – Jordan Tombs. According to the Petra Scrolls, Petra was once a very crowded place to live with possibly as many as 20,000 to 30,000 inhabitants which works out to at least 10 people living in each rock-cut dwelling.
Photo by Dennis Jarvis

Sandstone Rock-cut tombs in Petra.
Photo by Etan J. Tal

Credits: www.lovethesepics.com , www.visitjordan.com

Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed. 

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Amazing Floating Swimming Pool: MARINA BAY SANDS HOTEL, SINGAPORE

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Singapore has opened a new wonder, “Sky Park” Marina Bay Sands – located 200-meter high, resting on the three skyscrapers, as if on three pillars. Its a treat to watch the structure that truly lives up to its name. Its a park in the sky. Stretching longer than the Eiffel tower laid down or four and a half A380 Jumbo Jets, with an impressive 12,400 square meters of space, the Sands SkyPark can host up to 3900 people. The gravity-defying cantilever is one of the largest of its kind in the world. From this privileged observation deck, hundreds of visitors at a time can feast their eyes on the unforgettable panoramic view of Singapore.

The £4billion, 2,500 room Marina Bay Sand is the biggest hotel in Singapore at the moment. It consists of three different hotel towers that are connected by the sands skypark located at the top of the structures. The skypark pool is 200 meters off the ground. At three times the length of an Olympic pool and 650ft up, it sets the record for the largest outdoor pool at this height, although that is not too surprising.

But swimming to the edge won't be quite as risky as it looks. While the water in the infinity pool seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool. 

The pool stretches 150 metres, three times the length of an Olympic swimming pool. If you fancy a dip in this pool, you'll need to let go of the fear of heights - it's 55 storeys up.

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The Bridge of Immortals, HuangHsan, China

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Strangely-shaped granite peaks, amazing scenery, beautiful sunsets and striking heights. The Yellow Mountains in eastern Asia is really something every person should experience.

The world’s highest bridge, The Bridge Of Immortals, is situated in the Yellow Mountains, also known as Huangshan. From the bridge you will have a breathtaking view of the mountainside that lays beneath, and see how the clouds are touches the mountains.

The worlds highest bridge located in Huangshan, China.

Having at least 140 sections open to visitors, Huangshan is a major tourist destination in China.

Much of Huangshan's reputation derives from its significance in Chinese art and literature. In addition to inspiring poets Huangshan and the scenery therein has been the frequent subject of poetry and artwork, especially Chinese ink painting and, more recently, photography. Overall, from the Tang Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, over 20,000 poems were written about Huangshan, and a school of painting named after it. James Cameron, director of the 2009 film Avatar, cited Huangshan as one of his influences in designing the fictional world of that film.
Source: Wikipedia

On the way up to the top of these mountains there are a lot of steps on steep cliffs you need to climb. They even have an optional side hike called the “South Heavenly Gate” which has 3 planks that you can balance on while holding on to a big chain that will keep you close to the cliff walls so you don’t fall. If you fear height, you probably shouldn’t take all the rough trips up the cliffs of the Yellow Mountains, but that has to be the only excuse, because it’s truly worth it.

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See-through homes Constructed Entirely Out Of Glass

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(c) Barcroft Media

Planned by architect Carlo Santambrogio, these houses are designed to made entirely made out of glass, even the bedroom and the staircase.  

(c) Barcroft Media

From changing to bathing, sleeping and eating, the blue hued glass cube would leave a little to the imagination.  Perhaps thats why the architect chose to use computer generated graphics of the Glass Concept Home in an imagined reclusive woodland, away from the snoopy eyes of the Peeping Toms.

(c) Barcroft Media

If the wintery scene looks a little freezing for you, dont panic, as the 7mm glass can be heated to give proper warmth. At £4,000 per square metre, a typical three bedroom family home would cost about £400,000 to build. But if you got money, architect and glass designer Santambrogio is willing to design almost any glass structure you can think of.

(c) Barcroft Media

Almost every aspect of the house is made of glass but it seems comfort still comes first. The bed is one of the only items not to be made of glass.
But if you crave privacy, this house may not be for you..!!

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River over River in Germany: The Magdeburg Water Bridge [VIDEO]

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The Magdeburg Water Bridge in Germany deserves a special mention. Opened in October 2003 and part of the Magdeburg crossing of waterways, it connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittellandkanal, crossing over the Elbe River. With a total length of 3,012 feet or 918 meters, it’s the longest navigable aqueduct in the world.

The Elbe–Havel Canal and Mittelland Canal canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe, which was at a significantly lower elevation than the two canals. Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometre detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before ascending to the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

The reunification of Germany and establishment of major water transport routes made the Water Bridge a priority again. Work started in 1997, with construction taking six years and costing €500 million. The water bridge now connects Berlin’s inland harbour network with the ports along the Rhine river.

 

More visuals here in the VIDEO below. Check out.

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Tanah Lot, Bali: The Temple On The Rock or the Sea Temple

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Tanah Lot, one of the most popular places to visit in Bali, Indonesia which means "Land in the Middle of the sea".  It is located on the coast of West Bali, at the village of Beraban in the Tabanan Regency. The temple is just 13km south west from Tabanan and a short drive from Kuta. It is also called Tanah Let which means ancient land and also Tanah Lod, which means the land to the south. The temple Pura Tanah Lot, simple in its construction, is dramatic in its ocean-front location and is one of the main temples in the worship of Balinese gods.

Tanah Lot, is built on top of a huge rock which is surrounded by the sea.The Tanah Lot temple has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of 7 sea temples, each within eyesight of the next, to form a chain along the south-western coast of Bali. On the footpath it can only be reached at low tide without getting wet. Travelers can reach the temple from the beach after a 50-meter long corridor of smoothed stones and fine dark sand. Once you arrive at the small island there is a short ascent towards the temple, where a gate barred the entrance to the temple. The temple can be entered only by believers. Only those who want to pray or conduct religious activities are permitted into the temple.

The guardians of the temples are poisonous snakes that are considered sacred and are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. The Balinese believe that they are the descendants of the snake god Basuki. Basuki is the protector of the sea temple and the meru with 5 roofs is built to honour this god. Poisonous sea snakes that have been found at the base of the rocky island.

You wont easily bump into the snakes though because they are dozing away throughout the day in the ridges of the cliff and there is always somebody to watch over them. Only at low tide do they move towards the temple to eat from the offerings placed by the Balinese people.

The main gate to the temple at Tanah Lot

Legend has it that in 1546 a roving Brahmin priest by the name of Danghyang Nirartha also called Ida Rauh Wawu Sakti or Danghyang Dwijendra arrived in Bali from neighbouring Java. It is said he crossed the water between the two islands on the leaf of a keluwih tree and landed near Negara. From Negara he travelled over much of Bali, having temples and shrines built along the way. In the case of Tanah Lot, he spied the small rock island just off the coast, set up camp there and, after local fisherfolk brought him gifts, he suggested they build a shrine on the island that’ll teach them to give gifts to strangers and strengthen the teaching of Hinduism. Tanah Lot is one of the spiritual destinations for Hindus from different countries.

The beauty of Tanah Lot sparkles out  in the late afternoon when the temple is silhouetted in the sunset.

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