Snorkeling and The White Beach of Initao, Misamis Oriental

Last summer, me and my office mates went to travel and to see the beautiful beach of Initao Misamis Oriental, particularly the "Hapitanan", "Stop Over Place" in English. We choose Initao because one of our office mate, John's mother's hometown. We arrive at the beautiful place where it has a white sand, but not as white as those in Boracay, but still, it's white. The beach has some horses so could have a chance for some horse back riding. But the best part on the beach, is snorkeling! The beach has a healthy coral reefs, a wonderful place for snorkeling! We find our sunblocks and ready our way! It's my first time snorkeling so I was so excited.










The sun is up, as we swim our way, it is nice to snorkel when the sun is up so that the underwater will so clear and not dark. I got the chance to see what was under the sea. I was like, I was on a different world. Seeing those schools of fishes, large and tiny, with those different colors. I also got the chance to see Nemo in person! haha! I also found a black clown fish and and eel. It's another unforgettable experience because I only see this thing on movies like the Little Mermaid and other underwater movies.






Then our first swim was over and it is time for lunch! Eating time! We have to have our energy back for our second swim. Again the second time was also exciting. We went a little father from the shore and saw bigger fish. Unfortunately, the rain is coming and it made underwater dim. So we set off to shore. And spent the remaining time on the water and on the float. We even play splashing water! Haha!

The Window Made by the Sea, Azure Window

In Maltese, "Tieqa Żerqa", the Azure Window is perhaps the most spectacular landmark in the Maltese archipelago. It is a 50 meter high rock in the Dwejra Point cliffs. It shows a table-like rock over the sea, its is one of the most photographed vistas of the Maltese Islands. The rock is particularly spectacular during winter when waves crash high inside the arch. The sea has worn a hole through a narrow headland forming "the window" as the call it. Though now, the arch is in dangerous condition because large pieces of rock keep falling from the arch of the Azure window, sad to say, it is estimated that the arch will disappear in a few years.



Hope the government there will find ways to preserve it, so that the next generations can see this remarkable formation created by the sea. See this landmark now or else it will be gone in time.

The Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of South Africa. As one of the great capes of the South Atlantic Ocean, the Cape of Good Hope has been of special significance to sailors for many years and is widely referred to as "The Cape".

The term "Cape of Good Hope" was also used to indicate the early Cape Colony in the vicinity of the Cape Peninsula.


What's interesting about the Cape of Good Hope is its Flora and Fauna. The Cape ranges from rocky mountain tops to beaches and open sea, it is home to at least 250 species of birds. Examples of these are Ostrich, Bush birds, sunbirds and sugarbirds searching nectars from flowering plants. Lizards, snakes, tortoises and other small insect also inhabited the area. Zebras, eland, small mammals like rock hyrax, striped mouse, water mongoose, Cape clawless otter and white deer and baboons are also here.

The Cape is also an integral part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, th smallest yet richest of the world's six floral kindoms. This comprises of 1100 species of indigenous plants, which some are endemic. Coastal fynbos on alkaline sands and inland fynbos on acid soils, the two types of "Fine Bush" can be found here. The Cape of Good Hope is nominated to the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

White-Headed Mountain - Perpetually White Mountain

Koreans called it Baekdu-san, meaning "white-headed mountain". The Chinese named it Changbai Shan and in Manchu, Golmin Šanggiyan Alin, which means "perpetually white mountain". Baekdu Mountain is a volcanic mountain on the border between China and North Korea. It is the highest mountain of the Changbai mountain range to the north and Baekdudaegan mountain range to the south.


Located within the caldera atop the mountain is a large crater lake called Heaven Lake. Baekdu mountain is a stratovolcano about 5km wide and 850m deep. The lake has a circumference of 12 to 14 kilometres, with an average depth of 213 m and maximum depth of 384 m. From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is typically covered with ice. Its highest peak is called Janggan Peak, covered with snow about eight months of the year. Its slop is relatively gentle until about 1,800 metres.


The weather on the mountain can be very erratic. The annual average temperature at the peak is about -8.3 degrees Celsius. During summer, temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to -48 degrees Celsius. Average temperature is -24 degrees Celsius in January, 10 degrees Celsius in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year. Average wind speed is 11.7 meters per second, reaching an average of 17.6 m/s in December. Relative humidity averages 74%. In recent decades, there has been significant climate warming on the mountain. Summer snow cover on the peak has reduced dramatically during that time.

Resources:
Baekdu Mountain

Ali-Sadr Cave

One of the most beautiful and most unique natural phenomena in the world is the Ali-Sadr cave in the Hamadan province, Iran, views of which attract visitors' interest and attention. This huge cave is located 75Km due northeast of city of Hamadan in the heart of mountains called Subashi in the Kaboudar-Ahang town.

The cave was originally discovered during the reign of Darius I (521-485 BC) which can be verified by an old inscription at the entrance of the tunnel. However, the knowledge of the existence of the tunnel was lost, and only rediscovered in 1978 when a local shepherd followed the tunnel searching for water or a lost goat.

In the summer of 2001, a German/British expedition surveyed the cave to be 11 kilometers long. The main chamber of the cave is 100 meters by 50 meters and 40 meters high.

There were also discoveries of historical tools and works of arts aging thousands of years, including jugs and pitchers, indicates that humans lived in this place since 12000 years ago. The paintings of deer, gazelles and stags, the hunting scenes and the image of bow and arrow on the walls and passages of the exit section and prove the point that at the primitive historical ages and in the hunting era man was living in this cave. The age of this cave is 70 million years and now more than 16Km of its water and land routs have been explored, yet not all the routs are known and the exploration is continuing.

For more:
Iran Chamber Society
Hadi Islampanah Photo Gallery

Falls with the Greatest Volume

Boyoma Falls, located on the Congo river in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The waterfall is the world with the greatest volume flow of about 17 million litres per second over a drop of 60 m. The falls consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over 10 km (60 miles)along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At Kisangani, at the bottom of the falls, the Lualaba becomes the Congo Riverflowing generally westward. It has a total drop of 61 meters (200 feet). A rail line goes around the falls, connecting Kisangani and Ubundu.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyoma_Falls

The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World!

Alpamayo (Spanish: Nevado Alpamayo) is one of the most conspicuous peaks in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Peruvian Andes. It is a steep (sixty degrees), almost perfect pyramid of ice, one of a number of peaks that compose the Santa Cruz massif, the northernmost massif of the Cordillera Blanca.

Although smaller than many of its neighboring peaks, it is distinguished by its unusual formation and overwhelming beauty. It actually has two sharp summits, North and South, separated by a narrow corniced ridge. Its name comes from Quechua Allpa = earth Mayu = river: muddy river. On July 1966, on the German magazine "Alpinismus", a photo made by American photographer Leigh Ortenburger, came together with an article resulting from an international sourvey among climbers, photographers, etc, making the choice for Alpamayo as "The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World".

Will, as we can see in the images, it really is the most beautiful mountain. The snow and ice caps covering the moutain, making it like a floor of a heavenly ground. Maybe the gods lived there. .

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpamayo