Pamukkale in Turkey, Denizli

 Turkey - Denizli  Comments Off
Apr 072013
 

Introduction :
Pamukkale which means cotton castle in Turkish is a natural site located in the Denizli province of Turkey. THe entire city contains hot springs and travertines together with terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flow of the waters making it an important tourist attraction in the region together with the ancient city of Hierapolis which is built on top of the castle. Due to its scenic natural beauty, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1988. There are a total of 17 natural hot water springs on the Pamukkale’s terrances with temperate raning from 35 deg to 100 deg and is extremely popular with tourists.

Southern side of Glen Coe
View from above of the town at Pamukkale

Southern side of Glen Coe
Closer look at one of the travertine hot springs
Image attribution to Denverbabushka @ Wiki

Viewing the travertine landscapes from above
Viewing the travertine landscapes from above
Image attribution to adam79 @ Flickr

A great place for relaxation
A great place for relaxation
Image attribution to ykpoon2010 @ Flickr

History :
The Romans gain control over the region in 129 BC and built a city named Hierapolis near the Pamukkale which was founded by Apollo. It was considered the sacred hot springs whose gases were associated with Pluto, who was the ruler of the underworld in Greek mythology. The natural hot springs in the Pamukkale has been used as a spa since the Romans took control due to its high mineral content and scenic beauty.

Hanging wall of limestone
Hanging wall of limestone
Image attribution to Paddy @ wiki

The hot springs area of Pamukkale
The hot springs area of Pamukkale
Image attribution to TheBrockenInaGlory @ wiki

Beautiful sunset at the unique landscapes of Pamukkale
Beautiful sunset at the unique landscapes of Pamukkale
Image attribution to yumen @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Pamukkale is the Denizli Cardak Airport (DNZ) served by flights from the capital Istanbul itself and is 65 km away from Pamukkale. The closest international airport is the Dalaman Internatiaonl Airport (DLM) which is 137 km away from the attraction.

Glen Coe in Scotland, Highland council

 Scotland - Highland  Comments Off
Apr 052013
 

Introduction :
Glen Coe is a famous U-shaped valley lying in the southern part of Lochaber in the Highland Council of Scotland. It is widely considered to be the most beautiful place in Scotland with its spectacular scenery of high mountain peaks, ridges and waterfalls that creates a magical landscape to be explored. The Glen Coe is formed during the Ice Age glaciation and is about 16 km long with a valley floor of less than 700 metres wide.

Beautiful scenery at the Glen Coe
Beautiful scenery at the Glen Coe

Southern side of Glen Coe
Southern side of Glen Coe
Image attribution to Wojsyl @ Wiki

The Glencoe Falls is a litle cascade shaped falls just over 12 feet
The Glencoe Falls is a litle cascade shaped falls just over 12 feet
Image attribution to jarodcarruthers @ Flickr

The A'Chailleach
The A’Chailleach
Image attribution to Kim_Traynor @ Wiki

History :
Geologically, Glen Coe itself is the remains of an ancient supervolcano that erupted with the maximum Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). The landscape was then further shaped by ice giaciation over 10,000 years ago. Glen Coe is often said to mean Glen of Weeping with reference to the infamous Massacre of Glen Coe which took place in the region in 1692. In mythological terms, Glen Coe is also supposed to be the birthplace of Ossian which is a character from Irish Mythology.

Herd of red deer in the lost valley
Herd of red deer in the lost valley
Image attribution to Arje @ Flickr

The Black Rock Cottage
The Black Rock Cottage
Image attribution to cjc @ Flickr

Glen Coe from Fraochaidh
Viewing Glen Coe from Fraochaidh
Image attribution to Graham Lewis @ Flickr

Beautiful sunrise in Glen Coe
Beautiful sunrise in Glen Coe
Image attribution to dave_apple @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to Glen Coe is the Glasgow International Airport which is connected by bus to Glen Coe which is located off the main A82 road and takes around 2-3 hours to get there.

Borobudur Buddhist Stupa in Indonesia, Central Java

 Indonesia - Central Java  Comments Off
Apr 032013
 

Introduction :
The Borobudur is a Mahayana Buddhist Stupa temple located in Magelang of the Central Java province in Indonesia. It is widely considered by many as one of the greatest buddhist monuments ever built with 55,000 square metres of lava rock with six square platforms below and three circle platforms on top decorated with 2672 relief panels and 504 statues of Buddha and a main dome Stupa right on top at the center of the Borobudur. Built in the 9th century, the Borobudur was designated as a World Heritage site since 1991 and is Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction excluding the island of Bali in the count. On June 2012, the Borobudur was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Buddhist archaeological site in the world.

View of the Borobudur from far and the surrounding gardens
View of the Borobudur from far and the surrounding gardens
Image attribution to Anandajoti @ Wiki

Closer look at one side of the complex
Closer look at one side of the complex
Image attribution to tianyaka @ Flickr

Buddha statue in one of the half opened stupa looking down from the temple
Buddha statue in one of the half opened stupa looking down from the temple
Image attribution to Jeekc @ Wiki

Stupas around the temple
Stupas around the temple
Image attribution to Bennylin @ Wiki

History :
The Borobudur was built between 750 AD and 842 AD to honour the glory of both Buddha and its found, king Bodhisattva. The temple was a sacred place for Buddhist prilgrams from the 9th to 14th century until the Javanese converted to Islamic religion which brought about the decline of Hindu kingdoms in Java. For centuries, the monument has been hidden under deep layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth until Sir Stamford Raffles learnt about the hidden monument and sent a team of Dutch Engineer HC Cornelius with 200 men to find the Borobudur. The monument was finally revealed after cutting and burning down of trees and digging away the earth. The whole complex was fully unearthed in 1835. A major restoration project in 1973 was funded by UNESCO and the Borobudur was once again open as a place of worship and pilgrimage for Buddhists and tourists.

Main stupa of Borobudur stands just behind
Main stupa of Borobudur stands just behind

View of the Borobudur from far and the surrounding gardens
Wall cravings around the temple
Image attribution to Anandajoti @ Wiki

Really nice sunset scenery shot taken at the Borobudur
Really nice sunset scenery shot taken at the Borobudur
Image attribution to doliveck @ Flickr

View of the surroundings from the temple
View of the surroundings from the temple
Image attribution to beberonline @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the attraction is the Adisucipto International Airport (JOG) that serves the region of Yogyakarta and is well connected domestically as well as to nearby countries like Singapore and Malaysia. From the airport, it takes generally around one and a half hours on a taxi ride to the Borobudur which is 47 km away.

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