53-Some Other Wonders of the World
Gravity Defying Place
Have you ever heard a place that defies gravity? Strange, isn't it? Laddaakh,
in Himaalayan ranges, has a Magnetic Hill where the car moves up a steep hill
with ignition off. It is situated 30 kms North to capital city Leh and is
located on the Leh-Kargil-Baltik national highway, at a height of 14,000 feet
above sea level. From a point the vehicle moves up at 20 km/hr. when the
helicopters and aircrafts come with in the radius of this hill, they start to
jerk. To avoid accidents, the fliers are advised to fly at specific speed and
height.
Giant Caves in Slovenia
are like an underground Grand Canyon
If you've ever wondered what the Grand Canyon would look like underground, a
visit to the Škocjan Caves may be in order. The series of cavernous chambers in
Slovenia is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and receives 100,000 visitors a
year. Its deep chasms and soaring walls have led to the place being called the
"underground Grand Canyon."
Believed to be among the world's
largest underground canyons, the location is like a tremendous bat cave.
Although the giant subsurface wonder is nowhere near the size of the actual
Grand Canyon, the cathedral-like spaces are still something to behold. "You'll
realize that you could fit a fat 45-story skyscraper in this subterranean
world," writes travel blogger Francis Tapon.
The Reka River rushes through the bottom of the limestone chasm and can be
viewed from a footbridge, nearly 150 feet high. Lonely Planet says it is "surely
the highlight of the trip."
Stalagmites and stalactites fill the cave in the dry area called Great Hall.
Some are so big they've been named the Giants and the Organ.
Then there are the signs of life: 250 varieties of plants and 15 different types
of bats. Also worth noting is the incredibly creepy
fish that have never seen the light of day. The proteus is a bizarre blind sea
creature dubbed the "human fish" due to its limbs and odd color.
Along with the flora and fauna, humans have had a presence in the underground
lair for some 10,000 years. Archeological digs have uncovered finds from a
settlement that dates from the Middle Stone Age to the Iron Age. The prehistoric
site is on view in the area called Tominč Cave.
Courtesy:
http://travel.yahoo.com/blogs/compass/giant-caves-slovenia-underground-grand-canyon-174736540.html
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