Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is the largest known rift in the world. The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge that were made by the Colorado River in north Arizona, USA. It is because of heavy mineral deposits that one can see the canyon as bright red, brown and orange in color.

This canyon is a part of the large Grand Canyon national park designated by Theodore Roosevelt. The park is almost 277 miles long and 4 to 18 miles wide. The canyons are the main point of attraction in the nation park.

The president of The United States, Theodore Roosevelt, used to quite often come to the national park for enjoyment and hunting. Statistics show that the canyons were made by the Colorado River some six million years ago and have the deepest depth, of over a mile. It is said that the river started cutting layers of rocks from the west initially and gradually moved to the east. The place was inhabited by the Native Americans who lived within the caves. The site during this time was a holy place for the pilgrims and the first person to explore this part of the world was a European guy who arrived from Spain to this site in 1540. During the year 1869, Major John Wesley Powell made the first recorded journey to this place.

Some of the best adventures that a tourist can indulge into are Colorado River rafting, helicopter tours and other guided tours via land. One can stay in the best Grand Canyon hotels and lodges to make the journey memorable.

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Amalfi Drive & Coast

The Stretch of the Amalfi Drive is next to the coastline of Sorrento and is known for its beauty. This is a one way road and thus experiences a lot of traffic. While on your way to the Amalfi, one would pass through Pasitano, which is a place that is close to the mountains, and you can view the sea on the other end. On the way there are a lot of villages also.

The life in Amalfi is very active and busy. That is the reason a lot of time is consumed if one wants to just cross the streets next to the harbor or go uphill. While going uphill can be big fun, coming down is not very interesting as it does not offer much as the path is extremely narrow. The best part to do in places like Amalfi is to find out places that are not meant for visitors as in some interiors, hence difficult to locate however, offer better and more personalized services.

Tourists can also go in for a boat ride along the harbor. The view from the water to the mountain is just splendid. Tourists must plan how to go to this place if hiring taxies or going by buses because the parking space in Amalfi Drive is so narrow, the buses have a specific time slot of entry and exit. One can hire a private Limousine with an English speaking driver who would drive you along the coast. The place has some worth restaurants that offer seafood to seafood lovers.

Many beach towns are located on the Amalfi Coast, including Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Ravello, Scala, Atrani, Amalfi, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Praiano and Positano.

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Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib or Harmandar Sahib)

The Golden Temple in India, which is often called the “Darbar Sahib or Harmandar Sahib” by the Indians, is one of the oldest places of worship for the ‘Sikhs’ and is located in Amritsar, Punjab. It is considered one of the holiest, blessed and sacrosanct places in India. It is a symbol of both beauty and peace. The temple is surrounded by a small man-made lake which has tons and tones of fishes in it. This lake is supposed to have holy water. The temple can be entered from four different sides and thus symbolizes openness, acceptance. This concept is based on the old tents which were open from all four sides, welcoming travelers from all directions.

The Golden Temple has three holy trees. There is also a small Sikh Museum near the Ghanta Ghar in Amritsar which is very rich in information, especially for the first time visitors. The entire top of the temple is made of pure gold and thus adds a lot of pride and beauty to the entire temple.

During the earlier days, this place was a huge lake surrounded by a thin line of forests. It is also said that Buddha journeyed to find out the real meaning of life spent some considerable time in this place. The first guru of the Sikh community called the Guru Nank also used to meditate in this peaceful place and years after he passed away, many of his disciples kept coming back to the site and then it finally became a sacred place. It was during the Fifth Guru, Arjana when the Temple was finally built 1604. It was Guru Arjan who installed the “Guru Granth Sahib” in the temple and appointed the first reader in August 1604. The temples architecture is that of both Hindu and Muslims. On many occasions, it was destroyed by a certain set of community and rebuilt by the Sikhs.

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Kashmir Valley

Kashmir is a beautiful valley lying between the Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. It is situated in the northwest region of India and is 135 km long and 32 km wide. It is said that if there is heaven on earth, then it is in Kashmir. Kashmir was made by the Jhelum River, it is said that during earlier days, it was an imperative part for the Hinduism and later for Buddhism. Srinagar is the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir is known for its breathtaking scenic beauty. The Kashmir Valley is in the shape of a saucer. The local people of Kashmir are mostly into agriculture and lead a very plain and simple life. The summer capital vfg is known for a very beautiful place called the Seven Springs. Visitors can see the beauty through the beautiful trolleys. I went to this divine place when I was doing my primary school and during those days, the trolley was open and could only accommodate 2 people. It was a very scary, yet a magnificent site from the up.

Shikaras, also called as the wooden boats in Srinagar are yet again another breathtaking place to visit. In the clam beautiful lake with a picturesque view, everything looks beautiful just like a fresh canvas painting with bright and nice colors. Visitors spend a lot of time in this place. One can hire houseboats or rent and stay for as long as they want. The interiors of the houseboats are simply exotic. Kashmir is a hot piece of property for India, however, is being eyed by Pakistan. Despite the constant terror that prevails in Kashmir, visitors under army protection find it extremely safe to visit it.

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Pompeii (Forgotten City)

Pompeii, also known as the forgotten city, was a Roman settlement that was devastated by volcanic eruptions in 79 A.D. It is located in the province of Naples (Campania, Italy).The city was first occupied by Romans in the 6th century and converted into a Resort city. The Pompeii city is an attraction for archaeologists from all over the world due to the fact that most of the architectures has been preserved by the ashes from the volcanic eruption.

The volcano that was responsible for the destruction of Pompeii is called Mount Vesuvius. The eruptions from the volcano were so strong that the buildings and the people were covered in twelve thick layers of mud and ash. After the city was covered in volcanic ashes, it was slowly forgotten and erased from the history books until it got rediscovered in 1738 by workers working for King of Naples.

Before Pompeii succumbed to the eruptions, it used to be a blossoming township and a progressive commercial port of the Sarno River in Italy. The most notable buildings that have been excavated from the ashes are a Roman basilica and an amphitheatre. The excavations also include many intact wall paintings, pottery and coinage. Pompeii was one of the earliest excavated cities in the world, where archeological work started in 1738.

In today’s world, University of Bradford is responsible for most of the excavations and provides the history of the great city in the form of photos available on the internet. Pompeii city is a highly visited tourist place due to its unique architectural designs and

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Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom)

Hagia Sophia, also known as the “Church of the Holy Wisdom”, is located in Istanbul, Turkey. The church has been turned into a museum now. The church was made by the first Christian Emperor – Constantine the Great, who is also known as the founder of Constantinople. This church is the greatest church out of the many churches he built in many cities. The church which stands today is nothing of the original one due to the destruction that occurred through time. When the original Hagia Sophia was destroyed, it was rebuilt by Theodosius the Great, but sadly it was burnt down again in the Nika riots of 532. Some of the remains can still be seen after deep excavations.

Hagia Sophia is the greatest example of Byzantine architecture built with beautiful mosaics, galleries and pillars. Many of it mosaic paintings are great samples of the Byzantine’s culture and artisitic levels. The building is an architectural wonder and survived many earthquakes. The church has great influence on Muslim, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox worlds.

The church has been destroyed and restored many a times. The most notable restoration was done by Abdulmecid II, who called upon Swiss architects to restore the damaged dome, pillars and other exterior work. In 1934, the church was turned into the Ayasofya Museum by the Turkish President – Kemal Ataturk. The change involved removal of prayer rugs, and some of the calligraphic panels were moved to other mosques. In today world, Hagia Sophia still stands strong, thanks to UNESCO, which has taken the task of preserving the site by cleaning and restoring the great church.

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Yellow River (Huang He)

The Yellow River (also called the Huang He) is the second longest river in the People’s Republic of China and is the sixth longest in the world being about 3,010 miles (4,845 km) in length. In china it is known by both positive and negative nicknames. The positive one being “the cradle of China” because it is the birthplace of northern Chinese civilization and the negative one being “China’s sorrow” because of the flooding that occurs that causes a large amount of damage.

The Yellow River is called "the cradle of Chinese civilization", as its basin is the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilizations and was the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. But frequent devastating flooding when the silt washed down from the upper reaches elevated the river bed in its lower course higher and higher, sometimes above the level of the surrounding fields, has also earned it the unenviable names "China's Sorrow" and "Scourge of the Sons of Han."

According to China Exploration and Research Society, the source of the Yellow River is at 34 29 31.1N, 96 20 24.6E near the eastern edge of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The source tribituaries drain into Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake on the western edge of Golog Prefecture high in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in the far west of China. In the Zoige Basin along the boundary with Gansu Province, the Yellow River loops northwest and then northeast before turning south, creating the "Ordos Loop", and then flows generally eastward across northern China to the Gulf of Bohai, draining a basin of 752,443 square kilometres (290,520 sq mi) which nourishes 140 million people with drinking water and irrigation.

The river is commonly divided into three stages. These are roughly the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, the Ordos Loop and the North China Plain. However, different scholars have different opinions on how the three stages are divided.This article adopts the division used by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission

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