I am very fond of beautiful things. I always capture beautiful places, beautiful faces and buy beautiful things within my means. Nature has always been my subject because nothing and no one can ever compare to the beauty of nature. There are so many amazing things in the world that really exist and that which are not easily captured. So many places that we thought only exist in fairy tale books and fantasies...Some are bizarre, some are exotic,most are magical and beautiful, others are horrifying and a good portion are awe-inspiring...Well not anymore because this hub will show you that mystic and magical places do exist in real life...And once again, I would like to believe that dreams are fragments of reality.
10. Tunnel of Love (Ukraine)
This magical place is found in Kleven, Ukraine. It is a 1.8 mile long tunnel of luscious green leaves that looks as if it was taken from a dream or from a movie. This Tunnel of love is actually a passageway of a private train that delivers wood to a local factory three times a day. The tunnel was made many years ago and the regular passage of the train has shaped and molded the tree lines at the edges. This natural architecture shows how beautiful it can be if mother nature is allowed to grow freely on and around a man-made structure.
The tunnel of love is also popular to all tourists that visit Ukraine. It is believed to have magical influence especially on lovers. It is said that if lovers are true to their feelings, the Tunnel of love can grant their wishes thus it is not only captured in nature photographs but in weddings as well.
9. The Black Forest (Germany)
Located in the suburbs of Western Germany in Baden-Wurttemberg, Black Forest is not only famous for its high-precision cuckoo clocks but also for its beautiful scenery. Tourists from all over the world flock yearly to see the beauty and mystic that bounds this wooded mountain range where the Danube river originates. It looks as if this place is dragged out directly from fairy tale books.
Tourism is the main industry in the Black Forest. Aside from towns and monuments, the area also is famous for its numerous long distance footpaths including some of the first to be established. The total networks of tracks amounts to 23,000 kilometers and are being maintained by a volunteer organization known as Schwarzwaldverein (Black Forest Society) with more than 90,000 members.
8. Tianzi Mountain (China)
"People who have climbed Tianzi mountain, will not climb any other mountains". This is the comment often heard from people after reaching the peak of Tianzi Mountain which is located in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Hunan Province. Such place is so magical and magnificent offering a panoramic view of the entire Wulingyuan area at the peak of 1,262 meters above sea level so Acrophobics beware!!
At the peak of the Tianzi Mountain, visitors can see the stunning views of the YuBi (Imperial brushes) rising one after another. Such scenery is so natural and primeval with no artificial touches whatsoever. It is believed that these peaks were formed from neptunic rocks that subsided from the ocean 380,000,000 years ago. The name Tianzi originated from a local farmer Xiang Dakun of Tujia ethnic group who led the farmers' revolt and who called himself Tianzi which means Son of Heaven.
Tianzi Mountains can be visited anytime of the year because every season, the peaks offer spectacular views that can't be compared with any other. It is accessible through a cable car and the ride takes a little more than 6 minutes. And in the midst of people complains and noises and long queues while waiting for the cable car to arrive, I'd say the trouble is all worth it...
Trivia: The Hallelujah mountain featured in the blockbuster Avatar film was inspired by the Tianzi mountain peaks...
7. The Door to Hell (Turkmenistan)
The Door to Hell is situated in Derweze area which is a village in Turkmenistan in the middle of the Karakum Desert. The inhabitants are semi-nomadic and they are composed of 350 people who were disbanded by the President of the government in 2004 saying that they were an unpleasant sight to tourists.
Derweze is rich in natural gas and the Door to Hell Gas crater was a product of miscalculation and mistake made by the Soviet geologists in 1971 when they accidentally tapped on a cavern filled with natural gas while drilling. The ground collapsed leaving a large hole 70 meters in diameter. As a safety precaution, geologists decided to burn the gas off and to prevent poisonous gas discharge. Much to their surprise, the fuel that they hoped to burn in one day continued burning up to this day. The gas crater was then called the Door to Hell and has attracted thousands of brave souls every year. It's been burning for more than 40 years now...
6. Trees Cocooned in Spiders' Web (Pakistan)
Heavy monsoon rains flooded 1/5 of the total land area of Pakistan in 2010. As a result, millions of spiders sought refuge on trees especially those trees that lined the farms and rivers in the village of Sindh. Due to the slow receding of water, these arachnids have established their homes in the trees and in the process managed to enrobe the entire trees with their silky webs. People of Sindh admitted that it has never happened before. It was their first time to actually witness such phenomenon. The photos have circulated in the net and millions of people did not believe it to be true. But National Geographic has proven that such pictures and such phenomenon actually exist. As matter of fact, if you go under the tree, hundreds of tiny spiders will fall on your head. Although their kind still remains a mystery, these arachnids have proven their worth by eating mosquitoes and trapping them on their webs before they pester the citizens living near stagnant waters.
Other Magical Phenomenon...light pillars
5. Fly Geyser, Nevada
Fly Geyser or Fly Ranch Geyser is a small geothermal geyser located in Washoe County, Nevada. It is 5 feet in height but it is 12 feet if the mount to where it sits on is included which is continuously growing. It is privately owned by Todd Jaksick, the owner of the Fly Ranch. Fly Geyser is not entirely a natural phenomenon. Just like the Door to Hell Derweze Gas crater, Fly Geyser is a product of a human mistake. It was accidentally created by well-drilling in 1964 while in search of a geothermal source of energy. Some say that the well may not have been well-capped or left unplugged but the end result is the continuously rising and accumulating dissolved minerals creating the travertine mound. Water is constantly released at a height of 5 feet in the air. It contains several terraces that discharge water directly to 30-40 travertine pools over an area of 30 hectares. The brilliant color of the mound is due to the presence of thermophillic bacteria although several concentrated and deposited minerals are also present.
4. Mount Roraima in South America
Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of Tepui Plateau in South America and is known to be one of the oldest geological formation on Earth dating back to 2 billion years ago in the Precambrian period. Flora and Fauna on top of the tabletop mountain is endemic in the area and it rains almost everyday. Some people regard Mount Roraima as a sacred mountain but most people consider it magical and mysterious especially with the constant presence of clouds just below the tabletop...There are also numerous limpid pools and un-worldly rock formation on top.
3. Enchanted River (Surigao Del Sur, Philippines)
The Hinatuan River is popularly known as the enchanted river. It is currently one of the cleanest river in the Philippines. A lot of people say the photos in the internet are photo-shopped but such is the essence of the Enchanted river. It is so clear to the point of being unbelievable...The Enchanted river got its name because of the consistent belief by the locals that the river is a dwelling for ethereal beings such as fairies and elves. Fishermen swear that they see so many fishes of diverse kinds in the waters but has never been able to catch any...as in never no matter how they tried, by net, by hand or by spear. Fishing nets are laid at night only to find them hanging on the tree branch in the morning. A foreigner also tried to plunge the depths of the visible riverbed and was astonished to find that it's unfathomable...some people also were reported seeing two-long haired females with alabaster skin swimming in the waters and vanishing into swirls of fireflies, lastly, boatmen report seeing boulders in the water with distorted images one day and find them gone the next...
Every 12 noon swimmers and visitors alike are requested to leave the water for one hour to feed the fishes. The Hinatuan hymn is played and as if on cue, groups of fishes of different kinds come out of nowhere and feed on food scraps given by the caretakers. The water is so deep that caretakers demand for life jackets to be worn by those who are not skilled in swimming. The natural bluish pool is 50-80 meters deep and flows directly to the Pacific ocean. The deepest part is said to have strong sea currents connected to a trench...that's why the water here is salty...
2. Shimmering Shores of Vaadho, Maldives
The shores of Vaadho, Maldives resembles a sea of stars at night with the spectacular display of bluish-white glow aligning the sea shores. The bluish-white shimmers come from the luminescent plankton species that found on the shore waters. This shimmering shore seems to mirror the star-studded sky at night and one would definitely be lost in enchantment and magic upon seeing this phenomenon.
The phytoplankton species are especially known for their bioluminescence and the primary species that lined the Maldives shore are the dinoflagellates. Such species' cell membranes reacts to electrical signals (such as the sea current) that makes it glow.
1. Glen Brittle, Scotland
Glen Brittle is a large glen (valley that is typically deep, long and u-shaped) in the south of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is surrounded by the highest mountains in Skye known as the Cuillin. Many tributaries (streams that flow directly to the main stem river or lakes) flow down from these mountains into the glen including the famous and spectacular stream with waterfalls known as the "fairy pools". There is also the sandy beach at the southernmost point of the glen which is very popular to tourists, hikers and bikers. There is campsite near the beach where campers can enjoy the night and is considered the finest campsites in the country. Different species of animals abound in the area and are often seen by tourists freely roaming the valley into the forests. The view of the cuillin mountains is a gem and jaw-dropping in its natural majesty.
Truly one of the most magical places to see...Glen Brittle is a place one shouldn't miss in his lifetime.
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