Amazing Sand Art

Sand animation, also known as sand art, is a term which has two meanings. It is the name given to a style of live performance art and to a type of animation. In the former, an artist creates a series of images using sand, a process which is achieved by applying sand to a surface and then rendering images by drawing lines and figures in the sand with one's hands.

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Five Most Stunning Treehouses

Homes with a view 

Tree houses appeal to the child in all of us and bring us closer to nature. At one point you probably dreamed of living among the birds in a house nestled on the leafy branches of a towering tree. Whether these structures are tiny shacks clinging to a single bough, unique treetop observatories or sprawling works of art spanning several trees, there’s something magical about treehouses. Here’s a look at 18 of the world’s most stunning treetop structures and the unique stories behind them.

Too High Tea House

Terunobu Fujimori’s tea house, Takasugi-an, which literally means “a tea house too high,” stands in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, atop three chestnut trees. The house is accessible only by ladder, and guests must remove their shoes and leave them on the platform before venturing inside for tea. As an architect, Fujimori is known for his innovative and often whimsical designs, and this freestanding structure certainly pushes the limits of a conventional teahouse.

 

Spirit Spheres

These spheres were created with the concept of “oneness” in mind, so the floor, walls and ceiling create one continuous space unlike a conventional building. They utilize biomimicry and are designed to fit into a forest setting without altering it. Free Spirit Spheres use trees as their foundation, which the designers say reflects our connectedness to nature, and because they’re suspended in the air, the human footprint is drastically reduced.

Temple of the Blue Moon

This charming treetop cottage is just one of the many treehouse lodgings available at Pete Nelson’s Treehouse Point in Issaquah, Wash. Nelson, a world-renowned treehouse builder and author, created this sustainable destination as a beautiful, educational getaway that provides visitors with a unique way to connect with nature. The Temple of the Blue Moon sits partway up a 300-year-old, 160-foot-tall Sitka Spruce and boasts skylights, built-in cedar beds and handmade quilts.

Redwoods Treehouse Restaurant

This gorgeous treehouse was built in New Zealand as part of a marketing campaign for Yellow Book. Amateur entrepreneurs were challenged to build a restaurant 30 feet up a redwood tree using only those resources they could find in Yellow Book’s directory. The treetop restaurant took 66 days to build and employed more than 60 businesses. Two thousand people dined in the Redwoods Treehouse Restaurant upon completion.

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Beautiful Beach Resorts

Fishing Lodge Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

Just 10 minutes from Punta Cana airport on the new 33,000-acre Cap Cana development, this hotel is the ideal family getaway. You can swim right out of many of the 299 Mediterranean-style villas, which all have kitchens, sofa beds, and either a balcony or patio. Horseback riding, paintball, sailing, fishing, and the Jack Nicklaus–designed Punta Espada Golf Course are in easy reach.

Magdalena Grand Beach Resort, Tobago

Although it’s situated in a gated luxury community of golf courses and vacation homes, there’s an untouched beauty to the surrounding nature trails and mangrove forests. That means guests at Magdalena Grand Beach Resort enjoy the thrills of back-to-nature adventure combined with the perks of a large resort development. All 178 rooms have marble baths, high-def flat screens, and ocean-view balconies.

Mancora Marina Hotel, Peru

Mention Peru, and most people think of Machu Picchu. But the country’s northern Pacific coast beaches are becoming hot spots for surfers and sun-worshippers. Many congregate at this new hotel from architect Jordi Puig. In the main building's stacked wooden cubes, floor-to-ceiling glass walls bring light and views of the vibrant landscape in to stark white modernist rooms. Steps lead down to a 90-foot infinity pool stretching toward the ocean.

Le Rêve, Playa del Carmen, Mexico 

An unpaved maze of roads leads the way to Le Rêve, an intimate, 25-suite boutique property with more romance and charm than its neighboring mega-resorts combined. Couples hang out in private hammocks by the garden suites, accented with colorful, locally sourced Mexican tiles. Bungalows come with private plunge pools overlooking a generous stretch of ocean. Snorkeling gear is on the house. 

El Sitio Hotel, Panama

Surfers are no longer the only ones lured to Panama’s Pacific beaches. Boldface names like Angelina Jolie have been spotted in the Pacific village of Pedasí, four hours from Panama City. That’s where you’ll find the rustic-but-stylish El Sitio Hotel. Accommodations range from rooms with bunk beds to oceanfront suites with private balconies; whitewashed walls, ceiling fans, and dark wood furnishings are a theme throughout.

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World's Best Sceneries

The natural scenery we see makes us realize how awesome the nature is. There are so many great landscapes we, most people, hope to see at least once in a lifetime. And when we don’t have the opportunity to travel, we start looking for nature scenery pictures. This post is meant to help those searching for them. I tried to create a collection of great looking photos, to inspire you and I hope you will enjoy it.

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Amazing and Exciting Pictures

Amazing pictures from all over the world

This show you some really beautiful pictures from all over the world. I hope that you will like them and I will be glad if you help me popularize this blog by telling friends, family etc. about it. Thanks and have a nice stay here!

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Impossible Amazing Cars!

Reinventing the car isn't easy. After all, we still use four wheels and internal combustion like we did more than a century ago. There are a few technological wonders that have defined the modern world.  The telephone, steam engine, radio, television and computer are all strong contenders.  However for their diversity, usefulness and the interest they all too often create the amazing cars of the world will be the top wonder for many people.  Over 50 million passenger cars are produced each year. That doesn't stop people from trying though, and more often than not those ideas don't work out. Have a look on these awesome cars: 

Shoe Car

House Car

Cat Car

Belly Car

Telephone Car

Double Car

Poodle Dog Car

Green Grass Car

Sand Car

Turtle Car

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New Zealand, The Perfect Destination!

The best kind of indie travel is inquisitive, spontaneous, and memorable.  It’s not the sort of trip that comes with a pre-printed itinerary granting two hours of “free time” on Wednesday night—it’s the kind of adventure that happens because, well, why not?

New Zealanders actually have a term for this: it’s called a “tiki tour” and is used to describe a trip that is neither direct nor efficient.  It is a meandering journey that is loosely planned, easily driven off course, full of unexpected discoveries and unplanned ice cream stops.

It’s no wonder that New Zealanders have a phrase like tiki tour — the country is set up for indie travel, both in terms of infrastructure and cultural values.   Here are a few factors that make New Zealand such a great destination for indie travel.

Add New Zealand to your multi-stop trip

New Zealand is the perfect destination to add to a longer, multi-stop trip. Having the time to really explore this awesome country is a huge benefit, and because of how far away it is from most other countries, just going there for a week or two might not make much financial sense. Below is an example of a multi-stop trip built on Indie that includes New Zealand.

Campervans

One of the most popular ways to travel around New Zealand is via campervan.  The geography (long and narrow) makes New Zealand easy to explore thoroughly by road, and the dramatic landscape and small towns along the two-lane highways make this the ideal setting for a road trip.

Along the way, campers stay at holiday parks or campsites.  Not only is this significantly cheaper than staying in hotels or hostels, but this is a great place to meet other travelers.  Holiday parks, in particular, emphasize the communal: shared cooking and dining facilities, lounge areas, entertainment rooms and bathrooms (though you probably won’t meet anybody here).

Campervanning is popular with domestic tourists as well as international travelers, so you’re likely to meet a well-mixed group of kiwis and foreigners.  New Zealanders are especially excited to promote the highlights of their country (I’ve gotten great recommendations for restaurants and fishing spots), and those who come from farther afield usually have some gems of their own.  You may even pick up some new travel companions.

Adventure sports 

Did you know that bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand?  So were jetboats (vessels designed to zoom over shallow, fast-moving water) and so was zorbing (speeding down a hill in a human-sized hamster ball).  It seems like there’s no height too high, no slope too steep, nor speed too unwieldy to be untamed by New Zealanders.

There are a number of reasons a healthy adventure sport industry developed in New Zealand, but perhaps the most influential factor is the government’s no-fault accident compensation policy.  If you break your arm on a bungee jump, the government pays for your doctor regardless of whose “fault” it was.

Life without lawsuits encouraged activities to be developed through trial and error — if something goes wrong, there is little risk to the operator.  It also encouraged a culture of informed caution and sensibility — because you don’t really want to break your arm, do you?

By accepting personal responsibility, travelers are afforded the chance to push themselves in new and exciting ways.  There are abundant opportunities to test your limits in New Zealand, arguably more than in a litigious society.

Op shops 

A history of living on an archipelago, far from anything you’d call a mainland, prevented a “throwaway” culture from developing.  New things have traditionally been hard, or at least expensive, to come by, and so you can’t take for granted that something is easily replaceable.  If the toaster’s broken, if you outgrow a sweater, or if you just have one too many coffee mugs, you certainly don’t go running to the rubbish bin.

Op shops (which is short for “opportunity shops” and is a much more pleasing way of saying “thrift stores”) are all over New Zealand and are always well-stocked.  This is where all things unwanted-but-salvageable are sent, including clothes, tents, sleeping bags, and cooking utensils.

Op shops are a boon for travelers packing light—if you need a jacket or a pair of hiking boots or a few spare t-shirts, hit up an op shop.  You can usually fill a suitcase for about $10.  And at the end of your trip, you can give it all back.

Local legends 

“World Famous in New Zealand”is the slogan for L&P, a kiwi soda that no one outside the country has ever heard of.  In addition to displaying an ironic sense of humor, the slogan illustrates how very proud New Zealand is of its own.

Be they actors, directors, musicians, writers, or athletes, New Zealanders who make a mark on the popular imagination are beloved.  What other country can you think of that puts a mountain climber on its currency?  Athletes, artists, and activists have made their mark on the culture more than any politician.

From $10 notes featuring Kate Sheppard (suffragette–did you know New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote?) to the statue of Richard O’Brian (who wrote the Rocky Horror Picture Show) as Riff Raff in Hamilton, this celebration of local heroes makes kiwi culture very accessible to travelers.  Just flip through a newspaper to get a feel for the cast of characters that constitutes New Zealand history and culture.  You’ll also get a strong understanding of the qualities valued here and the kinds of issues New Zealanders care about.

The arts 

When New Zealander Bret McKenzie won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012, he attributed some of his success to his home country:

“It’s a great place to grow up. You can do whatever you want there. Whereas in America I think everyone’s obsessed with their careers, in New Zealand you get to just live your dreams.”

I wouldn’t argue that the US doesn’t produce exceptional artists (and possibly partly because of that high-pressure culture of achievement), but New Zealanders do take a much different approach to work.  Thanks to a slower pace of life and a supportive social welfare system, it is not a risky dream to try and make it as an artist.  As such, the number of plays, concerts, festivals, and gallery openings in New Zealand’s cultural centres is wonderfully high.

What this means for travelers is an abundance of opportunities to see the creativity that life in New Zealand seems to inspire.  They might not all be Flight of the Conchords, but there are plenty of local artists to be appreciated.

Nature 

If the average person knows anything about New Zealand, it’s that it’s beautiful country.  This is the takeaway lesson from watching Lord of the Rings anyway (if you’re not familiar, Lord of the Rings is a popular documentary series about how beautiful New Zealand is).  Not only is it stunning, but the landscape is diverse: check out glaciers, beaches, forests, mountains, lakes, rolling pastures, and flat, ribbony rivers.

One reason New Zealand developed the reputation it did is that the countryside seems to be relatively untouched.  The low population density helps, but the fact is that New Zealanders have chosen to protect the most scenic areas as parks rather than plant them with condos and chain restaurants.  Don’t expect these priorities to change any time soon.  Nature is part of New Zealand’s identity — look for an array of native birds printed all over the currency and the fern fronds on flags and rugby jerseys — and its protection is considered paramount.

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World's Best Food!

Kebab, Turkey
For keeping starvation at bay for the entire student population of the United Kingdom, the doner kebab should clearly be honored. But they are hardly the delicious prototype worthy of representing a region.
Reader Elena Vorobyeva told us, "There are so many forms and shapes of it: doner, iskender kebab, shish kebab, chop shish kebab, orman kebab, etc."

So summon the shish kebab. Pick your meat, shove a stick through it, grill. Then wonder why you don’t eat like this every day.

 Ice cream, United States
Somehow there’s always room for a tooth-rotting, U.S.-style pile of ice cream with nuts, marshmallows and chocolate sauce.

Thank God for extra long spoons that allow you get at the real weight-gain stuff all mixed up and melted at the bottom of the glass. 

Other than a dietician, who wouldn't agree this is one of the best foods in the world?

 Massaman curry, Thailand

Although not the world's most delicious food, it is still emphatically the king of curries. Spicy, coconutty, sweet and savory, its combination of flavors has more personality than a Thai election.

Even the packet sauce you buy from the supermarket can make the most delinquent of cooks look like a Michelin potential. Thankfully, someone invented rice, with which diners can mop up the last drizzles of curry sauce.

Peking duck, China
"Peking duck! its a wonder.
We can only guess Shan Cao was in the middle of forking a piece of this maltose-syrup glazed duck dish into his/her mouth and forgot to finish the sentence.

Slow-roasted in an oven, the crispy, syrup-coated skin is so good that authentic eateries will serve more skin than meat, and bring it with pancakes, onions and hoisin or sweet bean sauce.
Other than flying or floating, this is the only way you want your duck.

Som tam (Papaya salad), Thailand
After reading reader Kun Chotpakdeetrakul's comment, "Papaya salad and som tam [are] the same thing.

You should combine vote for these two together," we did just that, pushing som tam to just 80 votes shy of the top five.

To prepare Thailand's iconic salad, pound garlic and chilies with a mortar and pestle. Toss in tamarind juice, fish sauce, peanuts, dried shrimp, tomatoes, lime juice, sugar cane paste, string beans and a handful of grated green papaya.

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World's Most Amazing Restaurants

Asiate, New York City 

The View: The 16-foot-high windows in this Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s restaurant, Asiate, offer views of Midtown Manhattan’s sleek vertical marvels and the leafy urban oasis of Central Park. From the elegant 35th-floor dining room, the buzz of the city recedes, leaving a glittering metropolis.

The Food: Chef Toni Robertson, a native of Burma, brings subtle Asian flavors and classical French training to the menu, with entrees like Atlantic halibut with shishito pepper and citrus sabayon, as well as Long Island duck with summer berries and hibiscus.

Tip: For a drink, a snack or afternoon tea, try the Mandarin Oriental’s 35th-floor Lobby Lounge, which also offers breathtaking views.

Ambrosia, Santorini, Greece 

The View: Perched on the edge of Santorini’s volcanic crater in the village of Oia, Ambrosia’s terrace tables look out over the steel blue Aegean Sea, the rocky caldera rim, and a gentle rise of volcanic islands.

The Food: Signature appetizers include baby calamari in pesto and ouzo along with salmon tartar with avocado, grapefruit, chilli and lemongrass. Move on to lamb cutlets with a red grape and mint sauce or shrimp with grilled mango.

Tip: Outdoor seating is available April through October. Reserve terrace tables a month in advance.

Rosellinis, Ravello, Italy 

The View: Terrace tables at Rosellinis—in the Palazzo Sasso—look out on the craggy cliffs and coves of the Amalfi Coast, where fishing boats dot the cerulean waters of the Mediterranean 1,000 feet below. If you want to sit inside (or can’t get a table outside), ask for a window seat or you won’t have a view. You’ll also find amazing views at the hotel’s less-acclaimed-but-still-wonderful Terrazza Belvedere.

The Food: Michelin-two-star Rosellinis looks to local Mediterranean ingredients for a Southern Italian menu peppered with updated Neopolitan dishes such as crystallized amberjack fillet served with roasted artichoke and potato salad with anchovy sauce.

Tip: Rosellinis is open only for dinner, and only from mid-March through October. Reservations are accepted, but tables are first-come, first-served. Arrive early for a terrace table and daylight views.

Le Jules Verne, Paris 

The View: From its perch on the Eiffel Tower’s second level, 410 feet above the ground, Le Jules Verne offers expansive views of the City of Light. Look out of bay windows over wide boulevards and slate gray rooftops at lunchtime, or go in the evening to see Paris’s twinkling lights.

The Food: The menu reflects the revered culinary traditions of France, but celebrity chef Alain Ducasse’s team brings a modern touch to classic recipes. Sea bass is cooked in its caramelized juices with just a splash of cream added at the end to intensify the flavor and lighten the dish. The wine list is 100 percent French.

Tip: Le Jules Verne reservations go fast; you can book a maximum of 3 months in advance through the website.

Baan Rim Pa, Phuket, Thailand 

The View: The crush of waves on the rocks below adds another sensory layer to romantic Baan Rim Pa, an open-air, two-story teak house on a cliff above a crescent of golden sand. The sun sets on boats bobbing against a backdrop of hills fading into the Andaman Sea.

The Food: Panaeng Ped (duck curry with lychee) and Goong Lai Sarong (prawns hand-wrapped in vermicelli and quickly fried) are highlights of the Royal Thai menu, which features recipes formerly served only in Thailand’s Grand Palace.

Tip: Don’t miss live jazz and blues in the piano bar, courtesy of American musician Tommy Doyle.

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