Fascinating Landscapes....

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Ok. I voted for
the Chocolate Hills,
the underground river,
Mayon volcano and
Tubbataha reef in
this New7Wonders of Nature
Nomination kinda thing.
I still feel
our entries
deserve it and I am
glad they are until now
in the top 10 list.
But it doesn't mean
that my eyes
are shut on
other beautiful places.
Then, came this from
Forbes traveler......
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1. Skeleton Coast, Namibia
The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia.The Bushmen of the Namibian interior called it the region "The Land God Made in Anger", while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as "The Gates of Hell"



2. Western Highlands, Scotland

It is the jewel in the crown of the West Coast is the Isle of Skye.Although its latitude is about on par with Moscow, Scotland has an average temperature more in line with Georgia—as in Atlanta.

3.Taupo, New Zealand
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies in the southern Waikato Region.The Waikato River outside of Taupo flows turquoise through Huka Falls, and at Wai-O-Tapu, lakes come in colors like lime green and teal with an ochre fringe.



4.Cappadocia, Turkey
Visit central Turkey, and you will believe in fairies—or at least their dwellings. Cappadocia is a land of natural spires, called fairy chimneys by the Turks, formed by flimsy volcanic ash protected by capstones of basalt. Despite the name, the dwellings carved into the cliff- and spire-sides were built first by ancient peoples with Flintstone-like aesthetics, and later early Christians and then Byzantines, who constructed monasteries and churches complete with frescoes that can still be viewed today.

5. Uyuni, Bolivia
With 4,000 square miles and 10 billion tons of salt, the Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. Hills in the distance appear to float, the horizon acting as a giant mirror. The best time to visit is between March and May when the flats are free of water but are not yet freezing.



6. Inle Lake, Myanmar
Some landscapes are born beautiful; others, like Inle Lake in Myanmar, are made that way by man. Located in the hills of the Shan State northeast of the capital Inle Lake is a continual depository of silt from the encompassing hills, keeping it uniformly shallow. The Shan people have built their settlements around the lake, but also on it, constructing floating gardens of weeds and entire villages on teak stilts. Buddhist stupas glint gold on the surrounding hilltops as villagers exchange goods from boat to boat, one carrying a load of Inle carp and the other bushels of rice.

7. Tepui (Tabletop) Mountains, Venezuela
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Lost World" actually exists. The book was inspired by a report about Venezuela's tepui mountains, massive tables of stone that rise thousands of feet from the jungle with almost sheer edges. The difficulty of reaching the plateaus and their distinct climate has over the millennia created unique, unclassified flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. Mount Roraima is the most commonly accessed of the tepui.




8. Li River Valley, China
The Li River Valley in the Yangshuo region is home to what geologists call tower karst, forested limestone pillars that erode from without and within, feeding the Li River with countless waterfalls. Visitors explore the region by boat, bike, and scooter, taking in the rare landscape that is as foreign as the language spoken in it.

9.Redwood National Park, United States
It is one thing to be dwarfed by stone, formed and sculpted over millions of years. It is another to feel the same in the presence of living organisms that exist on the same scale. Giant redwoods still cover hundreds of square miles of California's coast, reaching up to nearly 400 feet and 2,000 years of age. The first branches begin at about 250 feet and are often shrouded in mist, making the experience of walking between the trees rather like that of a bug scuttling through the legs of humans.



10. Petra, Jordan
Although Mt. Sinai is only a few hundred miles off, it is the stones of Petra that appear to burn and burn without burning up. The scarlet sandstone of the Rose-Red City is streaked with whites and purples and yellows in patterns that evoke flickering flames. The approach to the city is through a narrow gorge with 600-foot walls that open up into the larger canyon, and the hikes all over the site are littered with fantastic rock patterns of dripping, bursting, and dancing color. And, oh yeah, the 2,500-year-old Nabataean city carved into the cliff face is pretty cool, too.

....with these landscapes, who would still think of wanting to go to heaven?kkk.