Sun Cruise Ship on the top of the Cliff

Sun Cruise sitting high and dry on the coastal cliff of Jeongdongjin.

To get to Sun Cruise Hotel and Yacht from Jeongdongjin Beach, I could only walk. Public transport was out of question as there was only one bus (Bus 109) going to the Hotel every two hours. Flagging down a taxi was also not easy as empty taxis were few and far between.

The slope leading to the Hotel was steep, probably about 50° gradient. I could feel the full force of gravity acting down on me as I struggled my way up. The fortunate thing was the distance to overcome was not too long.  It took about 15-20 minutes to get to the top but it was worthwhile effort.

Aqueduct Bridge — Netherlands

The Ringvaart (known in full as Ringvaart of the Haarlemmermeer Polder) is a canal in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. The Ringvaart (Dutch meaning “ring canal”) is a true circular canal surrounding the Haarlemmermeer polder and forms the boundary of the Haarlemmermeer municipality. Ringvaart is also the name of the dike bordering the canal.

Near Roelofarendsveen, the Ringvaart crosses the A4 Highway by means of an aqueduct. It was built in 1961, making it the oldest aqueduct in the Netherlands. In 2006, construction was completed of two new portions: on the east side for crossing new north-bound lanes for the expanded highway; and on the west side for the new HSL-Zuid high-speed railway. The new aqueduct is 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) long. Link

10 Wonders of the New China

10 Wonders of the New China It's a hotbed of innovative architecture, from diaphanous theaters to buildings heated and cooled by water

China 's current building boom is doing more than sucking up the world's supply of steel -- it's creating a stage for some of today's boldest architecture and engineering.

 

1. The Commune, Beijing First phase completed 2002, expansion scheduled for completion in 2010

China 's current building boom is doing more than sucking up the world's supply of steel -- it's creating a stage for some of today's boldest architecture and engineering. Take a tour of the 10 of the most intriguing examples.

Even if the Commune didn't sit beside that wonder of the ancient world, the Great Wall of China , it would still qualify as a wonder. The complex includes houses by 12 of Asia 's leading architects. It was conceived by married real-estate developers Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, who gave each architect a $1 million budget. Shigeru Ban, the Japanese architect most famous for the paper houses he designed for refugees of the Kobe earthquake, designed the Furniture House, featuring the laminated plywood typically used for modular furniture, and China's Yung Ho Chang created the Split House, which takes the idea of a boxy dwelling, slices it in half, and spreads it out like a fan.
The Commune is now operated as a boutique hotel by the Germany luxury hotel group Kempinski, which is responsible for an upcoming expansion, which will feature 21 homes (including replications of the originals). One element will remain untouched in the new development: the Commune's private pedestrian trails, which trace untouched sections of the Great Wall.

10 Places You Don’t Want To Live

The world is a giant jigsaw puzzle, spotted with both exquisitely beautiful and potentially dangerous places. While you may dream of spending a lifetime in some of the true paradises-on-earth, you should be equally wary of stepping up in some real hell spots for your own safety. But not everyone is fortunate enough to get a cozy and safe home and there are places on earth where people are actually living on the edge of peril.

Here are top 10 such nightmarish places on earth where you would never want to live:

Dharavi in Mumbai, India

The slums of Mumbai

Roughly half the residents of Bombay live in crowded slums such as these.

Photo from bwillen

Sprawling over 175 hectares between Mahim and Sion, Dharavi has emerged as the largest slum of Asia inhabiting a population exceeding 600,000. Dharavi has its rival in Orangi Town in Karachi, Pakistan that has a notorious filth and expanse. Dharavi presents a brighter picture as a cheap pocket in the midst of expensive Mumbai where you could stay for as low as 4 US dollars rent per month.

10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

1. The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure

Originally built by King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century, Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill of Lhasa, Tibet. Destroyed by lightning and war, Potala Palace had been rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1645. Since then, Potala Palace has become the seat of Dalai Lamas and also the political center of Tibet. The thirteenth Dalai Lama extended it to the present size, 117 meters (384 ft) in height and 360 meters (1,180 ft) in width, covering an area of more than 130, 000 sq meters (about 32 acres). Mainly comprised by the White Palace (administerial building) and the Red Palace (religious building), Potala Palace is famous for its grand buildings, complicated constructions, devotional atmosphere and splendid artworks.

World’s Top 10 Longest Single Span Bridges

1. Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Japan – 1,991 m

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan heads the list of the top 10 longest single spand bridges in the world. Europe’s longest singel span bridge is the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark, although current plans for a bridge between mainland Italy and Sicily across the Messina straights would surpass it if given the go ahead. The Tsing Ma (Hong Kong to China), has the longest span for a bridge with both road and train traffic.

The World’s Most Spectacular Roads

10. Stelvio Pass, Italy

48 hairpin turns up to a 2757m (9045ft) pass in the Italian Alps, and Top Gear’s pick for “greatest driving road in the world.” Photo: Damian Morys Foto

World’s 10 Most Colorful Chinatowns

1. Singapore

Singapore’s Chinatown, once home to the first Chinese settlers in what’s now a heavily Westernized city-state, is one of its few distinctly Asian neighborhoods. The enclave was home to the area’s earliest Chinese settlers. Several of its institutions, such as the Heritage Centre, Food Street, and Night Market, preserve the culture of its original inhabitants, while some areas of the district are designated national heritage sites. Many historic buildings remain as relics of the past, as well as to complement the otherwise modern landscape.

 

We have compile a list of most colorful Chinatowns in the world. Take a look at the some wonderful photos of these world’s  great Chinatowns. Please feel free to drop your comments.

World’s Top Ten Friendliest Countries

01. Ireland

Centuries of turmoil, conquest, famine and subsequent immigration  have certainly taken their toll on the Irish: it’s left them with a deliciously dark sense of humour and a welcoming attitude towards strangers. That famous ability of the Irish to find craic (fun times) in boom or bust times means you’re always in for a treat.

Top 10 American Cities with Most Attractive People

01. Charleston

This South Carolina city bumped off perennial winner Miami this year; have the good-looking people really migrated north? Charlestonians also score high for friendliness, rank second for their classic sense of style, and even make the top 10 for intelligence. To see if it’s all true, just stroll the streets of this quaint city, which also ranks No. 1 for its noteworthy neighborhoods.

What makes the people of one city so good-looking and the folks elsewhere…well, not so much? Do some cities become magnets for the Greek god and goddess types, or does the mere act of living in a certain area actually have a transformative effect? Whatever the reasons, in this year’s America’s Favorite Cities survey, voters told us that good weather and great shopping go hand-in-hand with attractiveness. San Diego and Miami, for example, did well in all three categories, ending up among the top five cities to find America’s most attractive people.

Top 10 Tallest Dams in the World

10. Mica Dam,  Canada – 234m

 This is a list of the tallest dams in the world over 135 meters in height. Currently, the tallest dam in the world is the Nurek in Tajikistan at 300 meters.

10 Spectacular Cliff-Side Villages in Europe

There are some places in the world where living on a rock doesn’t carry a negative connotation. We caught up with ten in particular which offer spectacular sanctuary and brilliant views.

01. Metéora, Greece

Via — Image

Meaning “suspended in the air”, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Metéora, in the Pindus Mountains of central Greece, spans six Orthodox monastery museums. A total of two dozen were built in the 14th century but most of were destroyed during the Ottoman occupation and Second World War. A famous landscape from the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, Metéora provides a peaceful haven not only for monks, but also for tourists that choose to take a hike up the mountains to see these gems. All six monasteries are connected through asphalt roads and are accessible by steps hewn into the rock. You will need at least one full day to visit Metéora, but the experience is certainly worth the time and effort.

Top 10 Biggest Oil Producer Countries of the World

10. Nigeria

Crude production: 2.51 million barrels per day
Share of world production: 2.95%
Daily crude exports to the US: 1.02 million barrels
Proven reserves: 37.2 billion barrels
Unrest in the Middle East has put investors on high alert as crude oil prices move seemingly with every development in the region. In order to understand the effect of those events on both US and global oil markets, a key figure to watch is the amount of crude oil produced daily in each country.

The 10 Most Miserable Cities of America

There are many ways to gauge misery. We consider 10 factors, including unemployment, crime and taxes, and a few that are less serious, but still elevate people’s blood pressure, like the weather, commute times and how the local sports team is doing. To account for the misery caused by the housing bust we tweaked the methodology for this year’s list and considered foreclosure rates and the change in home prices over the past three years.

Top 10 Best Swimming Beaches in the United States

01. Siesta Beach

Photo Via
Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla., rates as the top beach in the United States,  Siesta Beach, with its fine, white sand and clear, warm waters, often makes the cut on Dr. Beach’s annual top beaches list, but this is its first year in the No. 1 spot. For 2011 here is the list of top ten best beaches of America according to coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman. “Dr. Beach,” as Leatherman is known, is the director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research.

World’s Top 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live

10. Bern, Switzerland

The country’s capital is home to several major Swiss companies including Rolex, Toblerone, Swisscom and The Swatch Group, as well as the foreign offices of American companies, such as eBay, Cisco and Ingram Micro. Bern is popular for its lower taxes, as well as liberal labor laws. To top it off, the city has managed to retain its cultural heritage. Old Bern has been recognized as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site for being one of Europe’s best examples of a medieval town. The city, which is filled with diverse historical attractions, was home to Albert Einstein from 1903 and 1905, during which he developed his groundbreaking theory of relativity. Human resources consultant ECA International has drawn up its latest list of the world’s most expensive cities for U.S. expatriates. The survey examined 400 cities and regions across the world, and measured a basket of common items purchased by foreign workers in U.S. dollars terms, including food, clothing and electrical goods.

10 Most Impressive Abandoned Water Parks of the World

L'Aquatic de Sitges, Spain.

Built in the distant '90s, the park has worked for 2 years before being closed.

Top 10 Most Amazing Temples of World

01. Wat Rong Khun

 Wat Rong Khun: – Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Thailand is all white temple which is highly ornated with mosaic mirrors to shine. Wat Rong Khun temple is still under construction and is expected to take another 90 years making it a wonder of coming years.

Here are 10 most amazing temples of the world. These temples are from Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism. These religious people worship in temples, which are architecturally as diverse as the religions are different from each other.

10 Most Famous Falling Towers

01. Church Suurhusen, Germany

 Suurhusen late medieval building in the region of East Friesland in the north-west of Germany. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it was the most inclined tower in the world, although in 2010 new Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi broke this record. Suurhusen spire remains the most leaning tower in the world, the slope of which was ahead of world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa by 1.22 degrees.

10 Unique Cemeteries

01. Underwater Cemetery - Miami, USA

The Neptune Memorial Reef also known as the Atlantis Memorial Reef or the Atlantis Reef is an underwater mausoleum for cremated remains and the world's largest man-made reef (covering over 600,000 square feet (56,000 m²) of ocean floor). The place was chosen at 3.25 miles (either 6.0 km or 5.2 km) off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida. It is a type of burial at sea and the first phase is estimated to be able to accommodate 850 remains, with an eventual goal of more than 125,000 remains. The man-made reef, located three miles (5 km) off the coast of Florida's Key Largo, opened in 2007 after a number of difficulties, including permits. The reef stretches across 16 acres (65,000 m2) of ocean floor designed as both a home for sea life and "a destination for divers". Cremated remains are mixed into different structures and columns.