World’s Slowest Express Train Takes 8 Hours to Travel 181 Miles
Switzerland’s Glacier Express is known as the world’s slowest fast train, taking over 8 hours to travel 290 kilometers (181 miles) through the Swiss Alps. The Glacier Express connecting the alpine resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz isn’t anything like the high-speed express train zipping across Europe. Moving at an average speed of 36 km […]
Lost Lake – Oregon’s Disappearing Body of Water
Every summer, Oregon’s Lost Lake disappears down a couple of volcanic tunnels only to return in the fall, as a number of streams start flowing into what looks like a peaceful meadow. Driving past Lost Lake in the late fall or in the winter, you may not pay much attention to the seemingly plain body […]
Shiziguan Floating Road Bridge – A Terrifying Wonder of Engineering
The Shiziguan Floating Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Dreams, is an innovative 400-meter bridge that allows cars up to 2.8 tonnes to drive across the surface of the Qingjiang River in China. Nestled between the forest-covered mountains of Enshi Prefecture, in Hubei Province, the Shiziguan scenic spot is one of China’s most breathtaking […]
The Toothache Tree, a Unique Coin-Covered Shrine in Kathmandu
The Nepalese capital city of Kathmandu is home to a peculiar shrine to goddess Vaisha Dev, the patron saint of toothache, where people suffering from dental problems nail rupee coins on an old tree trunk as offerings. Located on a narrow street in Kathmandu, between Thamel and Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Toothache Tree is undoubtedly […]
Hymalayan Shrine Covered in Plastic Bottles Left as Offerings for Thirsty Ghost
A small shrine along the treacherous Gata Loops in India’s mountainous Ladakh region has become famous for the large number of plastic bottles left as offerings to a spirit known as the Ghost Of The Gata Loops. Bicycle and motorcycle racers traversing the Gata Loops as part of their Trans-Himalaya tours are often confused by […]
The World’s Largest Cashew Tree Covers an Area of Over 8,000 Square Meters
The Pirangi Cashew Tree in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte is considered the world’s largest cashew tree. It has a circumference of around 500 meters and covers an area of 8,400 square meters. Legend has it that the Pirangi Cashew Tree was planted in 1888 by a local fisherman who later died at the age […]
Gaoqi Ling – China’s ‘Knife Edge Mountain’
Gaoqi Ling is a natural wonder in China’s Hunan Province, a mountain of perfectly smooth rock with an extremely narrow ridge that people love to traverse despite the apparent danger. China’s Danxia Park is famous for its unique landforms, particularly the multicolored “Rainbow Mountain,” but it is home to other less-known but just as intriguing […]
The World’s Widest Avenue Has 16 Lanes, Takes an Eternity to Cross
Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, holds the Guinness Record for the widest avenue in the world, at approximately 140 meters. It features a total of 16 lanes, so crossing from one side to the other is quite an undertaking. The history of Avenida 9 de Julio can be traced back to the […]
Japan’s Shortest Mountain Is Only 6.1 Meters High
Benten Mountain, in Tokushima Prefecture, is considered Japan’s shortest natural mountain with a height of just 6.1 meters and a diameter of under 60 meters. Located in the middle of fertile paddy fields along Tokushima’s Prefectural Road 10, Benten Mountain is the shortest mountain in Japan and one of the shortest in the world. It […]
Asia’s Most Spectacular Waterfall Is Apparently Artificially Enhanced
China’s Yuntai Waterfall is generally regarded as Asia’s most impressive waterfall and is often described as a natural wonder. However, it turns out that its spectacular water show is artificially enhanced. Yuntai Waterfall is the most popular scenic spot in the Yuntai Mountains, drawing millions of tourists annually. The tallest waterfall in Asia (a sheer […]
The World’s Smallest Prison Consists of Only Two Tiny Cells
The Island of Sark, the smallest of the Channel Islands located between France and England, is home to the world’s smallest prison still in use today – a tiny building with only two cells. There are no cars, no roads and no streetlights on Sark Island, but there is a small prison dating back to […]
China’s Pyramid-Shaped Mountains Spark Conspiracy Theories
China’s Guizhou Province is home to about a dozen conical hills known as the Anlong Pyramids because of their resemblance to the much more famous pyramids of Egypt. In recent years, Anlong County has become a popular tourist destination thanks in no small part to its pyramid-like mountains which have captured the imaginations of millions […]
The World’s Deepest Subway Station Will Clog Up Your Ears
The Hongyancun subway station in Chongqing, China is 116 meters deep and the difference in air pressure will often leave users with clogged ears when accessed via its elevator. When the air pressure outside of the eardrum becomes different than the pressure inside, you experience ear barotrauma. It occurs most often during steep declines and […]
The World’s Longest Straight Road Pierces a Desert for 149 Miles without a Single Bend
A 149-mile-long stretch of highway connecting two towns in Saudi Arabia holds the title of the world’s longest straight road. Saudi Arabia’s Highway 10 stretches 916 miles (1,474 km), connecting the town of Al Darb, in the southwest, to Al Batha, in the east. It’s quite a busy road, most traversed by trucks shipping goods […]
Camel Riding Popularity Inspires Special Camel Traffic Lights in the Middle of the Desert
During the month of May, camel riding is such a popular pastime at the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spots in China’s Kumtag Desert that local authorities use camel traffic lights to avoid traffic jams. One of the last things you would expect to find in the middle of a desert is a functional […]