Paradise of Nature- Ha Long Bay, Vietnam- 15 Images

Ha Long Bay is one of the world’s natural wonders and is the most beautiful tourist destination of Vietnam. Ha Long Bay, situated in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1600 islands and islets forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and relatively unaffected by human influence. A distinctive feature of Ha Long Bay is the abundance of lakes within the larger limestone islands. For example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes.

Some of the islands support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of interpretation of their unusual shapes. Such names include Voi Islet (elephant), Ga Choi Islet (fighting cock), and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given names. Birds and animals including bantams, antelopes, monkeys, and lizards also live on some of the islands.

The geomorphology of Ha Long Bay is known as a drowned karst landscape due to the exceptional combination of its limestone karst features which have been subject to repeated regression and transgression of the sea over geological time. The limestones of Ha Long Bay have been eroded into a mature landscape of fengcong (clusters of conical peaks) and fenglin (isolated tower features) karst features, modified by sea invasion at a later stage.

Its waters are host to a great diversity of ecosystems including offshore coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes, and sandy beaches. The folk tale has it that the dragons descended from heaven to help locals by spitting jewels and jade to the sea, forming a natural fortress against invaders; these precious stones are represented by the lush green outcrops. Several islands boast beautiful grottos and caves with contiguous chambers, hidden ponds and peculiar stone formations. The bay is about 170 kilometers northeast of Hanoi and 3, 5 hours by road.

















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The 6 Astonishing Hotels of the World

1. Genting Highlands (Malaysia):



This hotel is truly overwhelming. With 6,118 rooms, Malaysia's First World Hotel is currently the world's largest hotel, as recognised by Guinness World Records. Attached to the First World Plaza with its indoor theme park, shopping centre and food spots, you'll not only find tropical rainforests at your doorstep, but a Spanish courtyard lobby as well.

2. Hotel Marques de Riscal Elriego (Spain):



The Hotel Marques de Riscal was designed by the famed architect Frank Gehry, who also designed the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. Completed in 2006, the renovation of the 139 year-old winery estate cost an estimated $100 million. The free-flowing architectural style creates a wondrous sight for any guest or visitor on approach to the hotel and truly has to be seen to be believed.

3. Dog Bark Park Inn Cottonwood (USA):



Inside the world's biggest beagle lies Dog Bark Park Inn, a bed & breakfast guesthouse decorated with carvings by Dog Bark Park chainsaw artists. There's a lot inside the beagle's belly: a loft room, several sleeping spaces and all the normal hotel functions. Sweet Willy is this doggie's name, and the little one beside him is known as Toby.

4. Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel Arau Creek (Brazil):



Thirty five miles from Manuas in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest lies a hotel built at canopy level and linked by 4 miles of wooden planks. Harmonious with local flora and fauna, this is the Brazil's largest eco-friendly resort, and has a massive 268 rooms.

5. Das Park Hotel (Austria):





Hotel rooms built from giant concrete sewage pipe segments.

Although this is a one-of-the-kind hotel, there are now two... One in Austria - Ottensheim and the other near Essen in Germany. They have been designed from the outset to use worldwide standard concrete drainage or sewage pipe sections - so you could well see more of them in the future.

The idea of Andreas Strauss in 2004, the first rooms were provided in Linz. Moved to nearby Ottensheim, rooms are accessed by a digital keypad, whose code is provided by the self service website upon booking acceptance.

The beauty of these pipes is that their concrete utilitarian look needs little alteration to make them habitable - a coat of varnish is all that is necessary. The tubes have also have received wall paintings by the Austrian artist Thomas Latzel Ochoa to make them seem a little more user friendly.

Each tube weighs 9, 5 tonnes – so although some might be tempted to rock or vandalise them, they are incredibly robust and need little maintenance. More advanced lock and electronic keypad systems are being fitted in 2007, but the original concept is working very well.
Like cave hotels, Das Park Hotel is fairly cool in the summer, and perhaps still warm in winter, although at the moment the hotel is only open from May to October.

6. Bubble Hotel (France):



This beautiful hotel is situated in a park of Roubaix, France. The Bubble Hotel is a combination of different Bubble rooms. The bubble room made with recycled plastic and kept under pressure by a silent blower can be rent as a hotel room in the middle of the nature.

Most Beautiful Road Of The World- 9 Pics

The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can be considered most beautiful road of the world. The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road extends for 7.3 miles with 60 turns up the mountain of a height of 1219m. The road scales the mountain with a beautiful view of the desert below and ends at a parking lot with only a hotel and a palace belonging to the country’s rulers.