Now there’ve been great statues and monuments to commemorate the great leaders, or some religious symbol, and while they all deserve mention, what I’ll be listing down are the tallest statues in the world.

Christ the Redeemer – This statue was featured prominently in a very old music video by the Lighthouse Family. At 98 ft, it is currently the tallest and well-known symbol of Christianity around the world. It has also gone on to become the national symbol of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.

Colossus of Rhodes – Erected as a 110-ft tribute for a colossus of the Greek god Helios, Chares of Lindos built one of the tallest statues of the ancient world. Most of the statue is believed to have been built from the metals off of the weapons of Demetrius’ army. In 226 BC, an earthquake hit the statue, which snapped it by the knees, making it fall on the land. Offers were made for the reconstruction, but the oracle of Delphi believed that they had offended the god Helios, causing the statue’s demise. The remains were left in the land, and the locals marveled at the amount of people who still visit it.

Mother Russia – Completed in 1967, the statue that is also known as “Motherland is Calling” stands at 270 ft. It is made of 7900 tons of reinforced concrete, while the sword is made of stainless steel, with the length of 95 feet, and weighs 14 tons. This statue acts as a centerpiece of the Mamayev Kurgan museum complex in Volgograd, built to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II, a key turning point in the war. As an interesting tribute, the 200 steps that lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument represents the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad. The model for this statue, Valentina Izotova is still recognized for her likeness of the statue. It currently appears in the flag and coat of arms of the Volgograd Oblast.

Statue of Liberty – Probably the most well-known statue the world over, at 305 feet, including the base, it is also one of the world’s tallest statues. It was presented to the United States by the people of France, as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants and returning Americans. Aside from being one of the most well-known symbols of America, it is also a symbol of liberty and freedom of the new world.

The Yan and Huang Statues – The tallest monument in China is at least 26 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty at 348 feet. The huge statues of emperors Yan and Huang that overlooks the Yellow River scenic area in Zhengzhou, China is a tribute to the legendary chiefs of tribes in the Yellow River valley of Ancient China. All the Chinese, whether from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao or the mainland are considered to be descendants of Yan and Huang, as represented by the pair of one of the tallest statues in the world.

In my travels I’ve come across more strange structures that can only leave you asking, “what were they thinking/smoking/trying?” To some people, planning a masterpiece and marrying it with structural functionality is a great way to make a living.

Don’t believe me? Then how can you explain the following strange buildings?

San Francisco’s House of Falling Furniture – A quaint little building by the corner of 6th and Howard has, since 1997, had several of its furniture running amuck along its sides. Conceived by local artist Brian Goggin, tables, lamps, chairs, and even a grandfather clock are suspended in mid-air, seemingly in the process of jumping/being thrown out a window. “Defenestration,” as its theme explains that fact. It’s a pretty strange sight for first-time-defenestrated-furniture spotters, but the fact that the locals don’t really react much to this strange building makes it seem like “furniture jumping out a window” is a pretty normal thing in ‘Cisco.

Crooked House in Poland – You may need to scratch your eyes a bit when you see this gorgeous architectural marvel. (And ask yourself, “am I high?”) Located in Bohaterrow Monte Casino street, this extension to the shopping center of the street provides a refreshing take on buildings. While you may think that this was an LSD-trip-brought-to-life, the Crooked House is actually in reference to the out-of-this-world art of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg.

The Crazy House in Vietnam – While there’re structures that are typically designed to look “industrial” or “futuristic,” there are strange buildings that go the “organic” route. That’s probably the thought in Dr. Dang Viet Nga’s mind when she designed the place. (Doesn’t it remind you of an old, old Outer Limits episode?) The aptly-named building is actually a Villa, with 10 fully-themed rooms. And no, it doesn’t look like that on the inside!

Hundertwasser Building in Austria – Located in Darmstadt, this strange funhouse-like building was built by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a famous Austrian painter and architect. This building called the “Waldspirale” or “Forest Spiral” has 105 apartments and wraps around a courtyard with a running stream. The continuous spiraling roof, whose highest part reaches the 12th floor, is covered by a garden, which has beech, maple and lime trees.

Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Garage – What appears to be a strange building tribute to Christmas lights is actually the parking structure for the Santa Monica Civic Center. What makes it so special is that it is actually on its way to becoming the first-ever LEED-certified building of its kind. (that’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design to you) Being LEED-certified is kind of a big deal, because it would mean that this is building was designed with the environment in mind. The roof is covered in solar panels, to generate clean electricity, it also doubles as the shade for the vehicles. The insides of the structure is cleverly designed to let natural light in during day time, and uses efficient fluorescent lighting when needed. Of course, you could try visiting Santa Monica, or maybe joining in this contest that I found to go to either Santa Monica, or four other places where there might be strange buildings.

Car design is always different, in different parts of the globe. Some embrace the classics and build upon that, while some just totally move on to a different, futuristic direction.

Now I’ll have to stress this — most of these cars are concept cars — meaning, I’ve probably come across them at different car shows that I’m lucky enough to attend, yet I always wonder how I can take one home with me. Also, I don’t know enough about cars to talk about ‘em — I’m talking design here, and a man knows what he likes.

Italy: Pagani Zonda Cinque – Pagani Zonda, a mid-engine sports car built by Pagani has come out with the designs for the 2008-2009 manufacturing dates — the Cinque. (pronounced cheen-kway) Being built upon the special request of a Hong Kong-based Pagani dealer, only 5 (five) of these beauties will be made at the cost of £1million each, with the delivery date of June 2009.

Japan: Lexus LF-A – Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of Toyota (as any car-enthusiast will know) was first introduced in the United States. (which I just recently found out) They’ve come up with a line of concept cars, named the LF series, whose earlier models have never seen the light of day. Though recently, by bits and pieces, ideas found in the concept cars have made their way to reality, and hopefully, the LF-A reaches that. Bordering on the exotic, it features the new Lexus design combined with a racing-feel, this word for this car is “dynamic.” Add a couple of fins and paint it in black and you’ve got a Batmobile!

France: Peugeot e-motion – Being the second-biggest carmaker in France, Peugeot showcased its brand of an electric-powered sports car in the form of the e-motion. The combination of concave and convex surfaces really highlight the cars … futurism. This is enhanced by a subtle line that follows the headlights, into the doors, leading up to the rear lights.

Hungary: Audi TTRS – This is more of a collab than anything. Designed in the states and produced in Hungary, the TT is Audi’s two-seat roadster line. This new concept design features a fully-cowled body, unlike any that has come before it. Unfortunately, I might add, I wonder how this will fare in roads that feature humps? Do they not have humps where they’re made?

USA: Custom Cadillacs – In the US, generations have grown to know that the Cadillac is synonymous with “high quality.” Originally the luxury-car division of General Motors, Cadillacs are a statement that says, “things just get better with age.” With thousands of Americans still enamoured with the classical style and shape; forget sleekness: we own the best monster cars ever. In California, car customization is a big business, with new life being brought upon the oldest of vehicles. Customized Cadillacs are a staple for this, and the generations that have gone before. With kids proudly driving around in them, lowered suspension, hydraulics and all. You could take a trip to see this phenomenon, or prolly enter this contest I found to see for yourself.

]]> http://travelnooks.com/offbeat/5-cool-cars-around-the-world/feed/ http://travelnooks.com/offbeat/3-gigantic-towers-of-the-future/ http://travelnooks.com/offbeat/3-gigantic-towers-of-the-future/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:02:39 +0000 Neil Simon http://travelnooks.com/?p=118 Since forever ago, man has been developing ways to build things that are bigger than him. How else can you explain gigantic airplanes, ships, or the tallest skyscrapers? We’ve seen features on the tallest buildings, etc — but what of things to come?

Currently in development are three man-made giants, to be seen from skylines in the future.

Burj Dubai, Dubai, 2,087 ft – Currently the title-holder for the world’s tallest building, it has reached a height of 636 m (2,087 ft) as of May 2008. From the same designers of the Sears Towers in Chicago and the Freedom Tower in New York, the design of the tower blends multiple disciplines and embodies the patterning symbols of Islamic architecture. The gigantic aluminum structure will have it’s interiors designed by Giorgio Armani, and the first 37 floors will be housing the first-ever Armani Hotel. It also features the world’s fastest elevator, rising and descending at 18m/s (59 f/s) — which makes sense, given that people wouldn’t want to wait forever when moving from floor to floor. As of today, the completion time has been pushed back yet again, until September 2009. The reason for the setback? They’re adding another storey to the already-gigantic tower.

Freedom Tower, New York City, 1,776 ft – This gigantic glass tower was built with a lighted spire that resembles the Statue of Liberty’s torch and to inspire patriotism among New York’s residents. The very top of the spire reaches to 1,776 feet, in commemoration of the year that the US was established. The top three floors will remain unoccupied, and instead, it will have latticework containing little windmills. A single glass elevator scaling the gigantic tower will serve to be the only means to go to the world’s highest viewing platform, which is 1,500 feet. From this platform, you’ll be able to look down at the Empire State building, another one of man’s gigantic triumphs, a couple of feet below. Since 9/11, and people still being queasy about staying in tall buildings, this replacement tower will only have 70 floors, in comparison to the 110 floors that the twin towers used to occupy.

Chicago Spire, Chicago, 2,000 ft – This gigantic spire sports an interesting design — (stop giggling!) it will stand at a whopping 2,000 ft. Being built higher than Chicago’s current tallest building, The Sears Tower, it was announced roughly 3 years ago. (2005) Inspired by the themes and designs of nature, the tall twisting skyscraper towers, it is a pinnacle to the “graceful” and “rotating forms” of a snail shell. Plans for the tower include 1,193 condominiums with each of the building’s stories rotating a total 360 degrees. While it will house thousands of living areas, the tower’s designer, Santiago Calatrava made it so that each one is unique, meaning no two units will be alike. With big 10-foot ceilings (and those are really high ceilings!) and windows to provide residents a breath-taking view of the lakefront, the Chicago skyline, neighborhoods and four nearby states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

It’s been 33 years since Steven Spielberg made us afraid of sharks. Tons and tons of nature shows have proven that in the water, they are king; they are the bears and lions that attack the little nemos and spongebobs of the sea.

Prehistoric Shark - A lucky Japanese fisherman got more than he bargained for when he came in contact with this strange beast swimming off the coast of Japan. A rare frilled eel-like shark that’s believed to be a prehistoric version of the monster we all know and fear.

The fisherman immediately got in touch with marine officials and the specimen was immediately transferred to Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, where, merely hours later, it died.

The shark, whose scientific name is Chlamydoselachus Anguineus, lives at a depth of 600 - 1400 meters underwater, deeper than where humans can go. It is very rarely seen, and/or captured on film, but apparently, this specimen was ill, therefore it was found in shallower waters, where the Japanese fisherman caught it.

Shark feet - Demetri Martin once joked about how he wasn’t afraid of sharks — in a land situation. Well, as long as he doesn’t step into Malaysia. A worker in the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board made an unusual claim that she was given a 3-pound shark … with webbed feet.

A housewife was about to chop up the fish to cook when she noticed something odd about the shark — it had webbed feet. The head of the marine station at the University Sains Malaysian, Prof Dr Zulfigar Yasin says this is the first time that he had heard of a fish with legs in Malaysian waters.

To quote him, “As far as I am concerned, fish species with legs or bony fins can only be discovered in the waters of North Sulawesi in Indonesia or South Africa.”

Goblin Shark - For the last one, here’s the biggest, baddest, attack-you-while-you-swim shark discovery. Is it a special effect? An animatronic monster, perhaps? The first thing you’ve probably noticed is the weird shape of its head. What looks like a beak or snout protrudes from the front part of its head.

Again, a capture from Japan (Is it any wonder they find the coolest monsters there? Japan is where Godzilla lives!) by fishermen, this is the first ever specimen of the Mitsukurina in the “Black Current” off Yokohama. They dubbed it the “tenguzame,” which translates to “goblin shark.”

This shark is extremely rare, because they can only be found in the deep waters of Japan, South Africa, and somewhere in Portugal. Given that its snout is more of a handicap; it has protrusible jaws, making it possible for the shark to feed. Scientists have found that the “nose” is dotted with sensory cells, leading them to believe that its function is to help the shark find food in the deep. It feeds on deep-sea squid, crabs and other deep-sea creatures. This shark has been found swimming as deep as 4,000 feet. The first known goblin shark was 3.5 feet, but specimen that are as long as 14 feet has been discovered. (Imagine what would happen if it attacks you!)

here you have it, some rare and scary shark attacks waiting to happen  (That is, if you swim in deep, deep waters.)  Anyone care for a swim?

As for general safety, you might want to read this:

• Don’t Step Into The Water Without Reading This! (I just don’t know how useful it’ll be when it comes to the above type of sharks!)

Mind you, I haven’t been to all 77 of the mentioned places, but that’s not to say I don’t know what I like. Here’s my pick. (And hopefully, yours too!)

Great Blue Hole, Belize – This is a wonder all itself — considered to be one of the world’s strangest places, it is a great big dark-blue hole near Belize city. It is reported that most parts of this bizarre wonder still remains undiscovered. That fact alone leaves it as one of the top unique spots on earth that we must preserve.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - This is just beautiful. I’d have to say Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay definitely deserves to be at the top, or at least, as of today, the top spot. Many of the locals will gladly tell you the mythical origins of the various islets that are the lushest of greens. Long ago, apparently, when the forefathers were defending the land, the gods from heaven sent out a family of dragons to assist them. These dragons, apparently descended down where the bay is today and started spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the lake, these precious stones turned into the various islets, forming a barrier against foreign invaders. “Ha Long” literally means descending dragons.

Mount Fuji, Japan - One of nature’s truly triumphant wonders. Influencing artists and writers over the years, the great mountain has been featured in many texts and artworks over the years. Many tourists and climbers frequent the mountain yearly — aside from being a true testament of great natural wonders, it is also considered sacred, and is rich in history, as ancient samurai are said to have trained near the base of the mountain.

Chocolate Hills, Philippines - Who doesn’t love chocolate? Besides, if there’s anything to be said about the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, it’s the magical formation of the clumps of Earth into truly wonderful gobs of tourism. While it does take quite a bit of effort to get near them, all that disappears once you see these beauties. About a thousand-or-so of these natural hills are made even more special by the grass that covers them. During dry season, the grass turns brown, hence the name Chocolate Hills.

Machu Picchu, Peru - Now an ecological reserve, it houses several unique flora and fauna and various ancient geological formations formed — who knows when? The various buildings are believed to be of Incan origin make you wonder how people lived here, and where’d they go?

Dead Sea Lake, Jordan – Aside from the biblical significance of the place, being located in the area that is the lowest point of earth to have dry land, it has a totally different composition than regular sea water. Visitors and travelers are all astounded by the unusual buoyancy they have when swimming in the lake.

Krakatau, Indonesia – If spy supervillains were real, and if they truly had volcanic islands for a secret lair, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was it. Having been said as the volcano that holds the record for having the largest explosion, ever — it is a great force and beauty of nature that has to be preserved.

Imagine your last trip. I’m betting most of the scenery is still vivid in your mind, the voice of the concierge at the hotel, the crisp feel of the cold breeze running past your cheek driving to the beach, the feeling of living in between the moment just before the next wave hits. But what about the trips before that? Do you remember the little details that made that trip particularly special?

Over the years, I’ve learned several tricks to remember certain things during travel — and tons of keys, an ipod and other little trinkets forever lost because of not remembering.

Here are a couple of tips to help you remember the special little details of your trip:

The Name Game – When you travel a lot, you probably know the importance of remembering names. At one point or another, you’re bound to run into the same person some time in the future, only for you to be left looking hard at the tip of your tongue for that person’s name. Pay attention and ask for specifics, like how that person spells his/her name. Repeat the person’s name in conversation, to really imprint that person in your mind. Or, if possible, ask for a business card, and if you have a camera phone? Snap that person’s photo and attach it to the name on your phonebook.

The Missing Key – When you’re keeping keys or keycards, recite that action in your mind as you do it. “I’m putting the keycard on the left pocket of my jacket.” Cram in as much detail when you do it. Better yet, when you’re on a trip, designate one area (like a drawer) of the room to put your carry-arounds in, like keys, your phone and your loose change.

Itinerary – Are you too cool to carry a copy of your itinerary around? What about the travel guide? A handy little tip for remembering your tasks for a day is reading it out aloud. Remember back in school? Repetition is key to remembering things.

According to LiveScience, optical illusions work because the human eye has been conditioned to anticipate what the next type of movement will be, so it’s even better when we first glance at something commonplace, and finding the bizarre hidden in it.

From Mighty Optical Illusions, here are my absolute favorites.

The lightbulb ad — I’m guessing this is for some electric or lightbulb company. But it’s pretty brilliant. Adding a sensor just below the lightbulb, passers-by look like they have something interesting in mind.

Duracell-powered vehicle — In India, Duracell has created a pretty brilliant ad: by adding decals of giant-sized Duracell batteries to the back of vehicles, creating the optical illusion that the batteries are powering the vehicle.

Nissan’s “Impossible” set of ads — These come in a series — and it shows some Escher-esque impossible geographic illusions, further emphasizing the “impossible” distance that the cars reach, on a limited amount of fuel.

National Geographic: Built for the Kill bus ads — By ingeniously placing the right decals on the right parts of the bus, it gives the illusion that a giant shark is devouring passengers — on land!

Cloverfield hidden monster poster ad — The Cloverfield monster has come and gone, and, well, this is still one of my favorites. Months before the actual showing of the movie, fan speculation has it that the studio had released the image of the monster in plain sight.

Here’s a video detailing it. While I’m not sure if this was intentional or not — it got people talking about the movie!  Cheers to the geniuses of the marketing teams for including optical illusions in ads for our enjoyment.

Does anyone here use Google Earth? It’s a really wonderful tool, and we could talk about the implications of such a tool being used to spy on different sights of the world, but hey, it only makes me want to see the places on earth myself.

I’m interested on Earth, but it looks like Google co-founder Sergey Brin has his sights on space, the new frontier. He recently booked a space flight, for the low, low price of $5 million. Being the first ever citizen to book a citizen space flight. It looks like he has his eyes set on advancing (conquering!) space technology as we know it. Leaks are being given that Google Moon is in the works, with a little help from NASA, so that leaves a little tourist to wonder — will I ever reach a time in the future where space travel has economy seats? I might want to get a slab of that.

Watching shows on tv doesn’t help much either, as some features on the discovery channel look into what future humans will be looking forward to, and I’m guessing that’s something that my great grandchildren have to look forward to, but maybe not me.

Then again, I may have to be content to the coordinates from this PC World article.

And check out these glorious beaches. (-33.892351,151.27538)

I can vaguely remember when it started. I just remember reading magazines one day as a kid, and becoming fascinated by the little bits of trivia I picked up. Then more. Then even more. In high school, I knew enough to carry any sort of conversation! It was amazing, my friends said.

When I got married and had kids, they suffered through the same sudden “Hey, did you know that…” conversations that my friends did years ago. They were very forgiving, and just smiled at my little quirk. When I fell in love with travel, I learned all I can about the country I’m going to before I left.

But lately, I haven’t been reading all that much. Websites, sure, I read a lot of them now since I don’t have much to do. Maybe it’s time I picked up the latest copy of the Guinness Book of World Records again, to get me back on track. I can hear my wife sighing in exasperation right now.