River of Five colours – Columbia

Every year in the remote backwoods of Colombia, an ordinary river erupts into a spectacular rainbow-coloured waterway. The river looks colorful. Caño Cristales in Colombia’s Serranìa de la Macarena National Park is nicknamed the “River of Five Colors,” or “liquid rainbow,” or “melted rainbow” because of the many hues you can see beneath its clear waters. In certain light and water conditions, bright greens, yellows, reds, and purples may appear to flow down the river. Sometimes, the river can also appear a bright blue, hot pink, orange, or a deep maroon. The vibrant coloration can be attributed to a weed called Macarenia clavigera, a kind of tropical aquatic plant that is different from algae or moss. The right water level and weather conditions make all the difference as to which colors you can see in the water.

Cotton Castle in Turkey

Pamukkale city is also called Cotton Castle, a perfect name for the magnificent site in southwestern Turkey. The terraces and hot springs in this area were created by carbonate minerals over centuries, leftover by streaming, calcite-weighty waters developed from a nearly 700-foot cliff overlooking the plain. The landscape is unreal, almost mysterious in its purity and intense whiteness. Terraced basins, mineral forests, and a collection of petrified waterfalls blanket the terrain creates spawned look. The Hierapolis thermal spas, part of this natural phenomenon, were created when the 2nd century BC ended during the Attalids dynasty. The Byzantine and Roman spa city, Hierapolis is one of the most fascinating ruins in Turkey, well protected and preserved by its UNESCO status. The ruins of the Greek monuments, baths, and temples are located at the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though visitors cannot walk directly on terraces, the small, cerulean pools are open for dips.

Upside down trees – Madagascar

One of the world’s most famous outdoor alleys, the Avenue of the Baobabs is Madagascar’s is most established natural wonder. The fairytale trees are found in the Menabe region, covering an old dirt road, and are one of the continent’s most impressive sights. Madagascar, one of Africa’s Island countries, is laden with rainforest and featuring deserts, beaches, and fantastic wildlife. Getting there is not easy. The place is known as the “Upside down trees” baobabs are also called bottle trees, boab trees, and boaboa trees, some of which are more than 800 years old. The circumference of the baobab can reach around 160 feet and the diameter of larger specimens near 40 feet, making them some of the biggest in Africa.

Caves of crystals – Chihuahua, Mexico

Located 980 feet below the Chihuahua Desert, the enormous Cave of Crystals is home to the largest formations discovered on Earth, these are formed over ages, and the biggest being 39 feet long and 55 tons in weight. I n 1910, in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico, a group of miners discovered a cave underneath the Naica mine workings. It was named the Cave of Swords. In April 2000, while miners were excavating a new tunnel, drilling through the Naica fault line, they discovered another cave which was named Cave of Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave.

The Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone. Its floor is covered with perfectly faceted crystalline blocks. Huge crystal beams project out from both the blocks and the floor. The caves are accessible today because the mining company’s pumping operations keep them clear of water. If the pumping were stopped, the caves would again be submerged in water. The crystals depreciate in air, so the Naica Project is attempting to visually document the crystals before they deteriorate.

Bermuda Tringale – USA 

This stretch of Atlantic Ocean is enchantingly beautiful. It is one of the few places in the modern world that remains wrapped in an aura of superstitious mystery. It is hidden in mythos and mystery, the infamous 500,000 square miles stretch of ocean is also called the Devil’s Triangle which is physically the area between Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Over the centuries, many ships and planes have been reported to have mysteriously disappeared in the region. Also, this Devil’s Triangle has been blamed for the disappearance of thousands of people in the past decades. However, the US Coastguard argues any such area exists from where about unusual magnetic readings and ships, planes and people who have disappeared here without a trace.

Blood Falls – Antarctica

While Antarctica is known for its virgin white snow cover, there is a part that stands out for its blood-red colour. Known as the Blood Falls, this unique phenomenon was first discovered by an Australian geologist Griffith Taylor. The waterfall looks red (bleeding) because of a hypersaline discharge phenomenon. And it flows bold streaks of bright-red saltwater from within the glacier onto the ice-covered surface of Lake Bonney. The rare natural phenomenon is a result of a complex chemical reaction that has occurred over 1.5 million years. When the iron-bearing saltwater meets oxygen, the iron takes on a deep red colour. Blood Falls is an outflow of an iron oxide–tainted plume of saltwater, flowing from the tongue of Taylor Glacier onto the ice-covered surface of West Lake Bonney in the Taylor Valley of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Victoria Land, East Antarctica.

Dhanushkodi – India

Once the lost land of Tamil Nadu, Dhanushkodi has once again emerged as one of the best places to visit in India. This beach destination is known for its matchless serenity that is away from hustle and bustle. Dhanushkodi is called the last land of India as Dhanushkodi is just 25 km away from Sri Lanka. Here the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet.

As per mythology, Dhanushkodi was the spot where Lord Rama and his army-built Ram Setu, otherwise known as Adam’s Bridge across the sea connecting Rameshwaram Island (Tamil Nadu) and Mannar Island (Sri Lanka), to rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king Ravana.  According to legend, the bridge was built using floating stones, with name of Lord Rama engraved on it, which made it unsinkable. The bridge was built by vanar-sena (troop of monkeys).  The architects of Ram Setu were Nal and Neel. Nal and Neel were the monkey sons of Lord Vishwakarma. According to the epic Ramayana, both were cursed by the sages, this curse later proved to be a boon for them.

Rainbow Mountains, Zhengyi Danxia National Geopark, China

The mountainside of Zhangye National Geopark looks like the painting on wall.  Splashes of rainbow appear in thick straight lines. It has been declared UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, the rainbow mountains have maintained their vibrancy because of the viewing platforms and trails created by the tourism of China. The steepness and peculiar looks deter tourists from stepping directly onto them. They can be viewed from far by standing on another mountain. They look stunning.  They are the result of deposits of sandstone and other minerals that occurred over 24 million years. They are formed into cake shape angled by the action of the same tectonic plates responsible for creating parts of the Himalayan range of mountains.

Our body and mind needs a break from the routine, monotonous, dull and stressed life hence we long for a break – a holiday.  Our body and mind need to be refurbished; we cannot overlook importance of rest, sleep, leisure, and frolic. Some people just laze around and enjoy their holiday, while some have a list of activities to complete, some serious folks complete their backlogs, while some watch movies over few pegs. Everybody has some agenda: serious, funny, entertaining and lazy, but holidays are must.

It’s sad to see that some people feel guilty to take a holiday and enjoy it; they don’t understand that they treat themselves badly by doing so.  It is sad to note that some people have not taken a deserving break for years together. They keep postponing their holiday.

Do you know, physicians recommend a well planned, deserving holiday to recoup our fitness? A good vacation allows us to travel to long distance, see new places, eat variety of food, meet new people and most importantly allows us to be with our family. Regular movement like walking, climbing, jogging, running, swimming boosts our blood circulation, helps relax muscle cramps, ups our heart rate and thus makes our immune system better!

Without the stress of job/business our body gets enough time to repair the system. It’s a commonly accepted reality that people can get rid of some chronic disorders such as back pain, joint pains, migraines, acidity, and sore throats while on a holiday.

The claustrophobic city atmosphere is sickening; the congested roads, surrounding areas, offices, heaving public transport everything makes breathing difficult. Our lungs need clean and fresh air; in fact 72 hours of pure and fresh air helps them to become healthier, and remember this is once in a month. So friends, how much we torture our bodies. A break is necessary to stay alive. Take a trip to a rainforest, a beach, mountains to see the lush green forests, lush green fields, sturdy mountains, walk in the beach sand, stroll in nights watch the starry sky, see those great architectural monuments, visit some religious place, meditate, watch some opera, meet your friends with whom you have lost touch, rewind old memories, feel nostalgic to pamper your mind and body. When you feel good and breathe freely your lungs disperse the accumulated carbon monoxide and feel lighter, and suck in air better.

Take a break to feel inspired. It is proved time and again thatvisiting interesting places inspires people and helps them bring back the lost zest. Dormant and stagnant surrounding makes anybody bored and dull; a good sunlight is guaranteed to cheer you by pumping some good endorphins into your body.

Reconnect with the outside world and heighten your senses. Enjoy some good beverages, good food. Stale, cold food, cigarette smoke, air-conditioned stuffy rooms, computer screens, and other pollution sickens and affects our sense of taste and smell. When you go for a long distance outing you relish some good food of the land which evokes your taste buds.

Lower stress levels and peace of mind quiets the stressful mind. A good holiday is essential in helping you catch up on lost sleep. Perhaps the deafening city roads with congested traffic, ugly office politics, demanding bosses and demanding home work, nasty colleagues and neighbourhood only raises unwanted cholesterol and triglycerides in body. So it’s time to chill out.  By doing so, please your spouse, your parents, in-laws and kids. Be happy and spend some quality time together.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found that taking a walk among trees and nature, as opposed to an urban environment does improve your short-term memory by twenty 20 percent. According to the researchers of this study, nature is filled with intriguing stimuli, which modestly grabs attention allowing most of suppressed interests and talents to come on the surface.

How long was it when you saw the hues and shades of yellow, green, blue, sea green, brown and pink of the nature? The early morning sky, the green sea, the pinkish dusk, the greyish nightfall, the fragrance of flowers, the green hills – I mean the abundance of Mother Nature. The sheer range of colour, tone and shapes in Wild Flowers is breathtaking. The revolting city skylines, the polluted air, the dull street lights, the crowded transportation, the bumpy road, the faded building facades slow down our zeal and enthusiasm. Do you know this dullness goes into our brain cells? It   reduces our body and mind’s efficiency. We therefore, need stimulants to ensure our productivity, our innovativeness, and our peace of mind.

Put your routine life on hold for some time. Reinvent your original self, stir up the romance in your life, feel fresh, look good, feel youthful take – that deserving holiday. Take a break!