The place to be📍

Ambalabongo Canyon, Marovoay, Madagascar 🇲🇬 The runoff from these fiery cliffs sends red water flowing into the sea. This canyon stretches across the earth like a great red scar. The sandstone’s hues are so fiery, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for Mars or some other martian landscape. Although beautiful, this canyon has witnessed dark times thanks to heavy deforestation. Losing so many trees has left the land prone to erosion, which has caused the soil to crumble and move. The erosion is to the point that the red waters running into the sea can be seen from space. The canyon is a sight to behold, yet also a reminder to value and protect the plants that hold together such a wonderful place. 📍Location: in Ankarafantsika Nature Reserve, a national park in northwestern Madagascar. The place to be

The Mad Colored Houses of Burano, Venice, Italy 🇮🇹 This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues. While Venice can take on a melancholy feel, Burano’s cheery and brightly painted houses stand out. Now, Burano’s houses pop with bright colors that almost look photoshopped as the homes are repainted every two years. 📍Location: The fisherman's island of Burano sits in the Venetian lagoon The place to be

Abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort, La Paz, Bolivia 🇧🇴 The world’s highest ski resort was deserted after an 18,000-year-old glacier melted away. At 17,519 feet above sea level, the Chacaltaya Ski Resort was higher than the North Base Camp of Mount Everest. For decades it held the record as the world’s highest ski resort, and the resort’s restaurant is still recognized by Guinness as the highest restaurant in the world. With the ice and snow melted, the skiers naturally stopped coming. The resort was soon shut down and abandoned, and its ski lifts shut down. Since then, the resort has sat like a freezing ghost town on the bare rocky slopes of Chacaltaya. 📍Location: mount Chacaltaya is about 10 miles north of La Paz, Bolivia The place to be

Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸 One of Gaudí’s most iconic works, Casa Batlló was built to look more like the physical layers of an animal than a private residence. Also known among locals as the “House of Bones,” Casa Batlló seems to have been designed with the shapes of organic viscera in mind. The house was built in 1877. In 1904, Gaudí was commissioned to redesign the facade and interior of the structure, making it priceless. The facade is divided into three distinct sections, each reflecting a level of anatomy. The base level looks as though it is gridded by huge abstract bones, while above that the front takes on a more chaotic, abstract pattern echoing blood vessels and muscle, and then the entire structure is capped with a scaly roof section that looks like nothing so much as the back of a giant dragon. 📍Location: on the Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district The place to be

Little Jerusalem Badlands, Winona, Kansas🇺🇸 Once an ancient sea, this landscape of rocky ravines is filled with the fossils of ancient marine life. The badlands are around three stories tall and were given the name because they create acres of alleyways and sandstone “buildings,” similar to the look of Jerusalem. The park features is made up of 220 acres of Smoky Hill Chalk badlands. This is part of a larger geological deposit that is known to have exceptionally well-preserved marine reptiles. Long ago, this area was covered by a great sea. Some of the fossilized remains found here date back as far as 85 million years ago, and include giant clams and oysters. Location: Logan County in western Kansas The place to be

Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Germany 🇩🇪 The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king." Sleeping beauty castle at disneyland, Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom and numerous other magical castles were all inspired by a real castle: Neuschwanstein Castle, the awe-inspiring retreat of the “fairy-tale king,” Ludwig II of Bavaria. The beautiful design was to further enhance the already romantic mountain and forest scenery. Today, the castle is one of the biggest attractions in Bavaria and manages to draw well over a million people a year. 📍Location: in the Swabia region of Bavaria, in the municipality of Schwangau, above the incorporated village of Hohenschwangau The place to be

Sanrio Puroland, Tokyo, Japan 🇯🇵 With the growing worldwide appeal of Hello Kitty and her iconically illustrated pack of animal friends it is no wonder that the Sanrio characters even have their own insanely elaborate theme park. Built in 1990, Sanrio Puroland is any Sanrio fan’s dream. Not unlike Disneylands across the globe (including the one in Japan), the bright, loud, and eye-poppingly ornate theme park allows visitors to mix and mingle with their favorite super-deformed animals, not just Hello Kitty. 📍Location: about a 10-minute walk from Tama-Center Station The place to be

Avenue of the Baobabs, Morondava, Madagascar 🇲🇬 The centuries old trees lining both sides of this dirt road may become Madagascar's first natural monument. These giant, dry season-deciduous trees (members of the Mallow family), many of which are more than 800 years old with trunks that are over 150 feet around did not always stand alone. At one time the trees dotting the lane were part of a rich forest of the trees and other plants, but the encroachment of modern civilization and increasing populations in the area led to massive deforestation leaving the remaining baobabs to stand in relative isolation. 📍Location: on the west coast of Madagascar linking Morondava and Belo Tsiribihina The place to be

💰 How they used chocolate as money and aphrodisiac 🫘 Chocolate Tree or Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is very exciting plant and a source of chocolate. The ancient Maya and Aztecs valued cacao beans as currency. 💥 Theobroma means "food of gods" in Greek. "Theo" means god, "broma" - food. 💥 The Maya and Aztecs cultivated cacao for a beverage called xocoatl, used in rituals. These beans were so valuable that they were a form of currency. For example, 100 beans could buy a slave or a turkey. 💥 They also believed in cacao stimulating properties as an aphrodisiac. Emperor Montezuma consumed cacao before visiting his harem. 💥 A cacao pod grows on the trunk and contains 20-50 beans.  💥 Cacao tree can be grown as an exciting house plant. 👉 Subscribe for more exotic plants and fruit: @TopTropicals

Pura Lempuyang Luhur, Abang, Indonesia 🇮🇩 Bali's remote "gateway to heaven" is one of the most sacred places on the island. Pura Lempuyang Luhur is a complex of temples that speckles a trail leading to the top of Mount Lempuyang, a holy mountain. A total of seven temples dot the mountain’s slopes. At the lowest temple, a fantastic “gateway to heaven” greets visitors. Looking through the gate on a clear day reveals Mount Agung framed within its sides. Beyond the gate, three beautiful nāga-lined staircases lead up to the lowest temple. 📍Location: tucked away on the island’s eastern end, Abang, Indonesia The place to be