We are going to take a look at some of the most awe inspiring sink holes from around the world to really give us a grasp of mother natures power.

1) The Great Blue Hole.

A large round hole formed during a previous ice age when this area was dry land, now a submerged cave or wonders, just off the coast of Belize.

The Great Blue Hole

Part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, this world heritage site is described as one of the top diving sites in the world going to 125 meter deep with many caves and tunnels to explore for the daring and well trained.

2) Unnamed sink hole / hot spring with the Yellowstone national park.

Yellowstone park is the remains of a very large volcano that is still active to this day and the ground around it shows. From geysers to hot springs to eerily beautiful sulfuric sinkholes formed by erosion of the rock by acidic waters.

Yellowstone National Park sink hole

The sulfur deposits around the edge condense out when the water cools and is shallow to give this stunning effect from yellow to deep blue. The park is 40,000 years overdue for a major eruption and a increase in the number of these sink hole type depressions has some experts worried.

3) The Sarisarinama holes of Venezuela

A series of sinks holes in the Jaua-Sarisariñama National Park, located in the isolated region of tepuis. This region is filled with expansive rain forests and the sink holes show in sharp contrast because of there regular shape. First discovered in 1974, high up on flat-topped mountains,

The Sarisarinama holes of Venezuela

Because of there steep sides and position the sinkholes are home to unique plant and animal species found nowhere else.

4) The Qattara depression in Egypt

The Qattara depression is the largest sink hole in the world covering 19.600 square kilometers of the Libyan Desert.

The qattara depression is a arid and dry salt / sand bed that sits below sea level and as such has been the center of plans to create electricity by flooding the basin from the Mediterranean Sea.

Things to note about the depression include beautiful rock formations and salt marshes, also the the black dunes towards the southwest. Qattara is also the only place where cheetahs can still be found living wild in Egypt.

5) A man made sink hole in Guatemala City

The residents could feel and hear strangle rumbles coming from deep within the earth for weeks. Yet nothing change on the surface, nothing was to let them know what the ground had in store for them.. Then suddenly…

Guatemala City

Imagine living in that house on the left….!!!

This near perfect circle however was not mother natures doing, it was due to a collapsed sewer system leaking water and washing away the ground below, until the weight of the city above was too much, then boom!

Many people had to be evacuated from the scene and 2 people were reported to have dies. Given the speed or appearance and severity of this sink hole it could have been a whole lot worse.

An article about historical ruins cannot be complete without saying a word about the Great Pyramids of Egypt, so we have decided to start this article with them….to get it over with. Not that we don’t think these great structures are engineering vision and precision barley equaled even today. Its just everybody knows more about the pyramids than we are likely to express in this short article. So other than to say, they were build at huge human, social and economic cost with no respect for the life of the workers, to house dead bodies and generally had no benefit to society…..ah we’ll leave it there. long live Aton, the solar disc.

2) Sanchi, India

This really is a beautiful and calming place, made all the more so by the way nature has reclaimed parts of the complex. Build at sometime within the 3rd century BC by Emperor Asoka, Sanchi is home to the ‘Great Stupa’, the oldest standing stone structure in India, a monolithic Asokan pillar, temples and a Buddist monestry.

Sanchi is still an important place for Buddist’s to complete a pilgrimage. It has undergone several changes over the centuries leaving behind a great sculptural wealth that spans a great expanse of time.

3) Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu though not very ancient (thirteenth century) was built in the at the pinnacle time and place of the Inca Empire over 2400 meters high in the Andes mountains.

Built in the classic Inca style with intricately assembled dry stone walls the complex has three main structures. the Intihjuatana, Temple of the Sun and the Room of three windows located in a sacred part of the citadel and many more public and private buildings cover the rest of the complex.

Machu Picchu was only inhabited for about a hundred years when it was abandoned in 1572 and rediscovered in 1911 by an American archaeologist upon where its treasured artifacts were moved to Yale university.

4) Skara Brae

Skara Brae is a very ancient site found on mainland Orkney in Scotland. Thought to be occupied between 3180 to 2500 BCE it lay completely buried until recent storms unearthed parts of the site, with eventual archaeological work uncovering the most complete neolithic village ever found.

Along with this site the Orkneys also boast being home to the ‘Standing Stones of Stenness’ – the remains of an ancient henge, Maeshowe – a passae grave and the Ring of Brodgar a huge neolithic stone circle.

5) Sigiriya, Matale District, Sri Lanka.

Sigiriya, meaning lions rock, is a large rock which is home to a fortress and monastery from the 5th century BC. The site is surrounded by jungle contains gardens, water garden and reservoirs.

Within the structures that cling to the rock and use all available space are fabulous rock sculptures, including the lions paw and many frescos.

6) Ajanta Caves

The Ajanta Caves are a group of monuments cut into the side of a granite cliff in Maharashtra in India. The monuments and related paintings are thought to have been created in two distinct phases although the timings of the second period are still open to debate the first caves appeared between 100 BCE and 100 CE.

Some caves are small and crude while others range to very intricate pieces with accompanying fresco’s and grand entrances such as cave one, thought to be built for king Herisena. They are built into a Horseshoe shape so all seem to face each other as if in conversation or competition.

After being rediscovered in 1819 by a British officer on a chance hunting diversion, the caves have been restored and are now world renown for the intricate architecture, remoteness and artwork. These pictures do tell a thousand words… if only it was a million.

The Amazon has many riches locked up in the form of trees, fertile land, precious minerals and metals and people intent on harvesting these commodities and cashing in are not afraid to do anything to stop ‘problems’ getting in their way.

It seems the problems started in the early nineties when the World Bank funded a development of massive open pit mines in the Carajás to extract the Iron ore deposits. To service these mines a railroad was built from the mountains to the coast. Over the years more mines, ranches, roads have been built deeper and deeper in the Amazon rain forest.

Settlements ranging from a few huts to a large collection of shanties have sprung up to service these operations leading to a connected web that spans the once pristine dense forest where the Awa live and roam, leading to increasing contact and conflict with the outside world they know so little about.

Awa Tribe Men build a shelter

Awa tribesmen have seen there family shot or attacked on their own territory and when not intentional these cattle ranchers and loggers can pass diseases onto the Awa for which they have built up no resistance.

From an interview with Survival, Karapiru, a member of the Awa tribe describes how he saw his family killed ”I hid in the forest and escaped from the white people. They killed my mother, my brothers and sisters and my wife,” he continued. “When I was shot during the massacre, I suffered a great deal because I couldn’t put any medicine on my back. I couldn’t see the wound: it was amazing that I escaped … it was through the Tupã . I spent a long time in the forest, hungry and being chased by ranchers. I was always running away, on my own. I had no family to help me, to talk to. So I went deeper and deeper into the forest.”

Survival International is currently working on a campaign to save this tribe which have come into increasing contact since they were first contacted in the 1970′s.

The Brazillian government are working hard to stop the illegal logging and clearing, with dramatic decreases in the amount of rainforest being lost from its 2004 maximum of 27,700 square km to about 6,000 square km. Indigenous peoples are also being tracked with radar planes. As a consequence the planes can also help to spot illegal logging activity

What these people need is enough land to live there nomadic lives on, its not much to ask and the land will be better for it. The Awa and other similar populations have survived for thousands of years in near perfect harmony with the land they live off and have great respect for all living things that share the land.

When ‘civilised’ people arrive is when the trouble seems to start. We can’t seem to form an equilibrium with the land we live off or the people we have to share it with. I cannot help but wonder how much easier the frontiersman life would be without the Awa tribe existing… perhaps that’s the intent.

In similar situations over the centuries the industrial word has all but wiped out the indigenous peoples of the land they decide is the new frontier, with disregard for anything but the bottom line.

The same thing is currently happening in other parts of the world too like in India with Andaman tribe, and in Panama with the Ngobe tribe.

This is not an impossible task, I must stress this. Protection has been granted to many tribes around the world over the years either through land purchase agreements or political pressure. The Yanomami a large Amazonian tribe survived due to secured protection of their land from gold diggers by the Brazilian and Venezuelan governemnts.

We now have the conscience and the mass communication power to collectively take action against atrocities like this, but only if well all pull together. Go to Survival International and send a message to the Minister of Justice, in Brazil. Donate if you can and lets not forget.

Below is a word from Colin Firth…

Many newly weds opt for getting married abroad partly as a solution to reducing cost as the costs of typical wedding at home can run to the tune of a small house, whereas going away with only a select group of people can save a substantial amount.

The main reason couples travel to wed however, is to add an other worldliness feel to the special event, removing a whole party from there current situation and living the event for a few days… As a bonus your guaranteed to have a honeymoon!

Below are some of the most beautiful wedding locations selected from around the world:

1) Florence in Italy.

Steeped in an eloquent and lavish history, Florence, the capital of Tuscany was, during the Renaissance and late middle ages, a large centre of trade and a powerful merchant city. This has shaped the beauty and richness of Florence with some truly amazing renaissance architecture that once housed the powerful families of its time.

Some of these great contributions, in architectural masterpieces commissioned by these influential families, are available for hire to house events for those seeking a little bit more from Florence.

Once home to the Medici family the grounds that are home to the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze are truly spectacular.

‘Through half a millennium, successive owners and residents have made their mark with additions and improvements, with each preserving the work of their predecessors. The result is an epic journey through Florentine history.‘

The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze provides the luxury suites, the Chapel, the private sanctuaries, the atmosphere and a 24 hour service staff there to cater to all your every need.

2) Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Indonesia.

Situated on the most southern-ley coast in Bali, what was once a small fishing community has now been transformed into a luxurious wedding location containing scores of well priced 5 star beach resorts, recognised worldwide.

Choosing from a dawn or dusk wedding you’ll have some of the most beautiful beach views as the backdrop to your special day.

A wedding with the AYANA resort self proclaimed ‘The most intimate family celebration venue’, with its grand ballroom galas, ocean front view and captivating stages, sounds fantastic. They offer a truly unique twist to your day, whether you want a traditional Balinese feel or more western wedding vibe.

When booking your wedding why not enlist the services of an in-house wedding organiser to take the stress of the day away.

3) Bahamas

With crystal clear turquoise blue waters and pearly white sandy beaches the Bahamas have long been a destination for those wanting to get married in a tropical island setting.

With many destinations to choose from on the islands you are guaranteed to find something to suit your budget.

Make sure however, that you do not fall foul of the rules, for instance:

To get married in the Bahamas, either the bride or groom are required to be in the Bahamas for at least 24 hours before being able to apply for a marriage license. With that marriage license you may marry immediately, or under a Catholic ceremony if you apply to the Archdiocese of Nassau, so you may have to plan 6 months in advance .

3) Montego bay, Jamaica

Montego bay made famous by the beach boys song, sits to the north of the island in St. James Parish and is the second largest city in Jamaica. Home to long sandy beach’s and 5 star resorts this makes the perfect destination for a hypnotic, memorable wedding.

One fantastic resort is the Half Moon resort. With over 50 years of history architecture and set inside 400 acres of landscaped gardens this resort has many locations for getting hitched and having a royal party after.

In the words of the Half Moon resort : ‘If you are planning your wedding in Jamaica, you can be confident that no detail of your wedding will be missed at Half Moon.’

And for those that are ethically conscious they even offer a Green wedding the exact details of which you’ll have to find out and give us your own personal insight.

4) Las Vegas

The piece de resistance featuring over 120,000 weddings per year. Las Vegas is credited as being one of the most glitzy, glamorous, action packed wedding locations. It has the most diverse budget range from the extremely cheap quick ‘I do’ at the alter to limitless and opulent no expense spared extravaganza. Anybody can get married in Las Vegas.

A large industry has sprung up to meet the high demand of these rising wedding hopefuls. Many chapels also offer themed weddings. Common themes include Fairy tales, TV shows of your choice or weddings with an Elvis or Michael Jackson. You’ll find many professional planners, venues or great packages to choose from. Many of the large hotels and casinos offer a wedding planning service where everything will be prepared perfectly, quickly and at a competitive price. For those that are really looking for the American feel can queue up with their other half at the drive thru to say their vows.

After the wedding you and your guests will not be short of things to do… Las Vegas is the Entertainment capital of the world!

If you are going to go abroad do make sure yo check out the rules – get your marriage certificate organised well in time.

Get in tune with your exchange rates and plan around the weather… pick the time of the year with your ideal weather..

Enjoy..

Volcanoes are found all over the world, more commonly on faults in the Earths crust where the tectonic places meet and are testament to the long history and changing face of our ever evolving home in space.

Generally volcanoes can be described as active and inactive, although some have been dormant for so long the may appear inactive, they could spring into life at any time. Lets start with some long dormant beauties.

Kelimutu (Ende, Flores, Indonesia)

Kelimutu last erupted in 1968 and reaches 1,639 meters above sea level.

The top of the crater is inhabited by three distinct lakes of such a distinct difference that the locals have named and given personalities to the lakes. The ‘Lake of Old People’ or Tiwu Ata Mbupu is bright blue. The ‘Lake of Young Men and Maidens’ or Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai is red and the ‘Bewitched or Enchanted Lake’ or Tiwu Ata Polo is dark green / black, these lakes share a border and the contrast look down upon them is quite striking.

Although the rocks are jagged and the going is tough, Its worth the trip to see the splendor of the top.

Chaîne des Puys (Massif Central, France)

The Chaîne des Puys is a long chain of about 70 cinder / lava domes long extinct (well in human years) with no activity since about 4000 BC.

The biggest dome in the complex, the Puy de Dôme, which is also the youngest is also home to some surviving architecture from pre-christian Europe where the volcano was the site of Temple complexes and the occasional stage of the tour de france.

Stromboli (Italy)

Stromboli nicknamed the ‘Lighthouse of the Mediterranean’ is situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea on its own island and has been in activity for many centuries, which mainly present themselves as explosive up bursts known as ‘volcanic bombs’ and short periods of lava flow.

Stromboli rises to 900 meters above sea level and shares its island with a few villages.

Landmannalaugar (Iceland)

Landmannalaugar is a region in Iceland and is popular among the hiking tourists of Iceland. The area is home to a vast array of unusual geological sights such as large lava fields and mountains of green, blue and sulfuric yellow. The mountains colour arrises from the chemical cocktails being expelled from the molten rock rising to the surface at volcanoes around the area.

the site http://www.landmannalaugar.info/ contains much information for would be travelers.

Yellowstone (USA)

Formed over half a million years ago by a huge explosive volcanic eruption, the expansive crater basin is home to a warm evnironment where thousands of geysers and thermal springs make up this alien surface.

The valley created by the explosion is home to some wildlife so well adapted to the volcanoes created environment that they could not live anywhere else.

Irazu (Costa Rica)

Irazu nicknamed “El Coloso” (The Colossus) due to its past effects on the indigenous population this crater sitting over 3400 meters above sea level is not an easy climb. However the views of the crater and the surrounding landscape (You can see the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from the top) make this a must visit volcano for any enthusiast.

Kilimandjaro (Tanzania)

Kilimandjaro is a huge dormant volcano in the Kilimanjaro National Park. Its peak is nearly 6000 meters above sea level and the temperature can reach -15 degrees centigrade near its peak, even though it is a steady 35-40 degrees at its foot.

Visited by mountaineers from around the world and sticking out of the surrounding area like the preverbial elephant in the room, Kilimandjaro is a true spectacle.

I remeber speaking to a man in Dar es Salaam once and asked him, ‘Have you ever climbed Kilimandjaro?’ he looked at me like I was daft for asking the question and said. ‘No….’. We bought another drink.

We present here only the tip of the iceberg, designed to whet your appetite and introduce you to these survivors of a bygone age.

Callanish

Situated on a remote island in the inner Hebrides, this amazing circle and associated avenues are in the shape of a Celtic cross. It was half buried in peat till 1857 when the landowner Sir James Matheson had the peat removed by labourers. The height the peat reached on the stones is still visible today at about waist height. This circle its renowned as circle of the moon goddess. Once every 18.61 years when the moon is at its major standstill you can stand at the end of the long avenue and watch the full moon roll along the horizon through the circle.

Even more amazingly certain stones in the circle have a local mineral embedded within them for use in sight lines, which if used correctly give months notice of the forth coming lunar spectacular. But Callanish or callanais in the local Gaelic does not stand alone. Within 2 miles of the circle another 5 circles were sited, 3 of which are memorably visible today. Within 10 miles an astonishing 9 circles surround clannish. Besides the moon the other major view from these circles is a hill formation in the form of a reclining woman known locally as sleeping beauty. Several circles focus exclusively on it including one at its base. The majority of these monuments are late Neolithic but saw use well into the bronze age and beyond.

Callanish is located on the isle of Lewis near the village of Breasclete. Hotels are available in Stornoway. Flights daily from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Stornoway.

Avebury

Sporting the largest and fourth largest stone circles in the world, Avebury must be considered the most unique monument of its kind. Its so large that a village was built within it in medieval times of which a sizable amount remains. It is also the only stone circle in the world to have a pub inside it.

Excavated many times in living memory the circle at Avebury is surrounded by a truly massive ditch bank combination. When it was built the ditch was 11 metres deep with vertical sides and falling off the bank into it would be like falling off a 7 storey building. Leading out from Avebury were two serpentine avenues of stone, each made up of about 200 3m plus stones. Only one of these remains sadly but that one led to a stone circle made up of 5 concentric rings now also destroyed. Avebury was not alone in the landscape, Silbury hill is the most obvious companion, the largest man made chalk monument in the world rising an astonishing 40 metres high.

The village of Avebury is in the heart of Wiltshire. Buses run daily from Swindon, Chippenham and Marlborough where hotel accommodation can be found.

Castlerigg

This is without doubt the finest setting for a stone circle bar none. Located on a small hill just to the south of Keswick, Castlerigg is surrounded on all sides by mountains. There are few experiences better than standing in the centre of Castlerigg at sun rise on a crisp clear summer morning, absolutely awe inspiring. The circle is located on this very spot for the geology but located in this wide pass for the geography. 15 miles to the south are the langdale axe factories, it is believed that the customers of these prestige items would have stopped here, a Neolithic trading post as it were.

Sunkenkirk playing a similar role to the south. The circle itself is very impressive 40 large stones, with at least two carvings on the stones. It also has a unique feature, a rectangle of stones poking into the circle, maybe a ritual nod to the Chambers in the cairns that perhaps once gave rise to stone circles.

Castlerigg is located in the lake district and is walkable from Keswickwhere plenty of accommodation is available.

Stonehenge

The most famous of all stone circles and one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, Stonehenge is a site known by all. Originally a simple henge, Stonehenge has gone through many rebuilds in its life, the last being in the 1920s and 1960s when several stones were righted and their bases encased in concrete. What we see now is the remains of the last prehistoric phase, Stonehenge V.

This site is an oddity amongst circles, the only stone circle with lintels, each of which was carefully carved to curve slightly and fit on the pummels and with its neighbours with inch perfect accuracy. These were carved with wood working techniques, leading to speculation of similar wooden constructs perhaps at Woodhenge nearby or at the sanctuary near Avebury. The landscape about Stonehenge has been used by man for thousands of years before the henge was built, three postholes in the car park being tentatively dated to the later Mesolithic, a time of managed forest clearings and hunter gatherers. Several longbarrows dot the nearby hills attesting to Neolithic farmers as does the nearby cursus which marks out that this area has always been of ritual importance. With the tens of thousands who flock here every year for the summer solstice and the millions who come to admire the stones every year, Stonehenge is still an important ritual site.

Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire just off the a303. Accommodation is available in Amesbury or Salisbury.

Ring of Brodgar

This is a magnificent circle henge located between two lochs on Orkney. When complete its ring of 60 stones made the third largest stone circle in the British Isles, sadly only 29 orcadian sandstone pillars remain. Now denuded to nothing the massive ditch would have been accompanied by an external bank, presumably robbed completely to make the stone walls nearby.

Its been estimated that 300 people working 8 hour days would be able to build Brodgar in a month, its likely it was instead built over several seasons, perhaps the farming community coming together post harvest each year for a great celebration, part of which was contributing to this amazing monument. Like all great circles Brodgar does not sit in isolation, the equally impressive ring of Stenness and ring of Bookan circles litre less than a mile away in opposite directions, maes Howe, possible the finest chambered tomb in the UK its less than 2 miles away and several Neolithic villages have appeared from the sand dunes on the Orkney islands over the years.

Brodgar is on the isle of Orkney, standing next to the b9055. Accommodation is available in stromness or Kirkwall.

The weddings at Stanton Drew

Located on the eastern side of the village of Stanton drew, nestled on a small rise next to the river chew, lies the remains of one of the most important Neolithic complexes in Britain. What is now three stone circles, two avenues and a cove started life as a massive henge containing 400 oak trunks in concentric circles next to a chambered long barrow. At some point in antiquity the henge ditch was filled in, the wooden posts removed and the 2nd largest stone circle in the country was constructed. The other circles and avenues were added after. Meanwhile the body of the longbarrow was removed leaving only 3 stones standing as a cove, now located in the beer garden of the druid arms pub. It is known as the weddings as the circles are said to be the remains of a wedding party that danced too long on a Saturday night into the sabbath and were turned to stone by the devil as the sun came up.

The village of Stanton drew is located in north Somerset in the picturesque chew valley about 7 miles to the south of Bristol. Accommodation is available nearby or in Bristol.

Scorhill

Now robbed and abused this once mighty ring was once called the finest example of its kind in Devon. Just over half of its original 65 stones remain, in a large circle standing proud in the middle of Dartmoor. Its one of a line of 5 great circles that cross the moor and surrounded by one of the richest surviving prehistoric landscapes in the world. Its surroundings make this worth a visit alone but the ruined circle makes this site mournful and dramatic.

The shovel down stone rows are just visible from the circle and a natural holed stone called the Tolmen which its said to heal rheumatism if you pass through it is a short distance away.

Scorhill circle is a short walk onto Dartmoor from the nearest road. The closest accommodation is in Okehampton.

Sunkenkirk

Also known as Swinside and a dead ringer for its sister site Castlerigg, this is one of the most powerfully located circles in the country.

An almost complete ring with clearly visible portal stones standing higher than the rest, the views to the south are immense. The name literally means “sunken church” and as you climb the lane from the nearest road, you could be forgiven for thinking it was the tips of spires you were seeing not standing stones. The site was levelled before the stones were raised, similar to Ballynoe in Ireland.

Swinside is located near to Millom.

Nine Ladies of Stanton Moor

Nestled in a clearing in a peaceful wood lies one of the more visited circles in England. The nine ladies is a denuded Peak District embanked circle dating from the bronze age.

Traces of the bank can still be seen between some of the stones, and originally would have been similar to the banks in the circles on Barbrook moor and at doll tor phase 1, less than two miles away. Out of the wood you come onto peat moorland, where one of the largest cairn fields in the peaks meets you with at least 40 cairns of varying types can be seen. This site is popular due to its accessibility and association with nearby protests which stopped a quarry extension on the moor. Stanton moor is bounded by roads with the villages of Stanton in the peak and birch over at either end.

Beaghmore

This complex of small circles, cairns and rows from the later bronze age is in a marvellous state of preservation as it was only discovered in the 1940s by peat diggers. Tantalisingly the whole complex hasn’t been dug out of the peat, with one cairn only half revealed and banks of peat spreading out in 3 directions. Several of the rows run over earlier Neolithic walls, suggesting this was built on formerly arable land.

Broadmoor is close to Cookstown, Country Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

Useful resources for more information.

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com

13 awesome stone circles/