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It will soon be 20 years that I’ve been travelling all over the world. I first chose to visit countries I had been dreaming about, and then I chose specific attractions to decide on my next destination.
Now I am looking for unusual experiences, unusual activities or landscapes, a rare animal to observe, a natural phenomenon.
In this not always easy period, I wanted to dream a little and immerse myself in the extraordinary places I visited. From my nostalgia was born this photo-report. Let us allow ourselves to dream awake to the magnificent landscapes of our planet.
I’m curious to know how you choose your next travel destination. What’s on your bucket list?
What could be more magical than a lake that is completely candy pink? No need for Instagram or Photoshop when reality is extraordinarily beautiful.
To my knowledge, it is possible to see a pink lake in Senegal (Retba Lake), in Australia (several pink lakes in the country, but the best known is Hillier lake), and the one I’m showing you is in Mexico, in Las Coloradas. A little road trip from Cancun or Playa Del Carmen is enough to be amazed!
A white ground as far as the eye can see, which, in the rainy season, becomes a mirror so that the eye has difficulty distinguishing the sky from the ground. A place where perspective plays tricks on our brains. In short, a place to put on your list of “must-sees”. The reputation of the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is well established. Its neighbor, Argentina, has the same landscape, but much smaller with the Salinas Grandes.
A natural phenomenon that has always piqued my curiosity, it took me a long time before I saw my first geysers. I discovered them in the strange and unreal landscape of the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve in Bolivia.
Then, in Iceland I observed an even more powerful one, Geysir.
Turkey has nothing to envy when it comes to living extraordinary experiences. I present you a trio of must-sees in the list of unusual landscapes.
Knowing that many stop at Istanbul flying with Turkish Airlines, I encourage you to go out and explore a little. Here is the spectacular Pamukkale, which means Cotton Castle in English. A layer of stones covered with calcium and hot springs that deceive the eye by giving the impression that everything is frozen.
On a smaller scale, this type of landscape can be found in Italy at Bagni San Filippo.
A famous tourist attraction in Turkey that is definitely worth a visit is the region of Cappadocia. Rocks in the shape of chimneys as far as the eye can see.
The view is exceptional, but in addition, houses have been dug into the rock as well as secret passages and traps in order to resist the invaders.
I admit that my childhood heart felt like walking around the Smurfs’ village with the mushroom houses.
Much less known than the two previous ones, the Chimaera (or Yanartas ) located in Antalya is fascinating.
On one side of the hill, flaming natural gas escapes from between the rocks. So there are several small fires scattered over about 100 meters. Small campfires to explore at sunset.
Not as impressive as the huge gate of hell in Turkmenistan, but much easier to access.
When I chose to visit the Volcanoes Park on Big Island, it was mostly to see an active volcano.
However, it was the “end of the world” landscapes that impressed me rather than the disappointing orange glow of the active volcano. Mountains of hardened lava to climb as we please, roads covered with lava, infrastructures destroyed by eruptions. A real ride into the heart of the apocalypse.
Many times in my travels, I have told myself that man will never be able to build something as beautiful as what nature has created.
This is exactly what comes to mind when I see multicolored mountains like the The Hill of Seven Colours in Argentina. Less easily accessible but with greater scope, Vinicunca in Peru is all the rage on Instagram. China would also have its version with the Zhangye Danxia Mountains.
An oasis is something that really struck my imagination; something that seemed almost unreal to me. Reality did not disappoint me! I find a kind of magical spirit in it. Life or water in the midst of a hostile environment, as if to remind us that anything is possible.
Here are some pictures of the ones I visited: the Huacachina in Peru, the Lencois Marahenses National Park in Brazil, and the Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman. The latter is located in a rocky desert region, which is not sandy.
Have you ever observed that geometric phenomenon where the stone separated into hexagonal columns? It is possible to see it in Northern Ireland on the site of the Giant’s Causeway. This strangeness has been reproduced in a few places as in Iceland, Scotland, Israel… All columns are similar and of the same size. Seeing these rocks leaves you perplexed and piques your curiosity.
This break period for travel still allows us to accumulate many travel or Aeroplan points in order to visit these exceptional places. This is a good time to set a medium to long term goal and apply for cards that are consistent with our plan.
How will you choose your next destination? Are you looking for an unusual place?
Feel free to read or reread the other articles from Valerie.
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