Golden Bridge (The Hand Of God), Danang City, Vietnam

The Golden Bridge is a 150-metre-long (490 ft) pedestrian bridge in the Bà Nà Hills resort, near Da Nang, Vietnam. It is designed to connect the cable car station with the gardens and to provide a scenic overlook and tourist attraction. The bridge loops nearly back around to itself, and has two giant stone hands designed to appear to support the structure. The client for the project was the Sun Group. The bridge was designed by TA Landscape Architecture based in Ho Chi Minh City. The company's founder, Vu Viet Anh, was the project's principal designer, with Tran Quang Hung as the bridge designer and Nguyen Quang Huu Tuan as the bridge's design manager. Construction began in July 2017 and was completed in April 2018. The bridge opened in June 2018.

 

The Golden Bridge Danang has been built at over 1400 meters above sea level and divided into eight spans, of which the longest span was 21.2 meters. As a walking bridge, the Danang Golden Bridge possesses a 3-meter spherical surface with a spherical timber material of 5 cm thick that allows you to play and dance. The special name of the bridge has been derived from its guardrails painted in shimmering gold. Golden Bridge Danang is a footbridge that seems to be lifted by two huge hands of god. It is firmly made from two giant mossy stones which have been shaped as hands. This abstract design makes the bridge match the theme of the scenery around. Furthermore, thanks to its great height, Danang Golden Bridge is like a silk crossing the sky to help to touch the flying clouds. Located amid the picturesque backdrop of Sunworld Ba Na Hills Danang, the Golden Hand Bridge Danang evokes a sense of walking down the mesmerizing way of paradise. No matter how people imagine about this bridge, it is undeniable that Golden Bridge is one of the most spectacula rand magnificent sites to visit in Vietnam.

Golden Bridge was first used as a special runway for London’s prestigious fashion show to introduce a new collection of A Sai Ta, a Vietnamese-Chinese designer, who was chosen as top 100 people having a big impact on Indochinese culture.

Jog Falls, Sagara, Karnataka,India

Jog Falls located near Jog Village in Sagara, Karnataka. Jog Falls is also known as Gerusoppe falls, Joga jalapatha and Jogada gundi in the regional Kannada language. It is the second highest plunge waterfalls in India. It is a segmented waterfall which depends on rain and season becomes a plunge waterfall. The falls are major attractions for tourists and is ranked 13th in the world by the waterfall database.

Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River dropping 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-highest plunge waterfall in India after the Nohkalikai Falls with a drop of 335 m (1100 ft) in Meghalaya. Sharavathi, a river which rises at Ambutirtha, next to Nonabur, in the Thirthahallitaluk and takes the northwesterly course by Fatte petta, receives the Haridravati on the right below Pattaguppe and the Yenne Hole on the left above Barangi. On arriving at the frontier it bends to the west, precipitates itself down the Falls of Gersoppa, and passes that village (properly Geru-Sappe), which is some 30 kilometres (19 mi) distant, discharging into the sea at Honnavar in Uttara Kannada.

The Sharavati, flowing over a very rocky bed about 250 yards (230 m) wide, here reaches a tremendous chasm, 290 m (960 ft) deep, and the water comes down in four distinct falls. The Raja Fall pours in one unbroken column sheer to the depth of 830 ft (250 m). Halfway down it is encountered by the Roarer, another fall, which precipitates itself into a vast cup and then rushes violently downwards at an angle of forty-five degrees to meet the Raja. A third fall, the Rocket, shoots downwards in a series of jets; while the fourth, the Rani, moves quietly over the mountainside in a sheet of foam. The Tourism Department has built steps from the viewpoint to the bottom of the hill where the waterfall can be seen at the opposite side. There are approximately 1400 steps built to reach the bottom of the hill. Rock climber: Jyothi Raj has scaled the jog falls.

Joga is a Kannada word meaning falls. Many Kannada speakers near Sahyadri Mountains such as in Yellapura region still use the word Joga to mean falls. The word Joga may be related to or a derivative of Kannada word javugu which means marsh.

Before the onset of monsoon season, when there is not much water in the Linganmakki dam, the Jog Falls are a pair of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff, as the water collected in the dam is exclusively for generation of electricity; during monsoons local rain water is the source of water to the falls. 

Nearest railway station (distance to the location): 

Talaguppa (13 km) and Sagara (30 km)
Honnavar (68 km) Bhatkal(90 km) which are on Mangalore - BombayKonkan Railway route.

Nearest bus station: Sagara, Siddapura and Jogfalls bus stop. Nearest centre for private road transport is Sagara. While on the NH 66 northward one can take a right turn at Shamsuddin Circle, Bhatkal and when on southward journey one can take left Near Kamat Hotel, Honnavar to reach Jog Falls.

Nearest airport (aerial distance to the location):
Domestic
Hubli Airport (HBX): 130 km

International
Bengaluru International Airport (BLR): 340 km
Mangalore International Airport (India)(Formerly Bajpe Airport) (IXE): 200 km
Goa Airport (GOI): 246 km

Sahasralinga, (Unsloved Mystery of 1,000 Ancient Carved Shiva Lingas), Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India

Sahasralinga is a pilgrimage place in the Sirsi Taluk in the district of Uttara Kannada of Karnataka state in India. The river Shalmala is today famous for more than thousand lingas which are carved on the rocks in the river bank.The Shiva Lingas were built under the patronage of Sadashivarayavarma, king of the Sirsi kingdom (1678-1718). It is also possible to see many Basava (bulls) which are carved in front of the Shivalingas.

Most of the lingas are clearly visible when the water level in the river is not very high. So it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the name Sahasralinga means thousand-lingas in Sanskrit. It is a sacred site, and Linga is a symbol of worship of the Hindu God, Shiva. On the auspicious day of Mahashivaratri thousands of pilgrims visit Sahasralinga to offer their prayers to Shiv.

 

This magnificent site was discovered in 1969, by an ethnologist named Jean Boulbet. Unfortunately, his work was interrupted by the Cambodian Civil War and it took 20 years before the place was safe to visit.

Sahasralinga is situated around 14 km from Sirsi. One can travel by personal vehicles as there is ample parking space at Sahasralinga and is very well maintained. You can also take public bus travelling from Sirsi to Yellapura and get down at barani. You can take an auto rickshaw or walk down to Sahasralinga which is 1.5 km from the bus stop.

Catedrales ( A Natural Stone Arches), Galician Coast, Spain

Catedrais Beach translates as 'Beach of the Cathedrals'. It is the touristic name of Praia de Aguas Santas (in Galician language: 'Beach of the Holy Waters'). The Spanish beach is located in the Ribadeo municipality, in the province of Lugo (Galicia), on the Cantabric coast, and it lies about ten kilometers to the west from the town of Ribadeo. Its name is derived from the formations of its cliffs. It has been declared a Natural Monument by the regional Ministry for the Environment of the Xunta de Galicia.

The characteristic features of the beach are its natural arches and caves, which can be seen only in low tide. During high tide, the beach appears small, but still suitable for swimming. During low tide the size of its cliffs and sea caves is more apparent, ranging from small cracks on the rock to big caves whose roofs have collapsed due to the erosion of the waves. During low tide, there is access to a sand deposit delimited by a rocky wall made from slate and schist forming 30 meters arches resembling cathedral flying buttresses, large caves, sand corridors between rocky blocks, and other geologic features. Particularly low tides create access to nearby beaches through the sand extension. As the coast stretch is almost horizontal, the water covers the beach again very quickly. 

 

 

As the waters recede, a vista of natural arches, cliffs, and sea caves are revealed. The arches themselves reach 90 feet in height, while deep, eroded caves stretch back into the cliffside. Connecting all these features are sandy patches formed by the schist and slate of the rocks themselves. Playa de Catedrales has become a popular destination for those who feel a more holy kinship with nature, or seek to experience a touch of the divine in a new, unexpected setting.

 

Catedrales is so popular that you have to reserve your entry before you visit and best time to visit Beach of the Cathedrals is during August.

 

The fantastical name Praia das Catedrais (Cathedral Beach) does do it justice. The way the rocks dissolve over time turns them into surprising and extraordinary shapes that resemble the great architectural works of humankind. Arches and bridges that seem to defy gravity in the most precarious ways. Vaulted caves and mazes of stone pillars that stubbornly hold onto their foundations against the odds. It is a beach that is not so much for sun bathing or swimming. Rather, it is a photographer’s paradise with many different angles and perspectives. They are in continuous change in accordance with time, tide, and season. And it is more. It is an adventure playground for those who love to explore a natural beach with all its hidden corners and secret unknowns. Playa de las Catedrales is perfect for families, explorers, nature lovers.