Tag: Nature

TIBETE – train travel

On By estrangedztIn travelLeave a comment

From what I saw, this documentary was made in 2011.
TIBETE – train ride …. with the best technology in the world

As I do love to travel and Tibete it’s one the spots I really want to go, when I saw this PowerPoint I had to share it! The Author is Eddy Cheong. Thank you!

From Beijing to Lhasa

Tribute to railway builders

CHALLENGES

Since the founding of the Republic of China by Dr. Sun Yat-sol in 1911, it has been a dream of that country to have a national railway system connecting all its provinces.
Tibet became the last province to be linked, as there were major obstacles.

This is the “Mother of thousands of Mountains”.
How to build a railway line in these mountains to reach China’s most remote province, Tibet? Like, if about 85% of the railroad will have to stay in the “forbidden zone”, also known as “Zona da Morte” (Death Zone) because of bad weather:
air, severe and unpredictable weather, ferocious storms and high UV radiation.
Average annual temperature is below zero degrees, reaching negative 45º C; average elevation of the railroad: 4,115 m above sea level; highest point: 5,100 meters.
When building the Mountain Tunnel Fenghuo – 4,800 m above sea level – workers had to be equipped with oxygen cylinders.
Seventeen oxygen-producing stations were built along the railway line to “feed” the tunnel.
5,180 meters of high mountains to climb, valleys 12 km wide, hundreds of kilometers of ice and mud that could never support trains!
How can a tunnel be opened through the rock, in a climate of minus 40 degrees and with serious oxygen difficulty?
550 km of ice along the rail route; non-compact ice and damp soil in the Summer – a nightmare for railway engineers.
As most cattle and wildlife graze freely, the line was raised in most places.
Four areas have been specifically reserved to protect wildlife species in the Tibetan plateau, including the Chiru population.
Environmental protection of ecosystems:
High investments were made in the project.
Routes were selected to prevent the railway from passing through major wildlife habitats.
Chiru, whose wool is known as ‘shahtoosh’, or ‘wool queen’, for sale for up to $10,000 each, despite legal protection, is threatened with extinction.
Wool is smuggled from Tibet, mainly to Kashmir, where shawls and scarves are made.
Although Chiru is protected in China, it is still legal to weave shahtoosh in India.
In all trains, toilets, waste water tanks and waste treatment facilities were installed to protect the environment along the route.
Beijing West, here begins our story
Beijing West Railway Station is the first stage of our train adventure to Lhasa.
Travel companion, Joey, points to the sign that says, “Beijing West to Lhasa “.
All trains entering Tibet from China are equipped with trash compactors and vacuum toilets. In this photo, you can see a worker collecting sanitary waste from a train on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, using vacuum technology installed at the Golmud station.
Protection of the environment was an important priority.
Joey appreciates the landscapes that take place throughout the trip.
Western cuisine available on the menu.
The service is excellent. Friendly, it serves fruit juices, snacks and drinks.
Passengers do not suffer from high altitude sickness, as the carriages are fully air-conditioned and pressurized, as in airplanes.
Oxygen masks are also available in your bedrooms, as well as along the corridors and in the trains’ bathrooms.
Beautiful setting and healthy hot meals.
Mountain tunnels.
The construction of a bridge over the icy soil.
This has the least impact on the area, but it is also the most expensive.
Qingshuihe Bridge is the longest bridge in the world built on icy ground.
Animals graze peacefully, oblivious to the passage of the train
Whenever possible, the railway line is elevated to allow the passage of migratory species and to minimize any adverse impact on the natural environment.
Timeless beauty of Lake Namtso.
Train rises to an altitude of more than 5,000 meters.
The length of the Qingzang railway is 1,956 km. The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072m above sea level, the highest in the world.
Stopping to take a picture with ice as a backdrop.
The train passes ice and snow-capped mountains on the way to Lhasa.
From the beginning, the design departments were concerned with the migration of antelopes.
Wildlife, bears and wild donkeys have already adapted to the presence of the railway line.
Yaks grazing peacefully, indifferent to the passing of the train.
The enchanting beauty of the blue lake of Yamdrok.
The train passes by the Patola Monastery, on the way to the Lhasa Railway Station.
With the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the new Nyingchi Airport, there was a flood of tourists in Tibet, reaching 4 million last year, up 60 percent.
Interior of Lhasa Railway Station.
Departure from Lhasa Station.
Exterior of Lhasa Railway Station.
The Lhasa Station it looks more like a first-class airport terminal.
Tibet’s economy has never been self-sufficient to give its people meaningful life. The Central Government of China has invested more than $4 billion to build this rail system – the most expensive in the world.
Since the time of Emperor Kublai Khan, Tibet has belonged to China and is its most remote province.
The new bridge over the Tsangpo River to the railway station.
Hotel reception area – Lhasa.
The Lhasa River bridge connects the center of Lhasa to the new train station.

Copyright reserved:

E. Cheong

New Huaren Federation

16 February 2011

“I have a dream”

On By estrangedztIn artLeave a comment

Russian Mother Takes Magical Pictures Of Her Two Kids With Animals On Her Farm

These wonderful photographs by Elena Shumilova plunge the viewer into a beautiful world that revolves around two boys and their adorable dog, cat, duckling and rabbit friends. Taking advantage of natural colors, weather conditions and her enchanting surroundings, the gifted Russian artist creates cozy and heartwarming photography that will leave you amazed.

The boys in the photographs are the photographer’s sons and the animals belong to the farm she runs. “I largely trust my intuition and inspiration when I compose photos.”

Iguaçu River Mouth – Brasil (The limit of 3 coutries)

On By estrangedztIn Nature, travel1 Comment
The journey will begin
Admire this wonder of Nature.
3 countries separated only by water.
Is it not pretty?
Here progress.
Here Nature.
We feel so small.
Given such greatness.
Here the challenge.
The beauty.
The power .
A different world.

The Internet provides us with the expansion of our knowledge.
Look at these images …
Photos from a never seen angle …

Nature has ways to show us the greatness in its purity.

If you liked this post, go find the base PowerPoint at https://pt.slideshare.net/josemorales/iguazu-tres-fronteras?next_slideshow=1

Thank you to the author, for sharing this little piece of Eden!

The extraordinary snail

On By estrangedztIn NatureLeave a comment
Snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks.
They breathe through a lung …
… therefore being of the order Pulmonata.
They have a spiral limestone shell.
Belong to the suborder Stylommatophora which also includes slugs.
Its spiral shell can vary in shape …
… and color.
Let’s look inside its body …
X-ray
The aquatic species are called sea snails…
… and toast us with the most varied and beautiful shapes and colors…
Fantastic Nature !!!
Snails have no hearing. They use touch and smell and they not see very well.
Snails are an incomplete hermaphrodite…
… and so they need a partner to…
… mate and fertilize.
And the result it’s ASAP …
Snail’s drool is highly used in cosmetics…
It contains enzymes that contribute to the repair and healing of the skin, in addition to being moisturizing and antioxidant.
In Portugal, France and Italy, snail is considered a delicacy.
Can be bred in greenhouses …
… or can be caught one by one.
With Sagres or Super Bock it is a delight for some…
… or repellent for others!
Escargots in France
Lumache in Italy

As it should be, here’s an anecdote involving Snails:
An Alentejano leaves home at dawn for his rural work.
At the end of the day he returns to his house but before entering he looks back and sees a snail on the floor.
Furious, he steps valiantly exclaiming:
Take this big f *** ~ * ’cause you’ve been chasing me all day !!!

Credits: Based on the PowerPoint “O extraordinário caracol” by José Cervantes. Images from Internet.

You ca find the original here: https://pt.slideshare.net/jmpcard1/o-caracol-50089647

The World’s most unusual plants

On By estrangedztIn NatureLeave a comment

1. Rafflesia arnoldii: this parasitic plant develops the world’s
largest bloom that can grow over three feet across. The flower is a
fleshy color, with spots that make it look like a teenager’s
acne-ridden skin. It smells bad and has a hole in the center that
holds six or seven quarts of water. The plant has no leaves, stems, or
roots.

Image: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/rafflesia-arnoldii-the-largest-flower-on-earth.html

2. Hydnora africana, an unusual flesh-colored, parasitic flower that
attacks the nearby roots of shrubby in arid deserts of South Africa.
The putrid-smelling blossom attracts herds of carrion beetles.

Image: https://www.jardiland.pt/diversos/a-hydnora-africana-uma-planta-excepcional-que-cresce-debaixo-da-terra/

3. Dracunculus vulgaris: smells like rotting flesh, and has a
burgundy-colored, leaf-like flower that projects a slender, black
appendage.

Image: https://order.eurobulb.nl/other-summer-flowering-bulbs-a-l/10255-dracunculus-vulgaris-10255.html

4. Amorphophallus: means, literally, “shapeless penis.” The name comes
from the shape of the erect black spadix.

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Amorphophallus_titanum_%28corpse_flower%29_-_2.jpg