Indonesia was rocked by two separate disasters earlier this week - a 7.7-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami on Monday that swept onto the Mentawai Island chain in western Indonesia, and less than 24 hours later and a few hundred miles away, Mount Merapi erupted multiple times, unleashing searing pyroclastic flows that destroyed villages and blanketed the countryside in ash. Rescue personnel are only now reaching some of the more remote areas, but as of this writing, it is estimated that nearly 300 people were killed by the tsunami, and at least 30 died near Mount Merapi. Collected here are early photos from the dual disasters, and the rescue and recovery efforts just underway.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
APE Bufalino Camper
Do you know about the Piaggio APE 50? It's the cutest little three wheeled vehicle you'l ever set your eyes on. Do you love camping? How about totally on your own? How about camping totally on your own inside an APE? The project you're about to set your eyes on is called the 'Bufalino', and it's a one-person camper using the APE 50 as its platform. Made for absolute flexibility, the Bufalino contains all the elements needed for living. Only the engine, frame, chasis, and parts of the cab were kept perfectly APE.
The APE is a unique vehicle in that it is exempt from taxes in some countries because of its extremely economical working nature. It is also allowed in certain metropolitan areas that larger cars are not. It uses only a tiny amount of gas. It's super cute.
Inside the Bufalino you’ll find a bed, two seatings, a cooking zone, basin, relatively lots of storage, a refrigerator, and more.
The APE is a unique vehicle in that it is exempt from taxes in some countries because of its extremely economical working nature. It is also allowed in certain metropolitan areas that larger cars are not. It uses only a tiny amount of gas. It's super cute.
Inside the Bufalino you’ll find a bed, two seatings, a cooking zone, basin, relatively lots of storage, a refrigerator, and more.
One Person Camper APE
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Crab Island
Location of Christmas Island
Christmas Island rainforest
Red crab
Red crabs begin their march from the forest to the sea, where they will reproduce
During the migration, the island's human inhabitants just have to adapt
There are around 120 million crabs on the march
The crabs navigate the same pathways year after year
For the islanders, encounters with crabs during the migration are just part of island life
Most of the time we just work around the crabs and take them for granted
Red crabs are scavengers
After two weeks of marching, the first wave of crabs reaches the ocean
The weary travellers dip in the ocean to replace body fluids and salts
The weary travellers dip in the ocean to replace body fluids and salts
Aerial view of Christmas Island
Crabs pop up in the most unexpected places
A female crab expels eggs from her brood pouch
The eggs hatch immediately on contact with the water
Baby crabs navigate their way into the rainforest ... and the ants
Friday, October 29, 2010
Two Headed Snake - Amazing Nature
This is a rare two headed snake found by a farmer in a village in Alicante, Spain. The chances of a two headed snake surviving in the wild is very slim as both would often fight over which head will swallow the prey as well as difficulty in deciding which direction to go.
Amazing Rock in Saudi Arabia - Believe It Or Not!
A huge rock in a village of Al-Hassa region, SAUDI ARABIA raises 11 cms from the ground level once in a year during the month of April and stays elevated for about 30 minutes!!!
They say that 17 years ago, one Mujahid was shot dead behind this rock as he was hidden there. This encounter happened in the month of April 1989. You can see the fresh blood stains on the rock. Most surprisingly, when the rock raises from the ground, these stains become darker, fresher and wet. Local residents tried to wipe off the stains several times, but after some time it appears again on the rock automatically...
Isn't it astounding?
Have a look....
They say that 17 years ago, one Mujahid was shot dead behind this rock as he was hidden there. This encounter happened in the month of April 1989. You can see the fresh blood stains on the rock. Most surprisingly, when the rock raises from the ground, these stains become darker, fresher and wet. Local residents tried to wipe off the stains several times, but after some time it appears again on the rock automatically...
Isn't it astounding?
Have a look....
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers scale some of the highest peaks in the world in pictures by photographer Jimmy Chin
Here's a photographer who will go to great heights in his search for the ultimate picture. Jimmy Chin, probably the world's greatest adventure photographer, has travelled the world with highly-skilled mountain climbers, scaling huge peaks and even skiing down the face of Mount Everest
Conrad Anker reaches for his next gear placement, 2,500 feet off the ground on the Pacific Ocean Wall of El Capitain, Yosemite National Park, California
Jimmy has built up a portfolio that documents his work in some of the most inaccessible and extreme situations imaginable. Jimmy is the go-to man for adventurers and publications such as National Geographic and Outside Magazine Yuji Hirayama climbs in Turkey in April 2009
His travels have taken him to the tallest freestanding sandstone towers in the world, the Hand of Fatima in Mali, to the highest sheer cliff face on the globe. "The climbs up the Hand of Fatima which is 2,000 feet and Naga Parbat which is just over 15,000 feet were spectacular," said Jimmy. "The Hand of Fatima and the Kaga Tondo in Mali, is a personal favourite of mine. That shot sums up the bravery and tremendous ability of these climbers, who allowed me to join them and to experience the same dangers that they face" Cedar Wright and Kevin Thaw climb the south buttress of Kaga Tondo on the Hand of Fatima in Mali on December 20, 2002.
To work with Steph Davis as she became the first woman to free climb El Capitan's Salathe Wall in Yosemite, was an honour and a privilege. "I am always concerned with finding the right spot and the right shot, so sometimes I forget to appreciate the skill of my fellow adventurers, but I am aware of how my life has been changed by my ability with a camera" Steph Davis free climbs the Salathe Wall of El Capitain in Yosemite National Park, California, on November 4, 2005. Steph is the first and only woman to free climb the Salathe
Steph Davis leading the crux "Boulder Pitch" on the Salathe Headwall in Yosemite National Park on November 4, 2005
Of all his adventures though, his ascents of Everest stand out as his most physically demanding and rewarding. "You do wonder - when you are at 28,000 feet, the height that aeroplanes cruise at, when you are struggling to draw breath and every limb aches - why do I do this?"
Kit and Rob Deslauriers with Dave Hahn on the South Summit of Mount Everest on October 4, 2006
"But of course once you reach the summit and realise that there is nowhere you could stand taller on Earth, that's why I do it. On my 2006 expedition to Everest me, Kit and Rob DesLauries decided to speed up our descent of the mountain by skiing down its south east ridge. To say that was fun and frivolous is a bit of an understatement"
Kit DesLauriers hiking through the Khumbu Icefall of Mount Everest on September 18, 2006
Pushing himself hard in training between jaunts, Jimmy's life is a constant whirl of planning, travel and photography. "I lose anywhere up to 20 pounds on location with adventurers like Conrad Anker or Brady Robinson," said Jimmy. "So I need to replace that lost weight and muscle by training hard when I am back in the States between jobs. And as I get older it is far more important for me to be doing this and taking my conditioning seriously"
Jimmy Chin climbing the Pacific Ocean Wall in Yosemite Park, California
Jimmy Chin on Mount Kinabalu, a World Heritage Site in Borneo, on April 25, 2009
Granite towers reflected in a pool on the Karakoram Mountains in Charakusa Valley, Pakistan. This image was taken on August 10, 1999 during Jimmy's first major climbing expedition
Dean Potter, one of the greatest high line walkers in the world, walks on a one-inch thick piece of webbing over a 500 foot deep chasm at Canyonlands National Park in Indian Creek, Utah, in January 2007
Kasha Rigby, Giulia Monego and Ingrid Backstrom approach Redommaine peak before their first ski descent in October 2009 during the Shangri La Expedition, in the Himalayas
Kasha Rigby climbing Redommaine peak before the first ski descent in October 2009, during the Shangri La Expedition in the Himalayas
Conrad Anker traverses an alpine ridge deep in the Waddington Range on Mount Combatant, Coastal Range in British Columbia, Canada
Renan Ozturk on Mount Meru in Garwahl Himalaya, India, on September 14, 2009
Jimmy Chin climbs Mount Meru in Garwahl Himalaya, India
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