Marble Caves of Chile Chico

Mother Nature outdoes herself with this stunningly beautiful set of caves carved into marble

Carved into the Patagonian Andes, the Cuevas de Mármol are located on a peninsula of solid marble bordering Lake General Carrera, a remote glacial lake that spans the Chile-Argentina border.

Formed by 6,000-plus years of waves washing up against calcium carbonate, the smooth, swirling blues of the cavern walls are a reflection of the lake's azure waters, which change in intensity and hue, depending on water levels and time of year.

Located far from any road, the caves are accessible only by boat. Thirty minute tours are operated by a local company, weather and water conditions permitting.

REMINDERS!

There are ferries from Chile Chico that will take you to and through the Marble cave and its tunnels. The caves are based on a lake, and the only way to reach them is by ferry. 

Source: www.google.com.us

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Michaelskapelle Ossuary

This German bone house contains the remains of some 20,000 souls

Sitting unsuspectingly behind the Church of St Katharin in Oppenheim, Germany is a relatively small building that looks a tad sinister thanks to its severe angles, but inside is something much more gothic: BONES!

The Church of St Katharin, which began construction in 1225, is home to some impressive and rare 14th century stained glass windows that have managed to survive centuries and wars, but it is what lays behind the historic church that is of special note. In the Michaelskapelle (Chapel of St Michael) lies one of the largest ossuaries in Germany, housing the skeletal remains of over 20,000 Oppenheim residents who died between 1400-1750 CE. The honored dead ended up in the ossuary thanks to a laundry list of reasons, but a number of them are thought to have been killed as a result of famine and war. 

The longer bones are stacked like cord wood, creating an unbroken bulwark of bones, punctuated by skulls that are set into the wall at

irregular intervals. While the stacks of bones don't quite reach to the ceiling, it is thought that they did at one time go all the way up, but have slowly compressed themselves over the centuries, making the collection seem somewhat smaller, but not by much.

The ossuary is generally closed, but the bones can usually still be seen through the bars of the door gate. However, special tours of the space can be arranged. In fact many of the skulls bear the marks of small hands where children have touched the skulls to see if they're real.

Source:  www.google.com.us/ph

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Gunung Padang Megalithic Site

These broken shards of ancient ruin may hide an ancient pyramid

Deep in the jungles of Indonesia there is a hill covered in a mess of stone-age columns, but what lies beneath is possibly one of the oldest structures known to humankind.

In 2011, geologist Dr. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja noticed something peculiar about Gunung Padang. The hill isn’t an actual hill, it’s a buried pyramid that may have been built between 9,000 and 20,000 years ago. There’s even evidence of human-made chambers that show carbon-dating as far back as 26,000 years. If proven true, this claim could rewrite history as we know it and expose a forgotten civilization.

The predominant understanding among historians is that all human civilization began after the last major Ice Age that covered the Earth back in 11,500 BCE. If this pyramid-like structure dates further than 11,500 BCE, then it could prove that Plato’s account of

a sunken civilization in Timaeus and Critias was not merely Ancient Greek legend. What secrets lie deep inside Gunung Padang? Only further excavation will tell. Let’s hope the Indonesian government allows Dr. Natawidjaja to continue his research in spite of the outrage and protest to stop any further research from Indonesia’s archaeological establishment.

Gunung Padang might join the ranks of Gobekli Tepe, another megalith in Turkey, as one of most important archaeological discoveries in recent history.

Source: www.google.com.us/ph

              atlasobscure.com

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Tuhala Witch's Well

This disappearing geyser has been attributed to witchcraft, but really it's all about rainfall.

Located in the tiny village of Tuhala, the Witch's Well is a naturally

occurring geyser that has been known to flood the entire area after heavy rains. Clearly the work of witches. 

The Witch's Well is actually an example of what is known as a "karst spring." The opening from which the spring issues is located over an underground river, which is normally located far enough underground that it isn't a problem. But after extremely heavy rains,

the river tends to swell up and issue forth from the well, completely flooding the surrounding area. The geyser effect can last for days, making for a major disaster for those effected by the flooding.

In olden times, this pandemonium was not seen as simply an unfortunate natural occurence, but was instead blamed on those perennial villains, witches. According to the local lore, witches would gather down in the well and lash each other with branches. This pagan reverie was thought to cause the catastrophic flooding that came periodically came from the well. Unfortunately it was just nature and science.

The well does not flood each time it rains, but just occasionally. It is often years between each flooding, so when it occurs, people

now come from all around to check it out. A wooden cap has been placed over the natural hole, so even though it can be damaging, the Witch's Well certainly looks like it has caged a witch inside of its depths.

Linkage: www.google.com.us/ph

                atlasobscura.com

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