SeaWorld, San Diego

Sea World, San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego is a marine animal theme park in San Diego, California. With rollercoasters, water rides, and animal exhibits, SeaWorld is a popular destination for families to spend the day in southern California.

The Bayside Skyride, a gondola ride over Mission Bay, and the Sea World Sky Tower, offer panoramic views of San Diego and the bay near the park. The Journey to Atlantis attraction is a flume ride and rollercoaster themed for the lost city of Atlantis. The park’s raft ride, called Shipwreck Rapids, takes riders through the wild turtle exhibit and right through a waterfall, while Manta is Sea World’s biggest thrill ride.

Animal exhibits at SeaWorld include dolphins, killer whales, Beluga whales, Pacific Walruses, penguins, polar bears. Animal interactions take place at Rocky Point Preserve in Dolphin Cove, where visitors can interact with dolphins, and California sea otters.

The Pillars of the Weathering in Russia

The Pillars of Weathering at Komi Republic, Russia

The Pillars of the Weathering are a breathtaking natural attraction located in the Komi Republic region of Russia. The seven towering pillars approximately 98 feet to 137 feet (30 – 42 meters) in height are some of the most spectacular geographic formations known to mankind. Though, designated one of the Seven Wonders of Russia, the Pillars of Weathering are relatively little known outside the country and hence largely untainted by teeming tourists. The Manpupuner rock formations pose one of the toughest challenges to rock climbers across the world due to their massive height and unique shapes.

According to an ancient Russian legend, the Pillars of Weathering were once a group of Samoyeds giants heading towards Siberia with the intent of calling to war the Vogulsky people. The sight of the holy Vogulsky Mountains made their leader drop his drum and turned them into these giant monoliths exuding massive power and a stern deportment.

It is often suspected that the Pillars of Weathering were built by the Mansi community which inhabited the Troitsko-Pechersk district of Russia, north of the Ural mountains, but it seems more likely that they are the result of frost and weathering on what may have been huge boulders or mounds.

The existence of many legends among the Mansi, the Kopi, and the Russians is proof enough that these stone giants have captured the imaginations of people since ancient times. The Pillars of Weathering have come a long way from being a sacred place of worship to become a great tourist destination.