Science

Volcanic Lightning!

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Top Knotch Gear

This photo of volcanic lightning was taken in Chile (about 500 miles south of Santiago) as volcanoes in the Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle range exploded ash into the sky on Monday! Isn’t nature awesome?!

Want to see more? Check out NPR’s video of the volcanic lightning:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/07/137034549/spectacular-lightning-show-as-volcano-erupts-in-chile

Categories: Adventure, Backpacking, Chile, Circumnavigation, Explore, Globetrotting, Hiking, Landscape Photograph, Mountains, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Red, Science, South America, Summer, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Travel, Travel Photography, Volcano | Leave a comment

Deepest Swimming Pool in the World!

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Top Knotch Gear

In the spirit of summer, we thought we’d show some pictures from the world’s deepest swimming pool! At 108 feet (33m), Nemo 33 in Brussels, Belgium is the world’s deepest swimming pool! It has platforms at various depths, underwater caves and is filled with spring water, not chlorinated water. Rumor has it that an outdoor pool at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile is 115 feet (35m) deep, technically larger than Nemo 33…. but we think that Nemo 33 is pretty awesome.

Categories: Adventure, Backpacking, Belgium, Caves, Chile, Europe, Explore, Family, Globetrotting, Nature, Photography, Random, Science, South America, Summer, Swimming Pool, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Travel, Travel Photography, Uncategorized, Water, World's Largest | Leave a comment

Our Travel Bucket List!

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Top Knotch Gear
  1. Visit the wonders of the world.
  2. Cross every longitudinal line and every major meridian.
  3. Step foot on all 7 continents.
  4. Hike some of the Annapurna circuit.
  5. See Mount Everest (bonus points for climbing to base camp).
  6. Hike some of Kilimanjaro.
  7. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
  8. Kayak through the mangroves in Everglades National Park.
  9. Visit the Grand Canyon.
  10. Visit all National Parks in the United States.
  11. Become fluent in French and Spanish. (Bonus points for using it abroad).
  12. Become certified SCUBA divers.
  13. Teach English abroad.
  14. Volunteer with a children’s organization abroad.
  15. Install water filters in a 3rd world country.
  16. Experience a sunrise in the Serengheti.
  17. Party on top of a skyscraper in Hong Kong.
  18. Climb a mountain (the entire thing – height doesn’t matter).
  19. Star gaze in South America.
  20. Take a National Geographic Linblad tour.
  21. Spend an extended time at a Buddhist monastery.
  22. Take tango lessons in Argentina.
  23. Visit the Amazon rainforest.
  24. Hug a koala.
  25. See the fjords in Norway.
  26. Celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany.
  27. Learn wine appreciation – and become connoisseur.
  28. Visit a medicine man and/or a shaman.
  29. Get our fortunes read overseas.
  30. Sleep in a hammock on a beach.
  31. Take a roadtrip across the U.S.A.
  32. Hike the Appalachian Trail – the entire thing!
  33. Swim with dolphins.
  34. See a whale in the wild.
  35. Swim/slide off of a natural waterfall.
  36. Hike the trail to the Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong.
  37. Go on a mediation retreat.
  38. Take a helicopter ride over a volcano.
  39. Hike a volcano.
  40. See the cherry blossoms in bloom in Japan.
  41. Visit the family castle in Scotland.
  42. Eat authentic Italian food – in Italy.
  43. See the Olympics in person.
  44. Have a romantic dinner in Paris.
  45. Visit the Holocost concentration camps & memorials.
  46. Celebrate New Years in different countries (specifically Sydney and Hong Kong)
  47. Visit Iceland.
  48. Experience the Iditarod in Alaska.
  49. Experience Holi Day (Festival of Colours) in India.
  50. See the dragon boat festival in China.
  51. Carnival in Rio.
  52. Visit the Mount Gay Rum distillery in Barbados.
  53. See the Tour de France.
  54. Smoke a real Cuban cigar – in Cuba. Whilst drinking Cuban daiquiris.
  55. See the Northern Lights. (Bonus points for getting crystal clear pictures of them.)
  56. Go on a bike tour of Vietnam.
  57. Take cooking classes in India and Thailand – learn to make authentic coconut curry!
  58. Eat fresh seafood (this is a big deal for us because we’re both long-term vegetarians)
  59. Rock climb at Joshua Tree and Red Rocks
  60. Photograph penguins in their natural habitats.
  61. Visit the Jane Goodall Sanctuary in South Africa.
  62. Witness a tea ceremony in Japan.
  63. Live out of a pack for an extended period of time (which we’re planning to do anyway!)
  64. Celebrate the Festival of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico
  65. Experience the Full Moon Party in Thailand.
Categories: Adventure, Africa, Airplanes, Alcohol, Animals, Asia, Asian Food, Australia, Backpacking, Beijing, Caves, Caving, China, Circumnavigation, Communication, Cuba, Disaster Relief, Donation, Drink, Explore, Family, Food, Fresh Food, Global Aid, Globetrotting, Hiking, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Latin America, Love, Mountains, National Geographic, Nature, Night Market, Outdoors, Parachute Cord, Paracord, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Random, Rock Climbing, Science, Seafood, Snorkeling, South America, Summer, Survival gear, Thailand, Tourist Site, Trails, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam, Volunteer, Water | 2 Comments

The World’s Biggest Cave

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Top Knotch Gear

Under the ground in Vietnam is a natural wonder that is absolutely stunning. Son Doong is the world’s largest cave. In fact, it’s so big that you could fit a half-block’s worth of 40-story buildings inside it! It stretches for over 3 miles and in parts of the cave, there are stalagmites 230 feet (70m) high! The cave even has it’s own weather! Sitting under a 985-foot (300m) skylight is a lush rainforest home to critters that have yet to be discovered by science. We’re not sure if the cave is open to backpackers like us (or if you have to be a National Geographic genius to get in) but we’re crossing our fingers we can explore some of it when we visitVietnam on our trip around the world!

Fore more information and other pictures, check out this National Geographic Article:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090724-biggest-cave-vietnam/

The huge river that runs through the cave.

Son Doong Cave in Vietnam

The cave is the size of a city!

After you figure out how to navigate the slippery rocks, you'll get to the rainforest inside the cave.

Rainforest INSIDE the cave

Inside the cave are plants and animals that have yet to be discovered. Amazing!

Categories: Adventure, Animals, Asia, Backpacking, Caves, Caving, Circumnavigation, Explore, Globetrotting, Hiking, National Geographic, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Random, Science, Stalagmites, Tourist Site, Trails, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam, Water, World's Largest | Leave a comment

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