Teahouse in China

I have actually found a travelogue of what one could truly call a "journey of wonder." There is a widely-renowned tea house in China that only the fittest and most determined of people can reach. The journey begins with a tram ride up to the beginning of the mountain trail, though it actually isn't much of a trail. For a majority of the hike, you are clinging on for dear life onto a variety of bolts and chains fastened into rock walls as you shimmy across the walls on very narrow planks that are also bolted into the rock. Sound appealing?

It seems to get steeper and more precarious until you finally reach the top:the Tea House.


For some reason, I want to go and do this so badly! It looks so dangerous, but adventurous and fun! I'll bet the views are, quite literally, breathtaking. What a rush you would get on the side of some of those cliffs. I think these sorts of adventures are amazing, because they would never let anyone do anything like that in the US...there are way too many liabilities involved. You would have to sign a waiver or something at least. I really wonder how much business that tea house actually gets... and do the employees live there? What an interesting way of life that would be! This would be an incredible journey of wonder if I were ever able to do it. It's now on my list.

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Elephant Painter

I really want to know exactly what kind of teaching or training is behind this one. I really have trouble believing that it is real, but that is what is so amazing about it: I'm fairly certain that it is real. Watch this video:

Elephant Paints a Portrait

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I can't see how this could possibly be faked, but how could it be real? He follows the lines to darken them, perfectly, and he actually draws it better than I even could... I wonder if he knows what he is drawing or is just trained to draw lines and shapes in that manner... It really just blew me away when I saw it. Do we underestimate their creative abilities? Or is it because we are taught that humans are one of the only animals capable of creativity or self-expression that we find this sort of thing really difficult to believe? I wonder how someone from an animistic cosmological view would perceive of this video. They believe in the intelligence and animation of life, so would it make it more believable for them to watch an elephant painting a self-portrait? You really need to stop and think about how your upbringing may influence the way you perceive your surroundings or things that may give you wonder. It may surprise you what you'll learn about yourself.

Unexpected Love

I've always loved hearing stories about animals who have taken others of a different species under their wing and cared for them. Orphans who have no one to care for them because their mothers have abandoned them or have been killed suddenly find an unexpected friend to guide them through their need. I think that the photos of this really grab your emotions; it's just a really remarkable act to see an animal volunteer their time and energy to the raising of another species.


Baby piglets wearing costumes to match their "mother!" Link

Dachshund and baby goat. Link

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It's really difficult not to anthropomorphize in these cases where you really think that you see love and affection coming out of these animals. While it is highly likely that animal mothers take in these different species out of love and that motherly instinct, you can't assume that these animals are feeling the same emotions as humans in these actions. Regardless, I think it is really an amazing and touching thing to see other mothers volunteer to take in young animals of another species.

Wooden Corvettes

My roommate is a crafts major at VCU, and one of her material studies of choice is wood. She makes beautiful and very intricate little boxes and bowls that have been accumulating on the shelves throughout our apartment. She gets the lids to fit so tightly and perfectly that it is just a wonder how she does it. In her woodworking, she doesn't always create a smooth finish, but rather she often leaves a layer of the natural bark somewhere in her work. This is one of the most unique elements of her woodworking style, in my opinion. Being around her art and the tools she uses to work the wood has given me a much greater appreciation for the time, creativity and effort that goes into intricate woodworking. So when I stumbled upon this artist, I was really in awe with the depth, elaborate nature and sheer size of his work. Unfortunately, on the website where I found his artwork, I was unable to find anything about the artist, although he does appear in some of the photos. I would love to give credit to this very creative artist:



I think the fact that a lot of this art is utilitarian is another amazing asset to it. While a lot of it is useful, it is in very unconventional ways. Carving a car-boat out of wood that can actually function in the water? That is just ingenious. This artist really provokes wonder in the way he engineers his woodworking so creatively and uniquely.

My country's wonders...

It is a common thing to desire to see the exotic, and being far from home can add an element of that exotic nature to what you are experiencing when you travel. After backpacking through Europe for three months last summer, I've been feeling a lot of guilt about the fact that I have now seen much more than Europe than I have of my own country. I have very rarely traveled off of the east coast in the US. I know there is so much to see of this country, so I decided to do a little exploration into what I would like to see. I think I'll plan a road trip for some time in the near future... it sounds so much more simple than backpacks, buses, trains and different languages! Here are some of the wonders (some well-known, others not) of our country that I would love to experience some day:

"The Wave" is a landscape that lies at the border between Arizona and Utah. The formations are 190 million year old dunes that have hardened into rock. These are very little-known features, as very limited access is allowed. You have to apply for a permit to enter at least 3 months in advance, and it is a four mile hike to actually get there.

And of course... the Grand Canyon. I still haven't seen it. This would definitely be a stop on my tour.


2200 year old trees that can reach 380 meters in height?!? I'm so there.


All things Yellowstone: There are so many amazing features at Yellowstone National Park that I would love to see. To me, the most fascinating are those in which water is able to trickle down to the depths of the Earth where it become superheated and infused with carbon dioxide and limestone. The above pictures represent two of the consequences of this process. The hot springs are colorful due to the various forms of microorganisms living in the water. The picture above that is travertine formed by the infusion and then release of carbon dioxide and limestone once water reaches the surface once again. These travertine layers will continue to form as time goes by.

Yosemite Falls: the tallest waterfall in the US. It has shaped the landscape of the Sierra Nevada.

I think that the natural wonders of the United States are the ones that I would more likely travel to see. We have such a beautifully diverse landscape in this country, and many of its features are unique to this land. There are many cultural/architectural things I would like to see as well, but I know that land features amaze me much more than the things that can usually be replicated. We have only one Earth. I'm ready to plan my road trip of the US!

Urban Camoflauge

I recently stumbled upon this really interesting artist that focuses on camouflaging people in urban settings. These are much more intricate than the classic green and brown fatigues... It is much more difficult to disguise yourself and be "at one" with an urban scene. I think it would be really interesting to see art like this being done, mostly to see what other people's reactions to it are.


Urban Camouflage

I took a class called Earth Art last semester, and the professor did an interesting project for his Master's thesis in which he hung vintage white dresses in the woods in various different places. I think that the project itself was interesting, but one aspect of it that he left out that I think would have given it much more depth is how people reacted to it. It would really spook me to see the hanging white dresses at first, but after the initial shock it would be really intriguing, and I would want to investigate. I think that the interaction between people and art is a very dynamic part of any work of art, and personally, I think that for many projects it should be better documented.


Brad Birchett

Bog Bodies

Due to the unusual conditions of peat bogs in Northern Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland, bodies preserve remarkably well when they are laid to rest inside the bog. It preserves their skin and internal organs while the bone disintegrates. Consequently, we have unprecedented archaeological remains from the Iron Age. Strangely enough, most of the bog bodies that have been found show evidence of being killed or injured violently in a number of different ways. One of the bog bodies has had his nipples cut off, some are decapitated, some stabbed, some hanged. This may have been ritual for sacrifice or execution for a crime.

The most well-known and well-preserved of these is the Tollund Man who is thought to be over 2000 years old. His remains show that he was hanged to death; he is so well preserved that archaeologists have been able to determine that his last meal was a sort of vegetable seed porridge. His tissues were so well preserved that archaeologists were able to obtain a fingerprint from him, which has come to be one of the oldest fingerprints on record.



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Another interesting specimen from these bogs is the Yde girl from Stijfveen peat bog near the little village of Yde in the Netherlands. She was only 16 when she died from strangulation as a possible sacrifice victim. She was originally very well preserved, however, she deteriorated rapidly after excavation due to poor preservation technology at the time. Her body, hair and face were still intact enough for an archaeologist to complete a reconstruction of her face. There are many more specimens that remain, thanks to the wonderous preservation capabilities of the peat bogs in Northern Europe! Info from here.


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