Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the traditional Keresan language of the Pueblo de Cochiti


















These really aren't cliffs, though. Usually formations like these are called hoodoos.



These rock formations in New Mexico offer a unique opportunity to study the effects of wind and water erosion on deposits left after pyroclastic flow. The conical (tent) shape is because (per the BLM website) "perched on many of the tapering hoodoos are boulder caps that protect the softer pumice and tuffa below. Some tents have lost their hard, resistant caprocks and are disintegrating."




The tents range anywhere from a few feet to more than 90 feet tall, but that is not all there is to see here. The Monument is home to myriad petroglyphs. There's also an abundance of southwestern wildlife like the whiptail lizard (below).


It almost looks to me like something I'd expect to see in outer space, not in the U.S. The world is more interesting than I think it is sometimes.

Baden-Baden

Baden means "bath" or "bathe" in German. The Romans, those intrepid explorer/conquerers, spent a lot of time in the springs in this area. According to Wikipedia, Caracalla himself came up for a soak.It actually wasn't Baden-Baden until 1931. Before that it was just Baden. Baden-Baden is the short form of Baden in Baden, as Baden is in Baden which has actually been Baden-Wuerttemberg since 1952. (Which, yes, if you're keeping score here, makes the name whole Baden-Baden in Baden-Wuerttemberg. For further etymological enjoyment, Baden-Wuerttemberg is also known as Laendle which is Swabian for "small land." Land, that is, not name.) Calling this city Baden-Baden differentiates it from Baden bei Wein (Baden by Vienna) and Baden Switzerland. And yes, the baden in Baden-Baden still are in use to this day.
There is a funicular railroad that runs up Mount Merkur from which you can enjoy a spectacular view of Baden-Baden below.
On an interesting note (which will be proven a very bad pun), Wikipedia notes that "The anthem of Baden is called 'Badnerlied' (English: Song of the people of Baden) and consists of usually four or five traditional verses. However, over the years, many more verses have been added--there are collections with up to 591 verses of the anthem." (Suddenly "99 Bottles of Beer" doesn't seem quite so long, does it?)





Of course, when you're not taking train rides up the sides of mountains or singing the song of the people of Baden, you could take a walk through the Lichtentaler Allee, a historic park and arboretum and admire its plantings and footpaths.
A walk in the park after a spa visit? I guess my arm could be twisted into such a thing. (Just don't make me memorize all the verses to that song!)

Dapeng Bay

This sheltered bit of Taiwan's coast is one of the few stable bits of beach that has remained unchanged by typhoons since the 17th century.The bay is bordered by wetlands populated by mangroves and crabs and is home to myriad birds.Up until the late 1990s, this was actually an oyster-farming area, but it has since been designated a major tourist attraction and development has converted the coastline to a popular place to visit.You can see the appeal.

Kolkata

I must really be out of touch - I hadn't known that in 2001, the British name "Calcutta" was changed to Kolkata to reflect a less imperialist political heritage and a more Bengali pronunciation. (Of course, the natives remain "Calcuttans," so it seems a bit of a pyrrhic victory to me.) Kolkata served as the capital of the British Raj (1772-1912), and today is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal.Marble Palace
Kali TempleKolkata was known as the "City of Palaces," but has more recently been nicknamed "The City of Joy" and "The Football City." Archaeological evidence shows that the area has been inhabited for more than 2,000 years. It is home to the Indian Museum, the oldest museum in Asia (est. 1814), as well as the Victoria Memorial which is a major tourist attraction and museum in its own right.Indian Museum
Victoria MemorialThe city is spread along the banks of the River Hooghly. Much of the wetlands surrounding the area have been drained to make room for a burgeoning population, but lately parts of it have been designated as protected wetlands. The Howrah Bridge spans the Hooghly, providing a stunning visual display on this major river port.Howrah Bridge
Kolkata UniversityThe University of Calcutta is the oldest western-style university in Asia according to Wikipedia. This is a vibrant city, rich in the heritage of two cultures (Bengali and British) where Mosques and Temples, Museums and Schools stand together to reflect a pursuit of learning and growth and a preservation of diversity.Belur-Math