Not on the map
There are many beautiful places in the world that few people know about or even guess. It is unlikely that you can find them in guidebooks or hear from friends that someone has been there. They are hidden from many eyes and that is why they retain their magical beauty. Leading shows «Not on the map» on the Travel Channel Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs are famous actresses who became popular thanks to their roles in TV series «Beverly Hills 90210» and «Charmed». Star presenters offer a unique selection of unexplored places from around the planet that you only dreamed of!
Bishop Castle, Colorado, USA
An unusual castle of stone, iron and colored glass, built by one single person, is located in the mountains near the San Isabel National Reserve in Colorado (USA). The tall tower is entwined with spiral staircases and parapets, a round metal mesh dome rotates on the roof, and there is even a bell tower nearby. This structure, the tallest tower of which rises to 49 meters, was created with just two hands! This story began at the end of the twentieth century, when a 15-year-old boy named Jim Bishop became the owner of a large plot. In 1969, he began construction, initially intending to build a cottage. Neighbors often joked that the building looked like a castle. It was they who pushed the young man to this idea. Jim didn't have any plan or project, he just imagined in his head what the next part of the castle should look like and turned his thoughts into reality. The castle has several built-in fireplaces, many arches and metal sculptures. The facade of the building is crowned with a dragon's head, which lets out real flame from a built-in balloon..
Today Jim Bishop, who has exchanged his seventh decade, lives in the castle with his wife and hopes that his children and grandchildren will support and develop the castle as a tourist attraction..
Huacachina, Sechura Desert, Peru
Huacachina is a tiny resort town in the Sechura Desert near a small lake with a population of only 100 people. The place itself is known as «Oasis of America», as it is one of the few natural oases that have survived in the Americas. According to local legend, the lake emerged after a beautiful girl was caught off guard by a young hunter while swimming in the pool. The girl managed to escape, and the pool turned into a lake. The folds of her mantle became the dunes surrounding Huacachina, and she herself soon returned to the lake and still lives there as a mermaid. Today, the oasis is supplied with water from other sources in order to prevent an ecological disaster and prevent the disappearance of this wonderful place..
Mount Mont Aiguille, Shishillian, France
Mount Mont Aiguille rises 2,000 meters above the French community of Shishillan. It looks like a thumb sticking out and has sheer walls on all sides. Mon Aegius is also known as «Unreachable mountain». Its peak was not conquered until 1492 and for a long time excited the imagination of the French. At the request of the King of France Charles VIII, it was the first mountaineering height - the first mountain that people decided to climb just like that, out of pure curiosity. It must be said that climbing the mountain is not so easy because of its difficult terrain and forests stretching in its valley. It is still believed that with its conquest, mountaineering was born..
Tiger's Nest Monastery, Paro Valley, Bhutan
The Tiger's Nest (aka Taktsang Lakhang) is a famous monastery in Bhutan. It is located in the Paro Valley and hangs on a cliff 3120 m high. According to legends, in the 8th century, the Buddhist leader Padmasambhava was transported to the cave on the rock, sitting on the back of a demon tigress whom he was able to tame. An alternative legend says that that tigress was not a demoness, but the ex-wife of the emperor, who voluntarily became his disciple. Be that as it may, the teacher remained to meditate in one of these caves, manifested eight embodied forms (manifestations), and so this place became holy. Padmasabhava brought Mahayana Buddhism to these lands and became «patron saint of Bhutan». After Padmasambhava's death in Nepal, his body miraculously returned to the monastery and is said to have been walled up in a mortar next to the entrance staircase. Since the 11th century, many Tibetan saints and noble people have come here to meditate. The place became popular, and a temple was erected here. The slopes of the rock on which the monastery is built are almost steep, and the outer walls of the monastery buildings are built at the very edge of the cliff. Near the monastery there is the same cave where Padmasabhava meditated, but there is only one holiday in a year, when everyone is allowed there..
