Best Divorce Letter

The Cookie Diet

There are so many different diets out there these days that it seems everyone is trying a new one every week. This popular Hollywood cookie diet seems to be a new trendy, and many people claims it actually works. It was designed by Dr. Sanford Siegal, based in a carefully crafted cookie recipe, which works to suppress hunger. You eat only one meal a day and that is supper, and the supper needs to consist of 6 ounces of chicken, turkey or seafood.

The cookies are not for breakfast or lunch, but instead whenever you are hungry. You have to eat at least six of these cookies each day for the diet to work. In total, the six cookies plus one meal of supper, adds up to 800 calories, and this is the point of the diet. You need to make sure that if you are on the cookie diet you not only eat as recommended, but also drink a full 8 glasses of water each day

Giger Bar in Gruyeres, Switzerland

The H.R. Giger Bar, aka Skeleton Bar, contrasts dramatically with the bucolic Swiss scenery. The H.R. Giger Bar was designed by Hans Rudi Giger, the Oscar-winning Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer. He is best known for the design of the Alien set and the alien creature in the movie series. The bar is a cavernous, skeletal structure covered by double arches of vertebrae that crisscross the vaulted ceiling of an ancient castle.

Sibay quarry - 2

Sibay quarry - 1

The Sibay quarry has the second biggest depth in the world ( five hundred and four meters). Its diameter is two kilometers. A huge hole in the ground beckons and attracts. The deposit opened for almost a hundred years ago, exhausted its resources, and minerals are now extracted only by mines.

The Travels of Marco Polo

The earliest explorer on this list, Marco Polo, inspired many of the other explorers. He was born in Venice around 1254. His father, Niccolo and his uncle Matteo were wealthy merchants who traded with the Middle East. Niccolo was away when Marco was born and the two finally met when he was fifteen. They spent two years together in Venice before the three of them set out for Cathay (what is now China) in 1271. They were sent with letters from Pope Gregory X to Kublai Khan, whom the older Polos had met on their previous trip. Their journey took them through Armenia, Persia, Afghanistan, over the Pamir mountains, along the Silk Road, through the Taklamaken and Gobi desert, all the way to Cambaluc (Beijing). The journey that took more than three years. Marco Polo spent the next seventeen years at Khan’s court, holding several government positions including Ambassador to Khan and Governor of the City of Yangzhou. He also led missions into areas of China, India and Burma that would not be seen again until the last century. In 1292 he escorted a Mongol princess to her wedding to a Persian King but had to wait as her intended husband had died before they arrived. Marco joined the army when he returned to Venice and he was captured in 1298. During his imprisonment he met the romance writer Rustichello da Pisa, who helped him write down the tales of his travels. The work was later published as Il Milione (The Million Lies), and soon became one of the most popular books in Medieval Europe. The book later became known as The Travels of Marco Polo.



The Guides

Marco Polo was accompanied by his father and uncle. They had been to Cathay before and had already built up a rapport with the Great Khan. Khan and the members of his court taught him the Mongol language and customs.

Near-Death Experience Festival

Heading back to Spain again, we now come to Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme. This festival celebrates people who faced death and lived to tell the tale. In the small town of Las Nieves, this festival is held in honor of Santa Marta de Ribarteme, the patron saint of resurrection. On the day of celebration a parade is held in which the lucky survivors are carried in coffins to the cemetery and around the church. Offerings are made and blessings are sought by thousands of people who throng the small town every year.

Strip funeral

Wealthy chinese families hire strippers for funerals

This unorthodox way to mourn the deceased has its roots in a Chinese custom to believe that the quality of the deceased's afterlife is based on their funeral attendance! However, authorities began cracking down on this unusual practice. Funeral strippers have been arrested and Chinese citizens can report "funeral misdeeds" to a government hotline for a monetary reward.

Strippers are not the only quirky funeral ritual in China, though! The Chinese choose to wear white instead of black, which would seem quite strange to Westerners. Mourners have also been known to crash cymbals and set off fireworks during the funeral procession!

Crazy Tattoos