Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers scale some of the highest peaks in the world in pictures by photographer Jimmy Chin

  Here's a photographer who will go to great heights in his search for the ultimate picture. Jimmy Chin, probably the world's greatest adventure photographer, has travelled the world with highly-skilled mountain climbers, scaling huge peaks and even skiing down the face of Mount Everest.
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Conrad Anker reaches for his next gear placement, 2,500 feet off the ground on the Pacific Ocean Wall of El Capitain, Yosemite National Park, California

Jimmy has built up a portfolio that documents his work in some of the most inaccessible and extreme situations imaginable. Jimmy is the go-to man for adventurers and publications such as National Geographic and Outside Magazine
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Yuji Hirayama climbs in Turkey in April 2009

 His travels have taken him to the tallest freestanding sandstone towers in the world, the Hand of Fatima in Mali, to the highest sheer cliff face on the globe. "The climbs up the Hand of Fatima which is 2,000 feet and Naga Parbat which is just over 15,000 feet were spectacular," said Jimmy.  "The Hand of Fatima and the Kaga Tondo in Mali, is a personal favourite of mine. That shot sums up the bravery and tremendous ability of these climbers, who allowed me to join them and to experience the same dangers that they face".
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Cedar Wright and Kevin Thaw climb the south buttress of Kaga Tondo on the Hand of Fatima in Mali on December 20, 2002. Click here to see a larger version of this image

 To work with Steph Davis as she became the first woman to free climb El Capitan's Salathe Wall in Yosemite, was an honour and a privilege. "I am always concerned with finding the right spot and the right shot, so sometimes I forget to appreciate the skill of my fellow adventurers, but I am aware of how my life has been changed by my ability with a camera"

Steph Davis free climbs the Salathe Wall of El Capitain in Yosemite National Park, California, on November 4, 2005. Steph is the first and only woman to free climb the Salathe

Steph Davis leading the crux "Boulder Pitch" on the Salathe Headwall in Yosemite National Park on November 4, 2005
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Of all his adventures though, his ascents of Everest stand out as his most physically demanding and rewarding. "You do wonder - when you are at 28,000 feet, the height that aeroplanes cruise at, when you are struggling to draw breath and every limb aches - why do I do this?"
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Kit and Rob DesLauriers with Dave Hahn on the South Summit of Mount Everest on October 4, 2006

"But of course once you reach the summit and realise that there is nowhere you could stand taller on Earth, that's why I do it. On my 2006 expedition to Everest me, Kit and Rob DesLauries decided to speed up our descent of the mountain by skiing down its south east ridge. To say that was fun and frivolous is a bit of an understatement"
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Kit DesLauriers hiking through the Khumbu Icefall of Mount Everest on September 18, 2006

 Pushing himself hard in training between jaunts, Jimmy's life is a constant whirl of planning, travel and photography. "I lose anywhere up to 20 pounds on location with adventurers like Conrad Anker or Brady Robinson," said Jimmy.  "So I need to replace that lost weight and muscle by training hard when I am back in the States between jobs. And as I get older it is far more important for me to be doing this and taking my conditioning seriously"
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Jimmy Chin climbing the Pacific Ocean Wall in Yosemite Park, California.
Jimmy Chin on Mount Kinabalu, a World Heritage Site in Borneo, on April 25, 2009

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 Granite towers reflected in a pool on the Karakoram Mountains in Charakusa Valley, Pakistan. This image was taken on August 10, 1999 during Jimmy's first major climbing expedition
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Dean Potter, one of the greatest high line walkers in the world, walks on a one-inch thick piece of webbing over a 500 foot deep chasm at Canyonlands National Park in Indian Creek, Utah, in January 2007
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Kasha Rigby, Giulia Monego and Ingrid Backstrom approach Redommaine peak before their first ski descent in October 2009 during the Shangri La Expedition, in the Himalayas
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Kasha Rigby climbing Redommaine peak before the first ski descent in October 2009, during the Shangri La Expedition in the Himalayas
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Conrad Anker traverses an alpine ridge deep in the Waddington Range on Mount Combatant, Coastal Range in British Columbia, Canada
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Renan Ozturk on Mount Meru in Garwahl Himalaya, India, on September 14, 2009
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Jimmy Chin climbs Mount Meru in Garwahl Himalaya, India Mits.
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Thank You !

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Received this from Mr. Chandrashekhar, Hyderabad

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Mapping China

If you wonder what is the main attraction of the ancient country of China, then you are on a wrong path. The thing is that China has it all: the highest mountains and scorching deserts, excellent beaches and resorts with world-famous, the greatest monuments of ancient architecture and ultra-modern skyscrapers of Shanghai, rice fields and factories producing more than half the world’s electronics. And the rest is so different and varying that having visited China, you might avoid go anywhere else.

In recent years, the most popular tourism reason is shopping in China, attracting foreigners from all over the world. The most famous markets for shopping in Beijing – the Silk Market (mainly selling clothes, shoes, carpets, bags, suitcases and other related as well as articles of silk); Pearl Market (upper floor which really sells pearls for every taste and purse and where there are parts of jade and other stones) and Market Yabolu. If you want to buy a piece, for yourself, for children, it is better to go to a new Yabolu. Here the real prices of the products will impress you with the. The maximum price that can be reset  is only 1-2 yuan. By visiting these three markets in Beijing, you can no leave the commercial establishments, and focus on more spiritual matters.

Well, the main tourist attraction in China  is, of course, pretentious monument to land architecture-Great Wall of China, extending for 4000 km along the northern China, and passing about 90 km from Beijing. Its construction began in the III century BC and was completed in the III century BC. The wall is a rampart of earth and 10 meters in height, every 200 meters there are watchtowers.

Best destination points
Beijing attracts a purely metropolitan attraction designated exclusively for shopping and leisure time. Imperial and the administrative part of the city is located in the center and released in the walled Forbidden City (Palace), and all the important buildings are located along the main highway that runs from the southern gateway to the north. Location and height of the building is entirely determined by its function and social status of the owner.

In Beijing, the famous Temple of Heaven – a huge complex of buildings for worship and imperial sacrifice is remarkable, among other things, for its acoustic turbulence. There are, for example, wall echos, where the number of echo responses increases with each step and whispering at the beginning of the wall can be heard at the end. There is a platform for speeches, in which soft voice is being amplified.
Shanghai - the largest city in the country has never been an important cultural center, but anyways has its own charm. No wonder that Western businessmen over the 20 years call it  “Paris of the East”. Nanjing Road – the most famous street of the city, which stretches for 14 km, is concentrating the best shops and restaurants of the city. Among the attractions of Shanghai  is Jade Buddha Temple. This is a major Buddhist center, attracting two bejeweled statues of Buddha, carved out of white jade, brought from Burma. In Shanghai, tourists also get attracted by Royal Mausoleum in Nanyue – real underground palace, which exhibits more than a thousand items from the royal tombs, and the Shanghai Opera.

Hong Kong is the largest port, industrial, financial and foreign trade center, the city-star in the Asia-Pacific region. In this dynamic, prosperous, cheerful, multi-faceted, multi-ethnic city the population is around 6.6 million people. Hong Kong affects a cascade of golden skyscrapers. From July 1 1997 Hong Kong turned into a special administrative region of China. Among the attractions of Hong Kong we can distinguish Aberdeen – a fishing village, consisting of numerous junks, in which hereditary fishermen and their families reside up to now.

Suzhou is another beautiful place, the city, also called the “Venice of China”. It is  lined with canals, like a chessboard. In the Ch’ing period (1644 – 1911) in Suzhou, there were nearly a thousand bridges, 300 of them inside the city walls. Beautiful gardens and pagodas create a truly unique spectacle.

Hangzhou – the old city, located 180 km south-west of Shanghai – one of the most beautiful places of China. Its history spans over 2000 years. The town stands on the shore of West Lake, which, according to legend, was formed of pearls, which dropped to the ground Phoenix and Dragon.

Tibet is considered one of the most mysterious places on earth. “Roof of the World” is separated from the outside world by high mountain ranges. A stay in Tibet is a dream, perhaps, for anyone who is interested in Eastern philosophy. The most interesting of its attractions is the Potala Palace, Jokhang Monastery, Sera Monastery, Norgbulink.

What to avoid doing while in China

• In China it is not recommended to drink unboiled water from the tap. In every hotel room  there will be either a thermos of hot water or electric kettle. Most hotels also provided mineral water free of charge (principally the Chinese do not consume carbonated “mineral water”).

• Do not try exotic dishes, such as, for example, monkey brains. Dishes like these are often infected with rare parasites to get rid of which is quite difficult.

• Do not wear bright clothes, preparing for a tour of the temples. Bright colors are not very welcomed by local residents, and most people will be reluctant to communicate with a clear outsider, who does not even bother to get acquainted with the etiquette. Around the temple is not made to go counterclockwise. The Chinese decided to bypass their temples strictly in a clockwise direction, and some small groups of tourists walking counterclockwise attract unnecessary attention.

• Do not attempt to visit Tibet. This requires a special additional permit, issued by the host in advance. Tibet can be visited only with a group of pre-and agreed-upon route.

• Do not jump out of the taxi without paying, or in some way yet to violate public order and law. Police in China are strictly applicable to violators, and the embassy can not always help their citizens who violate any rules as it is being done pretty well in other countries.

World's Weirdest Skyscrapers

Looming above Bangkok's skyline like a giant Dumbo, this is the Chang building, a thick-legged monster with a porthole for an eye and a pair of tusks more often seen framing the trunk of Thailand's national animal.

Where to see it: At Phaholyothin 26, in the Chatuchak district. Take a taxi from the Aree Skytrain station.

Bangkok's second claim to dubious architectural fame is the "robot" building, actually the United Overseas Bank, a vision of cartoon craziness modelled on a toy robot and dating back to 1986.

Where to see it: On South Sathorn road, a 15-minute walk from the Surasak Skytrain station.

Known as the "koala" building for the bear shapes that hug each tower's circumference, this is Hong Kong's Lippo Centre, completed in 1988. The uniquely cuddly twin towers are 186m tall and were intended to appear less harsh on the eye than your average skyscraper.

Where to see it: Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

The futuristic shape and silver orb of the Fuji tower in Tokyo could have been lifted from the set of a Seventies' sci-fi film. The sea of cars beneath Fuji Television's headquarters and the night-time lasers only add to the industrial wasteland feel. The 32m wide globe is an observation deck.

Where to see it: Walk from the Odaiba Kaihin Koen monorail station.

The Brutalist-style Genex Tower is an enormous city gate welcoming new arrivals from Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport. It is 115m tall and has two raw concrete towers connected by a small bridge and a 360 degree restaurant. It scores extra retro points for its dated signage.

Where to see it: In the Novi Beograd district, Belgrade, Serbia.

This solar furnace has a curved wall of mirrors that sucks in light to generate heat. The tower's warped reflection of the surrounding French countryside creates a striking image. It is the largest solar furnace in the world and opened in 1970.

Where to see it: Visitors are welcome at Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via in the Pyrenees. Reach it by train from Villefranche-de-Conflent through to Mont-Louis.

The Zizkov is one of the most recognisable television towers in the world, thanks to the unnerving black infants crawling up its 216m sides. These babies were created by Czech sculptor David Cerny in 2000, also known for painting a Soviet war memorial tank pink. There are great views of Prague from the top and lifts to take you there.

Where to see it: Travel to metro station and tram stop Jiriho z Podebrad in Zizkov, Prague 3.

The headquarters of China Central TV in Beijing is 234m high and known commonly as the "boxer shorts" due to its awkward shape. A Mandarin Oriental hotel was planned to take up residence until New Year fireworks started a large blaze in 2009.

Where to see it: In Beijing's Haidian district, near the Gongzhufen metro station.

New York has lofts and Paris apartments, but in 1972 Tokyo had capsules. Stacked in a concrete tower. The Nagakin Capsule Tower, part of the Metabolist movement, has 14 storeys. The 140 individual capsules were manufactured seperately and designed to be replacable.

Where to see it: In the Shimbashi, a short walk from the station

For the last two decades the 330m-high Ryugyong Hotel has been a vacant concrete shell towering over the city of Pyongyang. Construction on what would have been the world's tallest hotel began in 1987 and was due to cost 2 per cent of the country's GDP before economic difficulties set in. But work began again in 2008 and the building has since been given glass panels. It has been estimated that it will cost up to $2 billion to finish.

Where to see it: The hotel dominates Pyongyang's skyline but is not located on maps.

This wooden jumble of rooms and spires looks like it was built without the use of a spirit level. Created by a one-time gangster, this was once the world's tallest wooden house, standing (just) in the Russian town of Arkhangelsk. Nikolai Sutyagin kept adding to the 12-storey house bit by bit, each time feeling that it still didn't look quite right.

Where to see it: After teetering somewhere between completion and disrepair, the house was demolished in 2008.