Cool Site

[Originally posted on goofyblog 2.16.07]

Just found the web site Dark Roasted Blend and its loaded with interesting shots and trivia. Check it out!

Haunted Sumela Monastery in Turkey was founded in the year 386 by two Athenian priests - Barnabas and Sophronius. During its long history, the monastery has fallen into ruin several times and been restored by successive Emperors. It clings to the wall of a steep cliff facing the Altındere valley in the region of Macka in Trabzon Province, Turkey.

The road shown here is the Guoliang Tunnel in Taihang mountains (China). It has been built by villagers themselves, which is an inspiring story in itself:

“Before 1972, the path chiseled into the rock used to be the only access linking

the village with the outside world. Then the villagers decided to dig a tunnel through the rocky cliff. Led by Shen Mingxin, head of the village, they sold goats and herbs to buy hammers and steel tools. Thirteen strong villagers began the project. It took them five years to finish the 1,200-metre-long tunnel which is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. Some of the villagers even gave their lives to it. On May 1, 1977, the tunnel was opened to traffic.”