10 FACTS THAT YOU AMAZE

 

 It snows in the Sahara Desert

Deserts are known to have very low precipitation. And if rainfall is rare, wouldn’t snowfall be even rarer? Well, the impossible happened in 2018 and the Sahara Desert was covered in a blanket of white snow. However, the snow only lasted for a day before melting under the hot sun.

The first recorded snowfall was in 1979 — a snowstorm that lasted half an hour. Although temperatures drop to freezing in the night, the lack of moisture makes it almost impossible to produce any snow. But who knows, you might be lucky enough to see it on your next trip to the Sahara!

 There are only two countries in the world where Coca Cola does not exist

You might think Coca Cola is something you can find anywhere in the world but these two countries have been in long-term US trade embargoes — North Korea since 1950 a  Cuba since 1962.

However, North Korea has made its own dark coloured soda. They call it Ryongjin Cola or ‘Cocoa Sparkling’. It has the similar red packaging and cursive font, but does it have the same great taste? 🤔 Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried it!

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 Sudan has the most pyramids in the world (not Egypt)

Egypt and pyramids are almost synonymous, but did you know there are pyramids in Sudan too? Nubia, a region in Sudan, has 255 pyramids — twice the number in Egypt!

After ruling Egypt’s 25th dynasty, the Nubian pharaohs fled to Sudan and formed the Kushite kingdom, incorporating the Egyptian culture in their new city.

The Nubian pyramids aren’t as widely visited as those in Egypt. So chances are you’ll have the pyramids all to yourself!

Jebel Barkal is the most rewarding out of the four main sites. The pyramids there are well-preserved and stand beside a small mountain. Climb up the mountain just before sunset to catch stunning views of the Nile!

 Colombia’s brightest rainbow is in its river

Located in Colombia’s Serranía de la Macarena National Natural Park, this stunning river owes its multi-coloured beauty to the Macarenia Clavigera, a plant that lives in the riverbed. It’s best to visit between May to November when the river weeds blossom in yellow, blue, green and red. They get brighter hues during this time as the waters are shallower, allowing more sunlight to reach the plants.

 Machu Pichu is an earthquake-proof city

This ancient Inca town rests on top of two fault lines in Peru. That means earthquakes were expected events. So how did they live through it?

In fact, the Incans created a brilliant engineering technique called ‘ashlar masonry’, where rocks are cut to fit perfectly together without mortar. This allowed the stones to move in its place during an earthquake, before settling back in their original positions. 

China has only one timezone

Having a single timezone is fine if the sun rises and sets at the same time for everyone. However, as Beijing is preparing to go to bed at midnight, folks in Xinjiang are just beginning to watch the sunset.

That’s pretty wild considering how China is almost the size of the United States, which has 6 timezones! Interestingly, China didn’t always operate on Beijing time. Beijing Standard Time was only established in 1949 — a decision by Chairman Mao Zedong in the name of national unity.

Before that, in 1912, there were five recognised timezones that were five and a half to eight and a half hours past Greenwich Mean Time.

Luckily, working around one timezone is but a mild inconvenience to the Chinese. However, Travellers planning to backpack through China should prepare for their body clocks to get a little confused 🤪

San Fransisco’s Golden Gate Bridge ‘speaks’

This is one of the newer facts about the world. In June 2020, San Francisco’s beloved Golden Gate Bridge started speaking up about some amendments made to the railings on the bike path. Literally.

San Franciscans reported hearing eerie sounds from several kilometres away!

You’re always seven years behind in Ethiopia

Here’s one of the most mindboggling facts about the world — when we welcomed 2020, Ethiopia was only four months into 2012 🤯

Just like the Gregorian calendar (the one most of us are on), the Ethiopian calendar marks Christ’s birth as the starting point. However, following alternate calculations of the annunciation of Christ, the Ethiopian calendar is seven to eight years behind.

Fortunately, travellers aren’t affected by the difference while they’re there. Modern-day Ethiopia understands the Gregorian calendar and uses both calendars interchangeably. But if you’re keeping receipts for reimbursements, the date printed might make it seem like your trip was years ago. Not to worry though, all you have to do is convert your dates!

The most interesting differences are the yearly holidays — unlike the rest of the world, Ethiopia celebrates New Years on September 11th and Christmas on January 7th (in Gregorian calendar).

These bats in Thailand are the world’s tiniest mammals

 This should probably be on the list of cutest facts about the world. In the limestone caves of Sai Yok National Park are the world’s tiniest bats (and mammals)! Bat soup jokes aside, aren’t they adorable? 😍

The details get even cuter — they grow up to 33mm and weigh only 2g. That’s only 1mm bigger than Singapore’s 50 cent coin!

They were first discovered in 1973 by Kitti Thonglongya, a Thai biologist, and are also known as Kitti’s hog-nosed bat.

There’s a village in the Netherlands with no streets, only canals

Venice isn’t the only town that gets around mainly by boat. Within Giethoorn Village in the Netherlands, there are no streets, only footpaths and over 6km of canal.

The picturesque village is filled with rustic cottages and surrounded by tall trees — just like a fairytale! Visitors can either kayak through the scenic neighbourhood or ride a bike on the footpaths.