Even though December brings cold weather to many regions of the world, it is unusual for a hot desert to get snow. Despite how absurd it may appear, it has occurred. The Sahara desert was coated in a layer of snow. It was for the first time in almost half a century that temperatures in the region went below the freezing threshold. The first snowfall was recorded in 1979 and lasted for 30 minutes; following that, it snowed five times in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022. Even when it becomes really cold at night, there isn’t nearly enough moisture to form any snow. But who knows, you could get lucky and see snow and sand intertwine on your next vacation to the Sahara.

Everyone in the world is familiar with red and white bottles of Coca-Cola or Coke. It’s consoling to know that you can always drink Coca-Cola wherever you go. Well, practically everywhere. However, Coca-Cola is only officially prohibited from being purchased or sold in two nations worldwide. They are Cuba and North Korea, both of whom are under long-term US trade embargoes (Cuba since 1962 and North Korea since 1950).

Cuba was one of the first three nations outside of the United States to bottle Coke in 1906. However, the business left as Fidel Castro’s government started taking private property in the 1960s, and it has never come back.

Pyramids are popular ancient Egyptian monuments (particularly the Pyramid of Khufu in Giza) that continue to captivate people today. But did you know there is a country with more pyramids than Egypt?

Sudan has twice as many pyramids as Egypt. While Egypt possesses about 120 pyramids, more than 250 pyramids were constructed in Sudan, to the south of Egypt, during the ancient era.

The Cao Cristales river in La Macarena, Colombia, is also known as the “Liquid Rainbow” and the “River of Five Colors” due to the variety of hues visible beneath the crystal-clear waters. Depending on the light and water conditions, vivid greens, yellows, reds, and purples appear to be flowing down the river.

The Cao Cristales, located in Colombia’s Serrana de la Macarena National Natural Park, shines brighter than any rainbow in the sky. This arises not as a result of any magic but rather as a result of the aquatic plant Macarenia Clavigera, which is distinct from algae or moss. The colours you may see on any one day might vary greatly depending on the water level and the weather.

You won’t believe this, but the Sahara Desert as we know it now is characterised by undulating dunes, an abrasive sun, and stifling heat. However, 6,000 years ago, the enormous Sahara Desert was covered in thick vegetation that regularly received rainfall, and even prehistoric humans abandoned the busy Nile Valley to reside near the rain pools, lush valleys, and rivers of the Sahara. However, changes in global weather patterns suddenly turned the vegetated land into one of the hottest and driest places on Earth.

When the Incan people constructed Machu Picchu more than 500 years ago, they came up with a brilliant construction method to save buildings from collapsing during Peru’s periodic earthquakes.

The Incan construction allowed structures to shift slightly during an earthquake and subsequently resettle without collapsing; the close connections between each stone reduced vibration and removed stress points. To further increase stability, the walls have rounded corners and a little inward lean.

Is it feasible to travel between Alaska (USA) and Siberia (Russia) up there, given how close they are to one another? Sadly, the legal answer is “no.” The broader answer is that it is incredibly challenging and risky, but it has been accomplished by swimming, rowing, and trekking. The Bering Strait is located between Alaska and Siberia. You can travel across when it freezes over in the winter, with the 3.8 km distance being the shortest end.

Giethoorn boasts more than 55 miles of canoe routes connecting the canal-side residences, restaurants, hotels, and museums in the town centre, which is why it is known as the “Dutch Venice.” Although there are more than 180 wooden arch bridges across the canals, many homes can only be reached by boat.

This magical village is best explored by boat. So, you have the option of either renting a boat or purchasing a ticket for a canal trip. You may rent a boat and travel much of the town by boat, or you can tour the canals on foot or by bicycle.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has been “singing” the song of poor engineering for more than a year. This song has been described as sounding like “chanting monks” and a “wheezing kazoo,” and it has irritated residents in the area as well as those trying to cross the bridge without having their eardrums popped out.

The Golden Gate Bridge had a renovation to make it stronger and able to resist continuous high winds of up to 100 mph. This resulted in the installation of a new, more aerodynamic railing on the west promenade, which created the sound.  When there is less wind resistance, the bridge is safer for its users. As a result, the sound indicates that the bridge is being smoothly traversed by high winds.

On this peculiar street, nearly everything is steeply inclined. Walking along the street gives you the impression that you could fall off, and the buildings and homes appear to be tilted or sinking noticeably. So make sure you are ready to climb as you enter New Zealand’s steepest street.

Dunedin, a tiny town in southeast New Zealand, is well-known for having the steepest street in the whole globe. Walking to the end of Baldwin Street, which is 1,150 feet long and slopes at a 19-degree angle, will leave you gasping for air and in need of a drink.

The biggest rock in the world is not Uluru, it isn’t even Australia’s biggest rock. Despite popular belief, Uluru is not the biggest rock in the world. It may be the most well-known rock in the world, but  Mount Augustus is the biggest rock in the world, is situated in the state of Western Australia and is around 2.5 times larger than Uluru. Its classification as a monolith is what distinguishes the two formations from one another. Uluru is the world’s largest monolithic rock formation, but Mount Augustus’ massive size might be made up of numerous layers of sand and gravel.

Who doesn’t adore monkeys? They are adorable, odd, funny, and occasionally mischievous. Did you know that there is a nation where a festival is held to honour monkeys? The Lopburi Monkey Festival takes place every year at the end of November in the popular town of Lopburi, which is located north of Bangkok. The festival is held atop the ruins of Phra Prang Sam Yot, an 800-year-old Hindu temple built during the Khmer era and one of the region’s most prominent monuments.

Up to 5,000 kg of fruits, vegetables, and Thai sweets are given to the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple’s resident monkeys as part of the festival celebration. In addition to dressing up as monkeys, the locals put on a show for their mischievous pals while they eat their royal feast.

Ethiopians celebrated the start of 2015 in September, while the majority of the globe is still in the year 2022. Sounds insane to you? Not to Ethiopians, though!

Many other nations have their own calendars that they use, which differ greatly from the Gregorian calendar used in the West. They nonetheless follow the 12-month guideline in spite of this. Ethiopian years are 13 months long and run seven years later than the Gregorian calendar. Due to the Ethiopians’ ongoing following of the calendar that the Roman Catholic Church modified in 525 AD, they really celebrated the new century on September 11, 2007.

Thankfully, tourists are unaffected by the change while they’re there. Ethiopians nowadays are familiar with the Gregorian calendar and use it interchangeably.

The world’s tiniest mammal and unquestionably the world’s smallest bats are Kitti’s hog-nosed bats. Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, often known as the bumblebee bat, is roughly the size of a big bumblebee and weighs only two grammes — approximately the weight of a penny.

The Bumblebee Bat was first spotted in 1973 by Thai scientist Kitti Thonglongya, who also gave the species its scientific name. Since then, it has gained popularity as a tourist attraction in Western Thailand and can be found in one of the 44 limestone caves.

The fact that France is the most popular tourist destination in the world shouldn’t come as a surprise, with over 90 million tourists each year.

France is a lovely nation, bursting at the seams with delectable wines, mouthwatering cheese, breathtaking vistas, a rich history, and plenty of romance. The nation boasts so many tourist attractions that a year would be insufficient to experience and explore everything it has to offer. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that more people wish to travel to France than any other nation.