While China’s 20-million and counting metropolis is still in the midst of an economic and industrial boom, it’s certainly seen brighter days. This spring, a toxic cocktail consisting of car exhaust fumes, factory and coal-heating smoke engulfed much of the city in a thick smog, causing many residents much grief in going about their daily affairs. Says one mining company executive, “I think people in China have forgotten what the sky looks like. They’ve forgotten what normal is.”

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It doesn’t look like “normal” will include the color blue for a while, either. As industrialization surges ahead and many newly-rich Chinese increase demand for their own automobiles, the only thing certain about Beijing’s future is that it will be hazy.

Located between the Kenyan and Tanzanian border, Amboseli National Park is one of the best wildlife viewing experiences in the world, especially for avian acolytes. Within its 151 square mile region, you can behold over 400 different species of bird!

1492 proved a seminal year for exploration both upward and outward. As Christopher Columbus so famously sailed the ocean blue, France’s Mont Aiguille had been discovered for climbing. From then on, the French Pre-Alp plateau was considered the birthplace of mountaineering.