Matador Network

Home of the “seven coloured earths” phenomenon still not fully explained by science, the multi-colored dunes at the village of Chamarel are one of the only places in the world where you can see as many as seven colors at once in nature.

(via) 50 Holi, worldwide Primarily observed in India and Nepal, but with growing popularity among non-Hindus in South Asia, the spring festival of colors and love is an ancient Hindu religious festival that starts with a bonfire, and proceeds into a color-carnival. Participants are showered with powdered paint, paint-filled water guns, and paint-filled water balloons. This celebration subsequently spawned the commercial “Color Run” global phenomenon, gaining traction since 2011.

(via) 51 Rio Tinto, Spain A river in southwestern Spain, the Rio Tinto flows from the Sierra Morena mountains south down to the Gulf of Cadiz. It gets its red color from dissolved iron deposits due to the river’s high acidity (pH 2), a possible byproduct of the heavy mining of precious metals in the area, from as early as 3,000 BC.

(via) 52 Kliluk Spotted Lake, Canada Located northwest of Osoyoos, BC, the Kliluk Spotted Lake contains some of the highest concentrations of magnesium sulfate, calcium, and sodium sulfates (as well as a myriad of other minerals) in the world. When the water of the lake evaporates in the summer, it leaves pockets (the “spots’) of different colored ponds based on the individual mineral concentrations.

(via) 53 Palais des Congres, Montreal, Canada This French-Canadian convention center was built in the early 1980s, directly above Montreal’s main underground highway, the Ville-Marie Expressway. The entrance hall is paneled entirely in colorful glass, so when the sun shines in every bit of architecture is bathed in bright colors.

(via) 54 Mendenhall Ice Caves, Juneau, Alaska These unbelievably blue ice caves located within the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska are only accessible by first kayaking to, and then ice climbing over, the glacier itself. However, sadly this glacier has receded 2 miles in the past 50 years, and may not be around much longer.

(via) 55 Da Nang, Vietnam You’ve probably seen pictures or video of the newly-installed fire-breathing dragon bridge over the Han River, but in Da Nang, Vietnam many bridges are excitingly lit with colorful lights at night. And to top it off, Da Nang has hosted an international fireworks competition over the river every year since 2008.

(via) 56 Busan, South Korea Every year on Buddha’s birthday, temples all across South Korea light up in an astonishing array of colorful paper “wish lanterns.” During the festivities, the Samgwangsa Temple in Busan is extravagantly decorated in over 10,000 geometric and artistic arrangements of lanterns.

(via) 57 Rainbow Staircase, Istanbul, Turkey A local retiree named Huseyin Cetinel devoted four whole days and almost $1000 out-of-pocket to decorate a flight of stairs in his neighborhood in Istanbul. His fellow residents loved the project so much that when the government painted over the steps in gray, it inspired a movement across the entire city–since then, communities all over Istanbul have brightened their own neighborhoods with rainbow-colored steps.

(via) 58 The Rainbow Village, Taichung, Taiwan Huang Yung-Fu (lovingly known as “Rainbow Grandpa”) was living in a military dependents village on the outskirts of Taichung when the government announced that they were planning to demolish it. To save his home, Grandpa Huang took to the streets with his paints and his brushes and turned the previously dismal village into a whimsical work of art (which the government has since taken steps to preserve!).

(via) 59 Legoland Not only are they tons of fun, Legos also have the corner on the market for bright, primary colors. With locations in California, Florida, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, and the UK, you can get your colorful construction fix on three continents.

(via) 60 Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark Nyhavn translates to “new harbor,” and describes the 17th century canal-front entertainment district in Copenhagen. Lined with distinctively colorful rowhouses (the first of which was constructed in 1661) and historical wooden ships, the district boasts an impressive number of canal-facing bars and restaurants (which provide patrons with blankets for outdoor dining even in colder months).

(via) 61 Kulusuk, Greenland Located on a small island in southeast Greenland, this settlement was established in 1909 and is dotted with brightly painted wooden homes. The dialect of Greenlandic spoken in Kulusuk (called Tunumiit oraasiat) is considered the most innovative of the dialects and differs greatly from those found in western Greenland.

(via) 62 Menton, Cote d’Azur, France Nicknamed “The Pearl of France,” this colorful coastal town is famous for its gardens and lemon and orange groves. In fact, the town is so centered on citrus that they throw a Lemon Festival every February, during which huge statues are built entirely out of different citrus fruits.

(via) 63 Keukenhof Park, Lisse, The Netherlands Also called the “Garden of Europe,” Keukenhof Park (which covers 80 acres) is planted with over 7 million flower bulbs every year. Though the park is only open from March to May, it has been around since 1949 and remains a major attraction for tourists and dignitaries alike.

(via) 64 Old San Juan, Puerto Rico The oldest settlement in Puerto Rico, Old San Juan is actually located on a narrow island to the north and is connected to the rest of the territory by bridges. The city is known for its blue cobblestone streets and brightly painted traditional alleys, the architecture of which is strictly regulated by the local government.

(via) 65 Kelimutu crater lakes, Indonesia Kelimutu, one of hundreds of volcanoes in Indonesia, is unique in that it is topped with three crater lakes of drastically different colors. Tiwu Ata Mbupu (“Lake of Old People”) sits apart from the other two and appears deep blue or even black. Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (“Lake of Maidens”) is separated from Tiwu Ata Polo (“Enchanted Lake”) by a shared crater wall. These lakes tend to be bright blue-green and red, respectively. The colors of these lakes have been known to change depending on the chemical composition of the water and the position of the sun.

(via) 66 Laguna Colorada, Bolivia This shallow salt lake in southwestern Bolivia is bright red, due to pigments in the sediment and the presence of certain algae. Huge flocks of flamingos can be found wading in the shallows, and the center of the lake is dotted with bright white islands made entirely of borax.

(via) 67 Guilin Rice Terraces, Longji, China Located in southern China close to Vietnam, the Longji terraced rice fields cover an area of almost 20,000 acres and rise as high as 3,600 feet into the air. These fields, nicknamed the “Dragon’s Backbone” because of their resemblance to scales, first appeared in this area around 1300 AD and take on a different appearance in every season, depending on the life cycle of the rice being grown.

(via) 68 Waitomo Caves, New Zealand These two-million-year-old caves in the North Island of New Zealand are home to Arachnocampa luminosa, a rare kind of glowworm whose presence in the caves in large quantities gives them their unique and unusual glow. What you’re actually seeing is the glow of the worm down a strand of silk meant for catching prey.

(via) 69 Kobe Luminarie, Kobe, Japan After the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, the Italian government donated 200,000 individually hand-painted lights to Japan. The lights, originally designed as a beacon of hope for the many citizens without power and families of lost loved ones, have been installed and displayed at a light festival every December since, in memory of the catastrophic event.

(via) 70 Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand, India This national park located in the West Himalayas remains largely unknown and untouched thanks to its inaccessibility. Requiring a 10.5-mile hike from Govindghat, near Joshimath in Garhwal, the location was originally dubbed the “Valley of Flowers” by three British mountaineers in 1931, after getting lost and stumbling on it by accident.

(via) 71 Lake Retba, Senegal Literally translating into “pink lake,” this body of water north of the Cap Vert peninsula in northwest Africa is known for its high salt content, and gets its pink color from large concentrations of Dunaliella salina algae, which produce the red pigment as a byproduct of their metabolism. Coincidentally, Dunaliella salina is one of few organisms that can survive in such salty conditions, making Lake Retba an ideal home for the algae species.

(via) 72 Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, India Located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the 2500-year-old city of Madurai, the Meenakshi Amman Temple is dedicated to the gods Meenakshi (Parvati) and Sundareswarar (Shiva). The temple consists of 14 gopurams (gateway towers), all between 100-170 feet high, and two vimana (shrines).

(via) 73 Selangor, Malaysia The most developed and populated of Malaysia’s 13 states, Selangor (or Darul Ehsan, “Abode of Sincerity”) is best known for being home to the National Zoo of Malaysia, featuring 4,000 animals. These trees, a major tourist attraction in I-City (Shah Alam), are each covered in vibrant single-colored LED lights, and are lit 365 days a year.

(via) 74 Five Flower Lake, Jiuzhaigou Valley, China Located in the Jiuzhaigou Valley, a national park and reserve in Sichuan, the Five Flower Lake is the product of glacial runoff, with the blue, green, and turquoise waters drawing their color from differing calcium carbonate concentrations and varying depths. Due to the shallowness and clear waters of the Five Flower Lake, preserved ancient trees that litter the lakebed are visible from the surface.

(via) 75 Motisons Tower, Jaipur, India Architects Ravindra Verma and Rajesh Singh were given complete artistic license over the design of the building and drew inspiration from a lotus flower. When the sun sets, the 50,000-square-foot structure comes alive with color-changing light panels and lit animated leaf veins.

(via)