The Transfagarasan, Romania

The Transfagarasan is one of the most famous roads in Romania, and even in Europe, due to the height at which it was built, beautiful landscapes and many switchbacks. The road is spectacular because it crosses the Fagaras Mountains, the highest mountains in Romania so Transfagarasanul reaches an altitude of 2042 meters, is the second road in Romania as altitude, after Transalpina Road.

The spectacular road was built between 1970-1974, with huge efforts from the soldiers and workers who have managed to create a road in the mountains. Lives lost were many. Official number of dead was 40, but people who worked on this road tell that the number of the dead is the number of hundreds.

Sights include Balea Lake and Balea waterfalls, Vidraru Lake and Vidraru Dam, waterfall Goat, Goat Lake and Goat Massive, Poenari Castle. Add to this the Ice Hotel at Balea Lake, only open during the winter, and hiking trails surrounding massifs Transfagarasan.

Balea Lake is the maximum height of the Transfagarasan and is a glacial lake that is formed in a depression surrounded by high mountain ranges.

In winter, when the Transfagarasan is closed, access to Balea Lake is by cable car from Balea Waterfall Cottage. All winter, for three months, works Ice Hotel at Balea Lake, one of the few ice hotel in Eastern Europe. The first hotel was conducted in 2006 and since then the tradition is repeated every year. The hotel is built in the form of an igloo, has about 16 rooms, and there is a bar built in ice. The experience of spending a night here is unique, being the only inconvienent cold and warm clothes,  but considering the uniqueness of the hotel, is worth paying.

The  Vidraru Dam  was opened in 1966, after 5 years it took to build and which involved many human sacrifices. It is the highest dam in Romania, with a height of 166 meters but the largest arch dam in the country. The inauguration was the 5th arch dam in Euope and ninth in the world. The engineers pride who built the dam  is the power plant Vidraru, that is being placed underground in massive fortress at a depth of 104 meters. From the dam can practice bungee-jumping site.

The Vidraru Lake was created in 1965 to produce electricity, has a length of 14 km, maximum width is 2.2 km, a total area of ​​870 hectares and a depth of 155 meters. Over the lake and dam dominate Prometheus statue, erected on Mount Pleasant depicts the mythological hero Prometheus with a lightning bolt in hand, a symbol of electricity.

The Goat Lake is located in the Fagaras Mountains 45 minutes from cottage Balea, at an altitude of 2230 meters, at the foot of massive Goat, and has a depth of 11 meters and a beautiful blue color. In the southern part of the lake there is a plateau suitable for camping, which offers a wonderful view of the mountains.

The Poienari Castle is the latest tourist attraction on Transfagarasan. The Castle was the residence of Vlad Tepes (also called Vlad Dracul or as it is known as Dracula) and was built as a fortress against the turks. There is a staircase with 1,500 steps leading up to the fortress. Unfortunately all you can see are thick walls and landscapes with Fagaras mountains To climb nearly 1,500 steps takes time and patience.



In conclusion, the Transfagarasan offers many natural attractions and is perfect for mountain lovers. I hope you enjoyed our ride on Transfagarasan and if you are interested in other things about this destination please tell me.

Wildlife in Himalayan Mountains

The wild life of Himalaya is very diverse.The region is a paradise for nature lovers. The different wild life sanctuaries and national parks are the home for rare species. The types of flora, which are common in the Himlayan region, are pine, fir, oak, rhododendron, deodar and juniper. Regarding wildlife, snow leopard, blue sheep, elephants, tigers, wild boar, crocodiles and musk deer are seen mostly in the different parts of the Himalayan Mountains.

In the north of the Himalayan Mountains the temperature falls below freezing point and its extremely cold. That`s way during the cold winter, most of the animals migrate to the lower regions of the Himalayas while others like marmots and brown bear choose to hibernate. The iak is living mostley in the cold desert.

In conclusion, the Himalayas is a very harsh environment and that`s way some  animals have to be well equipped to survive.

One of the most beautiful animals in the Himalayas is snow leopard. He is a member of cat family and is a predator of other creatures that lives in this region.

Snow leopards show several adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environment. Their bodies are stocky, their fur is thick, and their ears are small and rounded, all of which help to minimize heat loss. Their paws are wide, which distributes their weight better for walking on snow, and have fur on their undersides to increase their grip on steep and unstable surfaces; it also helps to minimize heat loss. Snow leopards' tails are long and flexible, helping them to maintain their balance, which is very important in the rocky terrain they inhabit.

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The Himalayan Yak  is a long-haired bovid characterised by long shaggy hair and living in areas in which there is much grass and lichen. People living in the Himalayas depend considerably on the yak for both food and transportation.  For this reason, the Yak is usually farmed in  herds. 

The herds consist primarily of females and their young, with a smaller number of adult males. The remaining males are either solitary, or found in much smaller groups, averaging around six individuals. Although they can become aggressive when defending young, or during the rut, wild yaks generally avoid humans, and may rapidly flee for great distances if any approach.

The bharal or Himalayan blue sheep is a caprid found in the high Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, China, India, Pakistan and Bhutan.

Bharals move in herds of 10 or more, with males forming separate herds outside of mating season.Bharal are active throughout the day, alternating between feeding and resting on the grassy mountain slopes. Due to their excellent camouflage and the absence of cover in their environment, bharal remain motionless when approached. Once they have been noticed, however, they scamper up to the precipitous cliffs, where they once again freeze, using camouflage to blend into the rock .

The Himalayan forests are not so lush and green but they have a different charm. In the Terai region variety of wildlife can be seen .Different kinds of birds like the Monal Pheasant are also seen in areas of eastern, central, and the western region of the Himalayas. Even rare species are also found here.

In conclusion, not many places in the world can charm you like the Himalayas.  Not every place gives you the reason to visit there every season. Spring and summer is the best time to visit as the flowers are in full bloom during this time to welcome the visitors with a burst of colors. 

References

 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia