Random Things

1. Coca-Cola was originally green.
2. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
3. The name of all the continents ends with the same letter that they start with.
4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
5. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States .
6. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
7. Women blink nearly twice as much as men!
8. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath..
9. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
10. Pe op le say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you Sneeze, your heart st op s for a millisecond.
11. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky..
12. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
13. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to Suppress a sneeze; you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.
14. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from History. "Spades" - King David; "Clubs" - Alexander the Great; " Hearts" - Charlemagne; "Diamonds" - Julius Caesar.
15. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
16. If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.If the horse has a all four legs on the ground, the person died of
natural causes.
17 What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common? Ans. - All invented by women.
18. Honey - This is the only food that doesn't spoil.
19. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
20. A snail can sleep for three years.
21. All polar bears are left handed.
22. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
23. Butterflies taste with their feet.
24.. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
25. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
26. On average, pe op le fear spiders more than they do death.
27. Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.
28. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
29. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
30. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
31. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
32. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.
33. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
34. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
35. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
36. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different
37. And finally 99% of pe op le who read this will try to lick their elbow.

Knowledge is to be shared & enjoyed….

Stop Spoiling & Wasting your money and stop SMS-ing to KBC or the OTHER TV CONTESTs

We all know KBC is Good Business.
But have you ever pondered...
How Good....????

Any guesses? Let's see...

Airtel, Idea & All other subscribers are charging Rs.5/- per SMS sent for this contest.
India have States: 28, Union Territories: 7, Districts: 640,
Population =1,210,193,422 (Survey On March 1, 2011),

Average Districts population is 18, 00,000
82,69,30,000 (82 Crore) Mobile User &

Telephone Subscribers (Wireless and Landline): 861480000 (86 Crore) (Apr’2011)
[Land Lines: 34550000 (3 Crore) (Apr’2011), Mobile Cell phones: 82,69,30,000 (82 Crore) (Spr’2011)]

Assuming 1% person are making call to KBC

5Rs/SMS X 8269300 (82Lac, 0.82 Crore) = Rs. 4,10,00,000 (4.1Crores)

4.1Crore in 20 minutes.
(People trying for the 2 Lac cash prize)

Imagine what if 10% person entries try out than it will be 41 Crores

And it does not stop there...

In practice it could be another multiple of 100 or a multiple of 1000 on an average.

In that case it is 4.1 x 30episode = 123 crores earnings in just 20 minutes on every episode!!!
So Total per month income from this KBC season is 123 crores from episode and 1230 crores from (People trying for the 2 Lac cash prize.) = 1353 Crores per months

And the prize money: A mere 2 crores...
(And from whose pocket?)

Smart Business by Siddharth Basu!

And the best part of this calculation is just the SMS earning!!

What about the Ad money?

A rough annual profit calculation goes like this: 
Rs. 1353 Crores per months X 12 = Rs. 16263 Crores annually 

Let even 50% get dissolved in taxes and other payments of mobile company, still you will be left with

Rs. 8118-crores profit!!! (Only from SMS)

Simple Question:
"KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI”
And your options are---

A) SONY TV
B) AIRTEL, IDEA, AND OTHER MOBILE COMPANY
C) AMITABH BACHAN
D) SIDDHARTH BASU
Computerji iska jawab bataiye....

Ans: All FOUR..!!!! 
PS: Now you know why AB gets all emotional when the episodes end...........



Pls Care for Your Money in this inflation & price high

Time's up for tilting Big Ben By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 5:50 PM on 10th October 2011 Iconic: Big Ben's tilt can now be seen by the naked eye Fears over the long-term stability of Big Ben have been raised because it is beginning to tilt to one side. The top of the clock tower is leaning one-and-a-half feet off a level position, according to surveyors, and getting worse each year. The tower in Westminster, which houses the giant bell known as Big Ben, is sinking into the banks of the Thames, partly as a result of decades of underground excavation. Subterranean works beneath the tower include the Jubilee line station, an underground car park and sewers. Its lurch of 0.26 degrees is said to be visible to the naked eye – and if it goes uncorrected could cause the tower to crash. However at current rates, it would take 4,000 years before the tower is as slanted as the Leaning Tower of Pisa which leans by four degrees and is around 12ft off the vertical. John Burland, emeritus professor at Imperial College London, said: ‘I’ve heard tourists saying “I don’t think it is quite vertical” and they are right. If it started greater acceleration we would have to look at doing something, but I don’t think we need to do anything for a few years yet.’ If Big Ben were to fall it would crash into MPs' offices over the road in Portcullis House. Currently, the clock tower is sinking more quickly on the north side of the 315ft-tall building. Clocking on: Workers checking and repairing the face of one of the world's most famous landmarks A just published 2009 survey for London Underground and the Parliamentary Estates Department found that the rate of movement has accelerated in recent years. Engineers cannot explain why the tower's clock face moved up to an eighth of an inch (3.3mm) away from the vertical between November 2002 and August 2003. Since 2003, monitoring instruments show the tilt has increased 0.04in (0.9mm) a year, compared to the long-term average rate of just 0.025in (0.65mm) a year. The report, obtained by the Sunday Telegraph, revealed that the tower  was now leaning towards the north-west at an angle of 0.26 degrees, meaning the top of the tower is 1ft 5in (435mm) from vertical.  The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans by around four degrees. Big Ben's movement has caused cracks in the walls of other parts of the House of Commons, including corridors where ministers and shadow ministers have their offices. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2047021/Big-Ben-leaning-Times-tilting-clock-tower-London.html

Multi-lingual keyboard input

A very useful utility to enter Indian language text (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, etc) easily into any application in Windows or on any page on the Web.


The primary input mechanism is transliteration, which means you type the word on an English keyboard as you would pronounce it, and it automatically gets converted to Indian language characters as you type. Extremely simple!

Download it free fromhttp://specials.msn.co.in/ilit/

       http://service.monusoft.com/GujaratiTypePad.htm 

HOW TO TYPE [ ♫ ꜘ ♪ ♫ ♯ ⱡ Ɫ ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ Ŧ ﷲ ۞ and so on...]SYMBOLS

THAT ARE NOT PRESENT IN THE KEYBOARD

1. Click on the Start (Windows Icon) menu in the lower left, then select All Programs.
   
   
   Start Menu icon for Windows 7
2. Select Programs » Accessories » System Tools » Character Map.
   TIP: If you use the Character Map a lot, you may want to make a Shortcut (alias) to it on your Desktop or add it to your Start menu.
3. A window should open which displays a series of characters in a grid as in the image below.
   
   Windows 7/Vista Character Map
   
   
   Windows XP Character Map

In the Character Map

1. Make sure that the Font from the dropdown list matches that of the document you are creating. If you doing some other function, such as filling out a Web form, selectTimes New Roman as the Font.
2. Look in the grid for the symbol you want. If necessary, use the scroll bars on the right to view more characters.
   NOTE: Many Windows fonts include Cyrillic and Greek letters by default. For other scripts, use Arial Unicode or some other appropriate font.
3. If the character you want is not in the grid, change the font to Arial Unicode MS, Tahoma, Times New Roman, or some other appropriate font.
4. To narrow selection by Unicode block, check the Advanced View at the bottom to reveal additional menus. In theGroup By menu, select a Unicode Subrange to open a pop-up. Click the block to see available characters in that font.
   
5. Double-click on any character you wish to insert then click the Select button to make it appear in the Characters to Copy field. You can Select more than one character at this time.
6. Highlight one or more of the characters in the Characters to Copy you wish to insert then click the Copy button. 

Pasting Symbol in Document

1. Minimize from the Character Map window, and open or switch to the application window in which you wish to insert the character.
2. Position your cursor in the location you wish to insert the character.
3. Under the Edit Menu, choose Paste (or use the keyboard shortcut Control+V). The character should appear.
4. If necessary, change the font of the inserted character to the one selected in theCharacter Map.

Subterranean Secrets: 10 Tunnels

Perhaps there’s one beneath you right now: a hidden underground passage, crumbling and half-forgotten or even modern and air-conditioned, actively whisking contraband goods from one hidden entrance to another.  Tunnels are found all over the world even in what seems like the unlikeliest of places – like a mountaintop public park in New York, or the Rock of Gibraltar. These 10 passageways are just a small fraction of those built for shadowy operations like smuggling or top-secret military strategies, most of which will literally never see the light of day.

Sophisticated California-Mexico Drug Tunnel

(images via: san diego news net)

While most drug smuggling tunnels are little more than a hole in the ground, this one discovered in November 2010 was surprisingly sophisticated, with lighting, air conditioning and a rope-and-pulley system that pulled untold tons of marijuana from one end to the other. The tunnel stretches the length of six football fields between San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico.

Cu Chi Vietnam War Tunnels

(images via: wikipedia)

Imagine being stuck inside dirt-walled tunnels where there’s no escape from poisonous spiders or from the mosquitoes that are giving everyone around you malaria. Life was no picnic for the Viet Cong soldiers who hid in the Cu Chi tunnels during the Vietnam War, but one thing’s for certain: the tunnels were well disguised, the entrances virtually invisible in the dirt and leaves above. In fact, this hidden tunnel system – packed with food, weapons and medical supplies – played a crucial role in the Viet C ong’s successful resistance. Though many were discovered by American troops, they were incredibly dangerous, often rigged with booby traps and bamboo spike pits. The tunnels are now a popular tourist destination and some have been ironically enlarged to accommodate oversized Western visitors.

Canada-U.S. Smuggling Tunnel

(image via: msnbc)

Mexico isn’t the only border where drugs enter the U.S. through secret underground tunnels. In 2005, federal authorities shut down a passageway between Aldergrove, British Columbia in Canada to Lynden, Washington in the U.S. At 360 feet, the tunnel was nowhere near the size of tunnels running between the U.S. and Mexico, but it was just as sophisticated as the aforementioned Tijuana tunnel.

Gaza Smuggling Tunnels

(image via: the telegraph)

Of course, not all smuggling tunnels are made for the transfer of narcotics. Gaza’s infamous tunnels were once a lifeline for Palestinians, bringing in food and religious supplies – even live animals like cows and goats, needed for the traditional holiday slaughter – and are now used to export goods.  Built to get around Israel’s economic blockade, the tunnels are naturally used for contraband as well, including weapons, and tunnel collapses are all too common. Egypt recently discovered 13 tunnels leading into the war-torn region, and that’s likely the tip of the iceberg.

Krankenbunker “Breuning” Tunnels, Germany

(image via: opacity.us)

Somewhere in Germany, there remains a World War II-era underground air raid shelter – one of the few that are still accessible so many decades later. But its location is known only to the authorities… and a few urban explorers who aren’t willing to expose it to the public. Referred to by the psuedonym ‘Krankenbunker Breuning’, the tunnels include a partially-built underground hospital that was meant to be a place to treat the wounded, safe from the Allied weapons that destroyed most of the town above the surface.

The Sarajevo Tunnel

(images via: wikimedia commons)

During the Bosnian War, citizens of Sarajevo were cut off from the world, lacking the most basic of supplies for over three years. A tunnel standing barely four and a half feet tall, dug with a pick and shovel and controlled by the Muslim mafia and black marketeers, was the only source of outside food, fuel, newspapers and weapons. A house owned by the Kolar family stands over the entrance of the 20 meters that remain of the tunnel today, and is now a historic landmark and tourist attraction.

18th Century Smuggler Tunnels in England

(images via: the daily mail)

Ten feet below the remains of a medieval castle in Somerset, England, are a series of brick tunnels – but they aren’t nearly as old as the castle. The smuggling tunnels were discovered in 2008 by water engineers performing routine maintenance on underground water pipes, and are believed to have been built around 1720 after a duke purchased the Bridgewater Castle, which was destroyed during a Civil War siege in 1645. The tunnels likely supplied households in the area with illegal and untaxed goods delivered by boats at night.

Camp Bluefields Tweed Tunnels

(image via: kristian20)

In Blauvelt, New York, the remains of a tunnel that was once part of a World War I-era shooting range are today one of the creepiest abandoned sites in the state. The center of a number of urban legends, including rumors of Satanic ritual activity, the Camp Bluefields tunnel and bunker complex – known simply as ‘Tweed’ – is now a dangerous draw for urban explorers due to its dilapidation.  The tunnels are said to cover approximately 90 square acres at the top of Clausland Mountain.

World War II Tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar

(image via: wikimedia commons)

During World War II, a massive complex of tunnels and chambers was built in what seems like the unlikeliest of places: the Rock of Gibraltar. This monolithic landmass, property of the United Kingdom and bordering Spain, played a pivotal role in Allied war strategy and its dark subterranean passages were the operational headquarters for General Eisenhower. The 30-something miles of tunnels, dug with diamond-tipped drills, held 30,000 troops as well as a hospital and power station. Even now, the Rock of Gibraltar has more tunnels than roads.

Battle of Messines Tunnels

(images via: worcester regiment)

If it weren’t for the mines under the village of Messines in Belgium, the First World War might have had an entirely different end. Little did the German forces know that 120 feet beneath their own trenches, the British Corps of Royal Engineers were building tunnels and laying them with 22 mines. The night before the attack, British General Plumer said to his staff, “Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography.” And that they did – detonating the mines at 3am, taking out 10,000 German soldiers along with the entire town of Messines in a blast that was heard as far away as Dublin, Ireland. The Messines detonation is now known as history’s deadliest non-nuclear man-made explosion. 

Luigi Colani - Future Trucks Today

Luigi Colani has designed many amazing things. Here you can see some of the trucks he has come up with and how interesting they look. These trucks are actually in use today and were actually originally designed in the 1980’s. Changes have been made to them through the years to what you see today.

Beach Photos

World’s most breathtaking roads

After a week that started off with skiing moved on to exotic destinations and cooled off with gaming thrills on the couch it is time to now ponder about the path rather than the destination. Most often both in life and journey we are so often bothered about the destination that we actually forget to enjoy the path that leads us there. If you actually sum it up then most often it is the path where you spend more time on rather than the destination.

Traveling by good old road still offers unmatched delights and you only need to look around to find them. Here are some of the best roads in the world which will enthrall you captivate you with their enjoyable ride and will take you to the edge of adrenaline at times. So loosen your seatbelts and join the ride…

1. North Yungas Road- Bolivia = Road of Death

The North Yungas Roadalso known as El Camino de la Muerte (Spanish for “Road of Death”)is a 43 mile road that leads from La Paz to Coroico35 miles northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia. The road seems breathtaking and awesome just in the pictures and if you want to drive on its nerve-tingling and even limb to life-losing edges then you will be dubbed as a ‘brave-expert-lucky’ rider.

2. Atlantic Road- Norway

Dubbed and voted as the Norwegian construction of the century this five-mile stretch along highway Rv64 between Molde and Kristiansund. The road is anything but even and riding above some real rough waves is a thrill like none other. The road itself surges up and falls down much like the tides at different places making it a perfectly safe yet totally exciting ride.

3. Blue Ridge- USA

If you are looking for a roadway whose every inch will be just fine on a picture postcard the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina is the place to go. The 496 mile road has been specially crafted for drivers to go on a magical trip with scenic panorama all around. Nature is at its very best around Blue Ridge.

4. Columbia George Highway 30USA

The much fabled ‘Kingdom of Narnia’ shot will be visible from one of the bridges on this trip as the road takes you through a journey that will bring the silver screen to life. Described by many as ‘the ultimate drive’ for scenic pleasure in North America the Columbia George Highway comes very close to dethroning the Blue Ridge Parkway from its spot!

5. Guoliang Tunnel- China

After North Yungas in Boliviawe bring you the Guoliang Tunnel located high up Taihang Mountains in China. The road is like a little cavern on the side of a mountain with holes of various shapes and sizes acting as windows. The road will offer you a journey and a view like none other in the world as you feel transported to an ancient and mystical land. If you want a safe way to experience how it feels like when hanging from a bottomless cliff then this is your best shot!

6. Amalfi Coast Road- Italy

Amalfi seems to be getting pretty popular these days as it is creeping up into most of our lists or maybe we just have a special fascination towards Italy! Riding on the beautiful coast of Amalfi is in contrast to places like Guoliang Tunnel as this experience is more romantic than scary. The beautiful Italian coast dotted with villages and the drive right next to waves makes this a captivating one.

7. Three Capes Route- USA

Located on the coast of Oreg on the ride is famous for its proximity to a beautiful coast on one side and lush green forests on the other side of the road. The long ride can eventually take you to the Cape Kiwanda drive which is both beautiful and unique as you put your set of wheels through waves- quite literally!

8. Transfagarasan Road- Romania

Many consider this stunning and breathtaking road clad in natural beauty as the road that leads you to the sky. It runs North to South across the tallest sections of the Carpathian Mountains between the highest peak in the countryMoldoveanuand the second highestNegoiu. Yesin the way you also can stop at the castle of Vlad III the Impaler the king who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula character. Welcome to Transylvania- Dracula Land baby!

9. Red Rock Scenic Road- USA

This route passes through the Coconino National ForestRed Rock Country and the Montezuma Castle National Monument. The beautiful road is known for providing the best view of nature’s beauty around Arizona.

10. Seward Highway- Alaska

While Alaska is technically USAwe do not want our riders to be searching for Seward Highway in US mainland so the special mention of the region in the title (and not our bias towards Sarah Palin!) The Seward Highway extends 127 miles (204 km) from Seward to Anchorage and offers you the best view of this unique land and its special topography.

 Crazy Routes in Andes, Albania & New Zealand

Necessity may dictate that you choose the "road less traveled", but for goodness sake, leave weaker-nerved passengers behind. They might experience life-changing (and underwear-changing) circumstances that they will never forget, or forgive.

One of the Chinese military roads to "boost the morale of their troops" -



and here is how they navigate it:

Tirana to Elbasan Road in Albania

This is a hairy route, very high, badly maintained with high volume of heavy truck traffic - count on these Albanian drivers to be dare-devils, too. Whatever pictures we could get, look pretty serious:

The cool thing about this road is that it leads to various interesting "rabbit trails" with ancient ruins at the end:





some of the bridges there look pretty ancient too, and require some extra faith that they'll hold:

The Skippers Canyon Road near Queenstown:

Katie Laurence writes to us:
"This road is made from a very narrow cut in the middle of a sheer cliff face. The large tourist buses go along it, and it's so narrow that if two vehicles have to pass each other, one vehicle might have to reverse for anything up to 3 kilometres of winding narrow road to get to a place wide enough to pass. It is the SCARIEST road you could imagine..."

A few aerial shots first:

(image credit: David Wall Photography)

and this is how it looks close up, with sheer drops just outside the single lane (with almost not enough space for tires) -




(images credit: beez kneez)

1) Col de Turini, France: 

Situated more than 1 mile above sea level, Col de Turini is a mountain pass situated in south of France in the Alps. It's also part of a 20 miles rally stage of the Monte Carlo Rally of WRC, which combines 34 challenging hairpins and long stretches where cars top 111 mph.

It is one of the most exciting roads on Earth. The pass was featured in the very first episode of Top Gear series 10, when the presenters went in search of the greatest driving road in the world. At its highest point, Col de Turini is 1607m high. In the north, the Col de Turini starts with a dazzling series of hairpins. Finally, we end up riding in a gorge, with a wild river on the left, and a steep rock-wall on the right.

2) Stelvio Pass, Italy: 

Located in the Eastern Alps in Italy, the Stelvio Pass Road connects the Valtellina with Merano and the upper Adige valley. This mountain road pass is situated at an altitude of around 1.7 miles above sea level. The road is particularly challenging to drive due to the presence of 48 hairpin bends, with the road becoming exceedingly narrow at some points, and some very steep inclines. With a height of 2757 meters, it is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in the Alps, after the 2770 m high Col de lIseran. While it might not be as dangerous as the other routes, it is certainly breathtaking. The toughest and most spectacular drives are from the Prato side. The mountain pass is one of the best continuous hairpin routes in the world. 


3) Leh Manali Highway, India: 

The Leh-Manali Highway is situated in India and spans over a length of 297 miles among the Himalaya mountain range. It passes through some of the worlds highest mountain passes in the world, with a mean altitude in between 2 to 3 miles above sea level. The road is one of the most complicated and challenging roads in the world, with snow, landslides and terrain making the journey exceedingly difficult for anything other than a capable four wheel drive vehicle. The road was built and is maintained by the Indian Army. 


4) The Puxi Viaduct, Shanghai:

This is one of Shanghai's busiest and largest interchange that caters to thousands of vehicles every hour. It has five levels of bridges that help connect two of the cities busiest highways, directing vehicles without much fuss.


5) The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange, LA: 

The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange is situated in Los Angeles, CA and is one of the most complicated interchanges in the country. It permits entry and exit in all directions between the I-105 and the I-110. It's a stack interchange with layers of bridges making a complicated network of roads allowing smooth flow of traffic though both the interstate highways. This interchange was opened in 1993. It is a 4 level interchange with a restricted access lane that can be used by high-occupancy vehicles.


6) The Road of death, Bolivia:

The North Yungas Road (also known as the El Camino de la Muerte, Road of Death in Spanish) is a 43 mile road connecting La Paz and Coroico, 35 miles northeast of La Paz in Bolivia. Famous for its extreme danger, it was christened as the world most dangerous road in 1995 by the Inter-American Development Bank. The single-lane width, extreme drop offs, and lack of guardrails, only add to the danger lurking behind. Further, the fog and rain can make visibility poor and the road surface muddy, loosening rocks from the hillsides above. It is estimated that 200 to 300 travelers are killed per year on this treacherous road. Although, the old North Yungas Road is much less used by traffic nowadays, an increasing number of adventure bikers travel it for the thrills. 


7) Russia's Lena Highway, the Highway from Hell: 

The last 600 miles of the Russian Federal Highway from Moscow city to the Siberian city of Yakutsk is called the Lena Highway. This bizarre road runs parallel to the River Lena on the final leg to Yakutsk. As if the road of mud was not a big problem, Yakutsk is considered one of the the coldest cities on earth, with January temperatures averaging -45 °F. But surprisingly, it is only in the summertime that the road becomes impassable. Whenever it rains in summer, the road virtually becomes a slush pit making it impossible for the vehicles to pass through it. This being the only road to Yakutsk makes the traffic heavy and even more complicated to negotiate. 


8. Gravelly Hill Interchange, Birmingham, UK:

Gravelly Hill Interchange, nicknamed the Spaghetti Junction, is the 6th junction of the M6 motorway, where it joins the A38 Aston Expressway in Birmingham, UK. The name Spaghetti Junction was coined by Roy Smith, a journalist from the Birmingham Evening Mail in the 1970s. The areal view of the junction sure tells us why it is called the Spaghetti Junction. 

Spanning an impressive 30 acres, the junction serves 18 routes and includes 4 km of slip roads. Across 6 different levels, there are 559 concrete columns, reaching up to 24.4 m in height. The engineers had to elevate 13.5 miles of the motorway to accommodate 2 railway lines, 3 canals, and 2 rivers. It's the most complicated junction in United Kingdom.


9) Russian-Georgian Military Mountain Roads: 

When they are not covered in sheets of snow, then it's the thick, grueling mud. These remote highways would probably swallow your car in the snow or mud. Though neither affect the locals who drive their Lada cars down it regularly. Situated in the Caucasus mountains, these roads are to be tackled only by the Russian military which probably explain why they lack any official designation. The harsh surface, along with the problems posed by snow, makes this road almost inaccessible during winter. 

The seldom used road connects Russia and Georgia and assumes of strategic importance for both countries.


10) Guoliang Tunnel Road, China: 

The magnificent tunnel road in the Taihang mountains was built by 13 local villagers headed by their chief, Shen Mingxin, and took around five years to finish. Many villagers lost their lives in accidents during construction of the tunnel but the others continued relentlessly. The tunnel was opened to traffic on May 1st, 1977. The 1200 meter long tunnel is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. It is located in the Henan Province of China. The Guoliang tunnel is another addition to most dangerous and complicated roads to travel. Dubbed as the road that does not tolerate any mistakes, most accidents in the tunnel are primarily caused by the neglect of the traveler. Nonetheless, it is an extremely scenic route and is a key destination on the Chinese tourism map.


11) Taroko Gorge Road in Taiwan (Chungheng):

The Taroko Gorge Road in Taiwan is another mountain route made by carving out rocks, like the Guoliang Tunnel road. The road passes through the Taroko national park alongside the Taroko Gorge. The road is an appeal to the tourist, as well as a mode of transportation of marble found abundantly in the Gorge.


12) Pasubio (Vicenza), Northern Italy:

This is a hiking trail made out of an ancient road trail. The road serves mostly for motorcycles and certain types of car. The road is dangerously narrow and slippery, spanning many cliff faces and tunnels with stunning scenery, making this a popular destination for adventurous travelers. 


13) The Halsema Highway in the Philippines:

The Halsema Highway runs through the Central Cordillera Valley in Philippines. It is also called the Baguio-Bontoc Road. The road is approximately 150 miles long and is mostly unpaved. The road runs through steep cliff faces which barely have any guard rails or other safety devices installed. The narrow roads and steep cliff faces make the road almost impassable during the rainy season. It's known for the rock slides and mud slides and buses driving dangerously fast on its narrow passage. There are plenty of accidents and many overturned buses on a yearly basis. There are sheer drop offs of more than 1000 feet without a safety guard rail. This route is for sure one of the most dangerous roads in the world.


14) Trollstigen in Norway: 

The Fjord in Norway has many roads that attract tourists. The most notable among them is the Trollstigen which is a series of stunning roads with a breathtaking view of a few waterfalls. The word Trollstigen means the Troll Ladder. The road, though not lacking in safety standards, takes a lot of concentration and driving skill to conquer. The vertigo-inducing steep inclines, intense set of hairpins and narrow roads leave no margin for error. However, once you are at the top, the view is just breathtaking. The narrow road leaves us with extremely few possibilities for vehicles to pass each other. The frequent rockfalls in the region have resulted in some upgrades to the road in 2005. At the top, there is a viewing balcony which overlooks the road and the Stigfossen waterfall, a 320 m long waterfall which falls down the mountain side. 


15) Los Caracoles Pass in Andes:

This road passes though the Andreas Mountains on the way between Chile and Argentina. Los Caracoles is a series of hard switchbacks on an extremely steep incline. The road has many steep inclines and hairpins without any safety guard rails. The road is covered with snow for the most part of the year. The snow together with nature of the road requires extreme patience and skill to negotiate. However, this road is maintained pretty regularly and does not have a morbid accident record. Cargo trucks and even double-Decker tourist buses travel through the road on a daily basis, and it's quite an experience.


16) Iroha-zaka winding road, Japan:

Iroha-zaka winding road is the main route that connects central Nikko and Oku-Nikko. The First Iroha-zaka is used to come down, and the Second Iroha-zaka to go up. Each corner has an ancient Japanese alphabet, and you will see it in alphabetical order starting from I-ro-ha and hence the name. The road was used by ascetics in the past. The number of curves on the road was 48, matching the 48 letters of the ancient Japanese alphabet. Therefore, the tourist guides started to call the slope Iroha-zaka. After the construction of the second Iroha-zaka there were 50 curves, but 2 were decreased to remain corresponding with the 48 letters. How's that for complicated? 


17) Van Zyls Pass, Namibia:

Van Zyls Pass, or the DR3703, located in Namibia, is a classic extreme road. It is not exactly a road, just a route made over the mountain by the travelers over time. The outrageously steep pass provides a pure adrenaline rush, but the route that leads up to it is a 10-15km of tough driving where one has to dodge their way through rocks, boulders, badlands and ravines. At the end, the road descends to the ancient glacial valley called Marienfluss valley, which is one of the planet's most beautiful sights that await only the brave-hearted.


18) El Espinazo Del diablo, Mexico:

El Espinazo Del diablo or The devils backbone is the mountain pass in Durango, Mexico. It's about 5 hours long, and it was the only road from Durango to Mazatlan Sinaloa for a long time. We have heard many cautionary tales about crossing the devils backbone, El Espinoza Del Diablo, But the road is exceptionally well maintained and there are many cautionary signs marking most of the hazards. Of course these are in Spanish, so keep an electronic translator or a dictionary, handy. Pull out spots are frequent, so you can easily stop anytime you want. 
There are some tight curves, too. So tight that a truck needs all of the road to make it around. These hinder potential two way traffic in these regions. However, stunning rock formations rising around you and the lush, green vistas stretching on for impossible distances make every inch of the drive breathtaking. 


19) Lysebotn Road, Norway: