1. The Tower Tunnel, Japan
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One of the most curious building in Japan is the Gate Tower Building in Osaka, Japan. This building is the result of an unusual compromise between the land owner and the Japanese government. The 5th, 6th and 7th floors of this 16-story office building is occupied by an express highway – passing right through the building. On the building’s floor information board on the ground floor, the tenants for the three floors are listed as the Hanshin Expressway.
The tunnel does not make contact with the building. Highway passes through as a bridge-tunnel, held up by supports next to the building. The highway is surrounded by a structure to protect the building from noise and vibration
2. Tunnel Log, California, USA
Tunnel Log is a tunnel cut through a fallen giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park, California, USA.
The tree, which measured 275 feet (84 m) tall and 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter, fell across a park road in 1937 due to natural causes. The following year, a crew cut an 8-foot (2.4 m) tall, 17-foot (5.2 m) wide tunnel through the trunk, making the road passable again.
3. Tunnel of Love, Ukraine
One of the most beautiful tunnels in World can be found near the city of Klevan in Ukraine – The Tunnel of Love. This is in fact a train tunnel of trees. It’s the main attraction in the area and also one of the most beautiful places in Ukraine.
During the warm months of the year the trees planted next to each other form a fairy green tunnel along one kilometer (0.6 mi) long section of the railway. Not a lot of people seem to know very much about the tunnel, or have ever heard of it at all, making it a well-kept secret
4. Tunnel Rock, California, USA
Tunnel rock is located just inside the entrance to Sequoia National Park in Central California. A huge granite boulder beneath which the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) dug a tunnel for the roadway in 1938. The road now bypasses the ‘tunnel’ but visitors can walk beneath this “balanced rock”
5. Tunnel of Fish, Spain
Journey to the undersea world of the 70 meter (230 ft) tunnel at the L’Oceanografic (marine park) in Valencia, Spain where the sea life becomes part of your life. The water moves around and above you as the illuminated lights reflect off the many fish swimming through this unique tunnel.
The blue and green hues of the water and the specially designed glass used for this tunnel, reflects tourists visiting and gives the impression of almost being part of the sea existence. If staring eye to eye with these fish is not enough excitement for you, wait until you come face to face with a shark, eel or stingray. Thousands of tourists stroll this incredible tunnel every year and explore the fascinating life of many different species of fish.
6. The “L” Tunnel, Illinois, USA
This tunnel is located above the McCormick Tribune Campus Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
A major design challenge was the noise of the public transit tracks passing over the lot. The solution was to enclose a 530-foot (160 m) section of the tracks in a stainless steel tube passing over the building. The tube’s support structure is completely independent of the building’s, to minimize vibration passing between them.
7. Natural Tunnel, Virginia, USA
Natural Tunnel is a massive naturally formed cave that is so large it is used as a railroad tunnel. The tunnel’s 200-foot (61m) width is large enough to accommodate trains, so in 1906 Southern Railway established a passenger line that snaked under the natural structure. Today, the passenger rail is no longer in use, but freights continue to haul coal through the tunnel on a regular basis. The awe-inducing nature of the structure led William Jennings Bryan, 1896 presidential candidate and Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of state, to declare it the eighth wonder of the world.
8. Guoliang Tunnel, 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. This tunnel was opened to traffic in 1977. The 1200 meter (3,940ft) long Guoliang tunnel is about 5 meters (16ft) high and 4 meters (13ft) wide.
2. (AUDREY HEPBURN)
3. (CHE GEVARA)
4. (MICHAEL JACKSON)
5. (ALBERT EINSTEIN)
6. (AUSTIN POWERS)
7. (KARL LAGERFELD)
8 (OZZY OSBOURNE)
9. (ELVIS PRESLEY)
10. (GREYS KELLY)
11. (BOB MARLEY)
12. (YODA)
13. (KATY PERRY)
14. (ABBA)
15. (LADY GAGA)
16. (AMY WINEHOUSE)
17. (DOLLY PARTON)
18. (JIMI HENDRIX)
19. (CHARLIE CHAPLIN)
20. (JOHN WAYNE)
21. (SID VICIOUS)
22. (DAVID BOWIE)
23. МИСТЕР ТИ (MR.T)
24. (GENE SIMMONS)
25. (DAME EDNA EVERAGE)
26. (MOTHER TEREZA)
27. (DISCO)
28. (TOMMY COOPER)
29. (MAO CZEDUN)
30. (MR. SPOCK)
31. (BORAT)
Credit: Jim Richardson of National Geographic
Credit: Graham McKenzie-Smith
Credit: Steffen M. Boelaars
Credit: seth m
Credit: Marco Franchino
The honor of being the longest water coaster in the world (at the time of writing) goes to Mammoth. This isn’t for the faint-hearted, and even traditional roller coaster lovers will find this experience pumps enough adrenaline. For one third of a mile, hydromagnetic technology propels boats at superfast speed along a water-filled coaster ride with all the usual climbs and plunges. One particularly memorable section is a 3-storey drop with a 45 degree angle.
Fancy plummeting 134 feet at 65mph? That’s equivalent to doing freeway speed down the side of a 14 storey building. Still fancy the idea? Well, there is a pool to catch you at the end of this truly stomach-lurching water ride and there’s a bonus. Once you’ve reached the platform to start your thrill-ride you get a marvelous view of the gorgeous Brazilian tropical coastline.
The British climate doesn’t really lend itself to wonderful outdoor water rides, but those canny folks at the country’s largest theme park decided to beat the weather and built an indoor waterworld extravaganza complete with full Caribbean tropical theme. The showcase water ride is the Master Blaster. Riders are propelled downhill and uphill at breakneck speeds (apparently the uphill sections are fastest) for 680 feet. There are also several sections of dark tunnel to add to the thrill.
Aqualoop was the first water ride to be built that takes you through a 360 degree turn. Maybe that doesn’t sound too exciting, but when you know to make the loop, you have to be rocket fired to reach a speed of 262 feet per second, you’ll soon see the thrill. The ride is 300 feet long and it lasts about 7.5 seconds. Another water ride in a beautiful setting, Terme 3000 waterpark is located in the thermal springs area of Slovenia.
Trust those wonderfully wacky Aussies! If your idea of a thrilling water ride means being dropped through a trapdoor to hurtle down a 17 meter near-vertical drop, then through a helix at a speed of 41 feet per second, then by all means head to The Wedgie. So named – because the braking system is your swimming costume wedging between your butt cheeks slowing you down!
Even though it may not be the fastest, longest, highest or wildest, The Master Blasters at the three Texas Schlitterbahn resorts (there’s one in Kansas too), regularly feature in the top water rides lists. Naturally the water ride is built to Texan standards – i.e. larger than life. The ride is the usual water coaster affair of plunges and climbs with the added attraction of the Blastenhoff Tower and the pretzel shape downward spiral.
Want to feel like you’ve just been through a wash cycle illuminated by sensory LED lighting? Take a night-time ride on the Triple Twist and you’ve got it made. This water ride plunges you through a huge funnel, a network of twists and angled turns, and plops you in the pool at the end of 330 feet.
As you reach the 20 foot high platform of the Barracudas ride you have to choose your route –will it be green or blue? It doesn’t really matter as both of them send you on an aquatic adventure through spins and twists and turns and whirlpools. Apparently, if you take the ride with a partner, your descent is faster than if you attempt it alone.
Although it has a very scary name, this wildest of South Africa water rides doesn’t quite match up to the supersized rides elsewhere in the world. It’s still a huge rush of excitement and the ride is likened to floating at immense speed on air. One of the few waterparks in Africa, there are plenty of other great rides to keep your adrenaline pumping.
That was a dip into the world’s great water rides. If you love to get wet, scream and don’t mind whizzing through tunnels at gut-wrenching speeds , there’s bound to be the ultimate thrill in this list for you.