The darjeeling himalayan railway which is also known as a toy train runs between new jalpaiguri & darjeeling . Running on the narrow gauge it was built between 1879 & 1881 . The distance is around 78 kilometers with 13 stations enroute . The most interesting part is that it travels over the elevated terrain from 100 meters to 2,200 meters . The most outstanding example of a hill passenger railway.  It’s designed applies bold and ingenious engineering solutions in connecting beautiful mountainous terrain . This unesco world heritage site railways has a station named ghum which is the highest railway station in india.  All the three railways are fully operational till date .

Petronas towers the world tallest twin towers located in kuala lumpur are 88 storey buildings designed by cesar pelli & associates that are joined at the 41 st and 42 nd floor ( 175 m above the street level ) by a 58 metre long double decker sky bridge . Standing 452 meters tall the architecture of these buildings was inspired by malaysian and Islamic culture and primarily house the corporate headquarters of petronas company and other offices.  After 6 years in construction the towers were completed in 1998 and consists of 89000 sq ft of laminated glass to reflect harmful UV rays . The petronas towers are placed on the world’s largest foundation that is 120 meters approx 400 ft and the sky bridge can move independently from the towers . The towers taper towards the antennas that are placed on top to stabilize the towers structurally.  A reflection and homage to the dominant islamic culture of malaysia these towers are a major landmark of kuala lumpur. 

The great wall of china is a series of fortifications made of stone , brick , tamped earth , wood and other materials generally built along an east to west line across the historical northern borders of china to protect the chinese states and empires againist the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the eurasian steppe . Apart from defense other purposes of the great wall have included border controls allowing the imposition of duties on good transported along the silk road regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. In 220 b.c . under emperor qin shi huang of china sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form what we call the great wall today . Construction continued up to the ming dynasty ( 1368 – 1644 ) and the name great wall was actually given in 1877 . The great wall stretches from dandong in the east to lop lake in the west along the arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of inner mongolia.  The great wall is not only because of the ambitious character of the undertaking but also the perfection of its construction an absolute masterpiece. The only work built by human hands on this planet that can be seen from the moon the wall constitutes on the vast scale of a continent a perfect example of architecture integrated into the landscape.  About one forth of the length of the wall consists solely of natural barriers such as rivers and mountain ridges . Nearly all of the rest ( about 70 percent of the total length ) is actually constructed wall with the small remaining stretches constituting ditches or moats .There is a section of the great wall where it goes up extremely steep slopes in jinshanling and is one of the most striking section of the wall , though earth and stone are mostly the materials used to build the wall glutinous rice ( sticky rice ) was put on the mortar.  The amylopectin which makes this rice sticky can probably take credit for the endurance of the wall over the thousands of years.  While many portions near beijing have been renovated some parts of the wall have disappeared over the years . It was included under the new seven wonders of the world in 2007 and a unesco world heritage site in 1987 .

Big ben is the name given to the massive bell inside the clock tower that weighs 13.7 tonnes stands 7.2 ft ( 2 .2 meters) tall and has a diameter of 8.9 ft ( 2.7 meters) . The bell hammer weighs 200 kgs . Each dial on this clock is seven meters in diameter and numbers are approximately 60 cm long . The hour hand is 9.2 feet long ( 2.8 m ) in length the minute hand is 14 feet ( 4.3 m ) . Each clock dial is illuminated by 28 energy efficient bulbs at 85 watts each bulb has a lifetime of 60, 000 hours . In june 2012 this clock tower was renamed as the elizabeth tower to mark the diamond jubilee of elizabeth 2 and stands 315 ft ( 96 meters) tall with 11 floors .

Designed by the city architects horace jones and and john wolfe barry and completed in 1894 the tower bridge is 265 meters long and took 11,000 tons of steel to build its framework.  The tower bridge is the only bridge over the thames river that can be raised as it is a combined bascule ( drawbridge ) and suspension bridge which opens in the middle to allow river traffic to pass through.  It takes 61 seconds to open this bridge to the maximum angle of 86 degrees and it opens about 1000 times a year . Today the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power but since 1976 they were driven by oil and electricity rather than steam . The original pumping engines , accumulators , where the energy to open the bridge is stored and boilers are exhibits of tower bridges permanent exhibition .

The home of every u.s.president except george washington , the white house recognized as the symbol of american democracy is the oldest federal building in the nation’s capital and has been remodeled and restored many times over the years . It was designed by the Irish american architect james hoban over a site selected in 1791 . President john adams first moved into the unfinished house in 1800 after eight years of construction in 1792 . Known earlier by various names president theodore roosevelt officially gave the white house its current name in 1901 . From the ground floor corridor rooms transformed from their early use as service areas to the state floor rooms the white house is both the home of the president of united states and his family and a museum of american history . Spread over 55,000 sq feet there are 132 rooms 35 bathrooms and 6 levels of residence . The most famous room is the oval office where the president conducts business and meets with his advisors. 

The statue of liberty enlightening the world was a gift from france to united states to commemorate the lasting friendship between the people of the two nations and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.  The french sculptor, frederic auguste bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper while alexandre gustave effiel designed the statue steel framework. Erected on liberty island a small island in upper new york bay and dedicated of independence in 1876 it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.  The statue designated a unesco world heritage site in 1984 is a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand and a tablet in her left.  The total height from the base of pedestal foundation to the tip of torch is 305 feet 6 inches and it’s weight is 225 tons . There are seven rays on the crown representing the seven continents each 9 feet in length and weighing 150 pounds . A tablet held in her left hand measures 23 ” 7 ” tall and 13 ‘ 7 ” wide inscribed with the date JULY IV MDCCLXXVI ( July 4 1776 ) the date of declaration of independence.  This monument was designated a unesco world heritage site in 1984 

The eiffel tower a landmark of paris is also a technological masterpiece in building construction history.  Built to celebrate the centenary of the french revolution on the occasion of the international exposition in 1889 and named after the engineer who built it , eiffel gustave this tower is the most visited monument in the world. 18,000 pieces of wrought ( puddle) iron along with two and a half million rivets were used in the construction.  For two years hundreds of workers put the framework of the tower together to reach almost 1000 feet . It was the tallest when opened on 15 th may 1889 a title it held for 41 years till it was trounced by the chrysler and subsequently by empire state buildings in new york . The tower itself is 300 meters 984 feet high and a television antenna atop the tower gives it a total elevation of 324 meters ( 1063 feet ) . One of the most recognizable structures on the planet the eiffel tower underwent a major facelift in 1986 and is painted every year with 60 tons of paint . The tower is painted in three shades lighter at the top and getting progressively darker towards the bottom to complement the parisian sky . The four points of the compass are aligned with the four points of the base of the tower . It weighs 10, 100 tons and lifts travel on a curve . 336 spotlights illuminate the tower today .It can sway upto 5 inches in case of heavy winds .

Inaugurated on 4th jan 2010 the burj khalifa at over 828 meters ( 2716.5 feet ) and more than 160 storeys has the highest number of storeys and also highest free standing structure in the world.  The architecture is a triple lobed footprint an abstraction of the hymenocallis flower and the tower is composed of three elements arranged around a hexagonal central core which is supported by a series of wings each with its own concrete core which is supported by a series of wings each with its own concrete core and perimeter columns.  As the tower increases in height the wings recede in a spiral configuration changing the buildings shape at each tier and thereby reducing the effect of the wind on the building.  A three storey podium anchors the tower in place and along with a two storey basement it measures around 2, 000, 000 sq feet 186, 000 sq m ) . Over 1,000 pieces of art selected to the link culture and cummunities from around the world by prominent middle eastern and international artists adorn the tower . Built from 2007 to 2009 the project involved 380 skilled engineers and onsite technicians.  To house a variety of commercial , residential and hospitality ventured the tower was build by the chicago based architectural firm of skidmore , Owings & Merrill , Adrian Smith served as a architect and William F Baker served as structural engineer. 

How many cities in india have railway station that double up as tourist attractions? Or a mangrove dotted coastline that is home to thousands of pink flamingoes for the better part of the year ? Where else will you find long wooded pathways and nature trails just minutes away from the bustle of sprawling malls and five star hotels ? Welcome to navi mumbai the low profile counter magnet to mumbai and with an area of 344 sq km the world’s largest planned city . Navi mumbai is linked to mumbai by three bridges across the thane creek.  The mankhurd vashi bridge runs along the sion panvel highway entering navi mumbai at the central node of vashi . The highway runs the entire southern length of navi mumbai joining the mumbai pune expressway at panvel . The eastern eastern freeway from south mumbai and jijabai bhosale marg from the eastern expressway highway at ghatkopar are quick links to the sion panvel highway . Airoli bridge links north east and north west mumbai to navi mumbai running from eastern express highway in mulund to the thane belapur road in the northern node of airoli . The thane belapur road runs the entire northern length of navi mumbai till sion panvel highway in vashi . The thane kalwa bridge links thane city to the north most node of digha . The satellite city of navi mumbai was planned with an objective of decongesting mumbai . To the first visitor arriving via the mother city the first impression its younger avatar gives is definitely one of infinitely more breathing space . Driving and this is the best way to explore navi mumbai through its planned roads and intersections you instantly know that this city was conceived keeping structure spaces and green zones in mind . The sobriety is refreshing for those who revel in peace and quiet. Navi mumbai is spread along thane creek mirroring the north south alignment of mumbai which lies across the creek.  The city has been planned and developed by maharashtra city and industrial development by maharashtra city & industrial development corporation ltd ( cidco ) . Cidco built the new metropolis atop vast stretches of paddy fields , mango plantations , salt pans , brick kilns and what constituted a fisherman’s paradise along the 30 km coastline originally inhabited by the agris , kunbis & kolis . Their gaothans remain in the midst of steel and concrete of navi mumbai. The city is divided into several nodes spanning a 35 km north to south distance of which digha , dahisar , airoli , ghansoli , turbhe , kopar khairane , vashi , sanpada , nerul , and CBD belapur including kharghar , kamothe , new panvel , kalamboli , ulwe , pushpak , and dronagiri fall in raigad district.  Each node is further divided into sectors each has its own residential and shopping zones and green spaces all of these connected by wide and spacious roads making them easy to navigate . Each node also has its own character vashi the first node reached from mumbai is the core of the city and the epicenter of shopping , entertainment and nightlife . Belapur is the administrative and business hub . Nerul is the largest populated residential node and home to a concentration of spaces of worship but kharghar is fast catching up . Eastern navi mumbai the entire stretch lying along the ghats to the east of thane belapur and sion panvel highways which form a spine cutting through all nodes is heavy industrial. For all the hectic pace of construction bits and pieces of history have survived the 40 years of navi mumbai’s expansion.  There are a few monuments here to see and chief among these is belapur fort . Navi mumbai’s node also each other have their own shrines , with temple’s , gurudwara’s , mosques & churches standing close together.  Of all these religious centres the most monumental is the nerul node which has its own saat dham yatra . Navi mumbai also has interesting architectural sights from grandabouts like the greco roman pillared utsav chowk in kharghar to triangular or circular high rise in seawoods darave & kharghar . What navi mumbai could do with more of cultural spaces theaters , libraries , auditoria , museums . But one of navi mumbai’s biggest advantages is its proximity with the ghats and its connection to the highways leading out of the metropolitan region to the many lush weekend escapes . All the sights that follow are southward from vashi towards panvel.  The ghansoli forest is the one sight in the residential and industrial nodes north of vashi . The forest with its gavli devi temple’s attracts many picknickers. But the falls here are dangerous to bathe in especially in the monsoon .