Tags archives: cities

 

25 of the world's cheapest places to live

 
 

When the words cheap and inexpensive are thrown around, people may be a bit skeptical as to what they are applied to. You know what they say – “you get what you pay for”. While this is normally a justified position, price does not necessarily imply quality. This is especially true when it comes to choosing a place to live. There are a great number of variables that goes into calculating the value of a place; from a city’s policies to a city’s urban design. These variables make delineating value from a city a little complex. However, thanks to the Economist’s Intelligence Unit report, there is a list available ranking the top 25 of the world’s cheapest places to live. Now the question is, would you live in any of these places?

 

Extreme plane spotting at Maho Beach, Saint Martin (20 pictures)

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Due to the unique proximity of low flying airliners, the location is very popular with plane spotters. This is one of the few places in the world where aircraft can be viewed in their flightpath just outside the end of the runway. Watching airliners pass over the beach is such a popular activity that daily arrivals and departures airline timetables are displayed on a board in most bars and restaurants on the beach, and the Sunset Bar and Grill has a speaker on its outside deck that broadcasts the radio transmissions between pilots and the airport’s control tower.

 

 

 

Dizzying view: World Trade Center spire installed

 
 

Hold onto your lunch! Watch construction workers complete the tower. The topmost section was lofted into place with an attached camera rolling. Topping out at 1776 feet, it was the 3rd tallest building in the world at the time of completion.

 

 

Awesome optical illusion in Paris (5 pictures)

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Felice Varini is known for his geometric perspective-localized paintings in rooms and other spaces, using projector-stencil techniques. The Swiss artist has just completed this new piece in Paris for an upcoming exhibition at the Grand Palais which is entitled “Dynamo”.

 

 

Seismic-resistant features of Machu Picchu

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Photographer: Thomas McGuire; Tom’s Web site

Photographer: Thomas McGuire; Tom’s Web site

Some of the most sacred Inca buildings in Peru were constructed with precisely fitting stones held together by gravity alone. Even a credit card can’t be inserted into these mortar-free cracks. Peru is highly seismic and majorearthquakes are part of its history. For example, a 1746 event completely destroyed the capital city of Lima. It was one of the strongest seismic events in modern times. But Inca construction has a remarkable number of design features that protect buildings against collapsing in an earthquake.

 

Hunan by Romain Jacquet-Lagreze (23 pictures)

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Hunan is a province of the People’s Republic of China, located in the south-central part of the country to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, which means “south of the lake”).