The ancient and abandoned Inca city Machu Picchu was seen for the first time by an American, an academic named Hiram Bingham, exactly 100 years ago today.

That discovery became one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century and has been inspiring adventure travelers to visit Peru and South America ever since. To celebrate the occasion, National Geographic has launched a fantastic Machu Picchu website that offers a wealth of information about the Inca stronghold, along with stunning photos and tips for those who want to visit the place for themselves.

It is highly doubtful that Bingham had any idea that his amazing find would one day become one of the most popular tourist attractions in South America. Each year, thousands of travelers flock to Peru just to visit the place for themselves, and while the site is often crowded with people, it remains one of the greatest ancient structures found anywhere on the planet. So, while you’re going about your day today, take a moment to give a tip of the fedora to Bingham and his wonderful discovery. One hundred years later, it is still inspiring a sense of adventure.

Fengdu County is a county of Chongqing Municipality in China. Fengdu, which also called the’City of Ghosts’ on the Ming Hill is far 170 km from the east of Chongqing, on the north bank of the river with a history of 1,900 years. Why it has been regarded as the ‘City of Ghosts’?

It got its reputation as the ‘Ghost City’ in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Two officials from the imperial court: Wang Fangping and Yin Changsheng, got bored with the political life in the court and came to Mt. Minshan outside Fengdu City to practice Taoist teachings. Both of them later became immortals by carrying out self-cultivation. This story widely spread and Mt. Minshan became famous. When combined together, their surnames Yin and Wang, sound very much like ‘King of Hell’ in Chinese. Hence the people began to call Fengdu the ‘Ghost City’. It was the legendary capital of The Ghost King sculptured statue is 138 meters high and 217 meters wide. The tongue only is 81 meters long and mouth 70 meters wide. The pictures are carved in to the mountain for a depth of 26 meters. Visitors can climb the body of the king to the top of the mountain. Guinness World Records has listed it as the biggest sculpture carved on a rock. Ghost State by Daoists.

With temples constructed on the Ming Hill by the river bank and many statues of ghosts and devils molded in the temples, these terrifying statues describe the after-life where people who disobey ancient Chinese morals are punished in every horrifying way. By the standard of Hollywood movies, it should be rated the highest level.

From the ship pier, you can climb the winding cobblestone road or take a cable car to reach the 288 meter-high hill. Some ships arrange an early night visit to the ghost city just to catch the terrifying effects.

To Chinese, the social structure in the hell is exactly like that in this world. In hell, a sprit would go through a whole and complete bureaucracy to get the final sentence. The pure spirits would be rewarded and the sinful ones would be severely tortures. Different tortures would be given to different sins. The Temple built on Mt. Minshan display instruments of torture and wide demon images, which vividly depict the Chinese people’s imagination of Hell. Landmarks on the hill bear horrible name – Ghost Torturing Pass, Last-Glance at Home Tower, nothing-to-be-done Bridge and the River of Blood.

Every Chinese Lunar March 3 to 15, merchants and businessmen gathered Fengdu city. There were various folk culture activities. The ghost face is one of specialties.

Over the years, not much has been done to change the world cruising concept. The onboard experience has always been about relaxation and total indulgence while sailing into the distant corners of the world.

According to Los Angeles Times, Luxury cruise ships are premiering. Nine luxury vessels have made their debut in 2009. They include Costa Cruises’ 2,260-passenger Luminosa and the 3,000-passenger Pacifica.

A third Costa newcomer is the $450-million, 2,260-passenger Deliziosa, which will join its 14-ship fleet on Feb. 5, 2010, with a 20-night inaugural. That cruise leaves from Savona, Italy, and travels to Dubai.

On December 1, 2009, Royal Caribbean International will roll out the world’s largest cruise ship, the $1.2-billion, 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas, pictured above with art renderings.

Most world cruisers travel to see, learn and experience the world first hand, so where the ship cruises is a major consideration. If this is your primary objective, then be sure to compare how many port stops the ship makes versus the number of days at sea before making your selection.

Fall is the time to be comparing your options since most cruises depart in January. If time is a factor, cruise segments varying in length from 14 nights to 52 nights can be purchased. Whereas a world cruise on Holland America’s Amsterdam might sail a 128 night round trip from Los Angeles journey with fares from $17,999 to $65,199 per person, a segment fare might begin at $1,729 per person.

The good news is there is probably no such thing as a bad world cruise choice. How could sailing the huge blue oceans of our world and enjoying the balmy breezes, amazing cloud formations, and star-peppered nights following your ship not be wonderful?