Africa's little Switzerland

Can you imagine to find lush greenery, cedar and oak forests and pasturelands in the midst of the hot and dry climate of African continent?

You'll be surprised when you visit Ifran, a small town in Morocco to find such a cool place.Ifran is ski resort famous for its European style and very much similar to the tourist haven of Switzerland. Developed by the French in the 1930s, Ifrane is so reminiscent of the Swiss Alps that it is fondly referred to as 'Africa's Little Switzerland'.

The town is located at an altitude of 5,460 feet above sea level in the Middle Atlas region.

Its neat red-roofed houses, blooming flower beds, lake-studded parks, and snowbound winters present a huge contrast to Morocco's narrow, maze like streets and old, earth-coloured buildings.

The history of Ifrane can be traced back to around 500 B.C. when it was the capital of an ancient Jewish Kingdom. It was called 'Oufrane' then, which comes from the Berber language, meaning 'caves'. It is believed that Jews fleeing from King Nebuchadnezzar found refuge there, and in later centuries, Arabs and Romans found their way there too. Soon, Ifrane became an important stop for caravans coming from the Sahara Desert, carrying goods such as amber, ostrich feathers and other riches.

During the protectorate era, Ifrane served as an administrative town for the French government. Just as the concept of 'hill stations' were developed by the British in India, the French were attracted to Ifrane for its cool climate during the summer.

They converted the town into an ideal settlement for expatriate European families - it was designed to make its foreign inhabitants feel at home. Hence, the architectural style and even the trees and flowering plants were imported from Europe.

When Morocco gained independence, the locals moved into Ifrane, infusing it with a bit of their own culture.

They enlarged the town, built a mosque, a public market, and added other amenities. The prestigious Al Akhawayn University was established in Ifrane in the mid-1990s. Many of the old chalet houses have been torn down and replaced with condos. Still, there are plenty of high-pitched red roofs dotting the town.

Ifrane is easily accessible by road, making it a popular tourist destination among locals and international tourists. The town boasts of powdery snow in the winters and cool summers, making it the ideal resort all year round.

Free of crime and one of the cleanest cities in Morocco, it serves as the winter playground for the wealthy from the nearby cities of Fez, Meknes, and Marrakech who go there to ski. For the people of Morocco, the experience of a European winter is never too far away!

Gumhead - ugly but beautiful art

Chewing gum is banned in some countries as it creates a mess when irresponsible young people stick their chewed up wads of gum in any place they choose.

But for residents and visitors in Howe Street outside Vancouver art gallery, Canada there is an ideal place to stick their chewed up gum wads.

It is called "Gumhead" and its a seven-foot fibreglass statue of Canadian novelist and artist Dougla Coupland who had organised a colourful and sticky art project in May this year.

He had invited people to stick their chewed up wads of gum on the head of his fibreglass statue.

The statue aptly called "Gumhead" was part of Coupland's "Everything is everywhere and anything is everything" exhibition.

By the time the exhibition ended on September first the whole statue was completely covered in chewing gum. And due to the heat from the strong sunlight it had all melted resulting in a sweet and sticky mess that had attracted wasps and bees.

Coupland calling it "ugly and beautiful' said: "I've been everywhere and I've never seen people interact so intimately and for such a long time as they do with Gumhead. And people who drive past it every day like to monitor its progress. It's eight pieces in one: a self-portrait, a still life, a landscape, social sculpture, performance art, conceptual art and time-based art. And it wants to be your friend."

Coupland said that he planned to power-wash the statue and then transport it to Toronto, where the show will repeat in January.

He's excited to know if the gum will stick in a minus-10 environment. As for a permanent home for Gumhead, he might just put it on the roof of his house, or make a mold of the whole piece and cast it in bronze.

Rain makes beautiful white flower transparent

You can call this a miracle! It is indeed an unbelievable phenomenon in the world of nature.

A beautiful flower with lovely white petals tuns transparent upon contact with water.

When it rains, the clusters of lovely blooms of the Diphylleia grayi magically transform into glistening, crystal-like blossoms. Because of this amazing phenomenon, the Diphylleia grayi is commonly known as the 'skeleton flower'.

While the plant is perennial and can grow up to a height of 0.4 metres, the flowers bloom from mid-spring to early-summer in shady conditions.

As the petals of the flowers are soaked in water, they slowly begin to lose their white pigmentation, turning completely transparent over time and when dry they return to their original white version.Diphylleia grayi is a lit tle-known relative of the more popular mayapple (Podophyllum) and fairy wing (epimedium).

Diphylleia grayi is native to moist wooded mountainsides in colder regions of China and Japan, where you'll find the large fuzzy green, umbrella-like, bold foliage topped by small clusters of white, may apple-like flowers in late spring. While the plant is perennial, and can grow up to a height of 0.4 metres, the flowers bloom from mid-spring to early-summer in shady conditions.

As the petals of these flowers are soaked in water, they slowly begin to lose their white pigmentation, turning completely transparent over time. In late summer, the stalks of eye-catching cobalt blue fruit replace the faded flowers.

Diphylleia grayi does not like hot summer temperatures, so plant it where in a cool moist woodland site.