The Daily Croissant

Jacobo Borges is a Venezuelan artist, born in 1931 in Caracas, who is considered to be a 'Witness of His Time’, because in his painting he declares and assumes an indisputable testimonial condition.
ArsLatino 

“These are pictures of many landscapes, fragments and feelings that I paint, erase, and go back to painting," says Borges. “I dig them out from memory where the process of what was erased is preserved. I look for simultaneity of landscapes, crossing the timeline and standing at the very same spot, but in different moments between what I lived and what I dreamt.” 

"Besides being one of the most remote locations in all of Venezuela, Sarisarinama is one of the most bizarre landscapes in the world. High in the clouds on a tepui, or tabletop mountain, are four giant sinkholes, each a near-perfect circle, cutting through the foliage-covered mountain.

The largest of the sinkholes is 1150 feet wide and 1000 feet deep. Although the other three well-known holes are not quite as large, they are equally impressive, and drop off in the midst of the primeval forest on top of the tepui. Adding to the mystery of the place is the the local legend that gave the tepui its name. According to natives to the area, a flesh-eating evil spirit lived on the mountain, who made the sound Sari Sari when he was consuming human meat."

Maybe you've read Stephen King's huge fantasy epic "The Dark Tower", or perhaps the Tower of Mordor from "The Lord of the Rings" more readily comes to mind? In any case, you'll be surprised to find the fantastic huge black tower actually exists... on a small island near Africa. More precisely, in the Obo National Park on the São Tomé island in the Gulf of Guinea. It's called Pico Cão Grande, or the Great Dog peak.  

This is one of the highest needle-shaped "volcanic plug" peaks on Earth (300 m), perhaps even more impressive than the Devils Tower in Wyoming (386 m), as it rises above the landscape in an equally unexpected and even bluntly obscene way. It will be however more difficult to photograph than Devils Tower : its top is often hidden by clouds or precipitation, not to mention that it's harder to get to the tiny country of São Tomé and Principe.   

The heavy mist and humidity over the surrounding jungle (the rainfall varies between 4500 mm to 5000 mm per year) adds to the mystery and the foreboding feeling of the Great Dog Peak, as its rocky presence rises and darkly glistens in the murk.

"The word paradise often conjures images of a luscious beach, blue-green waves, and hammocks stretched between palm trees. However, the Czechs might offer a different opinion on the subject.  

Cesky Raj, or the Bohemian Paradise, is a protected area in the North of the country, covered in majestic forests, hilltop castles and volcanic pillars. Only a day-trip away from the capital, Prague, it has become a popular tourist destination.

Among the sites in the area, the hruba skala or rock town, is the most famous. Just seven kilometers from Turnov, the rock town is punctuated with volcanic sandstone pillars shooting through the tree line. The bright white of the pillars strikingly contrasts the deep greens of the surrounding woodland. Although the hruba skala is the most notable of rock outcroppings in Cesky Raj, the rest of the protected area is dotted with similar volcanic pillars and a hike around the area is a breathtaking endeavor."