Personally, I can find about a billion different reasons why sending and receiving mail while traveling (or from a traveler) is second only to the journey itself: anticipation,  sharing, creativity, gloating, surprise, touching base...The list could go on forever. No surprise here: I'm a total sucker for mail.  I have a collection of almost everything I've received in my mailbox (yes, emails fall into this category, too) for the past decade-plus.  

Particularly postcards.  I. Love. Postcards.  Old, new, tacky, hand-made, blank, mass-produced... it ain't no thang.  I keep them all, even if I was never the intended recipient!  Among the crown jewels in my collection are a set of four postcards from October and November, 1900 in which a woman named Ruby travels throughout Europe and sends postcards to her mother, Silas Gurney, back in Maine.

Dear Mama   Nov. 26, 1900

This [sic] a picture of the old Arena here, the town is very old and much to see, the trip here from Milan is lovely, we saw the Alps covered with snow on the other side 

- love Ruby

More of Ruby writing to her mom, my dad writing to me, and rogue apartment buildings sent through the mail, after the jump! 

But first: The Atlas Obscura Post is OPEN FOR BUSINESS at P.O. Box 6087, Minneapolis MN  55406! We look forward to your mail!  

CHERRAPUNJI - Cherrapunji, India

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Located in the East Khasi Hills in the Indian state of Meghalaya, Cherrapunji is known as the wettest place on earth and holds several Guinness World Records associated with rainfall. Monsoon clouds from the Bay of Bengal fly over hundreds of kilometers of open, relatively flat terrain to reach Cherrapunji before facing a steep rise of the Khasi Hills. In order to climb the hills, the clouds dump most of their moisture on the area, burying it in an average of 450 inches of rain each year. Locals in the area have developed ingenious ways of dealing with the extreme rainfall.

Complete Atlas Obscura entry  on Cherrapunji, India 

JOE'S SCARECROW VILLAGE - Cap Le Moine, Canada

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Ronald Reagan. Margaret Thatcher. KISS members. What do they all have in common? They've been turned into scarecrows at Joe's Scarecrow Village, a creepy roadside attraction in Canada. In the 1980s, Joe Delaney tried to plant a garden in Cap le Moine, Cape Breton, but crows pillaged his vegetables time and time again. Joe's neighbors didn't believe he could grow anything in the rocky soil, so they joked that he should grow scarecrows instead. Decades later, Joe has more than 50 scarecrows in his village and is always adding more thanks to local and global donations.

Complete Atlas Obscura entry on Joe's Scarecrow Village 

Continue reading after the jump for a bad place to be a buffalo, a very famous transmitter, and the most unwanted piece of land on the planet! 

It's Tuesday, so that means it's time to collect the best and brightest new additions to the Atlas from the previous week!  As always, don't forget to submit your favorite places for inclusion in next week's round-up!

WADI AL-HITAN - Egypt

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Recently featured in National Geographic, Wadi Al-Hitan is a section of desert in Egypt that is filled with whale fossils. The hundreds of bones found in the area since 1902 provide a rare and valuable snapshot of whales in the final stages of losing their hind limbs and transitioning to a marine existence. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, the Valley of the Whales is so remote that it receives only 1,000 visitors each year. Still, it is an invaluable place for paleontologists who have used the fossils as the strongest proof yet of evolution.

Visit the complete Atlas Obscura entry on Wadi Al-Hitan

MONUMENT TO HUMANITY - Kars, Turkey

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This 100-foot-tall structure of two figures standing erect with arms outstretched as if to seal a deal in handshake sits unfinished as opposition to the monument, which was meant as a peace gesture from Turkey to Armenia, prevailed. Called the "Hand of Friendship," the hand that was meant to complete the monument and join the two figures, each representing one of the aforementioned countries, sits in gravel at the base. Divided for generations by a dispute over genocide in the early 20th century, relations between Turkey and Armenia have always been difficult.

Visit the complete Atlas Obscura entry on Turkey's Monument to Humanity

Continue reading after the jump to find out about traveling purgatory, a real-life monster mash, and an awesome urban farm! 

Science-fiction and Lisa Frank fans take note: one need not travel to far-off kitten-filled realms to enjoy otherworldly beauty in-person! 

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Straddling the northwest corner of Wyoming and the border of Montana lies Yellowstone National Park, which holds over half of the world's geothermal features.  Terraced hot springs, bubbling mud pots, fumaroles, geysers, and something called "ground truths" abound thanks to the region's (relatively) recent past as an active volcano caldera!  Bacteria mats are responsible for producing bright, rainbows-like swaths of color in boiling water seeping from the earth's core, trapping minerals and sediment in a most arresting fashion. 

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Without further ado, please enjoy the following visual feast, courtesy of Yellowstone Park's 100% natural geothermal wonders!

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Tons more eye-candy awesomeness, after the jump!

When you think of Milwaukee, if you think of Milwaukee, Pabst Blue Ribbon or Miller Brewing may spring to mind. German immigrants opened breweries in the 1850s, and the city is still rightfully branded with beer. But today it is much more than that, too.

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Its larger, Southern counterpart, Chicago overshadows Milwaukee. (I am a native Chicagoan and I really like Milwaukee.) Last week I made it up there and spent a lovely day at an urban farm and the city’s art museum. 

More on Brew City's less beer-tastic sights, like its avant-garde art museum, after the jump!

During the height of the Viet Nam conflict the Viet Cong required a base of operations that was discreet and mobile.  Their solution to this problem was the Cu Chi tunnels.  The tunnels, which are located in an outlying district of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), are an intricate warren of passageways designed to convey both men, and the material necessary for waging a guerilla war against the occupying American forces.

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With only very small trap doors providing entrances and exits, the tunnels were dark, cramped and infested with different jungle insects...

More on the Cu Chi Tunnels, plus images of subterranean thoroughfares, after the jump!

At 5:12 am on April 18, 1906, San Francisco incurred an epic earthquake.  The 7.9 magnitude disturbance ran the length of the San Andreas Fault, with movements felt as far away as Oregon, central Nevada, and Los Angeles.  

Back in the bay area, the human and environmental devastation was vast: an estimated 3,000-plus deaths resulted from the quake and its subsequent fires, which raged for days thanks to ruptured underground gas lines. Worse yet, some of the fires were triggered when firefighters unaccustomed to dynamite set-off the explosive while demolishing damaged buildings... obviously (to us) triggering further infernos. 

Due to its massive economic and social impact, the affects of the earthquake and fires remain visible in modern day San Francisco.  Therefore, it is without further ado that I present Atlas Obscura's Guide to the 1906 Earthquake (and Fires)! 

Cistern Circles

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In the aftermath of the quake, city planners looked for solutions to stop the plague of fires. The solution would be called the “Auxiliary Water Supply System” (AWSS), composed of a variety of water-serving systems, including fire boats, seawater pumping stations, and a return to a system of long-term storage cisterns.  

The successful installation of the cisterns was a triumph itself in the scandal- and corruption-filled rebuilding years - marked by the trial of Mayor Eugene Schmitz on 27 counts of graft and bribery...

Read the complete history of San Francisco's Cistern Circles in their full entry in the Atlas. 

Portals of the Past

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The 1906 earthquake rocked San Francisco and the all-consuming fire that followed destroyed an estimated 25,000 buildings, including many of the gilded era mansions of San Francisco's wealthy. This small columned memorial sits on the edge of Lloyd Lake in Golden Gate park as a reminder of all that was lost.

The portals began their life at the front entry to the 1891 mansion of railroad tycoon Alban Towne on California Street on Nob Hill...

More information on Portals of the Past in its full entry at the Atlas. 

Earthquake Fence

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Contemporary visitors to the park can walk the half-mile "Earthquake Trail" from the Bear Valley Visitor Center to the famous Earthquake Fence. While it may seem like a drunkard originally plotted the fence, prior to the quake it had actually been one continuous stretch of pickets. Today, there is a 20-foot gap between two sections, separated in the blink of an eye...

Further details on the Earthquake Fence at its full listing in the Atlas. 

Situated in the North West province of Cameroon, the Bafut Palace has been the heart of political power for the Fon and the greater Bafut kingdom for over 400 years.  With over 50 buildings maintained by the tribe’s artisans, the title of crown jewel is held by the central Achum Shrine, which is constructed entirely out of carved wood and bamboo.  Only the Fon, Abumbi II, and select members of the royal family are permitted entrance to the shrine, while traditional ceremonies and festivals are held in the facing square.

(source: John Koenig, All Rights Reserved)

Some vestiges of German colonialism remain in the Bafut Palace compound, including a peripherally situated mansion that now serves as a guest house and permanent museum home to relics and historical pieces from the Bafut reign. 

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In the early 20th century, a terrible fire set by the Germans during the Bafut wars ripped through the royal compound, consuming the central shrine and surrounding buildings. Though the shrine was rebuilt by 1910, it took until 2007 for the reconstruction and renovation of these structures to be fully realized, thanks to generous preservation assistance by the World Monument Fund. 

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More eye-candy from Bafut, including Fon Abumbi II, after the jump!

Our picks for the best new entries added to Atlas Obscura throughout the last week.  Add your favorite locales from around the globe to be included in next week's "Best of" post! 

 RIO TINTO (RED RIVER) - Spain

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Spain's "red river" runs through the southwestern region of the country. After being mined for five thousand years by everyone from the Phoenicians to the Romans to the Moors, the river appears blood red because of dissolving iron in the water. The high acidity level of the Rio Tinto makes it dangerous for swimmers, but draws scientists in. Extremophile aerobic bacteria living off of sulfide materials in the river's subsurface rocks have led scientists to believe that life could exist in other inhospitable environments found in the solar system. Jupiter's moon Europa, for example, is thought to contain an acidic ocean underneath its surface.

Complete Atlas Obscura entry on Spain's Rio Tinto 

SAN FRANCISCO'S PEREGRINE FALCONS - San Francisco, California, United States 

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Reaching speeds up to 200 mph, the Peregrine Falcon is one of the fastest animals in the world. Celebrated by falconers for hundreds of years, they were once abundant all over the world, but were pushed to the brink of extinction within the last fifty years. Slowly, their populations are starting to rebound - and in some unlikely places. Two breeding pairs in California have used a nesting box installed at the PG&E building in downtown San Francisco to grow the state's population to an estimated 800 today. 

Complete Atlas Obscura entry on the Peregrine Falcons of San Francisco

Continue reading for more on a terrifyingly toxic lake, a theological battleground, and the ballsiest-designed airport, after the jump!

It wouldn't be Monday if I didn't dish out a fresh Link Roundup, right? So the best of this week past are broken down by yours truly into the following categories:

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THE SWEET HEREAFTER

Robot To Explore Mysterious Tunnels in Great Pyramid

Screw It, You’re Dead Anyway

HIDE AND SEEK

Cadaver-Sniffing Device Could Find Jimmy Hoffa

Bushy-Bearded Titi Monkey Discovered

RAGE, RAGE AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

NY Town Enforces Decades-Old Pinball Machine Ban, Closing Retro Arcade Museum

Lost Miniature World

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Please take less than one minute to enjoy the above video of Humbolt penguins at the Philadelphia Zoo chasing a butterfly.  It's really cute and a hilariously strange collision of worlds: these penguins obviously hadn't "grown-up" with butterflies! 

SHOUT-OUTS

World Monument Fund A leading non-profit dedicated to saving some of the most wondrous places on earth. 

BLDG Blog Architectural conjecture, urban speculation, and landscape futures presented by author Geoff Manaugh.