#876 Islas Ballestas, Peru

Just off Pisco (of alcohol fame) and Paracas, just outside of Iwa and Huacachina (#923) are the Islas Ballestas, the guano (bird poop) producing center that helped support Peru's economy at the turn of the century because of their phosphorus (and therefore fertilizer) capacity!

While the candelebra above is actually on the Peruvian coast, it astonished early European sailors and its origins are unknown, but perhaps connected to the nearby Nazca line civilization. An hour's sail off the coast, they have no permanent residents except for the noisy sea lions, fur seals, waddling Humboldt penguins, pelicans, blue footed boobys and other sea birds.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islas_Ballestas

#904 Musandam Peninsula, Oman

Very few people, if they know where Oman is, know about the enclave of Oman at the northern tip of Arabia, jutting into the straits of Hormuz. The most common visitors tend to be from the United Arab Emirates, as it is much closer than the main cities of Oman proper. Forming the land barrier between the Indian Ocean and the Arabian/Persian Gulf, the geology is similar to that of Oman on the other side, and is an ancient rock formation of spectacular arrangement. With barely one sealed road, and many off-road 4WD excursions available, it is a place to go with your own car. 

The main town on the western (and more developed side) is Khasab, but really, it is a one-service station town, with only a handful of hotels and even fewer restaurants. It is the setting off point for cruises into the isolated bays of Musandam, where you can find Telegraph Island, where poor souls were stationed for months on end to man the British telegraph station that was connecting continents here.

Because most of the peninsula is made up of small primitive villages, little has changed in the past millenia. Rock art can be seen in many villages, and the animal life is great -- many egrets and other birds nestle on the sea-side rocks, while dolphins frolic through the bays jumping over the wake of the relatively few boats that visit. Most boats are in the image of the ancient dhows that have plied the water routes across the gulf for centuries - a lovely day out!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musandam_Governorate 

#907 Gobustan, Azerbaijan

About an hour south of Baku, off a rugged, simple highway, on a nondescript hill are a series of fabulous natural phenomenon: mud volcanoes. In an area famous for being the first place of oil, Azerbaijan many minerals and gases close to the earth's surface, and one would think that this one is important enough for the government to regulate and monitor, but it remains un-signposted with no road access, found only by 4WDs who've received vague tips to turn after the stone house, before the big rock, and between the small rise of a nearby settlement.

The mud volcanoes are cold, and spout frequently, with others bubbling away at a regular pace. You can put your hand (or body parts) into the mud, but there's nowhere remotely close enough to wash off!

Further north are a treasure that the Azerbaijan government do value enough to regulate: Petroglyphs. Amazing rock drawings including a series of women in dresses, an unusual boat that has been likened to ancient Mediterranean cultures (suggesting a water passage connecting it and the Caspian sea that no longer exists), many animals and other people and shapes. They are up on a hill among many rocks and boulders and there is a small, poorly maintained museum.

 

 The last stretch when heading back into Baku has to be one of the ugliest oil rig areas in the world, where nodding donkeys, rigs and pools of oil vy for the ugliest item in a panorama of ugly items.