Salt flats: There is a place in southwestern Bolivia, in South America, where it seems as though you are walking on clouds. Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt lake flat and measures 10,582 square kilometres (4,100 square miles). Covered with shallow water, the ground seems to meet the sky as if there is no horizon, especially when clouds are reflected on the water. These flats are a rich source of salt and lithium and they are also a breeding ground for pink flamingos. Salar de Uyuni is located high in the Andes at an elevation of 3,656 metres (11,995 feet) above sea level.

Baby’s coming! At most weddings, the bride gets to be the queen of the show. For Amanda Vasey, however, her best friend (also named Amanda) got top honours when she needed to leave the wedding to have her baby. The groom, Steven, also had to take a hit when his best man and the baby’s father, also took off to the hospital in Darlington, in county Durham in England, to be by his wife’s side. The bride and groom didn’t mind, though. They think it is wonderful that their friends’ new baby girl shares her birthday with their wedding anniversary.

River runs red: Most rivers are grayish blue, or perhaps a muddy brown, but there is a river called Caño Cristales near La Macarena in south central Colombia, South America, that is red. Actually, it is only red for a few weeks from September to November, which is between the wet and dry seasons. The reason for the redness is the blossoming of a river bed plant called Macarenia clavigera, which is ruby red when it blooms. At that time of year, other colours make a rainbow of the river, including yellow and green sand and blue water.

Long locks: Asha Mandela of New York (US) likes to keep her hair very long and she says she’s never going to cut it. She made that decision over two decades ago when she moved to New York from Trinidad and Tobago. Her hair, in dreadlock style, is almost 20 feet long and is an extra 25 pounds of hair to carry around! To keep her locks clean, Mandela has to spend one whole day every week washing them and she uses six bottles of shampoo to complete the task. After that, it takes two days for her dreadlocks to dry.