Thrill-seekers and world wonders

National Geographic celebrates the 100 most fascinating people, places and things in the book "Nat Geo Amazing!" Take a look at some of the breathtaking images of daredevils, natural and man-made wonders and more.

Most of us seek balance in our lives, but few of us have turned it into an art form. Eskil Ronningsbakken is the exception.“Other people might see this as stupid, but to me it’s about being free and able to do what I want in my life.”

It's every armchair traveler's fantasy: a changing landscape without having to leave the comforts of one's home. Architect David Fisher has designed a 200-apartment building in Dubai where each of the 80 floors rotates individually, taking in the views of the city in a one-hour orbit.

“War and Peace” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to the 1,500-year-old martial art of Shaolin kung fu. But what seems like a mass of contradictions to a Western mind is perfectly sensible to the monks who practice the discipline.

To capture surfers riding the barrel, fellow surfer and photographer Scott Aichner dons a pair of snorkeling fins and then waits – treading water, holding his camera and hoping for the perfect shot. Being in the right place at the right time can mean staying in the ocean for up to three hours at a time.

Forget those special glasses with the red and blue lenses - all German artist Edgar Mueller needs to create a 3-D image is a slab of cement and some chalk. Mueller works with as many as five assistants and for as long as five days to complete his images.

This looks like one hairy situation. A beekeeper in Vincennes, Indiana, circa 1920, let a swarm of the insects cover his face to demonstrate the peaceful nature of honeybees. Honeybees rarely sting when they are away from their hive.

Greg Carpenter was 10 years old when he set his first car on fire. So perhaps it was inevitable that he would grow up to become Dr. Danger, stuntman and thrill seeker. “I do the flaming car thing real, real good,” says Carpenter.

This somber funeral procession was caught by photographer Monica Szczupider when she was volunteering at Cameroon’s Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center, which saves chimps orphaned by the bush meat trade.

Freezing temperatures, insane heights, the threat of death ... what’s not to love? Ice-climbing junkie Tim Wagner dangles from Utahs’s Upper Bridal Veil Falls.

Engineer Tim Samaras is a tornado chaser. He spends months each year searching for the perfect tornado, a meteorological phenomenon still only partially understood by scientists.

Inspired by the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," the Swiss company Rinspeed designed the sQuba, a $1.5 million vehicle that holds the record for being the first fully submersible car. The car-boat can be driven to a depth of 33 feet.

Images and text excerpt from "Nat Geo Amazing!" Copyright (c) 2010.