A world of wonders

by Siripathy Jayamaha

I have found some most exciting, awesome and inspiring works of nature in my wanderings on this wondrous planet. America's Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Soviet Union's Baikal Lake, Africa's Victoria Falls and Asia's Mount Everest.

The world's largest gorge the grand canyon in Northern Arizona USA is nature's Nobel Prize winning work of architecture. One can stare at it from any place. One may begin to wonder whether we are in some other planet. Nearly 500 kms long with its width varying from about 7 kms to 35 kms the Grand Canyon is indeed grand. It comprises cliffs, pinnacles and chasms that change colour from hour to hour that no human artist would be able to reproduce. A moving magnificence of domes and valleys no mortal could create. It is one gathering of rainbows hanging in veils of mist, tier after tier of corrugated arrow like spires lighted in gold blue and magenta.

The early inhabitants of N. America, the pipe smiling Red Indians may have sat before their wigwams and smiled. A detour from the city that never sleep - Las Vegas will make one forget the flight of dollars at the gaming tables in Casinos.

Up North, America's Yellowstone National Park, encompassing about 5,500 Sq. kilometres in three large states it had been born of volcanic fire and later moulded by the ice age glaciers. It has an abundance of attractions. Soaring mountains, thunderous waterfalls, at times dropping into gorges as deep as 300 metres, makes the Park a paradise on earth. It has around 10,000 hot water springs and thermal pools – all bubbling and steaming like our own ones at Kinniya and on the way from Embilipitiya to Nona Gama junction. Some pulsating geyzers hurl their plumes at clockwork regularity high into the air.

The park teems with grizzlies, moose, bison, birds, countless smaller animals and the very rare trumpeter swan. Yellowstone Park, a must for any naturalist and a fairyland to these who visit it.

A waterfall is nature's way of making waterways and rivers to plunge at tremendous force into gorges hundred of metres below. They make humans forget their worries. Our own Laxapana, St. Clairs, Ravanaella, Dunhinda, Diyaluma and Bambarakanda and Venezuela's Angel and Niagara in America are beauties to behold. But Victoria Falls is the most spellbinding waterfall in the world. The river Zambezi widens and falls as the mighty Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The natives called it the ‘Smoke that Thunders’ because of the massive spray and sound. The falls fills the air for many a kilometre. It was the great end gentle explorer David Livingstone who made Africa his second home and who named the falls “Victoria’ in honour of his Queen, Britain's Queen Victoria. Victoria Falls is twice as high as Niagara and more than a kilometre wide.

The mighty Zambezi meanders through the South Eastern part of Africa and after its 2,600 kms journey pour itself on to one cliff and then on to another. Hence the sound of thunder and smoke-like spray. It falls into a gorge. Man can only gaze at this most extravagant spectacle with its brilliant array of rainbows from far away. One wishes that time would stand still, watching this ethereal performance of nature wondrous of gifts water.

The sight of ‘beauty’ cause our spirits to soar. Our spirits soar when we see the Holy Mountain - Sri Pada silhouetted against the Eastern sky. It's indeed a lovely experience climbing a mountain, be it our own Pidurutalagala or the lovely mountains in America's Yosemite Park. Nature has caused land masses to rise into different heights. Mount Everest in the Himalayan range of mountains is the highest mountain in the world. It pierces the sky between India and Nepal and rises into an oxygen depleted height of about 9,000 metres or 29,003 feet above sea level. Thousands gather at the foot of Everest braving at times, sub zero temperatures and, look up towards the snow clad mountain. The sun plays with her by giving her an array of lovely colours and shadows during sunset and sunrise. Few dare to journey up to the summit. Man began his mission to reach the summit of Everest in the nineteen twenties.

It was a challenge. In an atmosphere where oxygen was a prerequisite amidst treacherous snowquakes and ravines, man strived to conquer Everest.

Many sacrificed their lives in their attempts to reach the top. In 1953 Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand and Terzing Norkay of Nepal reached the summit. A giant step forward for Man. The world rejoiced.

It was on the eve of the coronation of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The newly crowned queen decorated the first humans to conquer Everest, the birthplace of sacred rivers Ganga and Jammuna.

The Baikal lake of the Soviet Union is in the Siberian part of the Union. Its existence is known only to the countrymen, the State and students of Geography and Fisheries. It is the deepest lake in the world. Baikal Lake is encompassed by mountains that reach up to nearly 1,800 metres with an abundance of exotic wild life. It could be stated that Baikal with a depth reaching up to 1,700 metres, is one of the largest totally pure freshwater lakes in the world.

There are more than 1,000 species of flora and fauna in and around the lake. Of these, the most fascinating was a fish called ‘golomyanka’ which gives birth to its young instead of laying eggs as is natural among fishes. These fish are transparent. A newspaper could be read through it.

Then there are thousands of seals. All conditioned to live in a freshwater environment. The only explanation for a marine species to thrive in the lake 2,000 kms from the sea water is that prehistoric Baikal may have been connected to the Arctic Ocean.

Only a very few nationals and foreigners may have had the privilege of seeing this nature's most beautiful assets. Japan's Aomori prefedure is famous for Apples - Aomori is in Northern Japan and there is another similar lake - Lake Mosu - A lake, so very transparent and still where one could see the bottom, right down as far as the eye could see.

Yes! These are but a few of nature's beauties. To view their splendour one has to travel by sea, air or by road.