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.
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