A soft breeze tugs at hair, whispering secrets in people’s ears. Most people just huff up their jacket and hunch over before scurrying and moving on. The smallest handful stop and look around, drinking in the sight of beauty the wind so desperately sought to share. Yesss, the air tickles, there is much wonder yet to see. Come with me. The dreamer traipses on, carried on the wind of fancy; eyes and ears open to see all the wonders mother Earth has to offer.
Many people are sucked into the idea that our earth is boring, or at least only interesting for outdoor fanatics who can find pleasure in any activity regardless of the difficulty and overall uncomfortableness of the situation. However, Earth has much to offer the rest of the world as far as pleasure and fascination go. She is filled with living beauty, stagnant images, and manmade structures, all amazing to behold. Her call is wide and varied, and much more abundant than many might have supposed.
Appeal is strong with the dreamers, who love to imagine fanciful explanations for these seemingly unexplainable places. The call is loud and raucous for the adventurers, who want to go places just to feel that crazy zing and know that they’ve done what most people only imagine. For the practical workers the places tug at the part of their heart that wishes they could just take a deep breath and see some scenery so different they can’t doubt the experience of relief. The storytellers and musicians feel a tug to dance along and court the possibilities which spill from the sights.
The list is nigh endless, because Earth is bursting with secrets she’s willing to share with all those who take a moment to stop and look. The places are practically endless too. Hints and proclamations of wonders are present all around the world in countless different forms and venues.
In Waitomo, New Zealand, Glowworm Caves offer their unique dreamy prize to tourists. This mesmerizing location is populated with a unique creature scientifically known as, Arachnocampa luminosa, or as it is more commonly known; the glowworm. Glowworms lure their prey with spidery webs. Their glow attracts flying insects to route their direction. They then fly obliviously into the cleverly laid trap; a hanging web suspended from the glowworm. The glowworm then pulls the captured bug up to be devoured and sustain its glowing existence. (Merritt & Sakiko, 2008) The cave lights up with their blue glow, captivating tourists to their sight.
Across the Indian ocean, the Stone Forest of Madagascar bares itself proudly, shards of massive rock threatening to spear the sky. The expansive limestone edifice was supposedly a complex of tunnels and caves which were gradually eroded and expanded by water until collapsing in on itself to leave the impressive tsingy behind. (NationalGeographic) This striking location calls to the more daring spirits, whom the wind intoxicates with confidence and a disregard of limitations. Carefully, one can tiptoe among the sharp tops to have an experience like none other.
Still, in a calm Canada, Spotted Lake speckles the landscape with gentle hues of greens, blues, and yellow waters. The sun wafts excess water away with its constant rays of light, leaving behind minerals to color the pools of water. Historians lean forward eagerly to hear the Indian folklore of the lake, believed to have healing properties and considered sacred. Fenced off from disruption, people stop their cars on the side of the highway to dare a glimpse at the serene site, taking a deep breath to still their busy life. (Okanagan Valley Guide)
Dreamers, adventurers, and average people have been touched by these few special places. Each location is distinctive, embracing their individuality, and still speaking a language many people can understand. It is the language of that something special, that the world is diverse and distinct, and ultimately bigger than a mere individual and the trivialities of life, which people seem to subconsciously yearn for even in their most practical of minds.
Whisked away to India, an impressive stepwell walks down into the earth culminating around a rectangle of water. The water is green and murky, but at one time it function as an actual serviceable well. It also acted as a kind of hub for larger gatherings, as well as providing opportunity for a few degrees escape from the unrelenting Indian heat in its stoney depths. Structurally, the sight itself is architecturally phenomenal, creating symmetry on a massive and tantalizing scale. Bricks and paths travel smoothly, rigorously inviting visitors to step along. (AmusingPlanet)
A mystery creeps into awareness for those who find the Crooked Forest in Poland. Theories surround the forest, as thick as the trees themselves, some as crooked for that matter. The speculation is almost half the excitement for the place; a small section of forest with trees bent in a curve before growing straight. (IFL Science) Theorizing minds are riveted by the possibilities, and poetical souls are awed by the sheer majesty of the wizened trees.
Contrasting the enclosed forest, travelers are tugged to find the Lençóis Maranhenses Desert in Brazil. Sand dunes stretch for miles, undisturbed by little but the crooning wind and barefeet. Pools of freshwater sit between the dunes, inviting those who travel the desert to bathe in their blue waters. (Terra Brazil) Warmth tucks around people in the pleasantest of ways; slipping sand between toes, and gliding in smooth water under a constant sun. Music and stories hum across the seemingly endless land, casting attractive mirages flickering for visionary minds.
Earth reminds everyone of her dissimilarity as the breeze wafts into her belly; a series of shadows underground New Mexico, known as Carlsbad Caverns. Contained by rock, the air is damp and chill. Dark permeates all of the caverns, slinking into the corners of observers eyes with unsettling ease. Stalagmites and stalactites, point up and down, a process made of time. Rocks form bulbous stringy shapes, falling over each other, and building underneath. Together, it all demonstrates the patience of mother nature, meticulously forming strange rock formations and collapsing and opening caverns, never knowing whether the otherworldly experience would be found.
Perhaps this is what sets the true wonders apart; the fact that they are crafted even before knowing whether admiration will come their way. They build up slowly over years, decades, even centuries, to create an intricate tableau of breathtaking beauty. Nature and human hands work for the joy of creation, ready to share it with the fewest eyes if they are the only who care to stop and look.
She presents her wonders with a flourish to the imaginative mind. Still, it is a small sample of all that she has to offer. There is still more to explore; abandoned castles, burning pits, and natural ice sculptures, dancing on the horizon, offering a sight just as amazing to behold.
Sunset drops the warmth of day and adventure over the end of sight, beckoning the lulling moon with her glow. She casts a blue light over the earth, transforming everything to appear as something new. What adventure…
It croones over the whole earth, carried in flight with the wind of change, whether in day or night it prances along, cavorting across the stars and clouds. Arms stretch wide with a welcoming song. The sights are calling names to visit their splendor, and take a piece home in their soul. Yes, Earth has much left to offer. Her wonders abound. They are truly amazing works of art, just waiting with baited breath to seen.
Resources:
Merritt, David J., and Sakiko Aotani. "Circadian Regulation Of Bioluminescence In The Prey-Luring Glowworm, Arachnocampa Flava." Journal Of Biological Rhythms 23.4 (2008): 319. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
"Stone Forest." — National Geographic Magazine. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/stone-forest/shea-text/1>.
"Spotted Lake near Osoyoos BC Canada." Okanagan Valley Guide. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. <http://www.okanagan-valley-guide.com/spotted-lake.html>.
"Chand Baori Step Well in Rajasthan, India." Chand Baori Step Well in Rajasthan, India. Web. 17 Oct. 2015. <http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/10/chand-baori-step-well-in-rajasthan-india.html>.
"What Could Have Caused Poland's Crooked Forest?" IFLScience. 1 July 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2015. <http://www.iflscience.com/environment/what-could-have-caused-polands-crooked-forest>.
"Lençois Maranhenses, a Desert of Dunes in Northern Brazil: Tourism with Terra Brazil." Terra Brazil. Web. 24 Oct. 2015. <http://www.terra-brazil.com/north-brazil/lencois-maranhenses.php>.
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