LAND, RIVERS AND LAKES FROM THE SKY

Flying over land presents a different view of the earth we live on. Whereas every day we walk tall on the earth and look in awe at the various majestic mountains in our midst a fly past them shows the top of the hill and their majesty sort of diminishes. The mountains and their majesty can still be appreciated though from such heights. Seen from about 1100 metres above the hills that make up the Kruger National Park one is presented with a beauty of hills and valleys. The picture is able to show that in the greater scheme of life on earth the majestic mountain range is just a small beautiful piece of the jigsaw.

A fly past Lake Malawi further reinforces the beauty of the lake as spelled out in lake of stars-tribute to an emotionless model The coastline of the lake is even further defined. The contrast between the land, lake and the clouds does reinforce the amazing beauty of the lake.

At the same time that a fly past shows the beauty of the land below it also gives a glimpse into to damage/destruction that human are effecting on the land. Take the beauty of the lake and land above however another part of the lake you find that the mouth of a river emptying into a lake is one point where erosion upstream is exhibited. The blue waters are replaced by brown water which are a by-product of the silt that has been eroded upstream.

Major rivers seen from up in the sky do present their own fascinating side. At about 10,000metres above sea level the river below appears as if it is just a junior primary school kid’ s art works. The meanders of the river are so vivid that one would choose to believe that the mighty river that gashes as much as 10,000 cu. m every second! A river captured between Mozambique and South Africa shows this.

In another view a river’s impoundment shows the reservoir that has been created clearly.

Every day walking or driving or cycling on land presents a view of the world. However, looking out of the window (when flying up in the air) does give another dimension of the beauty of our world. If one goes over the various fears associated with flying one would really enjoy the beauty below!

THE COLOURS ARE BACK – SPRING IS HERE!

Spring is an interesting period of the year with the cold of winter just having gone there is a period of unease. The weather can be quite unpredictable. The beginning can wobble between cold and hot but once the heat has taken root then everyone knows spring is bidding farewell. In as much as the YO-YO type of weather is an issue it is what happens with the vegetation that is even more interesting. A number of plants have chosen this period as the best period to show the artistic side of nature. It is not for fun though this is part of the whole plant pollination cycle that enables plants to produce fruits and (in a number of instances)  lead to new plants … sustaining the specie!

The mixture of colours is just breath taking to say the least!

A brown tree truck with green leaves and flowers that have white, violet and purple (all in one!) set against a brown landscape of a residential neighbourhood.

A creeper on a neighbourhood plot displays its bright colours ...

A tree on the road side is drenched in white as if to show that it is too old for the landscape. The golf ball shaped white flowers are responsible for the trees apparent old age!

Another tree on the road side is draped in white. On closer inspection one can see the white flowers that have blossomed from the tree. The white flowers are in very large numbers comparative to the green leaves as such they give a deception that the tree is wholly white!

In the wild a tree looks strangely bleached green from a far. A closer inspection shows the culprits!

Even in the dark the beauty of while flowers on a tree are just stunning. It looks an eerie picture. The darkness fails to hide the effect of the flowers on the tree.

With all these colours on display it is official winter is gone; the colours of nature confirm the demise of winter and the official setting of spring in readiness for summer! Everywhere one looks the eyes are met with the various colours that the artist, that nature is, has kept hidden for a while. In the radiant colours it appears as if a giant lady’s dress has been draped over the land, it is time to go out and enjoy this display of nature!

HAPPINESS IN THE EYES OF A CHILD

In this world there are quite a number of afflictions. Life presents so many challenges that it is easy to forget that smiling has a lot of benefits to the human development. In http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm people are encouraged to laugh as in the end this simple act is very beneficial to human development. Amongst adults it is very seldom that you find adults letting out the laugh however in our young in spite of moments of ‘craziness’ children express themselves with laughter.

Sometimes kids do laugh at ‘awkward’ times to say the least. Imagine a kid running from a bath having stripped off all clothes. He goes all berserk laughing his way around as he is being chased out!

Then there are those times when the young ones seem to find laugh in everything surrounding them. They just laugh and make you wonder what is going on in the little head.

 It is usually understandable when you encounter kids playing and there is laughter all around.

But whatever the circumstances the laugh in the young reminds the general population that laughing is an essential human element. In appreciation to the goodness all around laughing would not be a bad thing at all.

OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE

To onlookers an old woman holding a baby boy appears like an everyday occurrence. But looking closely the picture does say a lot! What is the old woman thinking about? She is looking so keenly at the young boy who is oblivious to all that is happening.  The grey hair and the wrinkled skin do bear witness to the period that the woman has spent on earth. This is a big contrast to the young boy’s skin that is still tender and soft.

The woman looks proudly at the child and loudly says, “I thank God I have lived to see and interact with 3 generations of my direct family”; of course she is holding her great grandson!

BEAUTY OF THE WORLD

The world is a beautiful place; the beauty of the world can be described in various words and various presentations. The hills, plains, valleys and rivers of the world have all come together to create a really beautiful world.Unfortunately the word beauty varies from one individual to another, as it is said beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

The rolling hills of the Nyika Highlands are one testament to the beauty of the world. Having climbed up to as much as 2200m above sea level (going through a rugged road) one is presented with a ‘flat land’ that baffles the mind both in terms of the their sheer beauty and size. The Nyika plateau is one place that is blessed with much more than topographical beauty. It is said that the flora and fauna on the plateau is second to none. With its beauty and abundance animal/bird life the Nyika plateau was declared a world heritage site in 2000 (Nyika National). The highest peak on the Nyika is actually 2605m above sea level; Nganda Peak is perpetually covered in clouds at this height! The plateau covers a total of 3200 sq. Km!

  

From the Nyika plateau to the west there is another presentation of natural beauty, the scattered hills of Nthalire valley. Seen from over 1300m the view from above is just breath taking. The ‘snaking’ earth road adds to the beauty of the area more so when you compare this with the beauty of the Nyika plateau.

Driving on the road at times one encounters nature (presenting a beauty) that one is left speechless. The elephant rock in the Chikangawa forest (part of the Viphya mountain range) is one such rock formation. To a lay person (not a geologist that is) this rock formation is a wonder as one always asks how such a massive rock came into being. Its origins aside the presence of the rock and the shape that it has taken within its environment makes this natural occurrence a beauty to see.

Seen from a good vantage point a road snaking through a mountain presents its own form of beauty. It may be argued that this is not natural, the answer would be yes and no. Yes the road is a man- made feature but all that the road does is emphasise the existing natural beauty of the surrounding area more so if the design of the road is done properly.

When looked at from a mountain top a road meandering through a naturally beautiful place does do the same task. The Gaborone-Lobatse road seen from Kgale Hill does emphasise that fact. The valley below the hill is a beauty but the road makes the beauty stand out.

How about the view of a giant wetland seen from about 1000m above ground? The Okavango delta is a breathtakingly beautiful world heritage site with an abundance of both flora and fauna. It is generally said that to appreciate the delta one has to fly over it then you get to see the sheer size and beauty of the delta. The delta is a source of both life and pleasure. It is the largest delta in the world covering 15,000 sq. Km and large mammals in and around the delta are about 200, 000 (Okavango Delta).

The Victoria falls is a thunderous beauty. With 1088m cu. m per second falling (on average) through 108m the Victoria falls is indeed a thundering beauty. That is about 4000 adults’ daily water supply falling every second through the falls! The sound generated by the falling water can be heard kilometres before one reaches the falls and the vapour can also be observed from a distance.The beauty of the falls and the life it supports has also made this beauty a world heritage site (Victoria falls). 

That being said the beauty of the natural world is all around. It can be seen in the setting sun for example. As the sun sets it gets covered in clouds and right before one’s eyes a natural beauty is presented. This is one beauty that can easily be taken for granted. As seen from the M1 road between Dedza and Ntheu the setting sun does present a beauty worthy taking a moment to appreciate.

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

I love football or soccer as Americans will prefer to call it. Yes, the game where 22 men battle it out to show which group of 11men is the best at not only passing the round leather material but also put it past the opposing goal. The irony of the game is that the followers of the game are far more passionate than the players of the game! Being a footballer supporter is great usually one knows the game better than the player, of course as a supporter you never get the chance to show your skills. The one skill that a supporter has a chance to show is PASSION and lots of PASSION!

Supporters’ passion does bring out a lot of interesting qualities to the fray. Take these Argentine and Malawian supporters for instance in their passion they paint themselves in the colours of their nations, looking at them one would be tempted to see the resemblance!

Passion does also make supporters carry items that one would start asking ‘what was he thinking about?’ Imagine a supporter that has flown in excess of a thousand kilometres to cheer his team, what would be the items you would expect them to have; a passport, a scarf and may be a little flag. But again here supporter will say a drum is a necessary carry on no matter whether they will be charged for excess bagged! Of course when they are at border control one can just imagine the face of the border control officers when the tourist declares his baggage!

    

Passion of supporters tends to bring out the artistic element in supporters. One looks at the various costumes supporters wear and one wonders ‘how long did that take?’

  

   

Then there are some costumes that just leaves you with hands akimbo and mouth agape ....

    

Singing at matches is one principal way in which supporters show their passion. It is a marvel to watch and listen when a group of grown men and women sing in unison. The singing starts before the match and goes one well after the match!

  

   

Then there are those supporters that will want to show their passion by making the match a family affair!

  

Then some supporters are just hard to explain...

  

At the end the beautiful game brings together a whole array of people supporting their teams and filling stadiums in the process enjoying the whole kaleidoscope of activities.