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.

The Lake of Stars – A tribute to an emotionless model

At least a third of my country is water of course the farmers in my country will always say at least a third of the country is underwater, land lost! Lake Malawi is a fresh water lake that has had a lot written about it.  It is my main model as I take a journey of exploring the beauty that nature presents on a silver platter. In general the lake is known for its stunning blue that is displayed in a scene captured at Nkhota- Kota pottery.

It is alleged that Dr David Livingstone (the Scottish missionary) gave the lake the name ‘Lake of Stars’ when he was amazed to see this beautiful inland see (as others have called it). I imagine that for Livingstone to give the lake this name he may have had a picture similar to this scene of the lake at night as seen from Nkhata bay in the north.

This is just speculation because he may have seen the lake with the morning sun coming up at this time the lake glitters with the lake transformed by the red colours. Seen here in Nkhotakota this may have been something that may have captivated the good doctor.

The possibilities of what he saw are so numerous a morning in Mangochi at the southern tip is just as spectacular. With women of the village attending to household chores, kids playing and fathers attending to the fish with the sun shining on the lake. The glitter may have made the name lake of stars stick in the mind of the doctor. In one of many part of this daily lake ritual is captured.

The lake in the southern part is regarded the best as far as scenery goes the lake bed is shallower and the water is clearer. Viewed from the top the lake is simply stunning. Nkhuzi bay is captured in this image as seen from the top of Nkhuzi Hill in Mangochi.