Taking a break from the usual photo-stream, I've decided to participate in an initiative which the travel blog BootsnAll has created. Starting November 1, they launched a project called 30 Days of Indie Travel. They’re inviting bloggers from around the world (including you!) to join us in a daily blogging effort reflecting on our past travel experiences. Each day, they'll post a new prompt on BootsnAll articles. Bloggers can follow the prompts as strictly or loosely as they like, interpreting them in various ways and responding via text, photos or video posted on their own blogs.
Today's theme: Earth
At what point in your travels have you felt most in tune with the Earth? Share a story of how you interacted with the local environment or nature.
Today's theme: Earth
At what point in your travels have you felt most in tune with the Earth? Share a story of how you interacted with the local environment or nature.
Toronto skyline from Centre Island
This question seems fairly easy for me to answer (however it's such a BIG topic, this post will end up quite lonnnnnnng), as I positively feel the most in tune with Earth when in nature itself. Now there's possibly different levels of how in tune you can be.. The further away from human civilization, the great that level gets. I should probably start off by mentioning that I have lived in cities (of all sizes) for the longer part of my life. Just in the past 6.5 years I've been living in Toronto - Canada's largest city, at 3.5 million (close to 7 million with it's suburbs). I can't say I hate it, to be quite frank. The accessibility to culture, food, arts, festivals, you name it.. and there's a decent number of forested areas to hike through, one of the world's largest lakes to sail on, decent bike trails. Those are necessary elements in a city of this size, mind you.. for people like me. People who have an unquenchable thirst for nature.
Now going camping gets me goin. I love it. From simple lot based camping which is never more than a 30 mins drive away, basic but meets minimal needs and desires. Then within a close distance of 300 kms (relatively speaking in Canada, I know you can cross several European countries in that span) you can end up in the heart of Algonquin Park - a park that's 7725 sq/km (almost the size of Jamaica, and Bigger than Trinidad and Tobago!) of wilderness, complete with forests, hundreds of lakes, and rivers - on top of the crazy abundance of animals (ie moose, bears, foxes, woodpeckers, etc etc). It's a nature lovers paradise. This is what I grew up with... it's what I know and can relate to.
Hiking in Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada
Travelling brought me closer to even more types of nature. From my first experience hitchhiking across Canada back when I was 16, seeing the prairies (incredibly surreal how FLAT it really is... endlessly!), to the rugged Rocky Mountains, to the Rain forests of the west coast along the Pacific Ocean. This really got me in tune, but now hungry for more.
I'd have to say my favorite things on earth, that have made me feel most in tune, are places in the mountains, in the jungle, on a tropical island, or by the sea, and each of these places should be teaming with wildlife. Not to say that tundra, deserts, farmland or anything else is less a part of the Earth, but I really just don't connect in the same way.
Almost there - Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal
I've hiked several mountain ranges, and lived in Banff National Park on a couple occasions which gave me endless access to unspoiled wilderness, full of elk, bears, endless forests, glaciers and of course mountains in need of a climb.. however, I would have to say my time hiking in the Himalayas of Nepal brought me the closest to nature out of the lot. There would be long days without seeing any signs of civilization. Hiking up and down foothills, crossing raging rivers on rickety bridges, through forests, to hilltops that surpassed the tree line. Sadly there's not much wildlife to be seen in those parts, outside of the occasional hawk, but the ruggedness and raw beauty were unparalleled. We would fill our bottles with waterrun off from snow-peaked mountains, fill our lungs with the crisp, fresh air, and stop to listen to the sounds of nothingness. The reward was supposed to be making it to Base Camp, but as with all journeys: "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end" ~ Ursula K. LeGuin.
Life in the Ngorogoro, Tanzania
I often fall into a natural meditative state any time I'm in one of these locations. From Ngorogoro, the incredible lush volcanic creator of the Serengeti in Tanzania, which is erupting with wildlife of all kinds, to the greenest rain forests and jungles, Wildlife is always a big part of feeling connected for me.
Deep in the jungle, Indonesia
The lushest jungles I've been to were probably the ones in Sumatra, Indonesia. I had just been visiting an Orangutan rehabilitation centre, and then went on a 2 day hike into the jungle to see them in the wild. On the trek we saw long tailed howler monkeys, massive monitor lizards, tortoises, and to our fantastic luck a family of 3 Orangutan (an adult with two adopted young ones). Honestly, that moment was zen, and it was so liberating feeling that deep into the natural world, being surrounded by life on every square inch of every surface that could sustain it! This to me is living.. this is life in all it's glory.
Sea Lions in the Galapagos
Now when it comes to the hybrid of wildlife, oceans and islands, I feel it's a very hard toss up between which I would consider the closest I felt to nature, and the Earth. The toss up is between the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, and the many archipelago which lay on the edge of Antarctica. Both are overflowing with their own unique wildlife. One tropical, one polar (though they both have penguins - maybe that's the appeal?). The animals that inhabit these areas have not been tainted by human colonization. Of course there was hunting which happened when first discovered, though both are now protected areas. The animals own the land, and as a visitor to either, you are strictly instructed not to disturb their daily routines (ie don't feed, don't
"Chillin" w/ Penguins, Antarctica
touch... don't eat them). If the animals care to come inspect you, that's a different story.. I've had penguins playing with some ski tags on my snow pants, and hopping around me like children to a circus clown, but even with that proximity, you must always remember, we are visitors to their land. These places are perhaps windows to what most of the world looked like before we colonized almost every inhabitable space. You will never hear silence like you do in these places, you will never smell air so fresh, see animals so natural, or feel so in tune with the Earth as you will in these special spots.
These are my happy places, where I can truly connect with nature.
These are where I truly feel at one with Mother Earth.. she's a damn sexy MILF.
These are my happy places, where I can truly connect with nature.
These are where I truly feel at one with Mother Earth.. she's a damn sexy MILF.
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