Beauty is Everywhere

This blog kills me, because I absolutely enjoy seeing new places and things. Get ready for 1000 words…..

If I had the ability to travel without any inhibition for three months, I would go completely nuts with joy. I love seeing new places and things, and strive to see things that others only dream of. The kinds of places I would go wouldn’t be five star resorts with incredible accommodations. I would be the guy exploring mysterious jungles, majestic mountains, and isolated islands, living off the land, and meeting the indigenous peoples. Resorts are nice, but I wouldn’t learn anything. Plus, there are plenty of resorts right in America. How boring!

The first place I would go would be the wonderfully isolated island of American Samoa. It is several miles off of the coast of Samoa proper. It is a small island, but it is almost unscathed by mankind. There are only a couple of small villages on the island, and no true cities. The vast majority of the island is a large, uncharted jungle. The native peoples of the island have made the island a reservation, so it may not be modified at all, unless the natives say it is ok. That is why I want to go to American Samoa. It is a very beautiful place, and it is still virgin of all of the terrible things that are destroying the world. There aren’t even any airports on the island. You need to take a boat from Samoa proper. The isolation is absolutely astounding. It is such an exotic place. It is definitely top on my list of places to go. There aren’t any resorts on the island. One must stay at a local inn, or with a family of natives.

The next place I would want to see is the stunning beauty of the Himalaya Mountains. I would love to see those vast snowy slopes of Nepal and Tibet, and revel in their pure white bliss. I would love to explore those regions of untouched white powder, and seek out the fascinating peoples that live there. I would enjoy learning all about Buddhism. I would hunt for the mysterious Sherpa, and learn about a culture that very few have seen. Maybe I would even discover something that I could share with the whole world. Finally, I would attempt to mount the most formidable slope in the world: Mount Everest. Perhaps I would even achieve that glorious feat

After the Himalayas, I would love to see the slot canyons of southeast Australia. They are mysterious places that have been long unnoticed by man, but now that they have been uncovered, adventurous sorts love to venture into the unknown, which is why I would love to explore them myself. They are such mysterious and unexplored places, and I would thoroughly enjoy being one of the people who learns all about the mysterious depths of the jungle-covered slot canyons of the Blue Mountains.

I would want to then visit the Maghreb in northern Africa. I would visit the intriguing Guilb ar Richat in Mauritania, and see the Eye of Africa. I would see the amazing west coast of Africa, where a long sandy plain leads down to the caressing waves of the Atlantic. I would visit the labyrinthine Aures Mountains in northeast Algeria, and enter the isolated refuges found in their steep valleys. I would observe the vast sandy ocean known as the Sahara Desert. Once more, I wouldn’t desire five star accommodations. I’d rather sit in with locals and learn all about the culture.

It now would’ve been about one and a half months, and my travel time is dwindling. I would want to see even more wonderful things before my clock times out. I would want to see the exotic place close to home: Hawaii. I would first visit the awe-inspiring lava falls, and admire the fiery colours of the volcanic landscape. Then I would venture into the rainforest, looking to wash the sulfur off in one of the many crystal clear springs that populate the jungles of Hawaii. After my soothing dip, I would explore the jungle, looking for the things that truly show natures beauty. I would delight at the myriad creatures, and observe the diverse plant life. I would let the perfumes swirl around me, and drink them all in, and let the beauty of nature fill my senses.

After Hawaii, I would visit the amazing crystal caverns of Mexico, where there are crystals bigger than school buses. I would observe the wonderful light show as my flashlight dances from one crystal to the next, creating a wonderful show, with the Earth’s beauty on display for all to see. I would go to the ruins of the Mesoamerican cultures. I would look in awe at the enormous pyramids erected by the Maya and Aztec. I would go to the rainforest-covered ruins of the Tlaxcala and Toltec temples. Then I would leave for the cloud forests of Panama.

I would not spend long in the cloud forests. I would spend about a week or so exploring the steep slopes, and otherworldly landscapes of the mile-high jungle. I would observe the rare plants and animals, and reflect on how adaptive nature is, and how nature always changes to make something even better, and more beautiful. After my reflections and exploration, I would visit the vast land of beauty known as South America.

There, I would first visit the Amazon, and observe more of nature’s wondrous diversity. I would seek out the indigenous peoples, and hopefully learn all about their ancient civilisation. After my jungle adventures, I would see the isolated Andes Mountains, and reflect on the amazing societies that used to exist in the Andes, before the Spanish mu- conquistadors destroyed them. I would reflect on how advanced they were for their time, and on the amazing feats the achieved. After that, I would go to New Zealand.

New Zealand has such a diverse climate. There are mountains, forests, jungles, and fjords. There are swamps, plains, and rolling hills. There are so many different biomes in such a small place, it is definitely a place worth visiting. I would glorify in how amazing it is that so many different things can coexist on a tiny island smaller than Japan, and reflect on how it again shows how incredible nature is.

The final place I would go would be a place close to home: the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where the government has prevented America’s natural beauty from being skewed by mankind. I would observe the diversity of Yosemite Valley, and the beauty of the wilderness. I would visit here last, not just because it’s close to home, but also because it is a testament to the fact that, even though nature is dwindling everywhere, and beauty is failing, beauty can exist even in a country that is losing all moral values. Such a fact is relieving, and it reminds that there is still beauty everywhere, even in the most unexpected places.