Earth

 

 

‘Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.’

Ancient Indian Proverb

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silence of nature

 

 

 

 

 

The silence of nature is very real.

It surrounds you, you can feel it,’

Ted Trueblood

The perfect Palette

 

 

 

Colors are the smiles of nature!

Connection

In Nature we never see anything isolated,

 but everything in connection with something else

 which is before it, beside it, under it, and over it.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Beautiful thoughts

FOUR Beautiful THOUGHTS of Life :

Look back & get EXPERIENCE

Look forward & see HOPE

Look around & find REALITY

Look within & find YOUR SELF

 

 

 

Mafra's Baroque royal palace

The words "massive," "monumental," "gigantic," "colossal," and "vast" fail to describe the scale of Mafra's Baroque royal palace. The grandiose monument was built in 1717 to celebrate the birth of a daughter to King João V and includes a convent and a basilica.

The extravagant king wanted the palace and basilica to compete in magnificence and grandeur with Spain's Escorial and St. Peter's in Rome, and at the time it seemed that such a huge project would never be completed. At one point there were 45,000 men working on it, and several artists came from abroad, with 7,000 soldiers overseeing the workforce. They ended up creating 5,200 doorways, 2,500 windows, 880 halls and rooms, 154 staircases, 29 courtyards, and two bell towers boasting the world's largest collection of bells (57 in each) that can be heard for 24km (15 miles) when they're played on Sunday.

In 1720 the French ambassador reported to his king that all the money in Iberia would be insufficient to pay for it, but the gold that flowed in from the rich mines of Brazil made it possible in 1735.

Jambiani - Zanzibar

Jambiani is one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen. This village of palm hut roofs relies entirely on the white sandy beach. The coconut trees generously offer its shadow over the whole village, there are no roads or even dirt, just sand. There is no electricity or running water, television or telephone. Only the lodges or guest houses hold this comfort.

Trade is carried out directly on the beach, where everything can be offered, from fried cakes to Masai crafts, shells coming directly from the reef, pareos and scarves, Henna tattoos, or even dinner booking at any fisherman house.

 

We did not resist one of them, Captain Cook, who prepared us a dinner of lobster, rice and spinach (that looked like seaweed from the beach), we were served at a fine sandy courtyard covered with palm leaves, while the dog played with crabs under our table. It was an amazing evening! :)

The whole village survives from lobster fishing  and fish for their own consumption, and from the seaweed harvesting  greatly appreciated by the Japanese. Given the nature of the reef, which is close to a mile from shore, wave action during tidal leaves thousands of seaweed trapped in ingenious frames driven into the sand. Once harvested, the seaweed are sun-dried and exported to Japan.

 

 Algae culture are caught daily at low tide

Small fish caught by women, who cast the nets at low tide

The coconuts are cut and frayed so braided rope can be made.

Rides in "Dhow boats", local fishing boats for snorkeling near the reef or simply watch the sunset are also a source of income for the entire village.

The preferred transport of the entire population is the bike used only on the beach where the sand is harder and also where are the signs showing directions. Not only do people use the beach as a road. Cows, goats and other animals also roam the beach up and down all day long.

 

 

 

 

 

Diving from a boat in the clear, blue ocean of Zanzibar is one of the most exhilarating experiences to be had on a holiday in this part of East Africa. The visibility is usually very good, the water warm and the marine life diverse and innumerable.