When I was young, probably around the age of eight, I became interested in the world around us. That includes the universe, but unlike my recent post, this will be concerning our home, the Earth. Since the time I was young, I have seen dozens and dozens of unbelievable natural landmarks and engineering/architectural masterpieces. It is astonishing to see some of these works of art, whether it be created by the Earth's natural process itself or mankind.
Problem is, I do not think I will be around long enough to see everything that I wish to see. Right now, during my adolescence, I am much more able to make the trip than I will be when I retire. I am willing to save my money and wait, however, I just feel as if I will not be able to accomplish nearly as much as I want to. It is very common to hear people claim that they want to travel, but I feel as if they want to travel for different reasons. Personally, I have an appreciation for this Earth that many people just do not understand. I value the science behind such landmarks, whether the science be by human procedure or nature's "dumb luck." I do not want to visit places around the world because they "look cool," I want to witness landmarks that are only here on this Earth because of the luck of the draw and I want to view human creations that took immense creativity, thought, effort, money, will, and energy to build. I realize all that goes into these creations. I become overwhelmed by all of this, to be honest.
Here, I will be discussing a few of the places I want to visit throughout my life.
Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
From the moment I saw this landmark, I knew that I wanted visit it. It is not the fact that it is a religious statue, but it is the symbol behind it (and yeah, I guess the view is pretty cool too). The open arms overlooking Rio de Janeiro welcomes the public and asks for each and every person to join together in solidarity. Granted, the city is polluted with crime, but I still believe that is the intent of the statue. The height, the view, and the position of the statue are indescribable. The statue itself is huge, but its placement on top of a mountain-like hill cannot be matched. The view opposite of the statue consists of more magnificent mountains, water, and greenery. The view and symbolism of this man-made landmark could not be any more perfect.
Machu Picchu (Peru)
This is a picture that many of us have seen, but not thought much about. Machu Picchu is a more recent discovery of ancient history, and I find it wonderful. The ancient civilization of the Incas inhabited this estate (it is believed to be an estate for a king), and I find it extremely fascinating that this was built on top of a mountain, isolated from modern and, in-general, other societies. That is just a cool concept in itself. For this landmark, it is not so much the view that impresses me, but the history here. An ancient civilization actually lived on this mountain. People once walked here, lived here, ran businesses here; Thinking about the differences between our way of life today and their way of life back hundreds of years ago is astounding. I love the possibilities. I want to visit this ancient town so that I may walk the paths that many others once walked, many years ago. I imagine cultures, such as the Incas, and wonder what it would be like to live in one of Earth's extinct civilizations. I admire their achievements and I respect the impact they left on this planet.
Angel Falls (Venezuela)
If anybody tries to tell me that this is not an amazing natural landmark, they are lying without a doubt. Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world. In fact, it is so tall that the water begins to evaporate before it even reaches the ground.
I have a bit of disclaimer though, Angel Falls is not my number one natural wonder that I wish to visit. The number of places I want to visit are innumerable, but I felt as if Angel Falls is more of a stretch. This waterfall is located in the heart of the Venezuelan jungle, which leads me to believe it is a bit more unsafe than the previous landmarks. However, I imagine the look on the explorers face when he first discovered the waterfall (I did not put the name because the explorer who first found it is debated upon). Imagine going on an adventure to uncharted lands, winding your way through a jungle filled with wildlife in every single possible direction, searching and searching for something, anything. Imagine taking a step out from the trees, and looking up at an unbelievable and uncharted work of nature. I imagine the explorer would have dropped all of his belongings and just gazed. Gazed up at the 3200+ feet of water falling towards the Earth from this immensely tall plateau-like structure. What I also find interesting is how the mountain encases the water as it falls. This picture may not show that well, but the mountain is actually curved around the water a bit. From a few different angles this can be viewed. I may not get to see this waterfall during my lifetime, but I would not give up the chance to. I doubt I could trudge my way through the jungle to visit it, but maybe I could. But hey, there's a thing called helicopters. I could try one.
OK, so back to business. Why did I title this "Too Little Time?" Well, I feel a little pressured that I will never fulfill my dream of visiting as many places on Earth as I possibly can. Yeah, yeah, I realize that it is a bit far-fetched to think that I will see so many various places, but think about it: Our world is so small that I could wake up one morning, have an itch to visit somewhere, buy a ticket, and go. It has become that simple. I could be anywhere in the world by the next morning. In my opinion, I think that's a pretty cool concept. It is almost as if the world is teasing me with how advanced our technology is, yet I cannot visit any place I dream of because of constraints like school, my eventual jobs, family, etc. I wish I could drop everything and explore what this planet truly is: beauty, wonder, culture, and adventure. I want to admire everything the world has to offer, but I feel as if my time on this planet is slowly ticking away. They say that as soon as you are born you being to die, and my slowly winding down clock is looking me straight in the eye taunting me, but there is nothing I can do about it. Let's just hope it doesn't stop me.
I am excited to see what my future holds for me. I just hope it's what I wish for.
Angel Falls (Venezuela)
If anybody tries to tell me that this is not an amazing natural landmark, they are lying without a doubt. Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world. In fact, it is so tall that the water begins to evaporate before it even reaches the ground.
I have a bit of disclaimer though, Angel Falls is not my number one natural wonder that I wish to visit. The number of places I want to visit are innumerable, but I felt as if Angel Falls is more of a stretch. This waterfall is located in the heart of the Venezuelan jungle, which leads me to believe it is a bit more unsafe than the previous landmarks. However, I imagine the look on the explorers face when he first discovered the waterfall (I did not put the name because the explorer who first found it is debated upon). Imagine going on an adventure to uncharted lands, winding your way through a jungle filled with wildlife in every single possible direction, searching and searching for something, anything. Imagine taking a step out from the trees, and looking up at an unbelievable and uncharted work of nature. I imagine the explorer would have dropped all of his belongings and just gazed. Gazed up at the 3200+ feet of water falling towards the Earth from this immensely tall plateau-like structure. What I also find interesting is how the mountain encases the water as it falls. This picture may not show that well, but the mountain is actually curved around the water a bit. From a few different angles this can be viewed. I may not get to see this waterfall during my lifetime, but I would not give up the chance to. I doubt I could trudge my way through the jungle to visit it, but maybe I could. But hey, there's a thing called helicopters. I could try one.
OK, so back to business. Why did I title this "Too Little Time?" Well, I feel a little pressured that I will never fulfill my dream of visiting as many places on Earth as I possibly can. Yeah, yeah, I realize that it is a bit far-fetched to think that I will see so many various places, but think about it: Our world is so small that I could wake up one morning, have an itch to visit somewhere, buy a ticket, and go. It has become that simple. I could be anywhere in the world by the next morning. In my opinion, I think that's a pretty cool concept. It is almost as if the world is teasing me with how advanced our technology is, yet I cannot visit any place I dream of because of constraints like school, my eventual jobs, family, etc. I wish I could drop everything and explore what this planet truly is: beauty, wonder, culture, and adventure. I want to admire everything the world has to offer, but I feel as if my time on this planet is slowly ticking away. They say that as soon as you are born you being to die, and my slowly winding down clock is looking me straight in the eye taunting me, but there is nothing I can do about it. Let's just hope it doesn't stop me.
I am excited to see what my future holds for me. I just hope it's what I wish for.
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