Travel Trip Journey : July 2020

Tuesday 28 July 2020

Astola Island, Pasni Pakistan

In the Arabian Sea, approximately 25 km off the coast of Balochistan, a large hidden uninhabited island lies, which is just 7 km long and 2.5 km wide. That is famous as Astola Island (Island of the Seven Hills) with sheer white cliffs surrounded by warm turquoise water. A beautiful slender white beach runs around the periphery of Astola Island. The cliffs shrink inland to make secluded cloves almost like in the Mediterranean.

It is also known as Jezira Haft Talar, which has long been Pakistan’s hidden gem. Astola Island is a mainly untouched site that has all the hallmarks of a tourist getaway. Many thanks to its remote location, the superb beauty has remained unblemished. In 325BC Alexander the Great has sent Arrian people to explore the Arabian Sea and Gulf Sea. However, the Sailors Fleet were frightened at the weird tales about a barren island. The Arrian called it Nosala, and also named it as Carmina, Karmine.

If someone wants to go to Astola Island, then he has to 7 hours of travel from Karachi to Pasni, almost 40 kilometers from Astola Island. Pasni is a seaport in the Arabian Sea, from here, the ultimate destination is 5 hours by boat. Astola the Pakistan largest offshore Island has no facilities only an old lighthouse and a small masjid.

Travelers who visit the secret place of Pakistan, usually camp at the beach and go snorkeling or deep-sea diving and enjoy it chasms and crevices, that is several feet wide. There are several natural caves and coves on the Astola island. The south side slopes off progressively whereas the north face is cliff-like with a sharp vertical drop.

Fisherman catching lobsters, crabs, and oysters between May and September. The best time to visit Astola Island in May and September when a gentle breeze blows throughout the day and the color of the water and pattern of the beach keeps changing with the tide. The water is so clear that one can see the seabed to a depth of about 20 feet. From Mid-June to Mid-August, the moon soon starts, which becomes Island is inaccessible by boat as the sea becomes too rough.

This is mostly a barren island due to the unavailability of freshwater, hence, you will not see too many trees there except a few bushes and scrubs. There is no vegetation on the Island. Nevertheless, plenty of marine life such as corals, dolphins, whales, and diverse fish species. The majestic sandy beaches offering nesting grounds for different bird species such as gulls, godwit, curlews, coursers, plovers, sanderling, endangered green sea turtle and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbracata). Therefore, the saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus astolae) is endemic to the Astola island.

Unfortunately, legal and illegal fishing activities has made big damage to the island’s ecology. The fishermen dump waste and wrecked nets on the coast that gets tangled in the corals and damage them. The sooty gull (Larus hemprichii) once had a main breeding colony on the Astola island, has been getting rid of because of rats introduced from a decade. However, the wild cats left the island to dig out turtle nests and eat the eggs and hatchlings. Furthermore, some ancient ruins of Hindu temple located on the Island known to the Hindus as Satadip.

In 2017, Pakistan declared Astola Island first-ever Marine Protected Area. However, this Asian country is yet to draw up a proper plan on how to handle pollution problems. Therefore, this declaration put some positive aspects, but the ignorance of management raises questions about the protection of the island and the associated biodiversity that is facing multiple issues. In 1982, the Pakistan Government installed a lighthouse on the island for the safety of passing vessels, eventually, it was replaced by a solar-powered in 1987.

The WWF for Nature in Pakistan argued that the development of a management plan for the Astola Island would take time. Pakistan needs to take some time into consideration the socio-economic aspects of local fishers and issues related to livelihood needs. Astola Island needs good practices to be promoted and bad practices should be discouraged. They believe that it is possible to protect the island’s ecology and biodiversity and at the same time promote ecotourism on the island.

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Thursday 23 July 2020

Mount Thor, Canada

Mount Thor is a mountain with an elevation of 5,495 ft located in Auyuittuq National Park, on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. Mt Thor is located 46 kilometers northeast of Pangnirtung. Mount Thor consists of granite and features Earth's greatest vertical drop of 4,101 ft, with the cliff overhanging at an average angle of 15 degrees from vertical. Regardless of its consistency of remoteness, the mountain is a popular rock climbing site. Mt Thor is one of the great unexplored wildernesses, as only very few have conquered it.

Every year, climbers turn their head to this great vertical drop. They do the camping there through designated campsites located throughout the length of Akshayuk Pass. Climbers looking to scale Mt Thor, hence an established campsite just a few kilometers north of its base, complete with windbreaks and emergency shelters.

The mountain was named for Thor, the Norse thunder. Mt Thor is part of the Baffin Mountains which in turn form part of the Arctic Cordillera mountain range. It is also known as the land that never melts. Auyittuq is full of dramatic fjords and majestic peaks like Mount Asgard and Mount Thor.

Mt Thor, west side is the longest vertical drop on Earth, is about 4,101 feet straight down. Therefore, the slope is steeper than vertical, since the face is actually a 105-degree overhang. This mountain is not for a picnic place, it is no serious joke when it comes to climbing attempt. The climbing attempt took place for more than a month. Near the Mt Thor, multiple other activities are available, like paragliding, and parachuting of Thor’s tremendous height. The best time to climb Mt Thor is in August.

First Ascent

In 1965, Lyman Spitzer and Donald Morton made the first ascent of Mt Thor during an expedition led by Pat Baird. However from the Wes side the first ascent made by John Bagley, Earl Redfern, Eric Brand, and Tom Bepler in 1985. The climbing team faced uncontrollably dangers from falling rocks to declining supplies. Although they brought over half a ton of food, gear, and fuel up the cliff with them. The dangerous ascent took them 33 days! In 1998 the first solo ascent to Mount Thor made by Jason Smith.

The Tallest Near-Vertical Drop on Earth

If you’ve conquered the Mount Thor, then you are looking for new challenges. Hence, you have to head to Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan. The Great Trango Tower (20,623) is the world’s tallest near-vertical cliff 300 feet taller. In 1984 the first expedition to scale Trango Towers east faces a cartographic incident when he died on the descent.

The Trango Towers widely considered being the world’s hardest big-wall climb. Every year many expeditions take place from all over the world to visit The Karakoram located north of Baltoro Glacier. All of the routes are highly technical climbs. Overall, the Trango Towers is the combination of altitude, the total height of the routes, and the steepness of the rock is the most challenging rock climbing.

Mt Thor is one of the great unexplored wildernesses, as only very few have conquered it.

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Monday 20 July 2020

Vaadhoo Island Maldives Sea of Stars

You might have been seen the jaw-dropping images of the surreal beach in Vaadhoo Island, in the Maldives. Vaadhoo Island is 140 kilometers north of the country's capital, Malé. The glowing blue waves caused a natural phenomenon which has been called the “Sea of Stars”. It’s absolutely a fantasy-like experience but before you search out of a particular beach in Vaadhoo to see the “Sea of Stars”. Vaadhoo is one of the inhabited islands of Raa Atoll, Maldives. Thus it is better to know more about the stunning little creatures that cause this incredible glowing effect and mesmerizing waters of Vaadhoo.

According to when on earth such occurrence is caused by a natural chemical reaction recognized as bioluminescence, which occurs when a microorganism in the water is disturbed by oxygen. These microorganisms of marine microbes are called phytoplankton and many different species that create bioluminescence seen in diverse parts of the world. One of the most common phytoplankton that causes marine bioluminescence is recognized as dinoflagellates, that float, movement in the surrounding water sends electrical impulses around a proton-filled compartment inside them.

The electrical pulses open the voltage-sensitive proton ion channels into scintillons (the flashing unit inside dinoflagellates). Proteins that flow into the scintillation, while the pH in the cytoplasm changes, creates a series of chemical reactions that activate a protein called luciferase, which is together with luciferin are collective in scintillons and when oxygen unite them, the stunning neon blue light is created.

Although dinoflagellates have this blue glow, it doesn’t mean that they’re friendly at all. Some dinoflagellates create toxins harmful to fish, humans, and other creatures. The blue light is supposed to be some sort of defense for these marine organisms. Also, the predators that eat the glowing dinoflagellates may be a magnet for bigger predators because the phytoplankton can still glow even when inside another creature.

Dinoflagellates aren’t the only ones that produce bioluminescence. Other marine animals like krill, deep-sea squids, and anglerfish also have their own ways and reasons for producing their own lights. The Sea of Stars is one of the incredible sites where you can see this occurrence but it can happen anywhere. Within the Maldives, you can also visit the islands of Mudhdhoo and Rangali for this stunning event. The sea of stars Maldives is believed to glitter and glows in such a manner that it reflects the stars beneath which the waves lap and the light emitted in the sea is almost mesmerizing.

Is there anywhere else in the world quite like it? Californian coast of Leucadia, had bursts of light coming from the rolling waves during red tide. Bioluminescence also occurs on the shores of Lakshadweep Islands, in India, and Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The marine experience can be best seen during moonless nights. Scuba divers can wave their arms or run their fingers on the sand while under the sea to cause a reaction on the glowing planktons.

The total population of Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives is more than 600. Vaadhoo Island, Maldives is also a hotspot for snorkeling and diving, with corals and various forms of marine life to discover. Therefore, whenever you visit the Maldives, then a sea of stars be sure to venture to the shores for a midnight stroll and look upon the glowing sea that will not only be an embossed in your brain forever but will also give you some incredible images for your social media platforms.

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Wednesday 15 July 2020

Just Room Enough Islands – New York, USA

Just imagine in your dream, an island is with just enough room for a home, a beautiful greenish tree, and A pair of bench chairs for the owners to lounge in the absorbing sun. Your dream is perfectly matched with the Just Room Enough Island, located at the Canadian-US border on the St. Lawrence River between Heart Island and Imperial Isle, of Ontario.

A breathtaking private-owned island is with literally just room enough for its owner’s domestic pleasure. This is the smallest inhabited island, which appears to be around 3,300 square feet. In order to be considered an island in the region, the acquired land must be bigger than one square foot. And it must remain above the water level all year-round and must uphold at least one tree.

Therefore, Just Room Enough Island meets such criteria, but really it’s more house than an island. If Just Room Enough were a few inches smaller, then the area couldn’t be called an island officially. It seems that someone actually thought, that testing how much room the tiny island had was an unbelievable idea in hopes to get some peace and quiet.

That’s exactly why, in the 1950s, a Sizeland family bought the vacation lodge and named it Just Room Enough Island. The Sizeland family built a house on the tiny speck of land placing the walls right up to the edges of the island, construct a house that was just big enough to fit and giving the island its idiosyncratic name.

At that time, Sizelands family didn’t expect that this tiny Just Room Enough Island would rapidly become a popular tourist attraction because of its peculiarity. The Island is part of the thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River. However, it is the smallest of the 1,864 islands in the well-known archipelago shared by the cities of Ontario and New York.

Previously The Bishop Rock, just off the Isles of Scilly, which Guinness Book of World Records once named the world's smallest inhabited island. The tiny Just Room Enough now takes that crown. Just Room Enough Island also called Hub Island, counts as a legitimate part of the Thousand Islands because it satisfies these state-given criteria:

1. Above water level year-round

2. Have an area greater than 1 square foot

3. Support at least one living tree

Many tourists travel in search of a serene and quiet place, where there is no traffic noise, no annoying neighbors, and no disturbing noises at night, no hustle and bustle of city life. Hence, Island soon attracted hordes of holidaymakers and tourists who broke their placid solitude. The Just Enough Room Island belongs to Alexandria Bay, a village part of the town of Alexandria, Jefferson County, New York.

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Monday 13 July 2020

Garden of Cosmic Speculation Scotland

A 12 hectare private Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a sculpture garden created by Charles Jencks at his home, Portrack House, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The renowned landscape architect and theorist Jencks’ work, is inspired by the modern cosmology of science and mathematics. He has also designed the distinguishing Landform at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. The Garden of Cosmic Speculation celebrates nature, both intellectually and through the senses, including the sense of humor.

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation has black holes, Comets, Big Bang or twisting DNA helixes, and fractals. Normally gardens are having many trees and plants, but this garden is not abundant with plants. However, it sets mathematical formulae and scientific phenomena in a setting that elegantly combines natural features and artificial symmetry and curves. Indeed it is very exclusive among gardens, drawing comparisons with a similarly abstract garden in Scotland.

As the garden is private but generally opens for only five hours on one day each year through the Gardens program of Scotland. The Charles Jencks raises the money for the Cancer Care Charity center for 1,500 tickets sold each year. In 2014, the literature The Long Way Home uses The Garden of Cosmic Speculation as an important plot device in her tenth Inspector Gamache mystery. The Garden is no longer dialogue with the universe; however, it is a monologue about the universe. The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a representation of an unconventional approach.

According to Wikipedia - In the book of Cameron Jace makes creative use of The Garden of Cosmic Speculation in his fictional novel titled Circus, which is the third installment of his Insanity series. Jace uses many true facts when referring to the 'public' knowledge of the garden, but changed the name of the designer to better fit into the story's plotline. The garden located near Dumfries in south-west Scotland, famous due to its unusual design. The Garden of Cosmic Speculation doesn't boast plant diversity, its symmetry and snail-like curves are surely appealing. In the Garden, there are artificial lakes, staircases, bridges, and terraces that reflect the story of universe creation.

When Jenck’s started the idea of making the garden, the larger issues of the cosmos were considered. However, with the passage of time, he thinks about nature to contemplate and speculate on the origins of the universe. The garden is the most compelling motive idea of the microcosm to celebrate the place in the universe. A water cascade of terrace shows the distortion of space and time caused by a black hole, a “Quark Walk” takes the sightseer on a trip to the smallest building blocks of matter, and a series of landforms and lakes recall fractal geometry.