Eclectic Perambulations in the Noosphere
Photographer : Hector Fabian Garrido
"The photo above showing a sensational display of lenticular clouds was snapped near La Rioja, Argentina, at the base of the Andes Mountains, on September 9, 2011. I was doing seismic testing just after sunrise and was taken aback by the gold and tawny wave clouds that appeared across much of the sky. These lenticulars took shape to the lee (east) of the Andes, just west of my location -- the Sun was behind the camera. Lenticular clouds are generally orographic in origin, forming in lee waves when air is forced to rise over elevated terrain. On this early spring morning, the smooth structure of the waves, the illumination by the low Sun, and the absence of other types of clouds, gave the sky a surreal look."
"Besides being one of the most remote locations in all of Venezuela, Sarisarinama is one of the most bizarre landscapes in the world. High in the clouds on a tepui, or tabletop mountain, are four giant sinkholes, each a near-perfect circle, cutting through the foliage-covered mountain.
The largest of the sinkholes is 1150 feet wide and 1000 feet deep. Although the other three well-known holes are not quite as large, they are equally impressive, and drop off in the midst of the primeval forest on top of the tepui. Adding to the mystery of the place is the the local legend that gave the tepui its name. According to natives to the area, a flesh-eating evil spirit lived on the mountain, who made the sound Sari Sari when he was consuming human meat."
"This Mother Grain of the Incas has been grown in the Andes of South America for centuries. Quinoa is a small seed about the size of millet. It is very high in protein and is closer to the United Nation's FAO ideal balance for amino acids than any other common cereal grain. Quinoa is high in essential amino acids: lysine, methionine, and cystine, which are particularly important for vegetarian diets and in correcting deficiencies in legume diets. Quinoa is high in calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin E and some of the B vitamins. Colorado-grown Quinoa has a rich, delicate, nutty taste and can be substituted for nearly any grain in almost any recipe."
by Victor Miguel Ponce
"The ancient necropolis of Otuzco stills stands majestic, bearing testimony to the past grandeur of the people of Cajamarca, a valley nested in the highlands of northern Peru. The date of its construction is uncertain; some ceramic pieces have been dated to 1400 B.C. It was a vast necropolis, carved out of the surrounding rocky hill, painstakingly and with amazing precision, to house the remains of the dead of Cajamarca."
"The Andes are some of the tallest, starkest mountains in the world. Yet the Incas, and the civilizations before them, coaxed harvests from the Andes’ sharp slopes and intermittent waterways. They developed resilient breeds of crops such as potatoes, quinoa and corn. They built cisterns and irrigation canals that snaked and angled down and around the mountains. And they cut terraces into the hillsides, progressively steeper, from the valleys up the slopes. At the Incan civilization’s height in the 1400s, the system of terraces covered about a million hectares throughout Peru and fed the vast empire.
The ghost of the Incas’ farming achievements still shadows the Andes. The remnants of ancient terraces appear as lines of green on the mountains. Former irrigation canals carve hollows into the land. Today, in a corner of the Andes, people are breathing new life into ancient practices. Inspired by recent archaeological research, they are rebuilding terraces and irrigation systems and reclaiming traditional crops and methods of planting. They do this in part because Incan agricultural techniques are more productive and more efficient in terms of water use. But these modern farmers also believe the Incan ways can offer simple solutions to help protect communities’ food supply in the face of climate change."
"Shared by Argentina and Chile the deepest lake in South America is famous for its trout and salmon fishing. The waters of General Carrera Lake are beautiful, a glittering combination of emerald, turquoise, aquamarine and azure. The sky may be blue but the waters seem bluer still.
However along its banks, directly below the Andes, sheer marble cliffs present themselves to further astound the visitor. Over the millennia they have been weathered and folded to create a stunning cathedral of marble, Cavernas de Marmol."
Welcome to French Guiana, the newest flag to visit The Daily Croissant !
