awe and wonder Archives - Page 2 of 22

Egypt – The port of Safaga and into the mountains

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Opher

We slipped in to dock in Safaga in the early morning. The sun was just breaking through and the town was almost deserted.

One of the things we were to come used to in Egypt was the presence of checkpoints and machine-gun posts.

We drove straight out of the town and off into the dusty mountains.

The only life we could see was the odd dog scavenging in the rubbish.

As the sun came up to bathe the mountains in an orange glow.

There was something really beautiful about the barrenness of the desert mountains devoid of vegetation.

I love the way the shadows created pleats, folds and ruffles!

Stephen Hawking – Lucy Hawking talking about her father.

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Opher

Stephen Hawking had a degenerative disease –amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that wears away at nerve and muscle function over time. It affects the muscles but not the brain. While in his early twenties he was given just months to live. Most people would have curled up and died.

Here is what his daughter, Lucy Hawking had to say about him:

‘My father never gave up, he never shied away from the fight. At the age of seventy-five, completely paralysed and able to move only a few facial muscles, he still got up every day, put on a suit and went to work. He had stuff to do and was not going to let a few trivialities get in his way.’

What an inspiration that man was!

He is rightfully buried in St Paul’s Cathedral between Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Not bad!

Stephen Hawking – Inspiring Quotes

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Opher

Stephen Hawking is probably the most intelligent man on the planet in the last hundred years – an incredible human being who defied his medical condition and overcame adversity.

I have just read the inspiring book of his (his last) – Brief Answers to the Big Question’. It was very uplifting and enthralling. It made me very sad to think that we have lost such a great mind.

This is what he had to say about the future:

‘We stand at the threshold of important discoveries in all areas of science. Without doubt, our world will change enormously in the next fifty years. We will find out what happened at the Big Bang. We will come to understand how life began on Earth. We may even discover whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. While the chances of communicating with an intelligent extra-terrestrial species may be slim, the importance of such a discovery means we must not give up trying. We will continue to explore our cosmic habitat, sending robots and humans into space. We cannot continue to look inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet. Through scientific endeavour and technological innovation, we must look outwards to the wider universe, while also striving to fix the problems on Earth. And I am optimistic that we will ultimately create viable habitats for the human race on other planets. We will transcend the Earth and learn to exist in space.

This is not the end of the story, but just the beginning of what I hope will be billions of years of life flourishing in the cosmos.’

Jordan – Through the mountains and across the desert. – Photos

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Opher

Dawn had hardly broken as we set off up into the mountains.

Past little villages set in the dust.

In among the rocky crags devoid of vegetation.

There was something beautiful about the barren, rocky mountains.

Every now and again there was a mosque. It seemed hard to imagine that people could scratch a living out of these dusty, hot places.

We passed herds of goats roaming over the land, scratting for whatever they could find to eat.

We emerged onto a flatter plain that was desert brushland – sand and clumps of resilient plants.

There were Bedouin camps with their herds of goats – nomadic people who have lived here for centuries.

The Bedouin herds spread out over what looked to be a very inhospitable land.

St Michael’s Caves – Gibraltar – photos

Posted on August 11, 2020August 11, 2020 by Opher

We went up high on the rock with great views over the bay and towards Spain and across the straits to Africa. Then we went into the caves.

Gibraltar is a mass of caves. They have been hollowed out by water dissolving the limestone rock.

St Michael’s caves are a big complex. The main one is a big cavern in which they hold concerts. A fabulous setting.

The concert setting.

The caves are a mass of stalagmites and stalactites all lit up in bright colours (as seems the current trend to attract tourists). It is quite a spectacle.

The beautiful Yorkshire Wolds in summer – Photos

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Opher

This is my usual walk. Since lockdown I have been doing a 10K walk every day. This often involves me walking up this hill on to the Yorkshire Wolds. There is a great view.

It is great to see the changing colours due to the seasons and weather.

I used to see some amazing creatures too – stoats, hares, foxes, kites, kestrels and owls – but since the mowing catastrophe they have disappeared.

Nature is so restorative and refreshing.

These pictures were from yesterday’s walk.

Penang – Malaysia – In and around the Buddhist Temple complex of Kek Lok Si

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Opher

As we moved up through the temple complex there was much to see and enjoy of Buddhist art, decoration, sculpture, imagery and architecture.

I just love the colours.

Penang – Malaysia – The Buddhist Kek Lok Si Temple complex

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Opher

Not having had our fill of temples (having gone around the Thai and Burmese temples) we headed for the enormous temple Buddhist complex of Kek Lok Si. It looked so dominant, sitting up there on the hill.

It was quite a climb.

There were so many temples and pagodas spread over a large area that it would have taken many days to explore them all.

At the very top was a huge statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, but I’ll come to that later.

I just adore Buddhist architecture, decoration and colour.

As temples go, this is a modern one – only about a hundred years old – but very impressive.

Even if I don’t like religion I can still marvel at the aesthetics.

All religions bought in the best craftsmen and artists in an attempt to outdo each other and show they were the best.

The main pagoda is interesting. It is in three distinct styles. The bottom section is Chines. The middle section is Thai. The top section is Burmese.

Penang, Malaysia – More images from the Burmese Temple

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Opher

Some of the scenes in the temple were serene and beautiful, others seemed comical. Everywhere you looked there were things of interest. The artists had excelled themselves. The colours were amazing.