The
climate of Tasmania is dominated by the currents of the Antarctic
Ocean. Rough wind blows persistently humid air mass against the coast
forming the torn shreds of clouds moving land inwards. These cold
currents give the inshore waters of Tasmania its abundance of fish, the
benefits of which are bestowed upon the penguins breeding along the
coast. |
On
each day and everywhere all over the world there are magnificent
sunsets. However the sunsets in the Australian outback seem to be a bit
more red and a bit more fiery than anywhere else on the world. One
reason for this are the wide spread bush fires during the burning
season in late summer. The smoke and the sooty particles split the
beams of the sun and leave the sky burning brilliantly fiery red. |
The
Himalaya, the highest mountain system on earth. Seen from the distance
Mt. Everest with its 8.848m (left background) doesn´t seem to be very
spectacular behind the summit of 8.516m high Lhotse. More impressive is
the distinctive silhouette of the Ama Dablam (right), even if its
altitude of 6.856m is far below the elevation of an eight-thousander
peak. |
Rain
rarely falls on the dunes of the Namib. The sun and cloudless sky push
day temperatures up to 50°C. Even that tiny amount of rain,
together with the humidity of the morning fog created by the Benguela
current in front of the Namibian coast drifting inland, is sufficient
for the survivalists of the desert. Acacia trees and grasses form the
nutrition base for insects, birds and mammals like the majestic Oryx
antelope. |
It
is considered as one of the most beautiful roads in the world: The
Great Ocean Road. Starting in Torquay and ending in Allansford the road
winds for 250km mostly along the southern coast of the state Victoria.
One of the most stunning views along the coastline is the rock
formation of the Twelve Apostles in the Port Campbell National Park. |
Evening
setting in El Calafate, lying on the shoreline of Lago Argentino and
gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park. A chilly breeze from the
east blows the last clouds of the day over the horizon before the sun
sets in the west and the stars take over the lordship of the firmament. |
Threateningly
clouds move above the Kuiseb pass towards the west, bringing the scent
of rain. Thunder growls in the distance and a cool breeze heralds the
salvation of the land by the approaching precipitation. Even if
rainfall is rare in Namibia, more powerful are the short thunder storms
which move over the tongues of the Namib. |
Approximately
3.500km in length is the Savannah Way, a route mainly consisting of
dusty gravel roads, connecting the port of Broome, lying at the Indian
Ocean, with Cairns, a major tourist destination on the Pacific Ocean.
The steppe landscape is affected by the sheer gapless arrangement of
ghost gum trees and termite mounds, only intermingled by the fences of
the cattle farms. |
Cotopaxi,
meaning "Throne of the moon" is the name for the sacred mountain of the
Incas. With its altitude of 5.897m it is the second highest mountain in
Ecuador and one of the highest active volcanoes of the Andes. Last
erupting in 1904, he has since been sleeping again; however, smaller
earth quakes and smoke expulsions indicate he is not in a deep sleep. |
The
sun rises slowly in the east of the Erongo province on the edge of the
Namib, tingeing the westerly sky with pastels of the morning. Dew lies
on the grasses, dispensing much needed humidity to flora and fauna.
Soon the matutinal coolness has to give way the remorseless heat of the
day drinking all water of the night. |
In
the heart of Australia, and far from civilization, lies the "Red
Centre". Few places on earth allow witnessing the never ending vastness
and solitude like that of the Australian outback. Endless sceneries
dominated by the red soil stretch to the horizon, interspersed by
eucalyptus trees and spinifex grass. |
Ice
masses of the Perito Moreno glacier migrate from the slopes of the
Andes into the largest lake of Argentina, Lago Argentino. Sediments
collected by the glacier on its journey give the water its milky
turquoise color. Together with the glacial ice and the Patagonian sky
it forms a symphony in blue. |
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