1000 Amazing Places: lakes

Showing posts with label lakes. Show all posts

Monday, March 24, 2014

#697 Taal Volcano, Philippines

www.flickr.com by Jet Alvarado

In the Philippines, volcanoes are really nothing new, no big deal. Whether it's the infamous and destructive Pinatubo eruption in the early 90s, the picture perfect cone of Mt. Mayon towering over the city of Legazpi at the southern end of Luzon Island, the Mt. Makiling that every Manila student has climbed at one time or another, or the cutely named Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin province. Wikipedia lists 25 active volcanoes and 339 inactive ones. Like Indonesia, New Zealand, the Aleutian Islands, Guatemala and Ecuador -- it epitomizes the Pacific's Ring of Fire. Despite this commonality, Taal volcano is one of the most unique I've ever seen in the world, because it is the relic of a massive volcanic explosion (the mountain could have been 18,000 feet high) of one of the biggest volcanoes in the world. This formed a caldera lake (Lake Taal, aka Lake Bonbon in historical texts, 3m above sea level, 172m deep, 15-30km wide, formed between 500,000 and 100,000 years ago) with little Volcano Island in the middle (5km long, 23 square kilometers), with a little lake in the middle of that, and another little volcano in the middle of that. And the lakes are on different levels and breathe, incredibly. The recent explosions originate from Volcano Island, but are simply the surface level of the massive activity happening below.

www.taalvolcano.org - Volcano Island with Mt. Macolod in the background as viewed from Tagatay Ridge

Unfortunately, my own photos are printed and stacked under our family home, and they mostly consist of the views from the ridge town on the caldera cliffs, Tagaytay so probably not all that impressive anyway, but I have tried to collect some of the most awe-inspiring ones I could find -- what a spectacular place.

www.geog.ucsb.edu

During the recorded history since 1572, more than 33 eruptions have been recorded and 6 major eruptions have claimed several fatalities from pyroclastic flows and tsunamis in the lake (1572, 1591, 1605-1611, 1707, 1709, 1715-16, 1729, 1749, 1754 was a 200 day eruption, 1790, 1808, 1874 killed all the livestock on the island, 1878, 1904, 1965, etc, etc). One of the most famous was in 1911, which killed 1334 people. It has been dormant since 1977, despite increases in activity in 1991, 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2011 showing hot pools, earthquakes, mud flows/geysirs and a raised lake level. The lake is home to species such as the freshwater sardine (the only one in the world) and the Taal Lake Seasnake as well as endemic blue green algae, diatom, ostracod, sponge, reptile and fish.

taaltours.blogspot.com

From Wikipedia: "The crater lake on Volcano island is the largest lake on an island in a lake on an island in the world."
Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetjpg/5841397111/

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5026/

http://www.taalvolcano.org/

http://www.taalvolcano.net/

http://www.tagaytay.com/taalvolcano.htm

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/taal.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_volcanoes_in_the_Philippines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inactive_volcanoes_in_the_Philippines

Saturday, November 16, 2013

#752 Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Where in the world do people still live on reed islands? Perhaps you've heard of Lake Titicaca in Peru, but much of that is for tourists now. In Myanmar, the large Inle Lake remains a truly island civilization, without the tourists to support it, although many tourists do visit now.

The Lake is not deep (averaging between 7 and 12 feet depending on the season), so many of the floating islands are connected to the lake floor. In some areas poles able to push the small boats along, but in the middle of the lake the fishermen still use long paddles which they push with their feet curled around them standing up, so to be better able to see the fish, kyun myaw (floating islands), and beda (water hyacinth) and use the large cone-shaped nets to harvest carp (nga-hpein). Many towns are scattered along the shores, if you could really say that it has a clear shoreline, but the 17 village islands on stilts in the middle are vital for cultivation, trade and living.

The weekly market rotates through the various villages and is like something from the Middle Ages that emerges from the cool mists to reveal bullocks for sale along with roots, rice, vegetables, grains and of course the ubiquitous souvenirs. The 70,000 mostly Intha people of the area (although Shan, Pa-O/Taungthu, Taung-yo, Danu, Kayah, Danaw, and Bamar people are also present) continue to live as they have for centuries, following Buddhist traditions like visiting the 100 or so kyaung and 1000 stupas dotted around the area, with strongly Shan-influenced architecture and hardworking fishermen and agricultural lifestyles. The floating islands, with their marsh, hyacinth, soil masses, are incredibly fertile and kept stable by being staked to the bottom with bamboo poles. Other production includes silk weaving for garments, silver and lacquerware, and weaving of Shan-style shoulder bags.

Mystical, magical, otherworldly, and simple, it is an incredible place to visit! From the main township of Nyaungshwe at the northern end, to the typically Shan villages in the south, each little village offers something unique from a Jumping Cat Monastery (#945) at Nga Hpe Chaung, to a paper making factory, the Floating Market at Ywama, Lotus Weavers at Kyauk Taung, and hot springs at Kaung Daing. The Indein stupa and monastery to the south-west is also superb.

Around 22km long and 11km wide, it's altitude at 875m above sea level gives it an excellent climate. It has 20 species of snails and 9 species of fish unique in the world, but is suffering from environmental threats from increasing agriculture and tourism.

Source: Lonely Planet Myanmar 9th Edition 2005
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inle_Lake

Friday, November 8, 2013

#755 Bariloche, Argentina

On the edge of the Andes on a beautiful tree-ringed lake, with superb bays and inlets, and spectacular snow capped peaks peering down on the town, is the capital of Argentina's Lake District: San Carlos de Bariloche.

A popular destination for groups of Argentinian teenagers in summer celebrating their end of year, and the most famous ski destination in the region in winter, it is an outdoorsy place, whether for fishing, hiking, climbing or generally enjoying the scenery. The town itself is dotted along the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi, with the elite Llao Llao resort at one end and the airport at the other. 2000m high peaks flank the town's back slopes with a beautiful funicular/gondola ride up Cerro Cathedral to more rolling hills and trails and spectacular views over the lake.

The main square has a Swiss-Patagonian vibe that is enhanced by the amazing chocolate for sale on every corner. The Civic Center buildings of local stone were built in 1940 and are now a national monument. The town was only founded as recently as 1902 (1250 inhabitants by 1909)and made accessible with the arrival of the Ferrocarril Roca train in 1934.

The name of the town comes from Mapudungen for 'people behind the mountain' and it has grown to be an important Argentinian center although it previously had closer ties to Chile than Buenos Aires.

Source: Lonely Planet Argentina 8th Edition 2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Carlos_de_Bariloche

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

#807 Summer Palace, Beijing, China

When you walk through the grounds of Beijing's Summer Palace, (Yíhé Yuán, literally "Gardens of Nurtured Harmony") the size is mind-boggling, for this is not just a little cluster of buildings but a huge area with a lake, a mountain, and buildings sufficient for several small towns (it is 2.9 square kilometers). It was the playground of royals where they came to escape Beijing's sweaty heat. Always a garden (established by Chin emperor Wányán Liàng in the 1100s) they were expanded by Emperor Qianlong around 1750 and after damage in the Anglo-French invasion, the Boxer Rebellion and the second Opium War, again by Empress Dowager Cixi (cheekily spending money earmarked for the navy, so one of the constructions is a rather large useless marble boat!).

Whether it is wandering the tree-lined paths, climbing in a small paddleboat, crossing the magnificent bridges, watching someone write poetry on the ground in water, or a stroll under the arched wooden pathways, it is a magical place.