Sights and words from a summer outside of San Marcos
My friends and I visited Bracken Cave, which is on the northern outskirts of San Antonio. It’s home to literally the world’s largest bat colony, > 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. It’s a maternity site, so females congregate there each year to give birth and rear their young. Whenever they exit the cave the “plume” is so large it registers on weather radars! The cave’s floor is at least 78 feet deep in bat guano. Also, when the bats are roosting, the ammonia in the air is so concentrated that a human would suffocate and die if they hung out [pun intended] the cave. The number of bats is impressive, but the sound of millions of wings flapping, and the pungent smell of guano make it a five-sense experience!
I visited La Sal del Rey, or “the King’s Salt” lake, located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge area. It is one of three naturally occurring salt lakes in South Texas. In June 2021, the water level was low, leaving a large, crunchy “beach” front. The progressively receding water line is visible as well as deer tracks and poop.
I snapped this photo of a shopfront mural in Brownsville, TX while I was conducting dissertation interviews in The Valley. It depicts the existence of and expectations for Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Gentrification in real and rapid time!!!
Pearl Cave is the most famous and most visited wild cave in the North-West of Russia.
The length of its crossings is more than 3 thousand meters. In addition, a special subculture of lovers of the underworld has formed here. Plates, road signs and various objects from the surrounding world, folding beds, poles, etc. are brought here, they draw and sculpt figures on the walls, in general – a party and informal place where it is interesting to wander and crawl. At the same time, it is also the most dangerous of the caves – here you can get lost, get injured, and you should not visit it without an experienced escort, but if you enter, then take a walk on foot.
The nut of the unique Coco de Mer palm tree ripens for ten years. The female nut can weigh up to 23 kilograms. Its fleshy jelly-like, with fibers, the pulp is considered a delicacy and a panacea for many diseases. Without a doubt, the fruit of the palm tree, which grows only on two Seychelles islands (mainly in the Valle de Mai in Praslin and Curieuse) and nowhere else in the world, can be called the most erotic plant in the world. The price of a whole Coco de Mer female palm nut can go up to $ 900. The Seychelles Ministry of the Environment strictly controls the collection of Coco de Mer nuts. Each is assigned an individual number, even souvenir samples are sold only with a special license (without it, you will not be released on your way home). The proceeds from the sale of admission tickets to the Valle de Mai and souvenir nuts go towards environmental projects.
With minimal currents, an abundance of fish, colorful corals and an above average chance of seeing large ocean dwellers such as manta rays, turtles and white sharks all make Seychelles a prime diving area.
Where do you think the most fashionable and photographed beach in the world is located? It turns out in the Seychelles. More precisely, on the island of La Digue it is called Anse Source d’Argent.
The title of “the most fashionable and photographed beach on the planet” was awarded to Sours d’Argens thanks to numerous tourist ratings, including from National Geographic. In these parts, you really believe that heaven on earth does exist. The Sours-d-Argente beach is called the hallmark of the Seychelles. Its highlight is pinkish sand and spectacular granite rocks. These stunning arrays turn pink at sunrise and red at sunset.
Curiouse island. See the giant tortoises found in the Seychelles It is one of the two largest land turtle species.
Turtles are long-lived; On average, their lifespan is 100-150 years. Some of them were born in the 19th century! Just imagine!
One of four green sands beaches in the world, Papakōlea Green Sand Beach is near the United States’ most southern point in Hawaii County
Homer Harbor with the Chugach Mountains in the distance
Aialik Glacier @ Kenai Fjords National Park
Denali meeting the clouds @ Denali State Park, Alaska
