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Vancouver diary page 6

I have been here for five weeks now and could see a few places depending on the limited time  my nephew Ramu and his wife Ashu, busy medical practitioners could spare. The Nature has showered Her bounty unreservedly on this land and first taste  of it, I had when I stood awe-struck before the Niagara falls several years before. I raised my head and hands towards the sky to thank the Supreme Power for giving me eyes and an opportunity to view the wonder of His creation:
” Shanthaya, roudraya, sowmyaya, goraya, kanthimatham kanthi roopaya thae namha:”
Whatever little I saw here during the present sojourn too is mind blogging . The zeal of the authorities as well as the  people in preserving the God’s gift,  is amazing. The skill in money-making out of the natural resources is worth studying.
Vancouver is the largest city in Western Canada, one of the most beautiful cities, ranked as ‘ the world’s most desirable place to live’ in a survey of 140 cities by the Economist magazine’s intelligence unit. Located at the South western corner of the province of British Columbia, it is situated between the North Shore and coastal mountains and the edge of the pacific ocean.
Wherever you turn, the mountain ranges, some snow-capped ,  greet you. Drive a few miles, you will land at the shore of a lake or at the foot of a water fall. There are 1 million lakes in Canada, claims a plaque on the long corridor of the  ‘Canada Place’, the main cruise ship terminal for the region, from where most of Vancouver’s famous cruises to Alaska originate. From here, You get a mesmerizing view of the city nestled between mountain ranges, while you can watch the Pacific ocean right under your eyes. The sea-jets fly and land on water, the jet boats speed up while raising its head high proudly, the city watches from behind. ‘Are they, husband and wife or father and daughter?’, I wondered looking at the mountain standing like a sentinel to take care of the Pacific Ocean flowing below .
The  450 feet long Capilano suspension bridge, hangs between two hills. A Plaque displayed on one of the tree-top platforms explains that the canyon flowing 230 feet below was shaped by the sheer force of water ,which manged to erode the solid granite wall creating such a big gap, due to the long term process for  the past 100 million years, consequent to the avalanche of natural forces such as  volcanoes, waterfalls, air, thunder, lightning  etc.Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into.This forms a canyon. There is a demonstration piece of rocks eroded by water- dripping, for the 15,25 and 50 years . A small canal has  formed on the 50 year-block. No wonder that the assault by massive water force for millions of years, could break the solid granite mountain, create a wide crevice of about 500 feet wide and shape a canyon several hundred feet below!
Apart from the hanging bridge there are several smaller and narrower bridges for cliff walk and treetops adventures. It was exciting to cross the rocking, hanging bridge and tread the tree-to-tree narrow passages enjoying the nature’s abundance all around. I was excited to know that squirrels leap branch to branch, in the sky-high tress and land safely on the land!
Here is a video show of the Capilano air-walks.
Had been to ‘Hell’s Gate’-yesterday . ‘Not surprised’, this is what you say. But I tell you, it was an awesome sight!
 ‘ Hell’s Gate’ is the mountain range where the mighty  Fraser River, is forced to restrict  her free flow by sheer physical strength of the mountains – 200 million gallons of water (double the volume of Niagara) per minute has to pass  through the narrowest point of the river just 110 feet or 33 metre wide passage. So, the river thunders!
 “We had to travel where no human being should venture for surely we have encountered the gates of hell”. – said Simon Fraser, 1808, after whom the river is named. We could  witness firsthand what these words really meant to that early explorer.
Driving  the Scenic Fraser Canyon with its 7 mountain tunnels into the historic heart of British Columbia,  we visited the scene of biggest ‘rush’ on the Gold Rush Trail, where white men who entered in search of gold were beheaded by the natives. The aerial trams gave a birds’ eye view of this historic landmark and the fury of the river in restricting her freedom.
The Fraser River too in a few million years, might be able to erode the rocks, break her shackles and flow free.
The video will tells you my ‘hell experience’!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5tw-utNBdI‎
From the deck, I watch the thick forest, across the road, with a narrow path which I tread in the evening hours.. It is the abode of a bear, I am told. That could be the reason why the small little birds have built their nests on the top branches of the towering trees and not on the small bushes which are in plenty around.
In which form am I to worship the Nature? In her most fearsome form with thousand faces and thousand limbs, ‘aneka baahoodara vaktranetram’, creating ferocious volcanoes, furious lightning and thunder, vulnerable  wind and rain, which work for millions of years and smash great mountain walls to carve a timid stream or in her admirably lovely form of an amazing angel , who play with toy-like  squirrels that leap from branches of sky-high trees and land safely on the ground and nil-weight birds  who build safe homes for their little ones on  the terrace of such huge trees?
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