Showing posts with label 1990. Show all posts

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The most beautiful lake in the world

I have been lucky to have been at some of the most beautiful places in the world (and I guess I was even luckier as it didn't cost me anything to be there in the first place).

Obviously, I had enjoyed the most spectacular road in the world that is the Great Ocean Road. You can read about my travel here. This is my favourite journey by road that I have undertaken when I was a student back then in the mid-80s. Another favourite of journey of mine would be the around the Rockies in Canada.

Yahoo Travel recently highlighted the most beautiful lakes in the world recently, and I have included that entry in my blog here. In the article, rated at No 2 is Peyto Lake at the Banff National Park in Alberta Canada. Unfortunately when I was travelling during my jet-setting days, there was no Yahoo Travel as my reference point. Heck, there was no internet either, so I did not visit Lake Peyto even though I was only about 60 km away from this picturesque lake.

If Great Ocean Road was No 3 in the list, Lake Peyto is at No 2. But really, I would rate Lake Louise as my No 1 lake.

Lake Louise with Chateau Lake Louise in the background. This is one
view I did not get to see as I was at the Chateau end. We were at the
opposite end of this picture. I got this pic from the net.

Back then I would consider Lake Louise, which Lake Peyto's more famous lake as the most beautiful lake in the world, and I will show you why I thought so highly of this lake right in the midst of the spectacular Rockies.

When I was informed by a software company (which turned out to be a future employer of mine - 5 years later) that they would be holding an international simulation conference in Banff, I knew it was my calling. I had been using their tool as part of my work in an oil company and were considered as focal point engineer in that area, and the department manager, without batting an eye-lid, approved of my travel there (even when there was no budget for this conference), and suddenly I found myself at this picturesque lake.

This is the view of Lake Louise from the Chateau end. A view to die for. I got this
picture from the internet, so I could not photoshop myself into this picture.

These are the two pictures of what I would rate as the most famous lake and it is at the Banff National Park, say about 2 hours drive from Calgary or about 130 km West. It is taken from Chateau Lake Louise and is the view is from the opposite view point of the earlier picture.

Lake Louise holds many memories for me. If I was a bachelor when I took the tour at the most spectacular road in the world, by the time I got to visit the most beautiful lake in the world, I was already married. So we got to enjoy the view together as a couple, I guess, even if by then we had been married for three years.

That was 1990, September to be exact, and being a mountain person, I thought the Rockies are majestic, unlike other mountains that I have seen in Malaysia and Australia. The Rockies, to my mind, are the only real mountains.

There we were at Lake Louise in September 1990. Unfortunately the sun
is just behind us, and coupled with the deteriorating chemicals that formed the
colours in the pic, the picture we took that day was not as great
as the picture above.

The Banff National Park in Alberta is a must if you love mountains, turquoise-blue lakes, crystal clear river and glacier. You will find lakes in between mountains or river snaking through the valleys. There are just way too many of these around here and you will be spoiled for choice. And they are all spectacular. I have also traveled the length and breadth of Colorado which is also famous for its Rockies, but I think I love the Rockies at the Banff National Park a lot better.

Lake Louise is right in the middle of this picture. It looks so tiny amidst the
monster that is the Rockies. Just imagine yourself being dwarfed by
the mountains when you are at Lake Louise.

Honestly, if you were to drive from Calgary to Banff as you enter the vicinity of the Rockies, you would be stopping at every few kilometres. Just like what we did at the Great Ocean Road and we did it again in Banff.

We stopped here, there and everywhere, while on the way to Banff from Calgary for picture. This is
one of the many lakes one would find along the way at Banff National Park.
Peter was my driver that day. Then he was the host, and later on in life we would be partner.
Business partner that is.

Obviously the journey around the National Park was to me then a journey of a lifetime. All my life I had been dreaming about the Rockies, but unfortunately MARA decided to instead send me away to the most flat country in the world - that's Australia. Luckily I was shrewd, and managed to escape to a city not too far away from the Kosciusko and the Snowy Mountains, from the intended city of Perth.

Still, it was nothing like what Banff and the Rockies have to offer, I must admit.

So Lake Louise is just midway point if we were to head to Lake Peyto. But honestly, I have no regret. In my mind I still think Lake Louise is the most beautiful lake in the world.

Another lake, this time around with a cement plant and the Rockies

as the background. As I was a former cement plant engineer, it was

hard to resist not to take this picture.

I do wish we had digital camera then. This is another great view
with rives the foreground and the Rockies in the background. Alas
for the deteriorating colour.

We did not get to stay at the Chateau Lake Louise that week as the conference
was held at the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. The Resort instead
face this spectacular mountain protruding out from the land beneath.

We got to meet the Banff National Park's most famous
resident - the Elk. They were roaming freely at the Park.

Fortunately we were there late September. The weather was just excellent. It was chilly, but not downright cold. A sweater would do you just fine, so we did not have to carry winter clothing. The sun was shining too and it helped us enjoy outdoor once the conference was over.

Actually I have written an entry about this journey twenty years that was supposed to be written for the NST. If I find it again, I will publish it here in this blog.

Anyway, I would recommend Banff National Park to anyone looking for getaway. Forget your usua London, New York and Paris as a destination. Head to the Rockies.

To be honest, I would not mind retiring here, if only the weather in winter time is not as harsh. In fact if I have my way, I would.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

World's Most Beautiful Lakes

PROLOGUE

How do our lakes compare to these lakes. In continuation with the greatest and most spectacular road on Earth, this Yahoo article considers the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Bera, Cenderoh, Kenyir and Cini - may be we have not been promoting them enough? May be we do not have the spectacular mountains to be the backdrop of these lakes!

On the other hand, I have been in the area where Peyto Lake is in 1990, but did not realize it is more spectacular than Lake Louise. I thought that Banff and Lake Louise are the most beautiful place on Earth. Blame it on the non-existence of Internet then.

Where are you planning your next holiday?

World's Most Beautiful Lakes

These 10 lakes go to all the right extremes

By Beth Colliins

Plitvice Lake, Croatia

José Fuste Raga/Corbis

Plitvice Lake

Croatia

These 16 blue-green lakes, hidden by thick vegetation and connected by hundreds of waterfalls, could be the set for the next Jurassic Park. For adventure as well as killer views, start at one of the lower lakes and work your way up following the sturdy wooden planks that turn what could be a treacherous trek into a fun hike. Take a detour along the 10-minute loop that leads to the region's tallest fall, 230-foot-high Veliki Slap ("Big Waterfall"), a breadth of streaming white water that collects in turquoise pools. While hiking, keep your eyes peeled for deer, wildcats, boars, wolves, and bears—a more likely sighting than a T. rex.

Nearby: There are four hotels in Plitvice Lakes National Park, but most people drive in for the day fromZagreb, about two hours by car.

Peyto Lake, Canada

Courtesy Travel Alberta

Peyto Lake

Canada

Alberta's Lake Louise is the famous one, on all the postcards and posters. But Louise's sister lake 29 miles north along Icefields Parkway, a two-laner that winds 142 miles through the Canadian Rockies, is even more picturesque. Thanks to glacial rock flour that flows in when the ice and snow melt every summer, the waters of Banff National Park's Peyto Lake are a brilliant turquoise more often associated with warm-weather paradises like Antigua and Bora-Bora. For the most dramatic views of the 1.7-mile-long stunner, encircled with dense forest and craggy mountain peaks, pull into the lot at Bow Summit, the parkway's highest point, and follow the steep hike to the overlook.

Nearby: The town of Banff, the heart of the park, is 62 miles south of Peyto Lake.

Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

Frans Lemmens/Corbis

Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Nearly a mile up in the highlands of Guatemala, Atitlán (Lago de Atitlán) rests at the foot of three massive conical volcanoes. Small Mayan villages line its shores, which are set off by steep hills draped with oak and pine trees and nearly 800 plant species. There's no single, must-see view of the lake, so try several vantage points: from up high on Highway 1; from the town of Panajachel, the buzzing market hub that juts out into the water; or aboard a lancha, one of the many small boats that ferry visitors from village to village. We're saddened to note that the lake has built up high levels of blue-green algae over the years. Last October and November, a film of green scum briefly marred its surface. But an ambitious effort to solve the problem is underway.

Nearby: Panajachel is about 2.5 hours by car from Guatemala City.

Loch Lomand, Scotland

Bob the courier/Flickr

Loch Lomond

Scotland

With a backdrop of windswept rolling hills and medieval castles, Loch Lomond feels like it's straight out of a Victorian romance novel. The 24-mile-long lake is dotted with islands, some so small that they disappear when the water levels are high, and others large enough to be (sparsely) inhabited. Most ferries stop at the largest island, Inchmurrin (population 10), so visitors can get a look at the remains of a 7th-century monastery and the 14th century Lennox Castle, used often as a hunting lodge for kings.

Nearby: The lake is 24 miles north of Glasgow and 66 west of Edinburgh.

Lake Garda, Italy

Sandro Vannini/Corbis

Lake Garda

Italy

If the shape of Italy is a couture boot, think of the imprint of Lake Garda as a design from the funky sister line—long and skinny at the top, opening up toward the bottom. Garda is the country's largest lake and one of the most popular vacation spots among Italians. The southern shore is home to hot springs, resort towns with pastel villas and terra-cotta-roofed hotels, and most of Garda's 28 miles of serene, pebbly beaches. To the north are the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, a magnet for hikers and bicyclists who want to test their endurance. In Malcesine, an adorable speck of a town with cobblestoned streets and a medieval castle, you can board a cable car up to Mount Baldo for one of the best aerial views of the lake.

Nearby: Lake Garda is about halfway between Milan (89 miles away) and Venice (109 miles away), but to get the full, relaxing effect, stay in one of the south shore's many small towns.

Lake Annecy, France

A. Gerard/courtesy Annecy Tourisme

Lake Annecy

France

This alpine lake in the heart of the French Alps is a looker, but don't expect to spend your visit gazing over the water in quiet reflection. Lake Annecy is all about activity—particularly in August, when Paris shuts down and the French take extended holidays. Sailors, kayakers, and water-skiers crisscross the water; bikers and hikers hit surrounding nature trails; and refugees from the city fill the outdoor tables at the lakeside restaurants and bars. Repeat visitors know to plan their trip for the first Saturday of August, when a staggering, nearly two-hour-long fireworks display illuminates the water.

Nearby: The closest major city is Geneva, 30 miles north, in Switzerland, but most people stay right on the lake.

Crater Lake, Ore.

Galen Rowell/Corbis

Crater Lake

United States

Thousands of years ago, the top of a 12,000-foot-high volcano in the Cascade Range exploded. The massive pit left behind became known as Crater Lake, the centerpiece of a national park in southern Oregon that displays nature at its rawest and most powerful. Forests of towering evergreens and 2,000-foot-high cliffs surround the lake, where extraordinarily deep waters—at 1,943 feet, it's the deepest lake in the United States—yield an intense sapphire-blue hue. If winter hiking and cross-country skiing aren't your thing, wait until early July to visit, when the roads have been plowed and the trails cleared. Rim Drive, a 33-mile road that encircles the lake, has picture-perfect views from all sides. For a closer look, follow the mile-long Cleetwood Cove Trail to the shore. Brace yourself before diving in: The water temperature rarely rises above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nearby: The laid-back mountain town of Bend, 112 miles away, makes a nice home base for a Crater Lake day trip.

Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Martin Harvey/Corbis

Lake Nakuru

Kenya

The water is blue enough, and the backdrop—grasslands and rocky hillsides—has the makings of a nice photo, but neither is what sets this lake in central Kenya apart. The real draw here is the mass of pink on Nakuru's edges. Flamingos are one of the few species that can withstand the lake's hostile conditions—the water has so much sodium carbonate that it burns nearly everything that touches it —and they flock to the lake en masse. There can be as many as a million birds feeding on algae in the shallows at one time, wading side by side.

Nearby: The lake is in the heart of Lake Nakuru National Park, a sanctuary for black-and-white rhinos, three hours by car from Nairobi.

Lake Matheson, New Zealand

Declan Prendiville Photography/Flickr

Lake Matheson

New Zealand

Alternately known as Mirror Lake, this South Island lake is famous for its reflections of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. Visiting just after dawn is ideal, when the water is at its calmest and mirror images are impossibly perfect. The lake itself is well worth exploring, too. Park near the Clearwater River suspension bridge and follow the 1-mile loop past kahikatea and rimu trees, which have extra-tall trunks and fanciful bushy tops and look like something from a Dr. Seuss book.

Nearby: Fox Glacier township, a village that serves as a base camp for trekkers, is three miles east of the lake.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

mirci/Flickr

Lake Bled

Slovenia

Why not get to the good stuff right away? To take in this Slovenian lake's most breathtaking vista, head immediately to Bled Castle, at the edge of a sheer, 460-foot-high cliff. You'll see mountains in every direction—the Julian Alps and the Karavanke range—and below, the Alpine lake and its main attraction, Bled Island, a tiny forested circle that's home to the 17th-century Church of the Assumption and its prominent baroque clock tower. Down on the lake's shore, board a pletna boat (similar to a gondola) to the island. Be sure to ring the church bell and make a wish before returning to the mainland. Mountains shield the water from icy northern winds, so Lake Bled is warm, relatively speaking (79 degrees Fahrenheit). If that's still too chilly, head to the lake's northern section, where three hotels have built pools around natural thermal springs.

Nearby: The Slovenian capital of Ljubljana is an easy 35 miles aw