We are used to seeing many phenomena around us unfold in cycles: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, solar cycles, the alternation of day and night, the seasons. We also know that during the Quaternary —the most recent geological period in Earth’s history, extending from around 2.58 million years ago to the present— there have been numerous … Continue reading Strange Landscapes
After a week in which we had traveled through the long Langtang Valley and climbed Yala Peak, we devoted the second part of our journey through the Himalayas to ascending to the sacred lakes of Gosainkunda and discovering the spectacular landscape that surrounds them.The Gosainkunda lakes are a group of alpine lakes located over 4,000 meters … Continue reading Gosainkunda Lakes
Not many years ago, while talking about mushroom picking with a good friend, the topic of going specifically for capuchinas came up. We used to think of them as a secondary option—something to fill the basket when nothing else was around. From that moment on, I decided to give this mushroom the recognition it deserves as an … Continue reading Tricholoma portentosum (Grey Knight)
The word “pagensis” is of Latin origin and literally means “inhabitant of a pagus,” where pagus is understood as a village, district, or rural area in the Roman Empire. The term “pagensis” referred to people who lived in these territories, that is, villagers or peasants, the “payeses” or “paisanos.” From this same origin comes the … Continue reading Landscape and its people
Those of us who have had the fortune to study will no doubt remember some mediocre, dull, and obscure teacher who would merely recite, with an almost infinite lack of enthusiasm, what was written in the textbook, managing to make students instantly detest the subject and want nothing more to do with it. Yet, surely, … Continue reading Climb to Peñalara
Walking among the remains of the Caneliñas whaling factory is to walk among ruins of industrial archaeology that exude sadness. In this cove in the parish of Ameixenda, seven kilometers southeast of Cee (A Coruña), stood the largest whale processing factory on the Iberian Peninsula, the longest-running in Spain, and the last to close in … Continue reading Caneliñas whaling factory
In the first guide to amphibians and reptiles I managed to get hold of to carry with me on my river excursions, the gallipato (Pleurodeles waltl) occupied a tiny space. The truth is that it was a very brief and humble guide, one you could get in the offices of certain agencies simply in exchange … Continue reading Of Gallipatos and Oxen
Yala Peak is a summit of just over 5,500 m in the Langtang Valley, Nepal. It is not an especially high mountain for the Himalayas, but it offers a splendid viewpoint over the higher and more rugged peaks that surround it. It is regarded as a trekking peak, which can be reached without the use … Continue reading Yala Peak,Himalaya. Nepal.
They have a preference for purple flowers in different shades, and it is very likely that at some point we have seen them quickly flying around bougainvilleas, blue plumbago, or buddleias in any garden, or among the abundant viper’s bugloss that can be found in open fields. We are talking about hummingbird moths, beautiful lepidopterans … Continue reading Hummingbird moths
I always feel a certain contained emotion before every dive. This time it was the Atlantic, in the area where continental Europe ends, the end of the earth: Finisterre. The underwater landscapes of Spain are as diverse as its terrestrial ones. The color, clarity, or murkiness of its waters, the light that filters to the … Continue reading Diving in Finisterre: where the land ends
