PART 14: NATURE. THE BEST TEACHER!

<< Previous What more would an aquarist expect to come across? During my October 2011 Goa visit, I had been to Anjuna Beach. I was raised in a coastal city (Puri, Odisha). So, beaches are not new to me. However, this one (Anjuna Beach) was really very special and different. Beaches are either sandy or rocky or muddy, usually. This one was a combination of a massive (partially algae-clad) rock-bed and golden sand. I had not seen something like this earlier. The part that was sandy did not have any rocks. It was just pristine sandy. And, the sea here was relatively very calm! I have been an 'aquarium and fish enthusiast' since my school days. I have always found it absolutely interesting to step into water-bodies to get a glimpse of fishes and other aquatic animals. However, accomplishment of that mission has generally been difficult and challenging. Once I step in, the fishes become frightened and go away to disappear in the depths of the water-body in question. 

At Anjuna, I was delighted and surprised to find that there were tiny waterholes on the rocky surface and those had many varieties of fishes in them! Those were, in fact, small and complete self-sustaining ecosystems. At least, those appeared to be so. Those tiny natural water-holes inspired me to think seriously about making my aquariums more self-sustained in the true sense of the term. I spent some quality time watching those fishes in those waterholes. It was so wonderful an experience. It felt as if I went back to my school days and that boy in me became curious to explore the interesting stuff around. There were beautiful pebbles decorating those waterholes. I could not resist my temptation to collect a few of those pebbles for my aquarium. I was a bit scared initially to put my hands into those waterholes. I knew, there could be many dangerous elements in those seemingly innocent waterholes with crystal-clear water. However, the boy in me overpowered the judgmental (logical) adult in me. I collected some beautiful pebbles. I did not try to catch any fish, though! Not only did I collect some pebbles, I took some pictures and came back with beautiful memories. Another beach that I really liked and collected some pebbles from was Sinquerim Beach near Fort Aguada. After three wonderful days in Goa, I headed home. However, something unfortunate was awaiting us NEXT! NEXT >>  << Previous

PART 14: NATURE. THE BEST TEACHER! by Debi Prasad Mahapatra is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.