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MY WORLD - 11

SIMO JELACA, Ph.D.

CANADA FROM EAST TO ITS WEST

Over seven thousand kilometers separates Cape Spear (Cape Spear), the first point in the Atlantic of Eastern Canada, and Long Beach (Long Beach), on Vancouver Island, in the Pacific, its last point in the west. It is possible to live a whole human life traveling from village to village, from city to city, metropolis to metropolis, from east to west, from north to south, from river to river and lake to lake, through mountains, glaciers, tundra, fjords, meadows, forests, wetlands, coasts, icebergs, prairies, all of which make Canada's unique look. Canada is a country that is rich in natural resources and makes life possible for everyone who lives in it. It is a renewable wonder of the world of natural beauty and water, together with people as different in many ways as the natural circumstances that shape them.

From Signal Hill, near St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, in 1901, Marconi sent the first radio signal across the Atlantic, according to Nikola Tesla's patent. George Street is the oldest street in the oldest city in North America. From there you can see "Iceberg Alley", which is over 10,000 years old. Whales play their games in these waters, and thousands of birds nest in the nearby forests. The local rural economy is predominantly based on fishing, and their diet is mainly fish and game meat. Peggy's Cove, a fishing village in Margaret Bay, Nova Scotia, is synonymous with untouched natural beauty. One of the most picturesque historical towns is "Lunenburg", which was first settled by the French and then by the Germans and the Swiss in 1753. It's a small town, one of the best fishing ports in North America. The city, in itself, is the pearl of Canada. Here everyone can enjoy boiled lobster, with local white wine, while resting their eyes on the rocky cliffs that reach right in front of the house balconies.

Cape Breton's Margaree River is a mecca for fly fishermen. Rocks in the shape of pots (Flowerpots Rocks) in the "Minas" basin represent the unusual natural beauty of icebergs. At Reversing Falls, not far from St. John's, tidal waves force the river to flow upstream. The city of Saint John is famous in Atlantic Canada for its street walks and famous market, where you can experience the special feeling of human warmth, the warmth of the day and the beauty of the sunset. The capital of New Brunswick Fredericktown, located on St. John River is one of the oldest inhabited cities in North America, previously inhabited by the Maliseet Indians for thousands of years. The 12.9 km long Confederation Bridge connects Prince Edward Island with New Brunswick. Charlottetown (Charlottetown) is the smallest capital city, with less than 40 thousand inhabitants, but significant for the historical creation of the Canadian federation in 1867. Everything in Charlottetown is within walking distance. The soil of the Prince Edward Island fields is red, due to its high iron content, which is why it is the best for growing potatoes, the best quality in the world.

Quebec City, the capital of Quebec, is known as the cradle of French civilization on the continent and as the "Gibraltar" of America, it is predominantly inhabited by French people. Montreal, as the largest city of the province, hosted the Summer Olympics in 1976.

Ottawa is the nation's capital and a cosmopolitan city, and its "main economic branch" is the federal government, with Parliament Hill at its center. By the way, Ottawa is the cultural center of Canada and a really beautiful city, attractive to live in and visit.

Toronto is the largest city in Canada with many attractions, among which dominate the CN Tower, 553.33 m high, the largest free-standing structure, the Sky Dome and an attractive stadium with a movable roof. It is a famous wine-growing region of Ontario, located along Lake Erie, in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, where there are about 30 wineries that produce world-class wines. Niagara Falls are one of the world's most attractive tourist spots, created by glacial movements more than 13,000 years ago. The first inhabitants around Niagara were the Seneca Indians.

In the north of Canada, there are still many glaciers, some of which are protected as UNESCO sites, such as the glaciers in Luanne National Park. Caribou and polar bears are still the main inhabitants of these areas, and the northern lights are frequent attractions.

Further west is Winnipeg, the business center and capital of Manitoba, with the Golden Boy atop the provincial parliament building. The prairie beyond Winnipeg is the granary of Canada with over 6,000 grain silos in the territories of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. In the past, millions of buffalo lived in the prairie, while today only a small number of them have been preserved.

Calgary is the most prosperous city in the Canadian West, thanks primarily to oil deposits. Ranchers in the west still raise cows the old way, very successfully.

The Canadian mountains, the Rockies, above all Banff National Park, are so attractive that millions of visitors come to them every year. The city of Vancouver is built under vertical mountains that descend towards the sea. Vancouver is Canada's main port to the Far East, and the city of Vancouver itself is one of the most beautiful cities in the West.

Canada has a very diverse offer to the world: its beautiful mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes, forests, seas and coasts, prairies, wild landscapes and much more, and above all, human kindness, business opportunities and much, much more.

Having reached the extreme west of Canada, to Long Beach, we visit the city of Victoria, the administrative center of British Columbia, which is located on the southern part of Vancouver Island. It is a pleasure to stay in Chinatown, which is the second largest on the American continent, right after San Francisco.

Victoria is considered the "City of Gardens" because it abounds with flowers and greenery everywhere. It is very popular as a tourist destination. Well, this trip also gives every traveler the opportunity to enjoy, to get to know Canada, and to make the journey from the east to the west of Canada really remain in his lifelong memories.

The author stayed in most of the mentioned places and got to know his Canada.

CHINA

China is the third largest country in the world, about 9.6 million km², after Russia and Canada, and the first in terms of population, 1.357 billion (in 2013). Practically, every fifth inhabitant of planet Earth is Chinese. It is approximately 5000 km from east to west and from north to south. Its land borders are 22,800 km, and its sea coast is about 18,000 km. It abounds in relief of all kinds and has all the natural resources at its disposal. Qomolangma Peak, on the border with Nepal, with a height of 8844 m, is known as the Roof of the World. Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, the largest canyon in the world, with a total length of 504.6 km, with a maximum drop of 6009 m. Hailuogou Glacier in Sichuan Province, 4 km long, has a drop of 3900 m and a waterfall over 1 km wide and 1080 m high. Mount Lu is known as the cradle of poets, it is protected as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO. The gorges of the Yangtze River are 1000 to 1500 m high, with a total length of 192 km. The dam of the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world is being built on it. The Taklamakan Desert is the second largest quicksand desert in the world. Cities of vanished civilizations are buried in it. West Lake, a lake in the city of Hangzhou (Hangzhou), abounds in a variety of natural beauties and is a major tourist attraction. And the city of Guilin is a gathering place for many international tourists, who sail the Lu River to the town of Yangshuo (Yangshuo), about four and a half hours, enjoying the beauty of the surrounding hills, strange shapes with steep cliffs, small villages and fishermen who catch fish using cormorants. The Chinese consider this area the most attractive space under the sky.

Beijing (formerly called Peking) is the capital, administrative, cultural and educational center of China, on an area of about 16,415 km², with over 17 million inhabitants. It is distinguished by old historical and modern architecture, among which the first are the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Beijing Airport is the second busiest airport in the world. Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, and was also selected for the Winter Olympics in 2022, which will make it the first city in the world to host both Olympics. Beijing has several world heritage monuments, protected by UNESCO. They are: Forbidden City; Temple of Heaven; Summer Palace; Ming Tombs; Great Wall; Great Canal and others. Shanghai is bigger than Beijing, has about 32 million inhabitants and is the financial center of China. The famous Great Wall of China, over 6.5 thousand kilometers long, is the only object on Earth that can be seen from the moon. Chinese cities now abound with parks, flower gardens and are very clean, without a single graffiti on the walls.

China has recently overtaken the United States economically and there are more English speakers in China than in America. China is the country of the oldest civilization. The Chinese invented the decimal system; they were the first to use an iron plow; water wheel and mechanical clock, 130 BC. They also had an instrument for monitoring earthquakes. They made ice cream a thousand years before AD. and today they love pork and about 2 million piglets are eaten in China every day. Next to the great wall, there is a large monument to them, the Terracotta Army, about 7,000 soldiers, and the tomb of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shung (Qin Shung), who united China in 221.

China is the country of the oldest civilization, ten to twelve millennia old. China has always been ruled by dynasties, and only since 2000 BC. until 1911, about 40 dynasties ruled, the most famous of which are: Xia (2000-1500 BC); Yuan (1206-1368); Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911). In 1911, the Republic of China was proclaimed, and in 1949, the People's Republic of China. Of the four dynasties mentioned, the most significant are Ming and Qing. The Ming Dynasty was founded by a Chinese peasant-turned-military leader based in Nanjing. The third ruler of that dynasty, Zhu Di (Zhu Di 1360-1424, ruler 1402-1424), moved the capital to Beijing. During his reign, he built the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, rebuilt and extended the Great Wall, built the Grand Canal from Hangzhou to Beijing, 2000 km, and the Chinese naval fleet sailed around all the continents of the Earth (1423-1424). He drove the Mongols out of the country and freed himself from their rule. In the era of Zu Dia, China reached the highest level of civilizational development, so world history should change in accordance with Chinese achievements. The Qing dynasty came to power in 1644 with the help of Japan. There are 56 nationalities living in China today, 90% of which are Han. Since 1949, the state has introduced Mandarin as the official language for all of China. Beijing was founded by Genghis Khan (1162-1227), liberated by Zhu Di and established as his capital. Today in Beijing, the buildings of the 2008 Olympic Games, the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, and above all the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Prayer, the Great Wall of China and many others dominate with their beauty. The Forbidden City has a total of 980 buildings, with 9,999 rooms, and is one of the largest and most well-preserved buildings of the world's cultural facilities, top achievements, under the protection of UNESCO.

The Chinese have made jade of prime quality, from which they make jewelry since 7000 years ago. Art objects from the Chinese past are round in shape with a square hole, believing that the sky is round and the earth is square. They represent symbols of wealth and status. Chinese objects made of gold and silver, Chinese porcelain and vases are famous.

The city of Shien (Xian) with over 6 million inhabitants, along the tributary of the Yellow River, on an area of about 14,000 km², is over 5000 years old and is undergoing rapid development. The surroundings of the city are fertile plains with crops. The Silk Road passed through here, where memories of Marco Polo are still preserved. In Shien, there is a Shaanxi museum with exhibits dating back 9 millennia, one of which is an exhibit of a 1.5 million year old village. At the entrance to the museum is a statue of the only female ruler in China for 1600 years. In Shien, the production of terracotta clay soldier statues is exclusively a traditional process, which takes three and a half months.

Not far from Shien is the tomb of the Terracotta Warrior, discovered in 1976 on the property of a farmer who was digging a well. It is at a depth of 7 meters. It contains about 6000 Terracotta warriors, which have been identified. The tomb was damaged by an earthquake and many warriors were completely destroyed. Identification of warriors is very delicate and takes a long time. Data show that 730,000 workers worked for 15 years to make the Terracotta Warriors. And the rulers of that time were very cruel, they killed workers and even their families, if they did not complete the given tasks on time and with quality. They even killed all those who knew what they were not supposed to know. The old part of the city of Shien is surrounded by a huge wall, which was built by the first ruler of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398).

Hangzhou is a city of about 8 million inhabitants on only 1200 km², it is considered the richest city in China. All the world's famous electronics companies are located in it, with joint investments. The city is beautiful and full of flowers, with the most expensive cars. Even the highways at the entrances to the city are decorated with planters of flowers. Tourist guides say that here Marco Polo was governor of the province for two years, so the city erected a monument to him and they talk about him with due respect. The city has a history of over 5000 years and was the capital of China for 152 years. The city is visited annually by about 35 million tourists. At certain points, bicycles are available for residents to rent very cheaply, in order to avoid city crowds. In the city itself is their famous West Lake, to which foreign statesmen are brought, and not far from the city, on the surrounding hills, there are plantations of the famous Chinese Green Tea. Green tea is picked exclusively by hand, and it is predominantly picked by women. It is dried in special semi-circular vessels and mixed by hand during heating.

Wuzhen and Wuxi are two cities, close to each other, in the vicinity of which rice, silver beetle, fish and pearl shells are grown. The city of Wuzhen is over 1300 years old and is located on the Yangtze River Delta. Wuxi has 4 million inhabitants and the Chinese consider it a smaller city. Next to it is a lake with a size of 2400 km², with a lot of parks. The silkworm is also grown here. Not far from these two cities is the small town of Zouzung (Zhouzhuang) with canals instead of streets, similar to Venice.

Suzhou is a city that the Chinese consider Heaven on Earth. The gardens in Sucho date back to the sixth century BC. And it was those gardens that gave the city the glory of the Earthly Paradise. They significantly influenced the artistic movement and architectural style of China. In one garden there is a 925-year-old cypress tree. The city has over 1000 bridges and the Chinese call it the Venice of the East. The city has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1997. And Sučo has 8 million inhabitants. Silkworms, pearl shells and rice are also grown around Sucho. It takes 40 years for a shell to produce a pearl with a diameter of 8 mm. Pearls with a diameter of 12 mm are exclusively given to wives of presidents of states.

The Chinese consider Shanghai to be their most modern city. They say that there are 23, and with the surrounding area, 32 million inhabitants, almost like the whole of Canada. It is a very industrially developed city with many foreign investments. The high-rise building reached a height of 500 meters. The TV tower in Shanghai is just behind the CN Tower in Toronto and Ostankino in Moscow in height. Shanghai has 13 subway lines with a length of over 400 km, which transports 8 million passengers daily. They even have people who push passengers into the carriages (Pushers). Shanghai has famous museums with exhibits dating back to 7000 BC. Gold, bronze and chrome objects date from 221 BC. from the Qin dynasty. In the city is the famous Fishermen's Garden, with zigzag bridges, where the English Queen Elizabeth drank tea and Bill Clinton had lunch. Shanghai General Carpet Co. produces the best carpets in the world, and a 5' x 7' (150 x 240 cm) woolen carpet with 625 knots per in² takes one worker 18 months. The training of workers lasts 5 years and they cannot be older than 47 years. The Thangka painting technique is used exclusively for silk carpets.

Guilin is a city with two rivers and bridges on them, replicas of famous world bridges, unusual surroundings, exclusively touristic. In the vicinity of the city, there are hills of an unusual shape, almost conical, with very steep cliffs, which originate from flat terrain. The Lijiang and Lu rivers meander between these hills, and tourist boats transport thousands of tourists daily to the small town of Yangshuo, where tourists shop for souvenirs on the crowded West Street. Also in Guilin are Tutsi attractions Elephant Hill Scenic Area, Love Island and Reed Flute Cave. The Chinese consider the city of Guilin and its surroundings to be the most attractive space under the sky.

Guangzhou is a brand new city of 12 million people, urbanized according to the latest knowledge, it has an enchanting appearance. Its skyscrapers reached a height of 108 floors. Streets, squares and parks are full of the most diverse flowers, the appearance of the city is enchanting. In one park is the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum, built for the Zhongshan family, it has a roof with unusual ornamentation. The underground railway works flawlessly. The highway from Guangzhou to Macau is largely built on stilts above the fertile fields, due to their arable nature below the road. It is proof of China's concern for the future.

Macau is a city and country, which recently belongs to China, but has customs, with border control, has about 637,000 inhabitants and drives on the left side. At the entrance to Macau, at the 24 checkpoints, you have to wait an hour and a half at the passport control. There are tens of thousands of visitors every day. Macau is a city of banking, gambling, entertainment and tourism. Few people sleep at night in Macau. Hotels are high category and very expensive. From Macau to Hong Kong you can go by boat, speedboat, the ride takes one hour.

Hong Kong is an independent city, now Chinese, but still with its own administration, customs service and its own currency (Hong Kong dollar), which is slightly weaker than the Chinese yuan. Hong Kong is a city that lives on trade with the whole world. The number of inhabitants is about 7.2 million. Hundreds of foreign ships are waiting in its port.

On Hong Kong's quayside, their celebrity stars are stamped into the concrete. From there, the boat goes to the island part, Hong Kong Island, above which the tops of the skyscrapers are not visible in the clouds. That new part of Hong Kong is bustling like an anthill, everyone is in a hurry, restaurants and shopping malls are full, the streets are full of city transportation, it seems that no one walks for long distances.

Hong Kong built an airport by connecting two islands with a causeway, making it one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. From there, you fly to the North American continent via the Pacific, the Bering Strait and Alaska, lasting 14 hours non-stop.

Among the sights of China worth mentioning are: Traditional Chinese embroidery, with motifs that have the meaning of happiness and longevity; Over 4,000 years old, Chinese calligraphy, which focuses on the beauty of writing, is usually done with a brush and ink; The Chinese alphabet has 32,000 characters, university-educated people benefit from 4 to 5 thousand, and even 3000 is enough; Chinese traditional painting is based on the application of a brush and Xuan paper, and the motifs are most often portraits, landscapes, flowers and birds; Chinese knots are symbols of good luck given to friends and relatives; Chinese dragons are over 2000 years old and were first used as signaling for military purposes; Cheongsam are decorative pieces of clothing on expensive dresses; Chinese acrobatics have a traditional character, are over 2000 years old, combine movements and stability, and are based on simplicity, in execution they are unsurpassed in the whole world, they take the breath away of the spectators, they are unsurpassed.

China is a land of magic, a land of enormous progress, a land that deserves all respect and unlimited admiration. It's worth seeing.

The author and his wife stayed in China for three weeks in April 2011. on which occasion they traveled to all the places mentioned in the previous description. The author climbed the Great Wall of China up to 1322 steps in the place of Juyongguan, and according to the Chinese propositions, earned the title of "Chinese National Hero", which the guides confirmed with their seal and signatures.

CALGARY – ALBERTA, CANADA

The city of Calgary lies at the foot of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. Calgary is the largest city in the southern part of the province of Alberta, with about 1.2 million inhabitants and is the fifth largest in Canada. It is also the fifth in terms of quality of life in the world. It is at an altitude of about 1100 m and is one of the cleanest cities in the world. It has been highly industrialized since the development of the oil industry.

The first resident of Calgary was John Glenn in 1873, and already in 1884, Calgary had 4,000 inhabitants. Today, the mayor of Calgary is the first Muslim to hold that office in Canada. In Calgary, over 70% of citizens volunteer in various ways. Calgary also has the most millionaires per population. There is no provincial tax in Calgary, so only the 5% GST is in effect. The average population is younger, highly educated and well paid. The city of Calgary still has a Wild West image and the Stampede rodeo is held in Calgary every year, which is attended by about a million visitors. The city has 18 km of walking paths, with no access to the outside. It also has 550 km of bicycle paths and another 260 km of street footpaths. Calgary has 800 ha of parks, with 260 registered bird species. 120 languages are spoken in the city. The city hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988.

Calgary has four educational centers: The University of Calgary; Mount Royal College; Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Alberta College of Art and Design. It also has a Zoo, the third largest in North America.

Calgary has 2300 to 2600 sunny hours per year, and the lowest temperature registered is -45°S and the highest is 36.1°S.

About a 90-minute drive from Calgary is the famous Banff National Park, a favorite picnic spot for many Canadians and millions of foreign visitors every year.

The author was in Calgary for the first time officially. The second time, I visited Loos and Moraine Lakes, and especially Banff National Park. He visited relatives and friends a couple of times in Calgary, and he also stayed in the wonderful town of Canmore with Milan and Dragica Stelkić, his friends from Novi Sad.

BANFF - NATIONAL PARK, CANADA

Banff National Park at the highest altitude in Canada, 1383 m. It was established as a national park in 1885, the first in Canada and the third in the world. It covers an area of 20,000 km² and has walking trails with a total length of 1,600 km. There are 2,468 camping spots in the Park. It is open to visitors throughout the year, and is most visited in the months of July and August.

The town of the same name, Benf, has about 7,500 inhabitants, who mainly live from tourism. A very modern hotel was built in Banff for the Queen, but she never visited it. The surroundings of the hotel, the beautiful mountains, whose peaks are white even in the middle of summer, as well as the valley with a small river that flows through the city and next to the hotel, are an extraordinary environment, which leaves an impression of phenomenal natural beauty, which will not fade from memory for the rest of your life. to every visitor. It is safe to say that Banff is an earthly Paradise and the pearl of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Banff is under the protection of UNESCO, as a world heritage. The highest peak of Banff National Park is Mountain Forbes 3612 m. There are about 1000 glaciers in Banff National Park. Over 4 million visitors visit it every year.

In the Banff National Park there are two extremely beautiful and most visited lakes, Louise Lake and Moraine Lake (in the pictures), recommended to every visitor to Canada, to visit them at least in one day.

The author and his wife spent one day at Loos and Moraine lakes, and another day in the city and park of Banff. He rejuvenated himself with these visits.

It will be continued

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