2014, Insects and Arachnids, Mainland France Selection

Water drops on a spider web

The life of a raindrop is full of adventure. Its journey will take it to the bottom of the ocean abyss at 11,000 meters below sea level. It will make its way around the world several times until one day it evaporates and climbs the great heights to join the clouds, 9,000 meters in the air.
However the life of a raindrop can also be a life of ongoing patience. Some raindrops wait, frozen in the antarctic ice for over 800,000 years. A raindrop that decides to take aim for a lake will have to wait 17 years before it can once again evaporate; its oceanic cousin will have to wait more than 3,000 years. Once evaporated, the raindrop still has an 8 day journey crossing layers of terrestrial atmosphere before finally rejoining its cloud.

2015, Encounters, Sri Lanka Selection

Ravana Falls – Sri Lanka

Ravana Falls – Sri Lanka

This waterfall measures approximately 25 m in height and it currently ranks as one of the widest falls in the country. The falls have been named after the legendary king Ravana, which is connected to the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Ravana (who was the king of Sri Lanka at the time) kidnaps Rama’s wife Sita to exact vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister Shurpanakha. Ravana had hidden princess Sita in the caves behind this waterfall. At the time, the cave was surrounded with thick forests in the midst of wilderness. After a long and arduous search, Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana’s armies. In a war of powerful and magical beings, greatly destructive weaponry and battles, Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife.
It is also believed that Sita bathed in the pool at the waterfall feet. Nowadays this pool has a mystical status

2015, Borneo Selection, Malaysia Selection, Reptils and Amphibians

Harlequin tree frog (Rhacophorus pardalis), Borneo, Malaysia

Harlequin tree frog (Rhacophorus pardalis), Borneo, Malaysia

The harlequin tree frog, Rhacophorus pardalis, is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests up to 1000 meters of altitude, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss. This frog was sighted on the riverside of the Kinabatangan, in the Malaysian part of Borneo

2015, Encounters, Ethiopia Selection

Yemrehana Krestos Church, Amhara area, Ethiopia

Yemrehana Krestos Church, Amhara area, Ethiopia

The Yemrehanna Krestos Church is an Ethipian Orthodox Church built inside a cave.
Located at the bottom of Abouna Yossef, a 4190m above sea level mountain.
The church naming is because of the king Yemrehanna Krestos who achieve to built the church during the 12th century

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