The Aral Sea, which has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s, is another 30 mins drive from the ships graveyard and is like no other sea I've seen before: it's not so much like a big lake as like an enormous puddle. The incline to the shore is extremely shallow, and the sand at its edge is a saturated mud that threatens to swallow my feet and prevents my reaching the waters edge. Perhaps that's best, as this is a mournful shore. Despite the couple of ducks within sight and the handful of small birds that zip about after insects, the place feels dead.
It's a strangely quiet environment, the air is still and dry enough as to not really feel its touch. The sun is an impassive observer... there is nothing to 'do' here than contemplate the capacity of human 'development' to break the systems that created and sustain us.
No comments:
Post a Comment