What a Wonderful World

A few days ago someone asked me what was the most beautiful country I'd lived in. We were having a conversation about where I was from and how I'd grown up. Seeing as I was talking to a Brazilian (with my faltering Portuguese) I of course said it was a tie between Brazil and Canada - Brazil has amazing beaches, and Canada has amazing mountains. 

Not Canada

Clearly it's not as simple as that. Brazil does have amazing beaches, but it also has mountains, rain-forests, rivers and plains. Canada does have stunning mountain ranges, but also boasts beautiful coasts, islands and long stretches of prairie.

I grew up in Canada, Bangladesh and India. I realized that all those countries have so much beauty. Not always in the cities and I think this is the case around the world, but the actual countryside has so much to offer.

Not Bangladesh

The world God created is indeed magnificent. Beauty has no borders. When I came home after this conversation I started looking through my photos and pulled some from Canada, Brazil, Bangladesh and India to show you some of the beauty that is around.

Not Brazil

Not India

Not Brazil

A lot of places I've been remind me of other places I've been. Some of this is due to the natural landscape, some is a result of the way the cities have grown and developed.

Sometimes when dusk hits and a musty orange light descends on the mountain range on the outskirts of our city, I am transported back to the Nilgiri Hills of India where I attended boarding school for 7 years.

Sometimes on a rainy night, when the sky is grey and cloudy and I see the reflection of the street lights glistening on the wet roads, I am taken back to Langley, BC, where I went to University.

Sometimes when I am walking down the street and I get a whiff of incense I am carried back to the streets of India.

Sometimes in the crowded streets of 25 de Março, I could close my eyes and be back in a bustling market in Bangladesh.

Can you tell me what two cities these are?

 Of course, we all know what really makes our world wonderful. It's the people, the friendships, the relationships we have that make our world beautiful.

What a wonderful world indeed!

Leave a guess in the comments as to where the photos above were really taken. I stuck with Canada, Brazil, Bangladesh and India.