Doha, Venice, Paris

Greetings from Qatar! Contrary to what it might seem in the photo, I am not in Paris or Venice. This photo was taken in the Villagio Mall in Doha, which is designed like an Italian city, perhaps even Venice, since there is a canal running through part of it and you can take a gondola ride! These two gentlemen are enjoying a coffee at Paul, a French bakery serving all kinds of breads and other foods. My friends and I had a cream of mushroom soup in a bread bowl.

The trompe l'oeil 'houses' painted on the walls above the shops are enhanced by a blue sky with clouds. My friends tell me that locals and expats spend hours here, especially in the summer, when it is so hot. Right now, it's quite pleasant, windy, and I slept with socks on...

Radovan on the Road Part 2--Doha!

Radovan was so taken by India's warm weather that he just had to have more before heading back to cold Belgrade and Serbia. In this photo you can see him posing in Serbian snow with a stray camel from the Belgrade Zoo.

Sooo....now Radovan is off for three days to Doha, Qatar, where he and Bibi will be staying with friends of hers who used to teach in Belgrade. Bibi and Radovan will be taking a "Day in the Dunes," which will be undoubtedly warmer than the Days in the Drifts they spent in Belgrade....

Theme day --Change--Roadside fauna

Today's theme is Change. I'm still in India, and though in some rural areas here it's common to see an elephant in the wild, I hardly ever see any in Belgrade (!), so this is a change for me. This fellow was photographed in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Karnataka Province that we passed through.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The lotus

The lotus is a symbol of many things, but the essence is that it symbolizes beauty that can rise out of ugliness. These flowers were growing in a ditch filled with filthy water next to a gas station where our driver refueled.

"Bibi" now on vacation in India wishes you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Radovan in Auroville

Here is Radovan in a New Age community established in the 60's just outside of Pondicherry. Wikipedia will explain more, since I don't have time to add a hyperlink now! The large golden 'golf ball' is a meditation center, but you need special permission to enter, so Radovan, my friends, and I just contemplated it from afar...

A heavy load

This brickloader begged me to take his photo, so..... I see so many people here doing hard labor without much protection. Some just wear flip-flops while hauling bricks or moving large slabs of granite with crowbars. Watch your tootsies.

Acrobatics on the beach

The beach in Chennai, as on other beaches I've seen here, is a place for all kinds of activities from selling candies, offering horseback rides, selling trinkets and food, and of course for performers like this little girl.

The Bay of Bengal for the most part is really choppy, so few people go swimming where the water is so rough, so activities are welcome diversions.

Green, green

Couldn't resist this little vegetable seller, all in green like most of her veggies! India is a feast for the eyes and the palate!

Henna tattoo

This young woman is having a 'mehendi,' which is a temporary design painted on one's hands, arms, or feet either for a special ceremony or wedding. It's done with henna, so of course it's only temporary beauty, but beauty it is.

Merry Christmas from India

Wishing you readers who celebrate Christmas the very best of holidays. This photo was taken at the Christian church Saint Thomas Mount where the saint was allegedly martyred.

Take my picture, please!

India is a photographer's paradise in more ways than one. Not only could you burn up memory cards taking photos of buildings, fruit, streets, and all kinds of attractions, but people actually love to have their photos taken, especially kids. These youngsters who were traveling in a motorized rickshaw begged me to take their photo, but were whizzed away before I could show it to them!