Merry Christmas Part 2

Srećan Božić (SREH-chan-BOW-zheech) or Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate Serbian Orthodox Christmas, which is today. I took this photo at the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade a short while ago. It shows a typical village Christmas table with the oak branch, nuts, prunes, candle, and the straw and corn, which is usually scattered under the table. There's also a flask of Serbian plum brandy! The round cake is not actually a cake, but rather a bread called a česnica (CHESS-neet-sa), which you can read more about right here. Basically, there's a coin inside that will bring good health and happiness to the finder. Bite carefully.

ABC Wednesday--Y is for Year-round hardships, or Traces of India in Belgrade

I'm back, safe and sound, and it's a bit cooler here than in India and Qatar..

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that Belgrade has quite a large Gypsy or 'Roma' population. Most sources agree that Gypsies originated in India and migrated to Europe and beyond. The Roma population here in Belgrade lives primarily on the outskirts of the city and prefers not to integrate into society. You can see from the above photo that they lead a rough life year-round, scavenging for firewood and recycling paper and scrap iron, for example.

Join ABC WEDNESDAY.

Dhow boat in Doha

The first evening I was in Doha, my friends took me down to the corniche to view the city center from across the bay. It's worth enlarging the photo (click on it) to admire the detail in the ultra-modern buildings. On this side of the bay from where I took this photo are docked a number of dhow boats like the one on the right, some of which are still used for fishing, while others take tourists for short rides across the bay. This we did. It was windy, and of course it's even windier on the water, making the air quite cold.

Back to Belgrade tomorrow.... It's been a fantastic trip, and as Marco Polo wrote, "I've not even told you half of what I've seen."

Ebrahim and Radovan

Today I went into the dunes outside of Doha with seven other tourists! Above you can see Radovan posing with our guide, Ebrahim, who took us on a hair-raising roller coaster thrill ride up and down super steep dunes in his Land Cruiser. As it turned out, I had the front seat right beside his, which enhanced my experience...and intensified my fear. Ebrahim went down zigzagging, straightforward, and backwards! I am not the roller coaster type, and for the first three dunes I shut my eyes. Then I realized I wasn't going to be able to enjoy anything with my eyes shut and figured he probably didn't want to die or wreck his car either, so I relaxed and went with the flow.

We stopped for a camel ride, a view of several lakes, and were treated to a Bedouin camp meal beside the Persian Gulf. The water was warm, crystal-clear, and an inviting shade of pale green.

I forgot my sun screen and got a bit burned on my face...I hear it is snowing in Belgrade....

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.