World

 

From the age of 16 onwards, that's when my father gave me a point-n-shoot Kodak, wherever I've gone in the world, the one thing that's gone with me is a camera. From Washington DC to Wailoaloa, Fiji. From Wikala al Ghuri in Cairo to the White river and to Wadi Rum. 

Mashrabiya window in Wikala al Ghuri, Cairo.
For the privacy of women.

Plaque on the medieval wall of Bath, UK.

White river on a gorgeous, early winter day. Carmel, IN.

Humayun's tomb, Delhi.

Old wooden windows from the 1920s/30s, Kolkata. 

Wading hamercop, they live in a wide variety of wetlands in Africa and
Arabia. Masai Mara, Kenya.

Stained glass window, Bath Abbey, Bath.

West Potomac Park, Washington DC.

Weeping willow, Kew Gardens, Greater London, UK

Watching the lights recede, Singapore.

4WD in Wadi Rum, Jordan. 

I'm ending with a video - of wave watching on Wailoaloa beach, Fiji. The tide was coming in. I went for long walks on this beach sometimes as it was the closest to Denarau, where we lived while we were there.  One of my friends on viewing the clip, commented, 'It's sounds like the earth is breathing.' Wow! Did she nail it or what?

That's all for W for windows, waves, winter and water. Hope you've enjoyed the photos. Happy A-Zing! - if you're participating, we're well into the last week now! And happy cusp season to you, if you're not! 

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2024

URL

 

I keep using the URL to put in the badge above but I'm unaware about what the letters actually signify. I shall get off this post and directly find out. 

Here are the photos for today - U is for umbrella and V is for visitor, which is what my role is in all photographs posted here, though I am not visible in them. That's because I'm behind the camera, eyes glued to  the viewfinder.

Umbrellas at the White House. Washington DC.

Umbrella climbing up at the Jefferson Memorial, DC.

Umbrellas at the Lincoln Memorial

More umbrellas going down the steps.

At home drying on the landing. Kolkata, India.

On the way to Abby Falls, Karnataka, India.

Batasia Loop, Darjeeling, India.

Pineapple seller. Near Coronation Bridge, India.

Namdroling Golden Temple, Mysuru, India.

Darbhanga Ghat, Varanasi, India.

The Great Banyan at the Botanical Gardens, Howrah, India.

In case you were wondering - an umbrella is an umbrella and not a parasol when it's made from a waterproof material. An umbrella can be used as a parasol, and it is often used so in India. But a parasol can't be used as an umbrella - it will not protect against rain. Now you know which to carry when.  

That's all for today. Hope you've enjoyed the photos. Happy A-Zing! - if you're participating, in the home stretch now! And happy cusp season to you, if you're not! 

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2024

Two

 

Starting with two different interpretations of a childhood favourite of mine, a golden oldie.

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I ask, the heaven above
And the road below me.

~ R.L. Stevenson, excerpt from The Vagabond. 

My mother, who departed this world four years ago this April, used to recite this to me as a child. She was the one who gave me two different interpretations - treated me in the most age-inappropriate manner by today's standards. 

One, she said, was the simple meaning, a guy who didn't like being indoors and liked to travel, stating his preferences in no uncertain terms. The second, she told me, was a faith based explanation - heaven above signifying God's guidance and grace, the road below being the life in this world that's allotted to each individual. 'All I ask is God's guidance to do the work, the karma, travel the road given to me with faith and focus.' Very much an echo of the message of the Bhagavad Gita. Ma was a person of deep faith. 

I miss her, miss her random poetry recitals - she had perfect recall of a whole swathe of poems - miss the discussions and interpretations, the points of disagreements even, quite heated sometimes. 

She's always in my thoughts, more so in April. 

Ma in the 60s. 

Also remembering and honouring other family members who have passed in April - long ago and last year. 

Here are today's photos - T is for travel...I'm totally in agreement with Robert's core message above. Trying to travel the road given as mindfully as I can. 

For the longest time, travel meant sailing over water. Mamanuca, Fiji.

And over land by foot or on animal back. Dahshour, Egypt.

Horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, camel and other pack animals are still used
for transport in many parts of the world. Suez, Egypt.

Trains drawn by steam locomotives happened in 1800s.
Bath Railway Station, UK

Planes and cars came in much later, only about a 100
years ago. London, UK. 

Initially, travel was either trade related or religious
journeys/pilgrimages. St Catherine, Egypt.. 

Leisure travel or modern tourism, became a thing in the late 17th century.
Noblemen's sons would do a tour of Germany, France, Greece and Italy to
experience history and culture. Paris, France.

Today the global tourism industry contributes a hefty 10% to the world GDP.
Venice, Italy.  

Many economies around the world depend on tourism. It creates jobs and
promotes better understanding amongst different peoples. Aegina, Greece.

However, travel  and tourism industry has its challenges as well. Over-tourism
has led some cities to impose restrictions on the number of tourists. There's the
environmental impact and carbon emissions and a whole host of factors
that have to be managed for sustainable tourism.  Amboseli, Kenya.

So a tribute and travel that's for T. Also for trouble, which is what my eyes are giving me still. Not much hope of increasing any screen time or read-n-write time.. I'm still toing and froing and running in circles around eye doctors, still navigating the logistics of a tsunami of eye drops. I'm super tired of it all. 

Hope you've enjoyed the photos. Happy A-Zing! - if you're participating. And happy cusp season to you, if you're not! 

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2024

Response

 

R is for Response...which is what the A-Z is all about, responding to a prompt for each workday in April - the letter for the day. I'm not on the right day for these letters, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but I shall persevere, nonetheless. 

On the road to Segovia, Spain.

Washington DC.

R is for rain as well. And for Raleigh, NC.

Onto each route some rain must fall. Uttar Pradesh, India .

Rain drenched road to the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa. 

Rainfall is rare on this route! Offroad in the White Desert, Egypt.

Getting offroad here is a risk no one wants to take!
Himalayan roads in North Bengal.

Moving on to S...and sticking to roads and routes in general. 

S is for stopping by the roadside to admire the sea and sky in Fiji.
Must have time to stand and stare!

Still on the road, somewhere in Bath, UK, loving the super late summer sunset

Scenic! - on the way to Hawiyat Najm sinkhole then on to the
turtle sanctuary, Oman. 

Smoother than expected - unsurfaced road out of Amboseli, Kenya.

Tree lined road to Amlapura, Bali. Shadows to die for!

Village street in the ruins of Gadara/Umm Qais, Jordan.
That's the same Gadara as in 'Gadarene swine' in the Bible.
Ruins date back to third century BC - seriously ancient.

So that's my R and S struck off the list in one fell swoop. Hope you've enjoyed the photos. Happy A-Zing! - if you're participating. And happy cusp season to you, if you're not! 

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2024