Creanga pe coclauri

a day in Libreville

2008-05-25T13:36:00.010-08:00

fisherchild

2008-05-24T13:32:00.002-08:00

Cap Esterias

2008-05-24T13:21:00.007-08:00

scenic rural

2008-05-23T13:11:00.005-08:00

African reception

2008-05-21T12:54:00.005-08:00

crossing Sahara en route to Central Africa

2008-05-19T12:25:00.012-08:00

Vidin

2008-05-01T04:53:00.010-08:00

Present charm of past glories
The largest town in Bulgaria and one of the biggest ports around the Danube in the 16th century , more recent history has not been very friendly to Vidin. However, the future looks bright as the EU has brought in hopes of a renaissance.

Baba Vida, or the ruins of the 3rd century Roman fortress of Bononia, reconstructed by the Bulgars in the 10-14th century, then by the Turks in the 17th century, who used it to stockpile weapons.

Wander around and through the fortress courtyards and bastions, make a cliché picture to the waxwork prisoner sitting in the dungeon, walk the remaining outer walls on the Danube shores.

Testimony of the past glory of the city, of an era of fruitful trade made by a poliethnic society, an abandoned synagogue lies today hidden among vegetation and behind communist era blocks of flats.

But it makes a romantic sight, wandering around and inside it, for this is all that remains of this once vibrant community, one of the most important Jewish centers on the Danube during the Ottoman period.

Considering its size, I wonder how large used to be the Jewish community in Vidin ? Why did they leave and when ? How many still live in Vidin? What will the future bring to this old building, will it ever be restored ?

The city's mosque finds herself hidden among the same communist blocks, but in a much batter state as compared with the nearby synagogue….maybe it means the Muslim community of Vidin is still alive.

The city’s orthodox cathedral, recently restored with the help of the Beautiful Bulgaria project. Interesting frescoes and icons inside, as well as the usual oversupply of comically unfriendly octogenarian church cleaners. I've chosen to observe the no photos inside, though number of locals did not notice the no mobiles one.

I did not visit the Thracian and Roman artefacts, jewellery & statues inside the archaeological museum, but I wandered around the beautifully restored villa which hosts the museum. The pagoda shaped wooden building used to be a police station (aka konak) during the Turkish rule in the 19th century.

Mother Bulgaria monument....or a typically soviet piece of civic architecture, now covered in graffiti and red paint...The “mother” reminded me of the similar “mothers” in Yerevan, Tbilisi and even as far as Bukhara, Uzbekistan – same recipe to boast soviet dominance over space and time.

further on the same riverfront....the Victims of Communism Memorial...or one of the few public acknowledgements of the postwar political repression in communist Bulgaria. The memorial looks like a rather modern church and is locked.
evil thought – communism victims seem…quite insignificant and small, even obscure...when compared with the benefits of communism indicated through the grandeur of the Mother Bulgaria.

Strolling around downtown Vidin reveals numerous other small statues…..from old times as well present ones.....there must be many sculptors and artists around.

the EU promises a bright future...let's multiply ourselves

Putting an end to THE worker's day...in a riverboat restaurant, on a location with a view, with an excellent fish in the plate and several Kamenitsas. Sadly, they closed around 23,00 p.m., maybe because of the mosquitos attack :-))

Calafat

2008-04-30T14:45:00.008-08:00

A sleepy off the beaten path gem, on the shores on the Danube coming to/from Bulgaria, Calafat makes a nice stopover: romantic atmosphere, cobblestone streets to wander around un-renovated XIX century buildings, large parks, and the opportunity of a more scenic way to cross a border: small ferries over the Danube.

details of a forgotten past

Calafat was propriety of the orthodox church until 1855, when the locality was “emancipated”

Rare scene inside – chairs bear names, entire families, in recognition of their role in the community and not least, because of their contributions to the church.

Note as well the force of the profane imaginary on the sacred - Jesus and Virgin Mary are king and queen of heavens.....they bear crowns, like kings and queens of earthly kingdoms.

Emancipation of Calafat (from being church proprety) meant 200.000 lei gathered in 1853 via a public a subscription (mostly rich merchants) and paid to the church of Craiova, and the signature of Barbu Stirbei on the “emancipation” act in 1855.

While i was gazing inside the church, i noticed some strange music becomes louder – a mix of trumpets and drums. The music was accompanying a funeral march slowly approaching the church for the last service. How unexpected this was.

....quickly found my way out of the church and was looking for a shady spot to hide my discomfort on taking pictures in such moments. But to my amazement, a professional was filming the entire ceremony.....they’re filming not only at weddings these days, i said to myself, and opened the camera.

The ruins of an old XIX century bourgeois mannor transformed in a hotel during communist times make a scenic sight. Wander around and inside the courtyard if you find the doors open.

Hidded among the trees, a modest monument to the first Romanian soldier to die during the independence war of 1877. Was he from Calafat?

Chestnut tree parks

Some kids playing in the park got curious about me wandering around. One of them was barefoot, but seemed the leader among equals. Who i was, where i come from, how large is my villa. They would like to come to Vidin with me they said, but are too little to be allowed on the ferry. They were in Bulgaria once, last year for 1st of June, when the school organised a trip for them to Vidin, when hey ate so much chocolate and ice cream that one of them got sick. Thank you for the pictures sir, next time you come here look for us.

Another XIX century manor by the river shore. Hidden in vegetation, un-renovated, decrepit and locked under heavy chains, testimony of half a century distance between the building and its owners.

a more scenic way to cross a border....though EU meant not much of a border is left here...maybe at lest because of the relaxed attitude towards photos, the typical border police paranoia

There are regular services all along the week, but allow 1,5 – 3 hours (including waiting time for the one of the 2 ferries to arrive at docks, loading, unloading, border formalities, 20 min walk on the Bulgarian side).

2000 YEARS OF EVOLUTION

2008-04-09T13:47:00.006-08:00

Step out of Tibet !

2008-04-09T12:50:00.005-08:00

Go East...!!!

2008-02-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

This was one bloody wretched day, for a number of reasons

Firstly, the hotel gave me a detailed receipt ….this means the massage by the pool and the breakfast in bed….could not be reimbursed…..shit!

Secondly, when I was about to catch a cab for the airport, my travel agent called to tell don’t go, your flight has been cancelled due to bad weather. She first put me on the waiting list for the next flight to Vienna, just to move me later during the day on an evening flight via Budapest.

Thirdly, with one day in front of me and nothing to do, I brought a one day card for the public transport, just to find out 10 minutes later that the Berlin public transport went on strike that day. So, I walked nearly 6 miles from West Berlin to Alexander platz in East Berlin, in order to have the thrill of the day – facing my fears of heights in the Berlin Tower.

cruel, insane, but it's good that's all history now

..a place where an attempt to cross the road could get you shot in cold blood....

Brandenburg gate....not as impressive in size, but with a moving story around it

"American" and "Russian" "soldiers" on sale....

the famous Unter den Linden avenue is less vibrant these days, but maintains a majestic character

While I’m writing these lines the day is not finished and did not stop to bring surprises one after the other. The evening flight to Budapest is late 30 minutes….after killing some time in a bookshop, I pass again in front of the departures screen just to find out that the flight has been delayed 90 minutes. Ok, if I thought I had enough for one day, I was totally wrong –I’ll most probably miss the connecting flight, is there an option to get redirected via another city? No, I would advise you go Malev and spend the night in Budapest, you’re closer to home in Budapest, says the ticket seller. “Well, until now I have orders for Larnaca and Kiev, but I do not have orders for Bucharest, maybe if there are enough passengers flying to Bucharest…” replied Mr. Radoszi, the Malev boss at Tegel. What could I do? Nothing, except to wish there are many other sorrowful people in the same boat with me, enough to convince Malev to delay the flight to Bucharest rather than pay the hotel. What a merchandise I became, my days traded in the IF clauses of an excel programme. Hope I won’t get sold on a sale J
And yes I did get sold on a sale. We landed in Budapest at 23,20 while the Bucharest flight left on time at 23,10. You know, our pilots have a tight schedule and the captain said he cannot wait a single minute. You’ll get on the next flight tomorrow lunchtime, came the dull reply from a Malev guy awaken from his sleep. Isn’t there an earlier one, like in the morning? No, tomorrow is Saturday, so there is no morning flight. But we need to catch another flight from Bucharest during the late afternoon, replied two diplomatic passports. Finally, they got their tickets via Frankfurt and I got my direct one at lunchtime, and we all ended up in a lousy chain hotel, courtesy of the same Malev. A faceless morning start in an impersonal hotel and the comfort of flying business 20 hours later, I would very happily trade with flying on time.
One last remark – the “fitze” diplomatic passports ended up in the same plane with me – their argument about earlier arrival was obviously false and put to the table just to show off.

A Prussian Germany

2008-01-31T06:12:00.000-08:00

It soon became obvious that we cannot reach any agreement for now, not least because of the need of further advice from home. Although not explicitly told, this was floating out into the air and was on everybody’s’ lips, so there was no point of going on with the monologues. The business day was soon over. It was time to discover the Prussian capital.

Remnants of past glories scattered all around the Tier Garten, testimonies of a late 19th Prussia striving to shape the present and embellish its provincial capital with buildings and monuments of a scale proper to its ambitions and vanity.

Large scale bronze statues representing mythological scenes of a Wagner-type gothic past are bordering a bland monumental column on a granite plinth (Siegessaule or Victory Column).

Designed to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish – Prussian war, by the time it was inaugurated Prussia had also defeated Austria and France in the so-called “unification wars”, giving the column a new purpose: an 8m high 35 tonnes in weight bronze sculpture of Victoria has been added on top of the column.

The column was originally erected to a smaller height and was located opposite the Reichstag building, in the Konigplatz (Platz der Republik), and subsequently moved by the Nazis as part of their preparation of the monumental plans to redesign Berlin into Welthauptstadt Germania.

Straße des 17. Juni, the 3 mile long avenue running through the Tiergarten was designed to be the great city axis of Welthauptstadt Germania, part of Hitlers’ vision for the future capital after the planned victory in WW II. This avenue would have served as a parade ground, and have been closed off to traffic. Vehicles would have instead been diverted into an underground highway running directly underneath the parade route; sections of this highway's tunnel structure were built, and still exist today.

A newly born large and powerful Germany, whose Reichstag allegedly dates back to the times of the Holy Roman Empire, needed a house of parliament to beat any other European parliaments in size and grandeur.

The iconic words "DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE" ("For the German people") were carved above the main facade of the building in 1916, much to the displeasure of the Kaiser who had tried to block the adding of the inscription due to its democratic significance.
Burnt down in a Nazi 1933, the Reichstag followed the faith of entire downtown Berlin and became a virtual ruin after WWII. Moreover, due to the provisions set forth for Berlin by the Allies, the Bundestag (German parliament) was not allowed to assemble formally in Berlin (even though DDR was in violation of this provision since it had declared East Berlin its capital city anyway). After unification, the building has been reopened in 1999 to house the German MPs again.

2008-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Although tired after a full day of useless discussions and endless negotiations, I was feeling a better mood started to develop as soon as I went out of the conference.

And since the end of January means the last sales….the answer on “what to do” was simple….needless to say that for these activities Berlin offers a widest selection money can buy. The large shops, malls and grands magazins and around Tauentzienstrasse and Wittenberplatz were so many and so large, that an outsider finds himself lost within the first hour.

Endless displays of couture clothing, shoes and fashion accessories, sports, electronics, perfumes, home design, etc…..then restaurants and cafes….everybody was happily carrying at least a shopping bag, some were struggling with many many more.
Time passes quickly when 50-70% sales, so after a few hours in KaDeWe and a couple of hundred euros less, I was beginning to feel tired, hungry and annoyed.

During a short coffee break to stretch legs and watching the happy shoppers’ crowds, i remembered a recent BBC study, that although people today have the world at their feet because of cheap flights, have more money to spend and more time for holidays, they are not happier than 50 years ago, when they used to have less money and space for themselves, but they used to spend much more time with their large families or with their friends at the buffet around the corner.

Since then, we have been caught into the matrix: try to complement our solitude with objects and nowadays we’re selling our years for huge mortgages in the desire to make the space (and hence solitude) around us even larger.

Second time in Berlin (?!)

2008-01-29T05:35:00.000-08:00

Another week on the road, this time on business trip to Berlin. Although this may be called my second visit here, I’m not sure whether the first one can be counted as such. It happened in March 1997, few hours between trains in early March 1997, which I spent around the Berlin Zoo area with little remembrance other than how I was trying to keep warm.

This time, as the conflicting interests would anticipate long and hard bearing conference days, I managed to substitute working days at home…. with flying days. On the other hand, this also meant that I had some time to splurge.
Immediately after hotel check in and with no idea in which part of Berlin I was, except for the fact that “you’re in the city centre”, I started to walk around with no precise purpose. Large boulevards bordered with steel and glass office buildings, glitzy restaurants and cafes, formally dressed people rushed in all directions. They were looking at me as if I were an obstacle to be avoided, rather than another human being. I guess I should’ve found it normal, since I live in Bucharest, a city whose inhabitants give you the same look in the streets.

From the business area around Ernst Reuter platz I arrived in the students’ area around T.U. Berlin, more relaxed and pleasant, and further on towards the Zoo and the Kaiser Wilhelm platz. I still cannot imagine why a colleague from work said the day before “Berlin is my favourite city, it doesn’t compare with anything you’ve seen until now”. Maybe it was me in a bad mood, for which nothing seemed particularly interesting, not even as per the standards of a western globalised city. And so I interpreted the cold rain which started to poor immediately after dusk as a heavens sign I should return to my cocoon. Hence, I voted for a smooth end of the day with a massage by the pool.

winter in park

2008-01-12T13:18:00.003-08:00

sunset over a nice holiday

2008-01-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

...in Colombo, a capital under siege

Elephant Orphanage at Pinnewalla

2008-01-06T12:45:00.005-08:00

Kosgoda

2008-01-05T10:24:00.007-08:00

Baby turtle hatchery in Kosgoda….it may be very touristy, but it’s still quite touchy

….and so little they were, but were desperately crawling to get to the immense sea in front of them, at sunset.

A whole turtle life’s waiting in front…or death….

It is believed turtles return the same place some day. Hope they’ll have something to return to…

Still thinking at the baby turtles and their faith

Galle

2008-01-05T10:01:00.004-08:00

Sinharaja rainforest

2008-01-04T06:43:00.006-08:00

I always fantasised about letting myself lost in the rainforest, far from a noisy modern world and away from the daily problems it brings. I started with very empiric and romantic thoughts and instead I got a scent of basic life, going back to the roots. This time, it was not flesh and blood as in Varanassi last year, but water.

Small villages scatter the edges of the rainforest

it started to rain, and i was having second thoughts about going further.

...and the car cannot go further, so we had to continue on foot....

in half an hour, i was to find out that it did not matter whether it rained or not - the air humidity reaches the saturation point, and you simply get wet in a few minutes, with no chance to dry. Ever !

As some point, vegetation got so thick and so tall, that it feels like diving in a huge pool.

This is why they call it RAINforest, everything is wet. breathing becomes difficult, and walking means floating or swimming in the humidity around.

small insects and animals, you just need to look carefully.

Palitha Rathnayaka advising on how to get the leeches off. He was full of them, since he was walking the first one “to scare the snakes” as he put it.
Palitha’s first car was a second hand Aro from Campulung. He had to sell it after a long time because he failed to find spare parts.

ceylon tree, extremely solid and heavy.

aerian roots

We got into the rainforest with the kind help of mr. Palitha Rathnayaka, a cultivated and most funny biology professor from Deniyaya. He also runs a small guesthouse in Deniyaya, Sinharaja Rest on the Temple road in Deniyaya (sinharaja_rest@yahoo.com). Call him a few days in advance to arrange.

Tangalla

2008-01-03T06:15:00.006-08:00

serene beauty of a deserted place - Tangalla.

Once a very popular seaside resort, only a few foreigners could be spotted here and there this time. “There’re no tourists this year, it’s so sad for us. All the small hotels, motels and bungalows by the beach are closed or empty“ – complained the depressed locals.

and the beach becomes virgin again

Fishermen find it difficult to sell their catch, so very few go out at sea these days

...but not the old ones, this is their only chance to help their families

remains from the tsunami break the idyllic scenes everywhere

Guess who crosses the road?

Marketplace and meals, this is the paradise of fruit adicted people.

trustworthy tuk-tuks on hire everywhere, just bargain a little before you hop on

Mulkirigala rock temple

2008-01-02T04:54:00.001-08:00

All faithless, beware, thisis the last warning !

Steps lead up to a series of cleftlike caves in a huge rock in the middle of the rainforest. A small Buddhist school of young monks appears before the caves.

the place has a little of Dambulla and Sigiriya about it.

wall paintings inside the caves which serve as prayer rooms

a homosexual prince surrounded by demons

continue barefoot to the second level to a second set of caves sheltering large reclining Buddhas, together with other, smaller, sitting and standing figures.

the Boddhi tree and its prayer flags

fierce animals and demons guard the entrance to the sacred cave

thedemons keep the evils out, so you're nothing to fear inside

she looks familiar, giving birth to a God.

dagoba perched on top of the rock and inspiring views over the surrounding rainforest.

one good start

2008-01-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

Arugam bay

2007-12-31T15:49:00.000-08:00

Nuwara Eliya

2007-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

tea paradise

Adam's Peak

2007-12-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Hill country: Kandy

2007-12-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

ancient cities: Pollonaruwa

2007-12-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

ancient cities - Sirigiya

2007-12-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

ancient cities - Dambulla

2007-12-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

ancient cities - Anuradhapura

2007-12-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Ceylon, finally

2007-12-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

deja-vu in Dubai

2007-12-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

All my roads to Asia pass through Istanbul

2007-12-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

This time, sipping chai and enjoying an early morning narghile on a sunny Sunday morning, over the bridge of Galata, watching the life go by all around me. I wish I could stop the time and freeze that day, at least until I’ve finished reading the Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red.

However, this morning start of a 2 week travel proved very inspiring for the rest of the day, which I spent walking aimlessly and searching for the unexpected through the old Dolmabahce quarter, to the winding streets of Galata and down to the fish market on the shores of the bay of Fanar.

Flag mania: local customs or exhibitionism?

What does the ubiquitous presence of flags on private buildings or at crossroads say? What about huge flags, do they mean anything special than smaller ones?

I’d rather refrain from speculating, since I could only scratch the surface of the issue, so better leave it to the more knowledgeable ones.

Biiiiir million-bir million-bir million, or the street noise I’ve started to associate with mouth-watering kebabs and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Although the Turkish Lira has been denominated almost 2 years ago, prices are still told, advertised or shouted in millions of lira.

a love long forgotten

2007-12-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Saint Nicholas close to Saint Peter

Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven

I liked the clouds moving fast on the sky...they were so unreal and together with the deserted and totally silent square suggested a frightening, doomsday-like atmosphere taken from the medieval times

The blue lighted of the Saint Peter dome echoed fresh memories from the blue melon domes of Samarkand….i guess I had too much of blue domes for one year

Taskhent (II)

2007-11-23T02:27:00.000-08:00

Tashkent

2007-11-22T02:23:00.000-08:00

Khiva (II)

2007-11-21T02:01:00.000-08:00

Khiva

2007-11-20T01:49:00.000-08:00

Bukhara (II)

2007-11-19T01:25:00.000-08:00

Bukhara

2007-11-18T01:19:00.000-08:00

Samarkand

2007-11-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

Mazar e Sharif

2007-11-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

Balkh

2007-11-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Back to Herat

2007-11-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

Minaret of Jam

2007-11-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

road back to Herat via Chist e Sharif

Road to Jam

2007-11-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

250 km = 10 hours

Ancient Herat (II)

2007-11-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

Ancient Herat

2007-11-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

Panshir valley

2007-11-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Kabul

2007-11-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

Khyber Pass into Afghanistan

2007-11-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

Khyber Pass

WELCOME TO AFGHANISTAN

Peshawar (II)

2007-11-06T16:09:00.000-08:00

Time to do some shopping and prepare for crossing the Khyber pass into Afghanistan.

Peshawar

2007-11-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Getting closer to the Afghan border, in Peshawar, a long time smuggling centre for arms, drugs and illicit merchandise.

Transport day

2007-11-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Emergency situation

Multan

2007-11-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

Mohenjodaro

2007-11-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

Lahore (II)

2007-11-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Lahore

2007-10-31T14:17:00.000-08:00

The first thing you do when you get into a foreign country is…try and get the local currency in your pockets. the remaining Indian rupees saved our asses the night before cause we managed to exchange them in Pakistani rupees and pay for a dodgy hotel and lousy dinner. The problem we faced was that…all the ATMs in Lahore were either not working or they did not accept any other cards than the ones issued by their own bank…a few hours have passed until we found out there is a Citibank in town…..hidden beneath heavy barricades and fat bodyguards.

Once the money issue solved and with the next evening train tickets in our hands, we took a rickshaw to the Lahore fort. I guess that rickshaw had the carbon footprint of a WWII Antonov plane, for it was small, barely advancing the hill…but it was making the noise and the smoke of a fire dragon. I was not to find out until later that unlike Delhi, where all rickshaws and transport was forced to turn to LP Gas a decade ago, this is not the case in Pakistan, where rickshaws were THE major source of city air pollution.

Though not quite politically correct, I guess pollution is the first word that comes to my mind when someone’s asks me about Pakistani cities. After the first night in Lahore I was experiencing flue-like symptoms – a snotty nose and a sore throat complemented by tearing eyes. In just a few hours I realized handkerchiefs were of no use anymore, since spitting snots was a permanent occupation, whether in public or private… and this is not to mention the morning ones :-((

A stroll through the old bazaar in Lahore took me to the vibrant essence of Asia: ambulant sellers shouting their goods in the middle of the street, children playing, dogs barking, rickshaws hurrying within millimeters from porters carrying large packs, shop tenants dusting off their goods or chatting one another at a cup of tea. Every street or neighborhood is still specialized – only one type of goods are on sale in a particular area: spices bazaar, jewelers bazaar, textiles bazaar, clothes bazaar, sewers bazaar, an entire neighborhood for plastics of various shapes and sizes and another only for bathroom appliances…here and there, some chaikhanas and food stalls….the first outcome is that if you need to buy a toilet paper, a plastic glass and a scarf, you need to get lost for hours among endless arrangements in display, to the point that it is impossible to recompose your way back. The only solution out…was to keep walking straight ahead.

Typical stronghold of Moghul architecture, the fort in Lahore looks like the one in Delhi...but only from the outside. For the inside, although not as richly decorated as its Indian brother-in-law, combines an more austere look with an exotic charm, as if taken from classical movies where Indiana Jones would appear on an elephant back after the first corner.

“Hello, Sir! …..Where are you come from?”…”Your name is?”…”I am tourist specialist, authorized guide, I know everything about this place…come with me, I show you …please Sir, come…” – I was about to hear this approximate sequence in an endless number of occasions, several times at once and whenever I was paying an entrance to visit something…ah, those annoying touts, you’d say, nothing new about them?

Punjabi capital

2007-10-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Golden Temple in Amristar, Punjab - aka the vatican of the Sikhs.

One thing was most annoying to me in this city: the prohibition to smoke, in private or public places. While muslims do not eat pork and do not drink alcohol and hindus do not eat meat, the sikhs DO NOT SMOKE...I do not understand where this comes from, since cigarettes were not available by the time of their prophet (guru), around 1200 A.D.

Since communist religion has already prohibited mobile phones in North Korea, I just wonder…is there any faith or religion in this world that prohibits Tic-Tac or Kinder eggs?

WELCOME TO PAKISTAN

The Attari - Wagah is the only land border crossing between India and Pakistan and was opened half a century after partition. The daily ceremonial of closing the border just before sunset has since become a show in its own right, and a daily occasion for the locals on both sides to shout their sympathy to each other, over the wired fence. We saw the show from the Pakistani side, since we crossed the border one hour before the show was supposed to start...but not before drinking one last "secular" beer before we got into the "islamic" world.

A show of bellicosity so full of machismo, angry gestures and coregraphic looks that i found it difficult to hide my laughs.

Precision nastiness to show how angry you can get!

The excitement of the crowds grows highest during the lowering of the flags, as it is supposed no flag should hang higher than the other at any moment. However, this time the crescent moon of Muslim Pakistan remained a few seconds above the tricolour of secular India, a symbolism which sent crowds to climax.

The video shootings i did are so poor quality that i'd rather not show them:-(...... but you can always goto YT for a good summmary of the Attari - Wagah show

.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeSX6AZ5xEI&feature=related

Patiala

2007-10-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

Off the beaten path in Punjab, this small town by Indian standard (nearly 2 million people) was recommended as a good place to get to know the Sikh people, i.e. adherents of Sikhism, a monotheistic religion founded around 1200 A.D, and for its old bazaar.

Sikh Temple or Gurdwara (aka the door or the gateway to the Guru)

The Sikh suffered a lot throughout time, from both the Hindus and the Muslims, so they have the reputation of honest, easy tempered and fierce fighters, and although tradition requires every man to bear a knife all the time, I guess these days’ mobile phones are more common than knives.

What I found unusual with the Sikhs is that the men instead of the women need to comply with some strict customs related to their appearance in public. While with Muslims women have to cover their heads and faces, with the Hindus it is always women who have to wear as many piercings as possible, as for the Chinese it is the same - women were required to have their feet bound from childhood for the sake of beauty. But with the Sikhs, it is men who need not to cut their hair ever, or shave their beard or moustache, and it is also them who need to “suffer” an omnipresent turban even at 30+ Celsius.

Not many foreigners reach here, so.....i was quite a star, being asked twice to give…autographs. No kiddin – first it happened on a peaked cap, for some boys near the temple pool, second on a school notebook by this group of school girls. The tallest one was very pushy and insisted i should come and meet their parents at a cup of tea, proudly saying that they belong to Rais caste. I still don’t know why did I refuse their invitation…..was it the lack of time, as always?

I soon found a deserted Maharajah palace, such a cliché....but i loved strolling around the ruins, imagining how life used to look like from here, where the harem might have been……why did I refuse the girls invitation to tea?...

A tiny bodyguard appeared from nowhere and directed us out, pretexting the walls might collapse on us.

Back to India

2007-10-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

A month on the road has just started, with all these exotic places at my feet - these were my thoughts when my excited nostrils sensed the warm and wet air of Delhi. As if time had compressed for the last 10 months since I left the Indian capital, I forgot everything that has happened in between and my eyes were suddenly searching for familiar places… and why not, even familiar faces….

With the luggage deposited in the railway station after fooling the Indian bureaucracy by inventing a fake destination and fake ticket number, of course could not have ended up elsewhere but in Paharganj – the old bazaar district in Delhi, home to our previous visit. And the first familiar face appeared: the waiter boy in what I remember as “the liver serving restaurant” on the main street of the bazaar.

A breakfast to load the stomach and 2 coffees to brighten up the view and off we go to do what we didn’t do in Delhi the last time – travel to the suburbs by public bus. 6 rupees less (60 rupees to a euro), one hour sharing the highest ever density of human beings per square foot, and we reached the Qutub Minar.

Surrounded by a large park of partly luxuriant vegetation....

....“the tallest brick minaret in the world”….in other words, “the might of Islam”, an 11th century gift to the Hindu people, on the occasion of their conquest by the Muslims, constructed with the bricks taken from 10 Jain temples which once stood on the same spot.

I've lost my mojo....after a night long Aeroflot flight, in a plane older than me (Ilyushin II– 96-300).

The late afternoon Amristar express train ultimately proved to worth its’ 10 dollar ticket, not necessarily because of its’ speed or due to the huge size of the senatorial armchairs in the A/C class, but because of the delicious food, tea, snacks, cola, coffee, sweets, etc., which was being served continuously all along the journey. To my cynical amusement, a Bollywood like handy dandy near me was using his last generation lap-top to watch a soap movie in the small screen….i guess he was not acquainted with the full screen option…..not to mention that the schmuck got excited when the monitor turned black in the middle of a 5 minute kiss.....until somebody felt sorry for him and hit any key on the keyboard…but unfortunately the kiss had finished by that time.

Dense fog

2007-10-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

Dense fog in Bucharest surrounds the House of People blurring its outside …. No wonder what happens inside is already unclear :-)
(Shooting by a close friend)

Flying over the Italian Alps

2007-10-20T04:18:00.000-08:00

Flying over the Italian Alps on a bright sunny day.

Will there be any snow this winter?

I do hope so....

Den Haag

2007-10-17T04:16:00.000-08:00

A short business trip to Den Haag..meant a lot of work, but I still found a couple of hours to stroll around, despite the doggy weather.

Corporate Calendar 2008

2007-09-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

My employer's calendar for 2008 is supposed to include photos taken by employees during their travels.....Normally, an application should include 4 photos, i.e. one for each season.

I've shortlisted some photos i've taken during the last year, maybe you can help with pick the best ones...

proposals for the 2008 Corporate Calendar

January - another beginning

(Jungle Sunrise in Nepal)

February - a long way to go

(Newari temple in Tansen, Nepal)

March - urbanly active spring

(La Defence, Paris)

April - Easter by the sea...or in the mountains
Aprilie - Pastele....la munte sau la mare

(Lake Sevan, Armenia)

(Tsminda Sameba church, Georgia)

(Ananuri, Georgia)

May - blossom at its best

(mustard fields in Southern Nepal)

June - time to go into details, before it's not too late

(detail of a Jain temple in Jaisalmer, India)

(detail of a Jain temple, Jaisalmer, India)

July - trying to cool down

(deserted building in Old Delhi, India)

(shadowed street in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)

(wind tower in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)

August - Everybody needs a break

(Mount Kazbeg, Georgia)

(Monkey Temple, Kathmandu)

(after a morning bath in the lake, Udaipur, India)

(lazy afternoon, Jaipur, India)

(railroad to Chisinau)

September - Shadows of a shortening day....

(Bhaktapur, Nepal)

October - leafless tress yet warm afternoons

(Black Curch, Brasov, Romania)

November gets colder and colder

(Place de la Bastille, Paris)

(Jardins des Tuileries, Paris)

December - Celebration of a new year

(Buddhist stupa in Nepal)

2007-09-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Quite pissed off because the colleagues who made my travel arrangements thought it a brilliant idea for me to leave Lisbon Saturday morning at 7 a.m., which meant waking up at 5, rush into a cab and then wait for 1 hour in an airport in which everything was closed except for a lousy cafeteria full of old Brits returning from holidays. Bleah....! Ultimately, anti-tobacco laws didn’t hinder me having 2 cigarettes.

A window seat and the bird’s eye views on a crystal clear morning flying over the Pyrenees have miraculously improved my state of mind.....

....and the taste of the coffee on board.

could this foothpath be....the famous Camino de Santiago, aka Path of Saint James ?

It surely looks divine from up here.....

Crossing into the Bay of Biscay, right near Santander.

Acknowledgements: Sony, my Employer, Portuguese people, Lufthansa.

31 august

2007-08-31T22:33:00.000-08:00

Although I’ve seen it a number of times already, Lisbon remains one of my favourite capitals. This is largely due to a mix of ocean fresh air, an everything-goes ambience, with relaxed people from the former colonies mingling with the locals

Despite the overconfident historical squares, medieval quarters behind them continue to be inhabited by ordinary people, rather than by corporate cosmopolitan toffee-nosed in search for temporary glamour.

The living statue, an already common form of “street art”....

I always wondered whether they are some sort of fetishist…..

…..and what do they use as paint…..

The triumphant arch in this former colonial metropolis stays besides the sea, where loaded ships used to land ashore.

“Praca do Comercio”, what remains of the former grandeur of an empire.

Equestrian statue of a titivated king… Jose I... :-)

Rua Augusta…..this is where I found some appealing shops…. and have spent the remaining daylight inside….

But on night fall, I’m back in the old town. Street dinner in Chiado, with a huge bacalhau and a bottle of Sandeman, with Fado music and castle views….too bad I was alone…..but that’s how the romance is….

These photos are remarkably clear, given that I didn’t get up from until I finished the Sandeman….

…but it was not me who was motionless, as the camera stood on fences and parking pillars.

White cobblestone pavements, reflecting heat at day and looking great under the street lights...

I wish I was to leave Lisbon tomorrow...by sea……

30 august

2007-08-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

A business trip at the end of August provided me the excuse to stroll around Lisbon once more….i guess this is the third time…

Lookout view from Santa Catarina

Fancy dinner served on the shores of the Tejo, shells with foam of Porto wine, dogfish with broccoli and meshed carrots, all accompanied by most dull small talk.

Now that the dinner is over, I can get some time to stroll around….. pe coclauri (I didn’t manage to find yet a good English equivalent for this word)

Narrow medieval streets in Barrio Alto go up and down in most unexpected twists…

Barrio Alto – picturesque working class quarter

Long before the EU, the inhabitants collected funds and raised vehicles to help them against the uneasy nature of the place…..

…..so they built these one-line-one-road-only trams…..

….and one elevator….the famous “Elevador de Santa Justa”.

Doesn’t its features remind you of the Gustave Eiffel’s Tour?

Well, so it should be, as it’s been built by a French…about the same time….

The only lighted baroque fountain I managed to find was interesting enough to go into details...

No, I don’t know who this guy is, but I liked the view

One beer to rest legs a little, and hop on the road again….

This building could be everywhere….

…but this looks somehow different……

Ouch, it’s that late, and the meeting tomorrow starts at 9…..

2007-06-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

bloody fountain in Dracula's country

2007-06-28T13:55:00.001-08:00

2007-04-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

2007-03-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

Istanbul - narghile & turkish lamps on the way back home

2007-01-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

One day between planes in the Emirates

2007-01-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

Um Al Qaywayn

Sharjah

Dubai

Jaipur

2007-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Pushkar

2007-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00