Somewhere Saturday - India

My trip to India last spring was the first time I was out of Canada for about 10 years and I had forgotten the wonderful variety of vehicles that crowd the streets of countries in Africa and Asia. These photos were taken in Delhi exhibiting some of the uses of bicycles and tricycles there and a little of the ingenuity and determination of the people. The gentlemen above and to the left are carrying loads that most Canadians would have to hire a truck to haul. The man on the right is moving his entire business around to wherever the customers are. The rickshaws below are one of many means of public transportation, rather than being quaint novelties for tourists as they are here in Victoria.

Somewhere Saturday - India

Among the many splendors of India, something that I find stimulating is the constant juxtaposition of the old and new. Here we have a statue representing Nandi, a deity thousands of years old, resting comfortably beneath a modern overpass. You can read more about Nandi by clicking HERE. This photo was taken in Delhi in March 2011.

Humayun's Tomb

I intended today to begin to catalog all the spring changes that have been bursting out during my absence but have not made it out to any of my favorite locations yet. It's raining and I have a little cold so here's another from India. Who could resist the framing provided by these wonderful arches? Beyond the arch is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb, in Delhi. Humayun was a Mughal emperor. The tomb was erected in 1565 by Humayun's grieving widow, Hamida Banu Begum. It is generally agreed to have been the precursor of the more famous Taj Mahal, erected about 67 years later.

Lodi Gardens, Delhi, India

Greetings! Here I am back in Victoria after a quick jaunt to India. It wasn't a photographic excursion so I don't have many pictures to share. However the one above nicely encapsulates some of the outstanding aspects of my trip — beautiful sights and wonderful traveling companions. They are seated on the steps leading to the Bara Gumbad and looking towards the Sheesh Gumbad, two examples of 16th century Pashtun architecture found in the Lodi Gardens in Delhi, the capitol of India.

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I've just been looking through the photos posted while I've been away and am glad I decided to arrange to let you see Victoria through another lens. My daugher, Fern Long, is a gifted photographer and artist and I am looking forward to seeing more of her work here. Thank you, Fern.