Shamash Says...

Waking Up with a Bindi

___The Goddess Lakshmi arose from the Ocean of Milk, during the great churning of the oceans.

Last night I donned one of my saris and headed out to celebrate the Festival of Lights, Indian Devali.

Image via shedrums

Water, Wires, and the Power of a Pen

Charlie, my kitten-turned-cat, is still all legs and all ears; we shall see if her body catches up with her appendages. I have no doubt I will be blamed in her cat therapy sessions for an identity crisis for my recent mistake in thinking she was male. In reality, she’s a dog-cat, drinking water out of the toilet and my bathtub, a sociable licker, and an eager greeter-at-the-doorer.

Read on for surprising, historical photos from this week.

All Things Green and Beautiful

You might think this is a Windows Desktop, but you would be mistaken. It's a pic I took of a rice paddy not far from the city where I live. I've been out and about, visiting villages on the weekends. What you see here is a photo journal of the past three weeks: my tribute to this country's people and the beauty of this land.

Yes, It's True

 

It rained a lot

the past few days.
What we see
on the surface
is only
a
percentage
of what
might be.

The Kindness of Strangers

  This is a picture I took of the State Capital of Minnesota through the window of a bus I never planned to take, in a part of town I never planned to visit.

Some of my most profound life lessons have come from my solitary travel and sometimes, the greatest travel adventures happen when nothing goes as planned. Despite what you see and read in the news (violent crime, kidnappings, and murder) America is a not the big, scary place we see on the news.

There is a warm web of community among strangers who meet at bus stops, and for every crime reported in the media, there are thousands of untold stories and numerous unsung heroes who lend  helping hands to a frantic traveler like me who would be unable to make it to her destination without the kindness of strangers. 

The Mall of America: Bigger? Better? Best?

  I realize that I’ve entered this place with the eye of a stranger in a strange land. An American expatriate who has lived in a developing nations for over ten years and who is coming from a lands with power outages, lack of medical care and extreme poverty, my perception of this mall is quite different to those who have made a visit to this place part of their summer vacation.

(images by shamash)

Coffee and Italian Food in New York

“We’ve made reservations for tonight at Otto’s in The Village,” said Madam Brooklyn. “If you’re into celebrity chefs, it’s owned by Mario Batali." I hadn’t heard of this famous chef known for his brawn, red hair, and habit of wearing shorts and bright orange Crocks in the kitchen. But, she soon filled me in.

The Bag: The Village Tannery

For almost every day for the past eleven years, I’ve carried the same, large leather bag. It has accompanied me to 14 countries, crossing borders, oceans, continents, and times zones. My constant companion, weathering the love and loss of friends and lovers, it looks no worse for wear.

When I recently met an ex-fiancé for coffee, the first words out of his mouth were: “Are you still carrying that bag?”

“Yep!” I replied. “It has proven to be a much better investment than most boyfriends, and it has certainly lasted longer!”

Mango Rains: the Monsoon Has Arrived (I think!)

  Hooray, hooray, the monsoon's here;

Hooray, hooray, the mango rains;

Hooray, Hooray, the flooding streets;

Hooray Hooray the chilly air.

105 degrees has dropped to 75 degrees: brrr: where's the fleece?

On my tin roof, the rain is drumming, drumming, drumming, announcing the change of the seasons.

Mother Nature is making up for the past six months of no rain.

(This is a pic of my wet, happy garden! :-)

Life on the Lake: an Inle Photo Journal

“What makes a place special is the way it buries itself inside the heart, not whether it’s flat or rugged, rich or austere, wet or arid, gentle or harsh, warm or cold, wild or tame. – Richard Nelson (as qtd in Beyond the Last Village by Alan Rabinowitz)

original image by shamash

A few days at Inle Lake is good for the soul. Read on for a photo journal.