This bridge is one of Budapest’s iconic sites.
Category Archives: photographs
DAILY PHOTO: Getting One’s Symbols Crossed
Centuries before the Nazis hijacked the swastik “twisted cross” emblem, it was part of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist iconography. Throughout South Asia, the symbol generally expresses a wish for well-being (the word “swastik” literally means “well-being” in Sanskrit.) Of course, there are specific religious meanings that vary with the belief system that is utilizing the symbol.
One has to remember this when one is in a Jewish neighborhood in South Asia–such as this one in Kochi–because, otherwise, the prominent swastikas can be disconcerting given the Nazi’s inexplicable expropriation of this symbol.
DAILY PHOTO: Flamingo Flower and Lady’s Eardrops
DAILY PHOTO: Down to the River
DAILY PHOTO: Bharachukki Falls
DAILY PHOTO: Undercrewed Snakeboat
DAILY PHOTO: Ship Passing Chinese Fishing Nets
At the harbor at Fort Kochi, where ships enter the Arabian Sea, there are old Chinese Fishing Nets lining the coast. The nets don’t yield many fish in this area, but exist more as a tourist attraction. The fixed, lever-lowered nets were actually introduced by the Portuguese–albeit Portuguese who had spent time in southern China (i.e. Macau.)
The port at Kochi (Cochin) is one of India’s major transportation hubs (11th largest by tonnage and 8th largest by number of containers.) In addition to modern products, the port still handles a lot of the spice that made Kochi an important center of trade since ancient times.
The channel has to be dredged to keep a clear path for the large number of ships transiting in and out of port.
DAILY PHOTO: Munnar Tea Plantation
DAILY PHOTO: Scene from the Keralan Backwaters
DAILY PHOTO: Tunnel Under Buda Castle
I don’t know how this post will turn out. WordPress has decided it must–as is the custom with technology–replace a perfectly good system (one that has been working for years) to create appearance of hipness, so they can sell training to all the users who no longer know where anything is, or just to be douches. As with anything new, I’m sure it will be filled with bugs. So if you don’t see a picture, it’s not my fault.













