Favourites of the Week 3/30-4/5

I'm a little behind on these. Sorry about that...

I took this picture out the window of a bus as I was headed to Abids. We were at a really long stoplight, and this guy was smoking in the auto in front of us. I’m not a fan of smoking, but I like the way this turned out, with the veined hand and the design of his sleeve. 



Somehow this photo reminds me of my Grama Helen. I think it’s something about the way she is walking. She looks very self-assured, like she’s not going to take crap from anyone, which certainly describes Grama.

This was my first ever chance to hold a monkey. His owners really wanted me to take pictures of them and the monkey, so I asked to hold him. He was softer than I expected. Very energetic, but also friendly. Didn’t try to bite, even when annoyed (though, judging by the ginger way his owner tried to take my earbud out of his mouth, I think he can probably have an attitude when he wants to…). He sort of gnawed on my fingers if they were near his mouth, but it was more like a puppy playing, not anything aggressive.

 

I found the best way to get him to stay still though, was to let him chew on my earbud (which I thought at the time wasn’t working. Found out later that it was). He would sit contentedly on my arm as long as he had something to chew.

Not sure if this is a bicycle rickshaw storage area, or a bicycle rickshaw graveyard, but it evokes a sense of abandonment and waiting.



I'm not sure what these kids were doing. Aside from this one on land, there were a couple in the water who appeared to be fishing things out of the water. After seeing (and smelling) the river they were in, I wouldn't fancy even sticking my feet in. But they were covered with the water and didn't seem to even care.



 

This very much goes along with what I've been learning about the Muslim community since being here. I feel like, in the States, even if one does not believe that Muslims are evil, one still does not really have any other input given about the Muslim community, so we simply end up dumb. One of the biggest things I've learned from people who are working in business side by side with Muslims is the fact that Muslims are very warm, welcoming, hospitable people. These are the things we need to hear, not the people who say that Muslims are evil and they're all terrorists.

This was taken from up inside Charminar. It was relatively quiet up there, not too many people, and it was an interesting view of the chaos down below, which I had been in five minutes earlier. Such a crush and a tangle, I do not know how people manage half the time. The traffic around Charminar is utter madness. Long rows of women in burqas, with their daughters in various stages of being covered up, all holding hands to avoid being separated as they weave their way through foot and vehicle traffic. Horns blaring, people trying to be heard, shop owners attempting to entice people into their shops. It's enough to drive anyone batty. But it is also a very invigorating experience. You have to make your own way through the crowd, trying not to simply be swept along by it, and when you manage to break through and find yourself on a few feet of peaceful ground, you take a breath, enjoy the stillness for a moment, then jump back into the current.

People mostly hate pigeons. I know that. But I love them. They photograph well, and they have a certain beauty that one does not always notice. Pigeons are often looked at as drab, grey creatures. They look like smog, and are about as fondly looked upon. But when you look at them in the sunlight, the light glances off their feathers, making them shimmer and change colours in the light. Pigeons have colours in their feathers worthy of a peacock, though they come in smaller, less noticeable packages. They remind me that beauty can be found in the things that are seen as drab and boring.

This was on my bathroom window sill. He froze there as soon as he noticed me, as though hoping that I'd not see him. I love the way that everything came together in various shades of a single colour. The lizard looks poised to run at any second (and I'm pretty sure he didn't stay here much longer. He got a little camera shy and scooted out the window).