Around Canberra

Green, low rise cities are naturally lovely. What about the details?

Sun shining where the man-made meets the controlled nature.

Lots of meandering, bucolic paths for walking, biking. And a manhole cover. Canberra is in a dry zone and signs of old bush fires can be found. Charred tree trunk.

Being dry, forget the lawn, lay some gravel and plant a flowering tree. Your place will look like a giant bonsai setting.

Metal ornaments. Stadium lighting stanchion and power line supports.

Spring!

Wandering Around Qarshi

Taking a look at some of the quieter parts of Qarshi, places not in their top 10 tourist list.

The landscaping crew in front of the Kok Gumbaz mosque. Motley.

Classic, old building tucked in a residential neighborhood, the Chaqar mosque. Mosque details, whitewashed walls, a nice portico for cooling and iconic, carved wood columns.

An old neighborhood, no straight lines, house compounds hidden behind walls. And piles of stone and sand.

Sharafboy madrasa, so old, repaving the surrounding area over the centuries has half buried the place. Peeking through the down doorway at the leaf covered courtyard. Quiet.

Meat means big business. Qarshi is known for its cooked meat and people visiting stock up on the good cuts before heading back to their home towns. They place big orders that are then put in boxes, and then the boxes are crammed in plane and train luggage racks. A heifer haul, ribs for the road.

Snow Day! In Tashkent

Starting last July, when it was 105º without any rain for months, it was impossible to imagine a blanket of snow in Tashkent. Yesterday, the blanket dropped.

A winter wonderland in the neighborhood.

Keeping ahead of the blanket to keep the shops open. Covering the clothing. Not much traffic.

Hot water piping for radiators, hope they're delivering.

Leave the vehicle option, use the feet instead.

Limb down! Limb down! People avoiding the disaster zone.

Wipers up to avoid freezing. Spoiler alert, it's 45º today and melting. Can't wait for your sweet ride? An optimistic Uzbek gets a jump on washing the car.

Squint and you're in Switzerland. For a day. 

Old Neighborhoods In The Fergana Valley

A lot of the cities in Uzbekistan have an old Soviet vibe of huge avenues bounded by endless apartment blocks. Centralized blah. Old, winding, dense neighborhoods still exist in small pockets, especially in some of the towns in the Fergana Valley.

In Namangan and Kokand, the old areas feel a little Middle East, North African in layout, walled streets in a random pattern with courtyard compounds beyond the door.

The street is the playground.

Construction/reconstruction. Courtyard, parking area, square, street, whatever purpose is needed.

Utility poles, placed wherever.

More views, alleys, streets, trees, sunsets.

A typical door, leading to another, private world.

Istanbul Peeping

While exploring a neighborhood outside the tourist areas of Istanbul, James discovered many houses in various stages of disrepair. Some structures were boarded up, some places left to fall apart. The entrance was usually blocked. What to do? Peep.

An abandoned red boot.

Into night.

Searching For The Real Mumbai, Part 2

Our stroll around Mumbai continues, always seeking the usual, unusual and sublime.

Did you know India has a lot of people? An afternoon on a street near Crawford Market.

There's so little room that this vendor sells books out of his truck. You want to mess with this property? Then you will be messing with Mr. Ashok Patel.

Hanging out.

One of the many workers who is part of the massive tiffin lunch distribution trade. Mumbai alley.

What's left when a building is torn down. Outside a post office, red postal trucks on the left, piles of mail on the right.

Searching For The Real Mumbai, Part 1

Seeing the iconic sights of a city is nice (see India Gateway), but it's the little details in the neighborhoods that give a fuller picture of a place. Mumbai is full of areas to explore, places that give up their fine details.

A typical city block, iconic taxi front and center.

Lounging man in a doorway, his shoes arranged just so. The key man, a lot of already cut keys and a loooong phone number.
Sidewalk book buying.

Taxi stand sign, so cute! An old restaurant and bakery - check out the great sliced bread sign in the center.

Kids doing some old school-style gymnastics. Is the Cold War over? An outside haircut.