The Year That Was

Posted on Monday, 7 January 2013 by marissafh

Snippets from the past year that has stayed on my mind … it’s not too late for this, right? I started this last week for the Weekly Photo Challenge, but didn’t post in time. Since I did half the work already, I’ll just post it anyway.

From the Philadelphia Flower Show, these purple, blue and green orchids caught my eye and I couldn’t tear myself away from it.

A couple of weeks later, it was off to the New York Botanical Garden for their annual Orchid Show.

Jade Vine close-up

In San Diego, blood oranges and eggplant cactus fascinated me. Okay, so the proper name for the cactus is Aeonium. But I like my name better

Monet’s Gardens – what a treat! The lilies … the daffodils … the colour explosion …

We had soccer tournaments from freezing weather to hot, brutal sun … and I hear there’s more soccer travel planned for this year …

A trip to Dili, Timor-Leste … Cristu Rei of Dili … Georgina! … AFET Humanitarian and Medical Mission

Hurricane Sandy blew away our Halloween and fall season and turned lives upside-down and inside-out …

The end of year and I’m back to Africa … the clouds … River Nile … watercolour sunsets … did I mention clouds?

Entebbe Sunset – December 2012

Clouds in Entebbe – December 2012

Entebbe Air Show – December 2012

Water-Coloured Sunset, Entebbe – December 2012

Entebbe Sunset – December 2012

Fishing on the River Nile, Ninja, Uganda – December 2012

The River NIle, Jinja, Uganda – December 2012

From the statistics, this blue-eyed fellow was the most-searched item:

And my personal favourites … La Morenada

… model flowers and the Volitan Lion Fish …

Hope yours was a good year as well.

Scenes from the River Nile

Posted on Friday, 7 December 2012 by marissafh

A collection.

Trumpet flower

‘Queen of the Nile’ ride

Sunset on the River NIle – December 2012

Learning to water-ski

‘My Name is not Muzungu’

Boat converted into a bar, by the river

Boat Captain refilling gas tank

Rapids by the dam

A patch of red among sweet potatoe and yams

Birds tanning on their own rock

The first dam built, now unused

The Nile Resort, with bungee jumping over those cliffs

Dying trees on the Nile

Relaxing in the cool breeze by the river

Fish nets drying

Pushing out the boat

Fishing by the Nile

Casting Out on the Nile

Posted on Wednesday, 5 December 2012 by marissafh

Not often that I see nets being cast out. I’m just glad that I had the right settings and my hands were steady enough to take these shots.

As I watched this, I suddenly thought of ‘fishers of men’. Don’t know why.

Maybe it was because it was the simplest and most basic actions of life … fishing for their food, survival, life … on the River Nile. And maybe the Nile River is as common to them as any other body of water. But to me, this was the mighty Nile River, as I’ve read often in the Bible. Just imagine … Jesus was also in these waters! ok, up by Egypt, not down here. But still … this was something more than common to me.

Fishing on the Nile

Posted on Wednesday, 5 December 2012 by marissafh

We would come across fishermen in their boats once in a while.

With thoughts of freshly-caught fish for dinner, we would ask if they caught any fish and if they would be willing to sell them to us.

Even the offer of money was not incentive enough for them to part with their catch.

After all, that was their dinner, and if we bought their dinner, then he would have to stay out longer fishing, wouldn’t he?

A Different View

Posted on Tuesday, 2 October 2012 by marissafh

It wasn’t exactly culture shock when I got here – in a way it was familiar and expected, but at the same time it was different. I haven’t been to this part of the world in a long while, and since Im here for only a short time, it seemed that everything is a novelty. Those who’ve been here a while don’t look twice at it anymore, it’s so common place. I suppose it would be the same for me, if I had to stay here a couple of years or more, but I hope not.

It was refreshing to see the sea waters everywhere we drove, instead of congested traffic and high-rise buildings. Our first weekend, we had breakfast in a cafe, on the beach. Nice, clear, warm Pacific waters. If I had known, I would have brought swimming gear. Although I’m not sure about being in full view of everybody passing by on the street – somehow I feel like I would be on display, for some reason.

The people have adapted well to the influx of the foreigners and expatriates – specially in raising their prices up by three times as much as what they would charge their own.

Take this fish vendor, for instance. He’s got a catch fresh from the sea, and is now walking the streets. He’ll usually charge $2 each or maybe $3 for two to the people here. But when a foreigner, even one who’s been living here for a while comes to buy, he’ll be charging $10-$15 for one. There is of course the ritual of haggling it down to a price agreeable to both. But it won’t be the $2 that he’ll usually charge.

Guess he’s got make the most of it, while we’re still here.

Porcupine Puffer Fish

Posted on Monday, 4 June 2012 by marissafh

Here’s my new friend – the Porcupine Puffer fish.

When I saw him, his face looked interesting; it reminded me of the moustache joe from another fish trip. Plus look at those blue eyes!

Then I saw the quills on his body, and was then totally fascinated with him.

I read the fish names on the tank, and of course it was the porcupine puffer fish. And so I tracked him swimming back and forth, and put my finger up to the glass, asking it to puff up for me. A worker saw me, and asked if I wanted to make it puff up for pictures. She said that the only time he’ll puff up is if he feels threatened, and if you hold him. And she volunteered to put her hand in to hold him, so that he’ll puff up.

What?? Well, apparently, they’re not poisonous, and the quills don’t sting. It’s all appearances … puff up the quills to discourage would-be predators who want to eat them. And so, she put her hand in the tank, and chased him around …. Poof!! This is what he looked like then.

Yes, he is scary looking. And those quills does discourage eating him, doesn’t it?

We left him alone then, and he swam around and calmed down. This is what he looked like calmed down … well, almost. He’s still got the quills and spikes up on his head.