Reflections of an Urban Cat
Kobe
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address - Greetings to the Natural World
Monday, October 11, 2021
Of shellcasings and bunkers in the land of milk and honey
Tramping through the last patch of forest towards the end of Day 7 we are in anticipation of what the next guesthouse was going to bring. Every evening, capping a day of hiking along the pristine 'peaks of the Balkans' trail, stepping into the rest stop was like unwrapping a xmas present :) We could not have predicted the experience @ Guesthouse Shqiponja in the Drelaj village. The Shala family runs it and the senior Osman Shala had a personal war journal which was subsequently published and in the forms of books we all could take in. Flipping through with trembling hands, you are transported to the horrors of the not-too-distant-past war that ravaged these parts. The dark history that kept the western Balkans under wraps and isolated from the rest of the world, rears its ugly head.
Until this point, our encounters of the myriad bunkers on the trails were mostly curious photo ops. Not so much thoughts of war or divided peoples. But Mr. Shala's diary makes one confront and learn what makes people tick even in the midst of jaw-dropping beauty. The war crimes unspeakable, the scarring permanent for most who endured it. A few seemed to wear it on their faces, given all this transpired a mere 20+ years ago.. in our generation. Not a distant Nam memory or a WWII tale from grandpa. But what stood out in the 10 days we spent hiking was how resilient people are, how fast they rise back up and build livelihoods. The warmth and genuine affection they offer complete strangers, the smiles as they worked their butts off. As if only they knew all too well how blessed it is to have the moos of a cow and the baahs of sheep penetrate the cool nights in the place of artillery and gun fire. The prayer call from the mosque snapped us back to the evening and the pleasant company of fellow hikers in a cozy home. Dinner was promptly served and we are once again treated to the riches the land offers - produce from the garden, freshly baked bread and the fresh milk, cheese, curds from our company in the latter part of the hikes as we descend into valleys lined with pastures of cows and sheep. On cue Ranga asks for chili or hot sauce only to get back an all too familiar shrug that seemed to say no and 'nice try' at the same time :) We won't get into the ifs and but ifs of the long and bloody war, complexities of the former Yugoslav territories far exceed the layers of the Flija bread! The flija bread of the Kosovo region is a labor of love, takes a few hours to bake and transports you to a special place as you peel the delicate 40 something layers and indulge in its buttery goodness.
As we hiked from one hut to the next and met with some of the folks who run the guesthouses, we heard tales of the visionaries and planners of the PoB or Peaks of the Balkans loop trail. Some of them we later learnt actually worked on it, like Enko and Plav Polia! After the war, they set to work on an ambitious blueprint- A 120 mile cross-border trek through the Accursed mountains (part of the Dinaric Alps) and unite people in a shared goal of establishing a spectacular hike through pristine regions while providing means to the shepherds of the region. They were convinced to open up guesthouses for the hikers, thus creating one of the most beautiful and unique experiences for people on the multi-day traverse. For decades, these mountains dotted with thousands of bunkers installed by the paranoid dictator Enver Hoxha seemed impregnable and imprisoned its own people within its giant massifs and steep gorges. These days, some of the only reminders of the past are the occasional shellcasing in the dirt.
It truly is one of Europe's last remaining wilderness. The endangered Balkan lynx, wolves and bears are known to roam its mystic corridors. We were stoked to see the Triton newt in a few glacial lakes. These prehistoric creatures are so agile and thrive in the vegetation-rich waters. A diving rat was making their lives hard though, he would dive every few minutes, grab a newt and bring his catch to his borough on the lake shore for a quick meal and swoosh..back in the water. A couple of days, the huts are in very remote regions, basic but comfortable and most true to the sensory lode of living among livestock and the hardy people inhabiting this rugged landscape. Staying in a Kulla or a miniature stone fortress offers a peek into the traditional style of living of affluent mountain folk forged by weather, culture and need for security. One of the highlights of the path is that it is filled with fresh, ripe berries (black, blue, rasp.. and billberries) all over, giving us purple tongues and making us unwitting seed dispersers 😜. In the valleys and close to the pastures, the way is lined with fruit trees - apricot, plum, pears and apples, all in season. These fruits go into making a potent mountain spirit called Raki or Rakia, a strong distilled liquor made with fermented fruit. It's been called the drink that unites, for good reasons that I can't seem to recall..hmmm. The slopes on the Albanian side are famed for their rich bio diverse plethora of prized herbs that bring about everything from flawless skin to eternal life. The mountain tea (Caj Mali) from some of these herbs is soothing, flavorful and an excellent starter on cold mornings. Colorful bee boxes dot villages in lieu of post boxes and produce decadent honey of varied tastes and hues, also a daily treat served with the day's dairy output.
Even the stray dogs seemed to inherit the fierce independence distinctive of the region. On our very first day from Theth to Valbone, over a 1000m high mountain pass, a dog from the village of Theth accompanied us all the way without so much of a hint of weariness or doubt. On the first few turns, heading out of Theth, we were convinced she would turn around and head home. But no, she was surer than us, seemed at ease and definitely pushed us too! This became the common theme over the upcoming days as we chatted with other hikers who shared similar stories. I was glad to save juicy morsels from our guesthouse meals for them keeping the 'bland' cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese for my trail lunch. The dogs wanted no part of that trio and we too shared that sentiment by Day 5 :) Oops.. did I say that out loud!
The multi-day hike has a bit of everything - gorgeous mountain scenery shrouded in cool mist in the mornings, craggy peaks that sometimes straddle the boundaries of 3-5 countries, forests and meadows covered in a riot of flowers & insects, turquoise alpine lakes and sheer knee-shredding descents into valleys and pastures. Some of the sheep, in their unshorn splendor reminded us of Bob Marley and seemed to mime
'One love, one heart.. Let's get together and feel all right'. How apt in this place and in these times!
One love, one heart
Let's get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (one love)
Hear the children crying (one heart)
Sayin', "Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right"
Sayin', "Let's get together and feel all right"
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (one love)
There is one question I'd really love to ask (one heart)
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?
Believe me
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Pandemic missteps - Episode One
Among the lucky people, who are able to ride out this pandemic from home..I'm sure there are some epic tales of doing silly shit. Here is my humble contribution.
In the quest to keep fit in the absence of the usual avenues like gym, tennis, etc, the hubby and I are forced to become workout buddies and few options to do that. There is one bicycle that hasn't been used in years, one waiting to be assembled and sitting in the box it arrived last October! Before we summoned up the right mindset to work on that project, we started to go for short runs in the neighborhood to work up a decent sweat and justify the food & beverages that were to follow during the course of the day.
Two days into the running 'regimen', hubby decides that we must mix up the scenery a bit. Sure.. as long as it isn't too far from home, as per the governor's orders and conscious of watchful eyes. We drove up to the nearest univ campus which has been evacuated to clear out all the germ-carries aka college kids. It's deserted and we feel good about ourselves. Dear hubby, who is running for the 3rd consecutive day for the very first time in his life, slows the pace a tad bit ... to a crawl. He is a good n natural athlete, just not into 'mind-numbing' running. I don't want to get ahead and lose sight of the one and only physical connection I have in the whole world now (sorry Kobe) and decide to follow 2 steps behind like an obedient doggy. 10 mins or so into the run, the campus dorms and sports venue comes into view and he looks over to assess the emptiness of it all. "Never before seen footage of deserted college campus". Feeling confident in my stride and pace, I follow suit to take in the empty scene and ..whoosh. Splaat..kaboom!
I'm splayed out on the concrete pavement wondering what hit me, super mad at Ranga who seemed pleasantly amused by why I'm licking the very pavement we are running on, while just 10 mins back, I gave a preparatory pre-run lecture on "don't touch anything. I mean nothing, not trees, not buttons to trigger walk signs, fences, nothing. Just keep your head straight, be aware and run a steady pace"!! Splotches of blood start to appear on my sweatpants and I glare at the culprit who had no business being there, right in the middle of the pavement - a fire hydrant...argghhh. Thankfully due to the lockdown, nobody else saw the Darwinian event unfold or watch me eat crow with a serving of humble pie :) Running has been a little different since then, I nearly slammed my head into a signpost while keenly watching the pavement for rouge fire hydrants and now I can't figure out what I should be looking at while running. How did I do it all these years?
Details no one asked for: It was a solid hit by metal on knee but thankfully nothing broken and no serious injury thanks to the 0 mph pace, and no visit to doc needed. Only shame and embarrassment punctuated by laughs and back to working out with the same partner and hubby the very next day. Just lot more aware of the surroundings. And I keep safety tips close to my chest, no need to lecture other adults :)
Stay tuned for the next pandemic misstep next week, that one on bicycles!
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
An ode to the porters of Kilimanjaro
After about 45 mins along the rim, between glacier on one side and the crater on the other, we make it to the said point of Freedom, the roof of the great continent of Africa. Note in hand proclaiming our love for Kobe, we take a few pics and murmur silent goodbyes to Mamba. On our way down, gazing at the deceptive snowcover, it's hard not to draw parallels between the dwindling and scarce glaciers atop Kili to the fate of the entire planet balanced precariously in our bungling hands. Are more mountains on this beautiful earth, going to turn into brown ghosts of their former snowy glory? Creating in turn arid, desolate foothills that were once thriving and rich ecosystems sustaining abundant life now only existing in lore. Will the elephant herds of Amboselli fade away into mere images in coffeetable books and relegated to the history channel :( The rapture of monkeys and birds in the forest below dispel the foggy thought and the entire team breaks into the customary Kilimanjaro song at the base. More Mambo-Jambo-Abari-NZuri till we reach the gate and Hakuna matata for now.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Добро пожаловать в Россию
Every 4 years, around mid-June most of the planet goes into soccer frenzy while the US keeps itself strangely entertained with the NBA draft, summer picnics and graduations! FIFA world Cup 2018 is underway and the host country Russia's mascot for the games is the goal-scoring wolf, Zabivaka.
But the true animal ambassador this year, is the soothsayer/mouse-slayer/museum-dweller cat Achilles. He resides in the St. Petersburg museum and has been designated the official psychic. He predicts the victors by choosing between two bowls of treats with flags above them. Check him out in action here:
Friday, May 11, 2018
Biomimetics or biomimicry
— Otto Herbert Schmitt, In Appreciation, A Lifetime of Connections: Otto Herbert Schmitt, 1913 - 1998
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Orangutan |
Orange Tabby |
And now, a brief history of humans stealing(mimicking) from cats
“Cat Eye” Road Reflectors
AC Current
- Sensitive electronic (e-)whiskers pave the way for increased interaction between robots and their external environments.
- Boston robotics: The cheetah-cub robot was designed by Swiss scientists to move like a cat.
- Cats’ Tongues Are Inspiring Smarter Hairbrushes For Humans
- Thumbtacks based on cats' retractable claws