beehive-wasp? in Chennai-Madras

right outside our room, hanging from a branch in a tree, is this marvelous miracle: a hive consisting of bees-or are they wasps?, all hanging in a beautifully patterned cluster. their bodies are striped in black and white and orange. 

we have been traveling this week and it is difficult to go online...i missed several days, even though i did take photos....well, what to do-nothing is perfect--and the pollution is ferocious: i have a bad cold-cough.


Every day we go to concerts, Carnatic music-today i sat for at least five and a half hours in the large concert hall of the Music academy. Can't tear myself away; music is my soul, and heart, and the most important thing in the world....(apart from animals and plants and mountains and WATER!! OH WATER....and trees and clouds, oh and art, and writing---and i don't mention people here as that is too large a subject)


there is very good food, on the premise of the academy, and also in many other halls all over town during the ''music season'', prepared by caterers, serving excellent pure vegetarian food. we prefer the 'meals', served on banana leaves: 16-17 different dishes-rice and vegetables and several sweets, pickles, some soup-like dishes (Rasam and Sambar), vegetables, tiny fried samosa type things, beautiful fresh curd (yoghurt), a furious black fried chili-which has been soaked in yoghurt and salt and laid out to dry in the sun so it will keep until the time it gets fried to a crunchy fiery little devil! (i take them home every year-spectacular taste!!) and various other items. all delicious!


life is good!!