RARE FLOWER

Top View: Saw this flower near my house. It is called Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius.  Found the name from the net.  It is about 14 inches in diameter.

Side View

BARENTU FALLS

Barentu is a small town in Eritrea near the Ethiopian border. I had never been to Barentu, but I knew a few Indians who were working there. At that time, I was working at another town called Segeneity in Eritrea.

During the year 2000, there was a conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The towns near the border were more affected by the war. One weekend the Indians in Barentu got together and were playing cards. While they were enjoying themselves, a jeep was moving around the town making some announcement in the local language. The Indians did not understand and thought they were announcing a meeting for the locals. 

After sometime, when they had finished playing, they went outside. To their surprise, very few people were around. When they enquired about the reason, they were told that the authorities had announced that Ethiopian forces were moving in and people should evacuate the town, which was about to fall into Ethiopian hands. 

The Indians looked desperately for any vehicle that would take them out of the town. They could not find any since all the vehicles had left carrying the locals. They then decided to walk carrying only their essential documents. They walked for hours and finally crossed the border and reached a town called Kassala in Sudan. They then got some assistance in Sudan to return to India. 

BOAT JETTY

Boat Jetty, Kollam