Random tidbits

Funny happenings and, well, tidbits will eternally float about in my head regarding events during this trip. Gradually they slip from the grasp of my memory, and I fear that it they aren't spilled from the cavity inside this noggen they will be forgotten forever. So I appologise in advance for the seemingly spurratic or random state of this entry.

We passed a caravan of camels on our way somewhere the other day. They were loaded down heavily with large brown dunny sacks of who knows what on top of very colourful blankets, and atop each was a relatively normal looking man. Why they would choose to use camels as their mode of transportation I have no idea, but that's what they did, and I personally thought it a rather amusing specticle. No one else seemed to think so, they just honked and passed them as if they were cars. We also passed an elephant with someone riding it also laden with goods of some kind on our way to the bakery yesterday. As far as I know, that's the first elephant I have seen here, and it's garenteed not to be the last.

Today marks the day where the construction workers are finished with the inside of the bakery. Although they are five weeks past their supposed finish date, and still not complete some exterior work. Today also marks the day where all the equipment has been sucessfully turned on at the same time, and it all works! Nothing exploded, or shorted out (this time...), or plain old didn't work. Finally!! This quite possibly means that we can clean everything, unpack some boxes and put things in their final resting places tomorrow.

There is a metal fence securing the area that the generator is in, and it was just recently completed with gate and all. Aperently this structure isn't really supposed to be there because of asthetics I guess... not that the rest of the complex the bakery is in is beautiful or anything... but anyhow, if it was put up long enough ago it is allowed to be there. Kind of like the rule in some appartment buildings back at home where if you have a cat and have lived there for the past tren years then you are alowed to jeep your cat. But if you move in to the building, you cannot bring a cat with you. Back to gates... To get around this, the construction guys basically wash the thing in acid to rust it out. This way if an inspector or the main landloard guy comes around and sees it it will look as though it has been there for many years. Totally backward I tell you. But the gate has to be there to protect the multi thousand rupee generator from being stolen. Even though it is the size of a small car, and attached to the building in several ways. It still protects from vandals I guess.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the fruit and veggie market down the street from our house. I can get an entire bag jammed with veggies for 25 rupees, dollar equivelent, 60 cents. It's awesome! And bread is 25 cents (11 rupees), and eggs are 50 cents a dozen (25 rupees), a litre of milk is 65 cents (27 rupees), and so on and so on! Oh yeah, and a McDonalds ice cream cone, although pretty small, are 10 rupees or 25 cents. Marc eats about... mmmm three to four of these a day. :P Ok, maybe slight exageration, but not too much!

We are having a slight water issue in our place. No shortage or anything like that, but it seems to be coming from everywhere. Nearly every hose, tap, flusher, faucet and wall, yes, wall, leaks. There is currently a constant pool of water on our bathroom floor, and the walls of our bedroom are water damaged. But they(the bedroom walls) haven't gotten any worse since we moved in. The ones in the dining room have. There is a wall in the dining room that is shared with a bathroom outside our front door. We never use this washroom, mainly because it has a squatter toilet, and neither of us is quite brave enough to use it. However, it is suspected that Dave and Anna's helper man Anwar is using that bathroom to bathe in... quite possibly because he may not have anywhere to stay right now as he is looking for an appartment, and very well may be sleping on the roof of our building. That washroom is not meant for bathing in, as it does not have all four walls tiled like the others, to prevent moisture damage. We put a padlock on the door, so we will know for sure if it was him if our dining room walls dry out in the next few days. I just hope that the damage isn't as bad as it looks. :S

Marc is going to teach the street kids how to break dance and do the electric slide tomorrow. it should be amusing. I'll try and get some pictures of the kids without being mauled. But right now I need sleep. G-night!