Wow – this place is sooooo quiet! It’s like my home-stay at 8:40 at night. Kinda spooky it’s so quite, but I can hear the crickets and a distant radio. I seem to be going from one extreme to another, but I think I’m going to like this. It’s probably related to the power being “finished,” but this is more of a residential areas so it may be normal. God I hope so – earplugs don’t do a thing for the wonking bass that literally infused the walls of the hotel. It was the SAME rhythm all night – never varied, never quit. When do these people sleep????
So yes! I got in my new digs today. A whirlwind of activity – two trips in a pick-up. I know, you wouldn’t think one could accumulate anything in such a short amount of time, but remember there is a double four poster bed (necessary for holding up a mosquito net), a desk, two chairs and a bookcase. Then there are sundry and assorted bathing buckets, laundry buckets, night buckets, a two burner gas stove and the mega-ton propane tank that goes with it. Add a fan, two sort-of shelving somethings, three suitcases, kitchen paraphernalia and well – you’ve got STUFF.
Have the windows partially draped, but curtain rods come tomorrow (re-bar cut in lengths), so it’s a little weird. And the housemate is no-where. He probably has a life… Young people are like that. I used to be one.
So, I got in, started putting things together and realized at way past dark-thirty that I had no drinking water, no toilet paper and no dinner. Two of those three are pretty essential – you can guess. So we were severely cautioned not to venture out after dark but dark happens at 6:45 or so. By 7:00 PM it’s darker than the inside of a cat (don’t ask me how I know this – but it makes sense – really dark). I can’t be a wuss and wait for my house mate – besides, how can I admit that I’m scared to go out after dark!!!!
Therefore, I put up my “don’t mess with me” psychic energy shield, grabbed my headlamp (gee, could I get more conspicuous?), personal alarm, keys and set off. Nearly blinded a few Ugandans with my headlamp… They never use flashlights and are always out in the pitch dark, dodging pot-holes and mud fields, not to mention bikes and bodas. There are a few vendors at the edge of the road with their lanterns, but otherwise, not a torch/flashlight in sight. I don’t get it, but honestly they have much better night vision than we do and a helluva a lot better hearing. That’s probably the price we have paid for so much light and noise pollution.
Having survived the trip, I feel a little like that third grader who just swam the width of the pool and “passed” their test. Still, I won’t make a habit of it.
That’s the report from the Pearl of Africa…. I’d sure like to know who came up with that description.
Dong maber larema!