After a week of life here, today I got to be the big city explorer that I am. I went for a stroll in District 1, which is the center of town. Whew! -glad to find out there are wide streets and more open spaces. I was beginning to feel just a tad claustrophobic. Where I live seems to be narrow streets and tall buildings. In between those narrow streets one has to navigate tiny alleys to get to ones home. And those teeny alleys do not stop the motor scooters, on any car that can fit for that matter, from entering the fray in search of passage among pedestrians, street stalls, vendors, and doggies. I was beginning to wonder if I no longer appreciated the madness of the metropolis. Thanks goodness that is not the case. (it’d be kind of rough living here otherwise.) I simply needed to get out and about.
Today started with grey skies and rain. The view over the rooftops indicated that clearing was probably not coming for quite awhile. I could either chance it or sit inside. I opted for the former, after waiting for a break in the rain. Outside the weather was surprisingly cool – ‘cool’ being relative, of course. Still, good cruising conditions. I hopped in a taxi and 15 minutes later I arrived at my destination. After about an hour stroll, I noticed the skies above turn an increasingly dark shade of black. Then the winds came up. Time to flag a taxi. We had driven no more than one block when the torrent started. For those of you who have never lived in the tropics, there is no way to explain the amount of water that comes down. You are immediately drenched. Fortunately, even if this happens, it’s not cold so you are not really miserable. Unless you start thinking about acid rain. Which I don’t. Hopefully, the weather will brighten up over the weekend so I can really get lost in the big city.
Kate
