The International Toilet Museum--for real

Today I found myself looking at toilets, yes. A museum full.

There were toilets in many shapes and sizes.

King Louis XIV's toilet, even.

Though we should all be smiling, they took their job of educating about sanitation very seriously. Commendable because, yes...

The side of the road is not the place to go.

They had a real toilet to use, too. Very thorough.

An ambulance ride

I got to ride in an ambulance today. I was sitting by the chemist counter, waiting for them to finally open at 11am. But the guy behind the counter really didn't want to put his "open for business" sign on the counter. Why? Because he knew he didn't have what I wanted. The day before when he didn't have the eye drops I needed, he'd assured me he would by this morning when I came back. He looked busy elsewhere as long as he could, but finally he put the sign out and I approached the counter.
Very sheepishly he told me they still didn't have new stock, but it would arrive in an hour. An hour? I'd already been sitting there thirty minutes. He told me I could go to the chemist counter at the hospital down the street and get what I needed.
I looked out the window and sighed. It was raining, and I'd have to walk.
"You have a vehicle, ma'am?"
"No."
"You will get there how?"
"Walking."
"Walking." It was at that moment he realized that, though he couldn't keep his word and provide the eye drops I needed, he could do something. He ordered the ambulance from the hospital to come and pick me up.
The ambulance came, and I rode the short distance to the hospital (we didn't use the sirens) to get some eye drops.

Nanis are protesting

A nani (nah-nee) is a grandma. This one seems very excited about something. I don't actually know what she's saying, though. It could be that she's telling everyone to go home and stop protesting. That would be nice--I hope they would listen to her. But probably not.

Today they are taking a break from the strikes. People are permitted to go out, shop, just get out of the house for a while. I wonder if this taste of "normalcy" is enough to quell the desire to renew protesting Friday.

Monkeys on the balcony

This afternoon I was startled when I saw a shadow on the curtain and a large shape moved into view.

It was a monkey. A big monkey, as big as a medium-sized dog.

Later his family showed up. Hanging in the tree. Walking on the rail. Sitting on the air-conditioning unit. There was even a little baby.

The neighbors didn't like them. They were throwing sticks and yelling at them. It probably didn't help his case when one monkey ran up a tree with a bag of trash which he then emptied out.

After the rain stopped and they'd eaten up all the fruit in the trash, they moved on.

Here's some brief monkey footage.

Unrest continues

I can't get back to my house. After my trip to Thailand, I'm stuck in the capital city until things become more calm.

The city is under a 24 hour curfew. If I were to arrive at the airport, I'd be stuck there for who-knows-how-long. If I were to get to my house, there'd be no way to go out and get food or other supplies. Or to go out to teach, though it's near by.

I'm better off where I am for now, though I'm kind of done with living out of a suitcase.

More protesting

The protesting that ended last month has started up again; this time more intensely. The issues are causing divisions along Hindu and Muslim lines. A very volatile situation.
In many cases, the police are unable to quell the escalating demonstrations, and sometimes they are even throwing rocks back at the protesters.

Back to the night bazaar

A short trip back to Thailand and I was back in the night bazaar taking pictures. I love the colors and lighst of the market stalls.

Slip and slide fun

The foam sheets sold to go underneath carpeting makes for a great slip and slide and good summertime fun.

Earthquake proof

One of the shelters designed for temporary housing and earthquake relief is set up in the yard of the "office" building. If you wanted proof that the shelters can stand up to the shaking of an earthquake, here are four of them in action.

From the car window

Here are a couple of new street scenes, as seen from the car window.