LIFE ON THE STREET

Given the relatively benign weather and lots of daylight, there always seemed to be a lot of people out and about

Lots of street traders too, nearly all women, and selling everything that could fetch some coin

One old woman had a box top of old nuts and bolts for sale

The street market is known as the "Chinese Market" because.....that's the people who run it,(who seem to be openly resented by the "locals")

We would have been lost here without the RP, who successfully negotiated the purchase of very good "brand" tracksuits for Nikita and I at approx USD$15 each and a nice pair of trainers for me at about USD$18

Several times noted reasonably dressed guys drunk-as-skunks in the morning and lots of people, young and old, lying around drinking at night. There are bottles everywhere

Whilst I waited outside the DVD store one morning, two people, man and woman, independently weaved their way down the footpath and collapsed into the shrubbery outside the shop. The man was still there, flat on his back, when we passed by hours later

We walked a lot, from the Kids' apartment to ours and also most days with the baby

The "footpaths" are a joke and you need a pretty good pushchair just to progress at all

Hardly anyone stops for pedestrians either, unless you push the point

Why the rush, when there is nowhere to go ?