We have spent the last couple of weeks settling into our new apartment and doing lots of sorting and cleaning! We now know how to operate the pump that must be connected to suck the municipal water supply into our underground water tank because the water pressure is so low The problem is that it only comes once every 6 days and then only for one and a half hours. We then had to get a water tanker in to ensure we had enough water until the monsoon starts in earnest.
I have also learnt which of the rubbish collection men serves our building. They have a horrid job pedalling a cart full of rubbish. Here is our man trying to keep dry in the rain using an old shower curtain I had just thrown out.
I hope I never get hardened to the abject poverty which even exists here in the capital city right alongside the conspicuous wealth of the ruling classes here. Yesterday on my way to a work meeting the new cars were travelling along the Bagmati bridge while just below the slum dwellers were washing their clothes in the filthy river water.
The doctors have told me I can start slowly walking again using a stick and it is so good to be able to do this. On the same journey to the office I saw the most extraordinary sight involving this badly behaved but highly intelligent thieving monkey and the ladies who cook and sell corn on the street.
As I walked past the large monkey who was sitting quietly by the temple , he leapt down in front of me, dashed across the road and attacked a lady from behind, jumping at her shoulders and nearly knocking her down. He than pulled the shopping bag from her shoulder, reached in , took a freshly bought corn cob out of the bag and rushed back to the temple to enjoy his ill-gotten gains. This all happened so quickly that no none had time to intervene but I stopped and chatted to those who had also witnessed the incident. We all agreed he was a "badmas" (very bad) monkey! He must have watched her buy the warm corn and learnt that it was easier to steal from customers than from the ladies who were selling the corn!
