To continue with yesterday's story. Sunny Safaris was closed so we asked our driver, Razak, to take us to the downtown core, and we also asked him if he knew where the AICC Building is, which is where the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is taking place, and instantly said yes, and drove us by the building, which is huge and EXTREMELY well guarded. We think tomorrow we will go and watch some of the proceedings as almost anyone with a passport can get in..

Then he dropped us off downtown, which is so different than Dar, much less hectic and much more clean. Mind you, today is Sunday and a lot of businesses are closed, but even so, you can see how the sidewalks are in better shape, as are the stores and the roads.. There are a lot of potted plants on the streets, and some flowers and shrubs near the stores. It's colourful, but in a old and faded way, but appealing, i really am liking it here.

The hustlers here say "Jambo" as you walk by, but if you say "No shopping today" they leave you alone, unlike Dar where they chased you down the street, grabbing at your arm, but if you stop for even a second here, to look at a building or even to wait to cross the street, they materialize like magic and try and get you to purchase. "Batik" seemed to be the item de jour today.

We went into a tiny supermarket and just looked at the items for sale, I love going into foreign supermarkets and buying local items, but all we bought in this one was some postcards, which are half the price of the ones in the hotel..

We returned to the hotel at about noon, and it had been such a great morning, a cool breeze was blowing, and the temp was probably only about 80F, (28C?) We got some wonderful photos of local people doing local things (discreetly of course)

We had a really good lunch in the chinese restaurant, but Nicole was feeling a little under the weather so we decided to just sit by the pool area, read and relax. There is a large green grassy area with 12 or 14 chaise lounges, trees and hedges beside the pool, so we stretched out, took some photos and just let ourselves rest. I cannot tell you how draining the heat is, and how much water we find ourselves drinking.

Then we decided to see how our new and improved 8th floor room was. We went to the front desk and asked the girl if it was ready, she looked very confused and we had to (worriedly) explain the whole story to her again and again, and what made that really odd was the fact that she was the same girl who we discussed this with yesterday AND first thing this morning before we left the hotel. Eventually she reached under the desk and handed us 2 keys to room 804 and we told her we would go and check out the room, then get our luggage from 532 and then return the keys from 532 to her. We went up to 804 and Surprise!, all our luggage was already there, so what her confusion was, I will probably never know.

And the room is great, 2 beds and a small table and chairs (the other room had 3 beds but no table), and these beds are a little larger too. The bathroom was more modern, although this must be taken with the understanding that this is a developing country and the word modern is relative. There is no fan, but we love the room and the view makes it all worthwhile.

Let me tell you what we see. We look down and can see the pool, the hot tub, a waterfall and all the green area with the chaise lounges and the bright blue umberellas. Surrounding the hotel is a large hedge, then a flagstone driveway that circles the hotel, and then the city road, so we are fairly well insulated from traffic noises. But the road is actually a roundabout where 4 roads meet and circle the roundabout and then shoot off into a new direction. Across the road from the roundabout is what looks like a huge patch of dirt and a large, but ramshackle building that looks like an old farm outbuilding, but this is actually the AICC soccer field, so we can watch the fellows playing soccer. By the roundabout are 3 dalla-dalla stops so we watch the people crowd off and on as they go from place to place. We watch men herding their cows and goats across the road, the cows dodging the cars, buses and bikes, and the bikes wobble precariously as they themselves dodge traffic. There are often 2 people on a bike, and the passenger just sits on a little seat that has been mounted on the back fender, gazing calmly around as his friend pedals up the street. We see women walking one way with plastic buckets on their head, and then we see them returning later, we think maybe they go for water.. We saw one woman who was balancing a large platter of fruit, pineapples, bananas, plums and papayas. The women carry their groceries home from the market on their heads, and even their purses. It's incredible. We also see some maasai warriors going to and fro as well.

There are a lot of people, men and women, who set up a small grill, and they hunker down beside it and roast ears of corn, which the passers-by purchase and snack on, like our hot dog vendors. It smells SO good when you pass by, the campfire smell, plus the corn smells just like...well...popcorn.

We can just see the thatched roof of what seems to be the local school., and we can see kids in uniforms running about. It is a little like being a voyeur, peeking into these peoples lives without them knowing we are watching. I could sit and stare out this window for hours and hours.

TIDBITS

I saw a man today who had huge earlobes, about 3 inches long, the kind with huge holes. It just always takes me aback a little to see something that I have seen many pictures of, but haven't actually seen in real life. This man was probably Maru or Arusha, which are the 2 indiginous tribes from this area. I was spellbound by the first maasai I saw, and I can't imagine how I'll feel when I see a real giraffe in it's natural habitat.

We had one vendor, an older man, who wanted us to buy from him and when we said *not today*, he said 'maybe tomorrow?' and we said 'maybe' so he replied: 'Look to my face then and come to my face', as in 'remember me'. I liked the way that was phrased.

We haven't seen many mosquitoes at all, the most were about 6 and they were all in the taxi from the airport to town, which we frantically squished as fast as possible. I have also seen one in the internet room and one in a cafe. It could be because of the drought, there are not a lot of wet areas, but we sleep under our nets anyhow...no use tempting the Gods.

The rooms are set up to conserve energy, when you come in you put your key in a little slot that turns the electricity on, and when you take the key out when you leave (as obviously you must if you want back in the room again) the electricity automatically goes off in a few minutes, thus you can't leave and have the lights all left on. I have only ever seen that in Venice, although I know it is popular in Europe.