Friday evening walk

How nice to have ticked off all the designated evening-walking days: namely, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

Yay to start of the weekend. Or, with how things are going, suspension of headaches, problems and challenges until Monday. 

It was a warm day and, as we started the walk, I could see the evidences of a glorious sunset, the edges of pink-and-orange tinged clouds over the tops of the buildings. 

I wonder if we are getting into the dry season although it still rains heavily now and then. I think the rains will continue well into November. 

The first photograph from today shows folks drying themselves and their clothes standing next to the exhaust of the giant generator room of one of the major residential compounds close to Mamba Point Hotel. This compound is also owned by Mamba Point Hotel. The heat and air blowing from this generator is quite heavy and, I avoid passing it but folks here don't seem to mind it. 

Doesn't it make you feel a little depressed to see folks having to use the hot, heavy air from a generator to dry themselves?

We said hello to a lady as we walked past who admired Bijli. As usual, Haresh, said, take her, I'm fed up of her, and then I had to scold him. Haresh chatted to her and offered for her to join our walking route. She was from Nairobi, staying at the Mamba Point Hotel. She said she didn't want to go so far and, seemed to get wary when Haresh said we're going up to the Masonic Temple. She thought we were actually going to inside there. 

Anyway, onwards we trudged towards the Masonic Temple. 

We always pass by the owner of Atlas Building Materials who is also out on his walk. We greet each other. 

We notice three Lebanese ladies, one of them is the owner of Tiny Tots, the toy shop close to our apartment building. 

We also noticed 3 white guys and a woman who ran past us 2 times before we even reached the Temple.   They did our route twice before we even reached halfway. 

We reached the Hill and did a few laps together up and down the hill and, somehow, now Haresh is interested in really working out. For the past few months, he just stands in one corner holding Bijli's leash and, nagging Kavita and I: shall we go home now? Today, I helped him to do 70 crunches and he helped me to do 30 crunches. 

The same running guys met us and, it turned out Haresh knows them from the HASH. I said to one of the fellows: it's very impressive that you passed us so many times. He explained their route. Haresh, of course, snubbed him and said, "In your age, I could run this route 10 times!" 

We walked home at around 7 PM, down the Hill and then past the supermarkets and vegetable and fruit and fish market. 

A few ladies who were watching Kavita walking so boldly exclaimed "Liberian child!"

I waved hello to my market women friends who waved back. 

Haresh kept zig zigzagging ahead holding both Bijli and Kavita in the street, almost like he was trying to confuse an invisible elephant who might have been chasing him. I told him, stop! The traffic on Benson Street can be bad. 

I saw some old Muslim women crossing the street, right next to the Mosque. 

Monrovia is a city that really wants to talk to you. It's not happy enough with a nod or a smile but with greetings and banter and teasing. 

We reached home, quickly showered and got dressed to meet a friend for dinner at Mamba Point Hotel. The restaurant was packed as usual. 

Kavita has this habit of making friends with other diners in case she gets bored at our table. So, she befriended a UNDP consultant who is finalising a peace research. Apparently, they have an 'astro-physicist' at her institute who also analyses data. I get surprised at how much funds get used for this statistical or qualitative research. I keep meeting consultants now and then by chance.