Visit to town

Today, I went into town for a visit to one of the local malls with a car full of other Mercy Ship volunteers. The mall was up in the hills a bit, which is very green and can be very beautiful. It was humid, of course, but we had quite a nice little breeze the higher we went. The SUVs used by the ship are manual so I had volunteered to help drive if they ever needed additional drivers, but changed my mind once we got on the road. I expected the disorientation of driving on the wrong side of the road but the real confusion comes when maneuvering through major intersections, especially when you suddenly think the lane you're supposed to be in is filled with a giant truck coming right at you! And that truck has I pile of things on the back it probably should not have - and a pile of men on top of that!!! WOW

I didn't have a lot of money to do major shopping; I just needed a few necessities (and to wander around, off the ship) and I did some people watching. There were every kind of people wandering the halls and it resembled any American mall I'm accustomed to at home, but the people tended to wear their ethnic garb more than an American mall. It was entertaining to watch the little girls and boys (especially girls) trying to mix their native clothing pieces AND the popular shoes, trinkets or extras that call out to them at the mall!

The mall itself, the Pavilion Mall, was top of a hill yet most of it was underground. Surrounded by parking slots were several large, green iron and glass structures that resembled the tops of those old, fancy bird cages (pavillions, duh). When you entered the 'cages' you immediately start descending into the mall, four floors down. It reminded me of that cool, hidden mall in Georgetown, the one you wouldn't even know is there unless you happened onto it. The Pavillion is 3 times the size of that one but not as fancy inside. It was a nice few hours to get out and around. As we were leaving (waiting for a few stragglers) I got some photos of the surrounding countryside. The following 4 photos are a sweep of the town from the top of the hill where the mall is located:

Below is a close-up of the hill with all the houses:

One of those looks-pretty-until-you-focus-on-the-specifics kind of place. The land looks green and usable for growing crops, if not a bit hilly (not all of it is mountains). As we drove back to the ship, the areas nearer the water did not fare much better.

Very sad.

I planned to take more photos in this area but I was busy watching my life pass before my eyes. Picture everyone on the wrong side, but you're on a one-way street which suddenly becomes a 2-way street at a busy intersection - you get the picture. You know it's bad when I am shocked at how people are driving! So there...

Made it safely back to the ship. Tomorrow is pancake/french toast (hot) breakfast day, the only morning I bother to get up for breakfast. I have a new cabin and a new roommate so I needed to re-unpack and do some laundry.

Until next time-