What I see from the back of a motorcycle never ceases to amuse, comfort, shock, and/or captivate me. Some of today’s sightings include:
- Children barely out of babyhood themselves, carrying infants on their backs or on their hips
- Grannies, mothers, girls, boys, toddlers…all balancing massive bundles of wood or jugs of water on their heads, walking slowly on uneven ground
- A tree heavy with jackfruit, carrying its load on roots which are no longer underground, as the rain has slowly but surely eroded the soil away
- A woman carrying 25 liters of water on her head and another 25 in a hand, a baby on her back, and sadness on her face
- Kids balancing a machete on their heads as they walk out to cut cane or veggies or something
- A granny wearing a dress made of cloth stamped in bright green with “March 9” all over it, carrying a chicken by its feet, gently swaying it back and forth every time she steps
- Women bathing in a pool of water on the side of the road. Bare from head to waist, the ever important legs covered by bright cloth.
- Pigs lolling in the ginormous puddles in the middle of the road, not bothering to move until a truck or car comes towards them
- Little girls with what looks like dark green wigs on their head. On closer inspection, they have pondu leaves, tied in bundles, laying on their heads, leaving their hands free to cover their giggling mouths when I greet them
- Three boys squatting on a termite hill, a cooking pot beside them. They watch a hole intently, poking it as they collect termites for dinner or for sale.
- A child selling a fruit called a red apple, which tastes like rose water and has the consistency of a pear. With a beautiful red/dark pink color on the outside, and pure white flesh surrounding a single large pit, this is a delicious and beautiful fruit and I am glad to make its acquaintance.