Market

Bedouin woman selling
veggies

The internet line is driving everyone crazy. It's a new system installed but it's only one line with a low bandwidth servicing several hundred people. Worse ... it's open access with no password so there're lots of freeloaders hanging in the streets nearby using our network. That clogs up our traffic and now nothing works. Everyone is frustrated.

The weather is miserably cold and damp though it only drizzled instead of raining as forecast. The sun is up during the day but its mostly covered by rain clouds that refuse to rain. Lots of people are sick as a result - not just coughs and cold but headaches, dizziness as well. My new heater proved to be too small. It doesn't warm up the room as I expected. So I hide under layers of blankets to stay warm ... which is not good because it provokes my asthma. It's a catch 22 situation. Solution is to buy a bigger heater but I can't carry it all the way back home from the shop which is about 1km away.

More bedouin women
at the market

Yesterday I decided to snap some secret shots of bedouin women selling their products at Damascus Gate. Lots of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Also raisins and dried figs. Its a lovely time out in the market as the smells of fresh herbs and citrus fruit are very strong.

Can't take off Chinese New Year from my mind .... the cookies and food and songs .... Looks like I won't be enjoying much of it as I have to work through the weekend.