2.30pm, Thursday May 14 ....snatching a half hour

I am sitting in the botanic garden, snatching a half hour to write before I meet E. I have been hanging out to write all day as so many thoughts say hi to me, but I found myself in an internet cafe instead, organizing to meet E (another couchsurfer) and blogging this journal. I probably won't remember most of what I wanted to write now that I have pen and paper in front of me.

This morning W and I walked through a different section of her neighbourhood to get to a farther entrance to the train station so we could by tickets from a human being who will accept notes and give change. We both had run out of pesos. This wealthier area of Haedo had many large houses, some quite old and colonial.


a descript house in Haedo

I realize the reason why I find W's suburb nondescript is because the houses are all shuttered and non-alive, and all very different from each other. There is no overriding style or material to get a hold on.

I have wanted to mention for ages the garbage baskets. Instead of big ugly council-owned bins, people have small baskets on poles. Only the presence of garbage bags in the baskets (raised to withstand the neighbourhood dogs) would give you any clue to the purpose of the often quite pretty steel baskets. W explained that some house owners make their own from shopping carts, but I only saw one or two such hodgepodge affairs. When I commented on how comparatively small the baskets are (bike-basket size), W said the garbage man comes every morning.

Haedo's neighbourhood street paths are a hodgepodge of different sorts of tiling, as they are laid by houseowners. The day began with an auspicious start - sunshine and a double-decker train with empty seats. We sat up top and I was able to see the passing suburbs, with tall, tall apartment blocks, old colonial houses and other assorted dwellings. I wouldn't mind walking through some of these suburbs.