Swimming with Kites....

....Not kites that kids play with, but the birds.

Today I was swimming after work--now that I have swim fins here in Khartoum I'm trying to get back in to my swim workouts. Our pool is outside and it's usually nice to do laps and take glances at things while I'm breathing. Today there must have been good wind funnel or something because all of a sudden there were literally about 100 birds flying pretty close. Some of them look at you like you're a big, fat, albino fish that they'd love to take a bite out of. Fortunately they keep a safe enough distance...but I keep an eye out!!

Other news...well there's not much. I was trying to get to an office today for a meeting and was pondering how it could possibly be income-generating to stand in the median and sell stuff. People frequently sell food (grapes and oranges are popular right now) but also sell kleenex, coat racks, cattle whips, serving trays, and all manner of objects. Really--have you ever just been driving along and thought--oh--I could really use a purple inflatable child's chair?? I just don't get it. And at $0.75 for a box of kleenex---well I hope he sells a lot of kleenex.

The sellers are a nice distraction from how bad the driving is here. I think traffic lights and lane lines (where they exist) are considered more of a general guideline than hard and fast rules. So if you're at the light and you feel like going through--you do. If you want to drive across the lane lines, you can. My favorite is when the people are driving in two lanes very slowly and when you beep, they move over and flag you by--as if giving permission. Good grief. Anyway--I'm glad I don't have to drive here. I'd go mad!!

Well--that's about all of my rantings for tonight.