Rain, hope and meat on hooks (11/22/05)
There are countless personal stories that people tell that all seem to start with “you haven’t lived until you…” this is not one.
You haven’t really wondered how tightly you butt can grip a vinyl seat until you have heard the popping noise when you let go.
I laughed and cheered on my driver when he pulled out into oncoming traffic, going the wrong way, uphill, in the rain just to gain a few hundred meters in traffic. But I have yet to connect my brain and my mouth in such a way as to have them work together in harmony.
That ride was one of serious excitement. I would not hesitate to hire that man again either. Sick aint it. Moments after he attempted to play frogger with a sheet metal framed two stroke door less death trap he turned to look over his shoulder and smiled, he gave me the thumbs up and I gave him the same. After a few more moments, He turned to me and said “no English.” I said “No Sinhala” and we smiled. Then he asked if I had a wife. I told him that was English.
We smiled again.
We taunted death and smiled that’s what we did.
Its been raining her non-stop since early afternoon yesterday, so its pretty well crappy here. I made as many attempts to gain employment with as many NGO’s as I could find with no luck. I have decided to stick it out here (barring huge fare changes) to stay for a another week or so to give me the chance to shoot some of the places I was in earlier this year. Again this hinges on the blessing of the airline gods and their fickle price scheduling. I could end up standby’ing it all the way home just to get more work.
I am sure I have had to deal with worse situations than that.
Despite the crap weather and bad luck with non-governmental agencies, I did happen into a seriously cool photo op. I wanted to get some postcard stamps (Thom give me your new address or get nothing from this trip) and I was near my favorite post office so off I went. It’s my favorite post office because of what is around it only. You have to walk into an open-air market place that sits inside a building with strings of 40-watt light bulbs and assorted meats hanging everywhere. The meat is fresh in the sense that it’s not rotting, in fact I would bet that it’s perfectly fine to eat if cooked, but still it’s a sight to behold.
You walk into this market and head up the stairs to where the post office is and buy your stamps mail your letters and down you go back to the market. This was the first time I have been there when all the stalls were open, so I looked around. Cages with live chickens, 5-6 dead ones hanging from hooks, cow parts hanging from hooks next to more cow parts hanging from hooks, step over the cat, try and kick the crow and your back to more hanging meat until you turn full circle to the vegetable guys. It’s photographically beautiful. I spot one of the chicken butchers and decide that I want to photograph him while I walk up and figure out what to say a voice behind me literally says ‘ok take picture!” I turn around and there are the rest of the butchers telling me to take his picture. He agrees and I pause to figure out what just happened. I began to shoot and move around the area, when I paused to show him his photos, everyone gathered around and agreed that they were good enough and that it was there turn next. I was given the business card to the market and asked to send prints (this time I swear I will) while I was led from stall to stall. The merchants all posed near their stands, some held knives, others meat, some both meat and knives, one guy kept grabbing live chickens and telling me to wait for his “actors”. I suddenly had filled up one card and began shooting the next as fast as I could. They made fun of each other and put vegetables in the pockets of the vegetable sellers shirts. It was great. When it was over, (I am thinking of stopping back in tomorrow to shoot again just because I can) I walked outside and went on my way, I went and ate lunch shopped a bit and while heading back up the street I ran into the older man (Mr. Asmi) who was the first to be photographed, he stopped me and said “HELLO!!” we both seemed quite pleased with ourselves for having known each other on the street.
Despite having no luck really with work I shot some great stuff and had a blast doing it. This makes me want to stay and try my luck shooting on my own here for a bit.
So that’s what I am going to do.
I will be trying to change my tickets and getting a phone etc more info will follow as it happens
Stay warm and dry.
D
You haven’t really wondered how tightly you butt can grip a vinyl seat until you have heard the popping noise when you let go.
I laughed and cheered on my driver when he pulled out into oncoming traffic, going the wrong way, uphill, in the rain just to gain a few hundred meters in traffic. But I have yet to connect my brain and my mouth in such a way as to have them work together in harmony.
That ride was one of serious excitement. I would not hesitate to hire that man again either. Sick aint it. Moments after he attempted to play frogger with a sheet metal framed two stroke door less death trap he turned to look over his shoulder and smiled, he gave me the thumbs up and I gave him the same. After a few more moments, He turned to me and said “no English.” I said “No Sinhala” and we smiled. Then he asked if I had a wife. I told him that was English.
We smiled again.
We taunted death and smiled that’s what we did.
Its been raining her non-stop since early afternoon yesterday, so its pretty well crappy here. I made as many attempts to gain employment with as many NGO’s as I could find with no luck. I have decided to stick it out here (barring huge fare changes) to stay for a another week or so to give me the chance to shoot some of the places I was in earlier this year. Again this hinges on the blessing of the airline gods and their fickle price scheduling. I could end up standby’ing it all the way home just to get more work.
I am sure I have had to deal with worse situations than that.
Despite the crap weather and bad luck with non-governmental agencies, I did happen into a seriously cool photo op. I wanted to get some postcard stamps (Thom give me your new address or get nothing from this trip) and I was near my favorite post office so off I went. It’s my favorite post office because of what is around it only. You have to walk into an open-air market place that sits inside a building with strings of 40-watt light bulbs and assorted meats hanging everywhere. The meat is fresh in the sense that it’s not rotting, in fact I would bet that it’s perfectly fine to eat if cooked, but still it’s a sight to behold.
You walk into this market and head up the stairs to where the post office is and buy your stamps mail your letters and down you go back to the market. This was the first time I have been there when all the stalls were open, so I looked around. Cages with live chickens, 5-6 dead ones hanging from hooks, cow parts hanging from hooks next to more cow parts hanging from hooks, step over the cat, try and kick the crow and your back to more hanging meat until you turn full circle to the vegetable guys. It’s photographically beautiful. I spot one of the chicken butchers and decide that I want to photograph him while I walk up and figure out what to say a voice behind me literally says ‘ok take picture!” I turn around and there are the rest of the butchers telling me to take his picture. He agrees and I pause to figure out what just happened. I began to shoot and move around the area, when I paused to show him his photos, everyone gathered around and agreed that they were good enough and that it was there turn next. I was given the business card to the market and asked to send prints (this time I swear I will) while I was led from stall to stall. The merchants all posed near their stands, some held knives, others meat, some both meat and knives, one guy kept grabbing live chickens and telling me to wait for his “actors”. I suddenly had filled up one card and began shooting the next as fast as I could. They made fun of each other and put vegetables in the pockets of the vegetable sellers shirts. It was great. When it was over, (I am thinking of stopping back in tomorrow to shoot again just because I can) I walked outside and went on my way, I went and ate lunch shopped a bit and while heading back up the street I ran into the older man (Mr. Asmi) who was the first to be photographed, he stopped me and said “HELLO!!” we both seemed quite pleased with ourselves for having known each other on the street.
Despite having no luck really with work I shot some great stuff and had a blast doing it. This makes me want to stay and try my luck shooting on my own here for a bit.
So that’s what I am going to do.
I will be trying to change my tickets and getting a phone etc more info will follow as it happens
Stay warm and dry.
D
posted by davidlang at 12:07 AM
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