Today as I was going for lunch I noticed a long queue in front of the ATM of the only bank in the city. There are usually a lot of people inside the bank but almost no one outside to use the ATM; today though is a special day: it is pay day.
As few shops accept credit card for payment everyone has to go to the bank to get the money and go shopping; there must be a lot of mattresses full of bank notes on this island. A little bit further, a small sugar market was installed, you could buy full bags which would weigh around 10kg or buy smaller amounts of sugar. I saw some kids running around with a full bag on a wheelbarrow or some people riding their bikes with the big sugar bag. Back at work I asked my Kiribatian colleagues, they explained that the island inhabitants love sweet things and they always add some sugar to the water they drink. Sugar is being sold on pay day when everyone has enough money to afford it. I wonder how many have diabetes on the island.
I have to be honest there is absolutely nothing to do here, it is no wonder people walk very slowly. It is funny to be in a place where it is OK to do nothing, it is a great contrast to my home where doing nothing is an insult to the busy ones.
This week-end I went for a walk between Bairiki the city where my hotel is located and Beito the next town. To reach the next city I had the choice between the small buses that up and down the island all day long but as I have nothing to do there was no point in getting quickly to my destination. I walked for almost an hour and half to get to Beito. On the way I saw a few youngsters using the bridge linking the interior lagoon to the exterior lagoon as a jumping ramp, I saw some pretty nice jumps. As you can see below there is at least 16 or 19 feet between the highest part of the bridge and the water, I think I will try one jump before I leave this place.
I later passed the police school and the prison. It was funny to see a prison because I have to admit that in a way the people living here are in prison but I was wondering how crimes could occur in such a place. I then remembered that each time I went on an assignment in an island I saw that the local population had issues with alcohol, I concluded that the cells where used to sober up people. My colleagues confirmed that when I told them what I did during the week-end.
After that walk I needed a drink and stopped in a bar, as I went in I realized that there was no glasses on the table but big plastic bowls. When the waiter brought my drink I asked him what was in those bowls that everyone was drinking from. He explained that the beverage was called kava and it was the local drink; it was made by mixing some powder with water and made the drinker dizzy. He asked me if I wanted to try it but I declined the offer I wanted to be sure to be able to get back to my hotel. I then learned that the beverage was so successful that some people would come everyday to have 5 to 10 bowls, with such success the bar has now a happy hour from 6 PM to 9 PM where one can get as many kava bowls as one may want for the low price of 5$AUS instead of the regular 3$ a bowl price. I may give kava a try before I leave...
From a place by checking the restrooms! These are the restrooms in the place where I work, I went there once and I disturbed so many flies that I vowed never to return there again.
Of course you just need to look at the picture below to tell yourself that it is not that bad and it is true but since I am here I have always had the impression that this paradise is not what it seems. Time will tell if I was right or wrong.
Here is what i wrote while i was in Los Angeles. I am in Los Angeles, it is 3h15 AM in Paris and 6h15 PM here if I am not mistaken. I am patiently waiting for the boarding time for my flight.
When I exited the plane, I told myself that even if I had 6 hours to wait I could do it at the Air France lounge. There is Internet, there are drinks and there is food, I could wait there. I went to get my ticket for my flight to Fiji and the one to Kiribati and I found out that Air Pacific the company I was supposed to take was not located in the same terminal as Air France. Goodbye Air France lounge and hello waiting area, I couldn't get miles benefit from the flights from Los Angeles to Nadi and Nadi to Tarawa and to top it all I had to wait in the cold with an empty stomach. I usually take the opportunity of being in Los Angeles to enjoy a good whopper at Burger King as there are none in France but there is no Burger King in the other Terminal.
After doing the check in I went through the customs and found a panel displaying the location of the skyteam lounge on the superior level. So there was hope after all, I wouldn't have to be bored out of my skull. The lounge door didn't open as I stepped in front of them, a woman behind a desk looked at me and said that the lounge wouldn't open before 7h30, my flight was boarding at 8h30. When she saw I was disappointed by the news she asked me if I had a priority car, I flash I platinum card, she looked at it and repeated that the lounge wouldn't open before 7h30. What kind of airport lounge is not open as long as the airport is open?
I am now seated close to the gate where my flight will depart in a little less than 5 hours, I am BORED. I try not to use my electronic devices this way they will still have battery during the 2 flights I have to take to get to my destination. I have to be strong, I will get there Tuesday at 3h00 AM Paris time and I left France Sunday at 1h30 PM, now that's what I call a trip!
While i am still in the plane on the way to Kiribati island, here is a beautiful video that was release last year for the years by the Belgian electricity company called Electrabel. This video is using stop motion with thousands of tiny candles, I recommend to watch this video in full screen mode.
Since 1976 the year when the Brussels subway launched it was assumed that the subway users would be honest enough to punch their ticket before accessing the subway platform. As you can see in the picture below, there is absolutely nothing to prevent you from accessing the platform if you haven’t punched your subway ticket like you can find in Paris for example. It is so easy to gain access to the subway without paying for it that I suppose most of Brussels inhabitants are doing it from time to time.
The STIB, the company in charge of all public transportation in Brussels said that enough was enough. They decided to install small hatches in all the subway stations of the city. Of course it will take a while to have all this done but the result will look a little bit like what you can see below. It is a pity I really enjoyed watching people look for where to punch their subway ticket, it reminded me of when I first came to Brussels.
This week-end I had decided to stay in Brussels to take a few pictures of the city. When I woke up I saw that it had snowed during the night and I had the motivation to go walk in the cold but around the beginning of the afternoon it was still snowing outside. I decided to head outside because I didn’t feel like staying in all day long.
Here I am outside taking pictures. I first started taking them with my gloves but it was more trouble to power the camera on and off. As soon as I was in a large street and I would want to take a picture, I would have to use a building to cover me from the cold wind and take my picture properly. In all I got my fingers frozen for just a few shots. I ended up taking a break from the cold in a bar called La Gueuze in the city centre, in there I had a tough decision to make: have a hot chocolate or a nice Belgium beer. I chose both of them to give me strength to get back in the cold. I walked outside for a while for a bit and as I passed a movie theatre by I took the opportunity to go see a movie in its warm interior.
I just learned that this Friday will be my last day in Belgium as I stop working on this project: I am being replaced by a colleague coming from Egypt. I used to think that I would still have the opportunity to travel in Europe with my work even though colleagues from countries where the salaries are much lower would cover the other continents but I was wrong. The higher ups in my company decided that French employees are far too expensive and employees from “low cost” countries would be used as often as possible. My job will now be of starting a project but never seeing it to its completion because of the money I cost. It is a pity for me but my company has to save money. In any case don’t feel sorry for me because next week my work sends me somewhere very far where it is hot and sunny, I am not sure they have internet over there so don't be surprised if I don’t post as much.
I just love ad campaigns against drunk driving. Some of them touch you with their graphic scenes and other just make you laugh. This is the case for this one.
