We slept well, but short.
We decided that a nice walk was in order, to see our surroundings. We walked out of the hotel and headed straight east into a different world!
We had been warned that the traffic was so busy at all times, day and night, that we wouldn’t even be able to cross the street. Bah! There is a large intersection right to the east of the hotel, Marenhali Rd and 11th Main Rd. Mind you, it was a bit hair raising – they seemed to barely respect any rules, let along rules-of-the-road as we knew them. We got across nonetheless.
We were greeted with signs, sounds, and smells unlike anything we ever saw in Winnipeg. There were little shops of course – many, many shops – and then there was the shanty town.
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| Hmm, look at the auto rickshaw in front of the music store… more about them later! |
About a block east of the hotel, there is a steep drop off of about 6 feet beside the sidewalk – the whole block to the right is dropped down about 6 feet, actually. In that area, there are two rows of ramshackle shacks – slums – in which people obviously live. Yikes. Corrugated tin roofs, doors and walls cobbled together from scraps. Just like in the movies. Everybody walks by, but nobody seems to notice, or at least, to care.
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| If you click on this photo and zoom in on the open doorway, you will see a young boy working on his sister’s hair, with a TV set playing behind them. Yes, people live here! |
| From left: Norbert, Danny, Danny’s son |