Cliff Diving Monkeys, a Bossy 10 Year Old, and Local Bike Racers

This week was mor entertaining than last. It was filled with a random assortment of curious, amusing and frustrating events took place.

Frustrating:

- I decided to do my laundry by myself and went outside to do so. I had changed to my shorts that i bathe in so that i could wash the ones i had on and with a pile of clothes in my arms noted that my cell phone was still in my pocket. "OK, just take it out before you wash these" I thought to myself as I walked outside and began. Soon, the neighbor girl came over (possibly the bossiest 10 year old girl i have ever seen, this coming from someone with two little sisters, and taught 4th grade for two years) and immediately started to tell me that I was doing it wrong. She would tell me "no not like that, like this" and begin to do exactly what I was doing in the first place. Extremely frustrated after about 5 rounds of this I told her "Fine timi dhunus" meaning "you wash them" to my amazement she did. As I looked away 30 seconds later, still frustrated because I really did want to do it alone, she put every last piece of clothing into the washtub. Just like that, put one more on my total of cell phones I have ruined via 

Curious:

- I locked my bicycle at the language school where some of my lessons are and had the key to unlock my bike when I left. Sometime between unlocking my bike and mounting my bicycle the key must have vaporized ( I think this is my x-man power, vaporizing keys that is, now if I could only harness it and then learn to make them reappear where I need them.) I emptied my pockets, and backpack, and scoured the surrounding area for fifteen minutes, so the only logical explanation is instant vaporization. 

Amusing:

- I have been riding the same 10 kilometer stretch of road twice a day 6 days a week for two weeks now. As I expected people recognize me now. I do not know what they say about me but I know that they are talking, because now as I pass certain spots on my route random teenage boys on bicycles will burst onto the road on a bike, pedal as hard as they can for 50 to100 meters sprinting past me. Once five or ten meters a head they peel off turning around in the road to go back downhill. The bes part of the whole thing is the look on their faces as they turn around. They stare me down as if to say "See, you aren't so tough. I can pedal faster than you." I have found myself looking forward to this everyday when I ride home. 

-For my last day of language class with Rabindra. I asked him to take a field trip with me to Swayanbu Naath or what most white people call the monkey temple. It is a Buddhist temple (below) with some Hindu parts to it, but the best part are the monkeys. There have to be over a hundred monkeys living on this hilltop temple. When we got to the temple the first thing we saw was the monkey swimming pool where they were jumping in from about ten feet up. The video ( to come when I can figure out how to get videos up)  shows better than I can describe but it made me jealous, I wanted to jump too! Rabindra warned me then to watch my belongings as the monkeys are clever and will snatch things out of your hands. I believed him, and soon returned my I-pad to my backpack. After we walked around the temple grounds I saw a fruit stand and bought a plate of pineapple. We sat and enjoyed the fruit as Rabindra commented on how peaceful the place was. As soon as he said this SNACH! 5 pieces of pineapple on the ground and one in the happy monkeys hand on the wall behind us. Part of me felt violated, and used but I also admired the monkey's stealth and swiftness. I was glad I could feed a monkey in exchange for the video I got of his cousin, and after all they are probably Buddhist monk-ies. 

water.