My longest post ever....

. . . .If a picture is worth a thousand words. Because this one is going on 35,000 "words" then.

Last night I was walking to meet some friends for dinner, and a rickshaw driver that I've conversed with before tried to convince me to go with him. After saying no many, many times, he said, come on, it's a free ride. "No such thing as a free ride," I grumble under my breath, but it's been a long day, so I climb in. A few blocks later, we arrive where I'm meeting my friend Farhan. As I scramble out, Farhan gallantly reaches into his pocket to pull out a wallet and pay my driver, but when he asks how much it was, the driver says it was free, says goodbye to me, and leaves me with a very puzzled Farhan staring wide mouthed at me. This rickshaw driver knows I'm a long-term investment, he's courting me so that when the hot season hits, he'll be my daily chauffeur to and from work. I've got his number in my phone and I have every intention of calling him when we get to that point. But I don't need to tell Farhan all that; instead I just nonchalantly look at him like this happens all the time.

With the impending heat right around the corner, I went for a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon with a camera and took some photos of the everyday sights. I'm sorry that the sounds and smells don't come through as well--they can be powerful too! Hope you enjoy.