Dear, dear Children & Grand children,
No cockroach in sight yet today! But the day is still very young! Yesterday, after writing to you, morning prayers and soft boiled eggs I got to enjoy some more of the comforts of life here in Curepipe, Mauritius! Surprise, oh surprise I got to shave with some warm water for a brief moment!!! Thank God for the joys of modern comfort even if for but a brief moment! Oh! Yeah, I forgot to tell you that here, most homes and most basins & kitchen sinks only boast of a single faucet! Unlike the proverbial saying: ‘A shower of cold water’ here only the showers have instant warm water on demand! Shaving, hand washing, dishes etc. is all done strictly under cold water except if as yesterday, the early morning sun was so hot, it got to warm up the outside wall and the water pipe running along it! Today, I will not shave. However if the sun is hot, I look forward to rinsing my mouth after brushing my teeth with warm water. I will jealously save that short lived flow of warm water for that purpose! Imagine washing all the oily and yellow stained curry dishes with cold water! Although at the beginning Eve told me that here I did not have to do the dishes and that the dish washer would take care of it, I decided not to lose the good habits I have developed over the last 4 years or so. Marik, relax, here the dishes once washed by me do not land into the dish washer for a second and final wash. There is no dishwasher here.
No cockroach in sight yet today! But the day is still very young! Yesterday, after writing to you, morning prayers and soft boiled eggs I got to enjoy some more of the comforts of life here in Curepipe, Mauritius! Surprise, oh surprise I got to shave with some warm water for a brief moment!!! Thank God for the joys of modern comfort even if for but a brief moment! Oh! Yeah, I forgot to tell you that here, most homes and most basins & kitchen sinks only boast of a single faucet! Unlike the proverbial saying: ‘A shower of cold water’ here only the showers have instant warm water on demand! Shaving, hand washing, dishes etc. is all done strictly under cold water except if as yesterday, the early morning sun was so hot, it got to warm up the outside wall and the water pipe running along it! Today, I will not shave. However if the sun is hot, I look forward to rinsing my mouth after brushing my teeth with warm water. I will jealously save that short lived flow of warm water for that purpose! Imagine washing all the oily and yellow stained curry dishes with cold water! Although at the beginning Eve told me that here I did not have to do the dishes and that the dish washer would take care of it, I decided not to lose the good habits I have developed over the last 4 years or so. Marik, relax, here the dishes once washed by me do not land into the dish washer for a second and final wash. There is no dishwasher here.
Yesterday, full of the joys of late spring after having shaved with warm water, I headed to town with my camera! Dear children, I bless you and thank you so much for my camera and the laptop! I would have gone crazy here in Curepipe, Mauritius without them. My goal walking to town was to illustrate my documentary with pictures for you. Forget the alluring posters, the white soft sandy beaches beckoning the tourist avid for a good time. I wanted you to see the real Mauritius, the one most tourist never imagine while being held captive in resorts at up to $3,000 a night! By the time I reached Main street, I was truly spoilt! All I had been writing to you was about from the wandering dogs to the dilapidated buildings were there and standing out in the bright early morning sun waiting for that photo opportunity. I am now eager to send this long letter and the pictures to you dear ones.
Oh! It must have taken me 30 minutes to type the above. From the room where I am this morning, facing East, I can distinctly and better than ever hear the muezzin walking in circles around his minaret calling to prayer. Depending on his position on the minaret the volume of his chant increases or decreases. So, for now, I will end this letter and I as a Catholic will join the rest of the praying world. I will first of all thank God for blessing me with such rare and wonderful children and grandchildren. Thank You Lord. Thank you for my children and grandchildren. Thank you my children and grandchildren for being who you are!
Oh! It must have taken me 30 minutes to type the above. From the room where I am this morning, facing East, I can distinctly and better than ever hear the muezzin walking in circles around his minaret calling to prayer. Depending on his position on the minaret the volume of his chant increases or decreases. So, for now, I will end this letter and I as a Catholic will join the rest of the praying world. I will first of all thank God for blessing me with such rare and wonderful children and grandchildren. Thank You Lord. Thank you for my children and grandchildren. Thank you my children and grandchildren for being who you are!
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