New experiences

I had a really good morning, despite the fact that I couldn't get to sleep last night because I'd taken a nap in the afternoon.  Finally at quarter to midnight after getting most of the way through an Agatha Christie book I finally got to sleep.   Today I went over to a very different part of town, it wasn't quite the old city, but it was much more bazaar like.  I went to visit an NGO there that is all about re-teaching the old arts and crafts of this country.  It was fascinating to see, and I had a great guide who showed me around their amazing facility which is an old building that they have restored to the old style.  It really is very beautiful.  I got to meet some of the students who are studying there learning woodwork, ceramics, jewellery making (including how to model and work with the gemstones) as well as calligraphy.  The lady who showed me around was one of two expats based there, and we had a really good chat about this country and also about my studies.  She was so so helpful.   I am back at my guesthouse for lunch, and then am out again.  They are repaving the roads around here, and it seems everytime I go out I come back to a very different type of road, more and more smooth roads.  The traffic however is crazy.  It really seems like you drive the easiest way to your destination and if that means heading into oncoming traffic, well that's just fine.  Thankfully I'm used to Indian driving, and so this is nothing new to me.  It was also interesting when talking to this lady earlier her experiences of living in country.  She had worked here before with a much larger agency, and had lived under permanent lockdown, which means you live, eat, work and travel with the same people, travel always with armed guards and protected vehicles.  This time she travels using secure taxis and still has someone security wise that she checks in with, but she is a lot freer in how she is able to move about and who she lives with.  It is she says a lot easier to be in country under these conditions than her previous ones.