Sunday morning stroll in N.

On Sunday I went for a walk and instead of heading straight to the main shopping street of N, I turned left, into the unknown towards the quietness and solitude of deserted streets and the unexplored secret alleys beyond.  I do not normally venture that way, preferring to stick to the busy parts of town where I feel there is safety in numbers.  But just around the corner, braving the empty road, a whole new world is unveiled.  Concrete makes way for forests of palm and banana trees, and for meandering paths shadowing the lazy river at their side.  Although the first hundred yards or so are spoilt by the stench of floating and decaying rubbish in the water, this soon disappears to uncover a much more serene and peaceful village life, where the people of N live when they are not busy buying their groceries and other necessities of life.

And on a Sunday morning, people are busy, with the river providing for daily needs: brushing teeth and the weekly washing chore for migrant labourers.

And others who do not keep Sunday as a rest day carry on with making a living:

Searching for coconuts in between the dense undergrowth.

Removing the protective husks of a coconut the efficient way…

Dried and fallen palm leaves make excellent fuel for cooking, as gas is expensive.

Collecting discarded plastic bottles earns this man money as he can sell them on to be recycled.

And there were obviously just a few interesting flowers on the way…