The mall is a narrow building, with fairly typical, mall-like stores selling this & that, but our goal was predetermined. We went directly to Avon, the 'entertainment' store. There we searched through stacks & stacks of DVDs, for a select few to take home. I assume the DVDs are mostly pirated in one way or another from the US. They are 4 for $5- so quite the deal. There were even many options that are out in theaters in the States as I write this, curious...
Waiting on the corner after our quick shopping expedition, for the taxi we called, I could not help but people watch. Even after dark, this area at least, was busy with people. Men & women and families popping out of the mall and in, getting into taxis, or stopping in the fried chicken fast food restaurant, of which there are many of these establishments & they are beloved here in Georgetown. There didn't seem to be too many obvious deviants, and we didn't really even get too much unwanted attention. I must say overall, I have been very pleased with this here. I am rarely bothered when walking around. I do get the occasional, signature, loud and hard to determine how the noise is accomplished, kissing sound. Hiss-like. Some men here seem to have the sound down to a science, projecting it louder than the many honking horns and loud cars. I have learned from day one of the hiss-kiss, to continue walking & simply ignore, or play deaf and naive, whatever you want to call it. But really in the scheme of things, the kissing sound is not hissed too often in my direction, and I am pleased with that. Some of you may know I am not the hugest fan of unwanted attention, feeling even a bit uncomfortable when people sing happy birthday to me, so the fact that I am a relatively rare, white woman who every so often roams around my neighborhood on foot, and does not get too much attention from others is pleasing. Actually more often than the unwanted, I get a friendly, Good Morning, as I cross paths with another. Very civilized and seemingly sincere.
A few nights ago I saw the Atlantic Ocean from Guyana for the first time. I went to a restaurant by the sea wall and there it was, vast & shining in the setting sun. Elizabeth mentioned that I was lucky to see the ocean here in Guyana for the first time in this particular light, because I could not, in this dusk light, tell that the ocean is a simple, unexpected brown. To me, in those few minutes before nightfall, the ocean looked beautiful, colorless even, and the sky big with spectacular clouds. The sea wall which separates the ocean from the below-sea-level city of Georgetown, is not just a structure but is also a location. Particularly happening is the sea wall, I hear, on Sunday evening when the entire city gathers there. I'll have to see it for myself sometime soon. On this Wednesday night, when I saw it for the first time, many people were walking along it, to and from where I stood. A few people were wadding in the ocean. I watched awhile & then went next door to Celina's "resort" which is not at all a resort, but rather a restaurant & bar with outdoor seating that looks out at the ocean. A very lovely place to sit and at one point I even felt cold there. Literally the first time to ever feel remotely, anything like cold here in Georgetown, where I can forget to turn on the hot water (a button that is actually outside my shower on the wall) when taking a shower & not even notice, as I do not need it. At Celina's I had my first "fruit punch"- which is pleasantly flavored with not only fresh fruit juice of several varieties, but also Guyanese made rum. Lovely.
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