Kiki's English is good and from the moment I climb into the bakkie (double cab) I know he has great respect for Hilton. He says Hilton is like a father to him. Kiki doesn't have a Dad. My husband's reputation is untainted as far as his ability to love people and make them feel special goes!
Kiki is so happy to have Hilton back at work. He is a friendly man, well dressed and respectful with an unusual, infectious laugh. He is married and has a little girl.
Our first stop is the Orange shop (Mobile phones & contracts.) I'm trying to sort out a BB contract.
I then return to the little grocery shop to buy toilet paper (can't do without this!), yellow dust cloths, dustbin bags for our new kitchen dustbin. My first buy is eggs, from a man selling them from his van. "Good, clean eggs," Kiki informs me. The man is parked right next to us. There is a parking area for vehicles across the way from the market. I buy potatoes & little green peppers. There is a lovely variety of fresh herbs one can buy at the market. I also purchase three little bunches of lettuce.
At a little stall further up the road I buy two small pineapples and a delicious looking paw-paw (papaya). Then I ask Kiki where I can buy matches! (I need these to light my gas stove at home).
Eventually through much explanation and hand language, he gets it.........we stop at a little stall on the corner, wind down the car window and hey presto! The man shows me a packet of matches!
"alumettes" in French. The Malagasy word for matches, which I can't remember, other than it has a nice rhythm to it, will have to be learned later!
Connection: allumettes - iluminates! nice rhythm, like fire! (You have to be inside my head to understand my train of thought.......)
I was going to try and include the prices of the articles I've bought, but for the life of me I can't recall them, except perhaps my till slip at the first shop. It reads: 142.50. That is 14,200-50 Ariary!
I've brought the eggs home successfully. They are packed in to small plastic bags, 5 in each one.
Today I also ordered one steak filet, and two kgs of Zebu beef mince, which can be collected tomorrow........where? At the French owned restaurant, Coco Beach!! We've been advised by some of the ex-pats to purchase our meat here.
On returning to Green Leaves village we spotted the Home Maintenance gentleman, Hery. He jumped in the bakkie and came home with us! .....and so I was able to have the steam iron sorted so it really is a steam iron, handed the toaster to be fixed (who can live without toast?) Hery checked out the tumble dryer that was tripping (to la-la tumble land) sorted that out and I ordered some more plugs that would hopefully fit the basins!
Looking at the time, as I bid a surprised Hery, "veloma" it was just before 11h00.
My lunch time sarmie consisted of: an open sandwich: lettuce, pineapple and tomato with salt and a mug of tea. Wasn't I just so chuffed to be eating some of the purchases I had done myself......with Kiki's help, of course.
Owing to the great poverty experienced here, I am told the fruit & vegetables do not grow to full size. As soon as they are ready to be harvested etc. they are. The sooner they are sold, the better.
Therefore the various fruit & vegetable seasons are short lived.
The route Kiki took me this morning was very scenic. Madagascar is indeed beautiful and the mountains majestic in a gentle sort of way.
Maybe they are an outward expression of the inward Malagasy!
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