Tuesday 8 December

It's so nice to not get up early! The buffet breakfast is good and we try and get enough so we won't need lunch. When the tok tok's arrive we head off to the main fort and palace. It's a new driver and he talks and asks lots of questions. We pass the floating palace on the way. We walk up the fort and there are lots of elephants walking up too. It's a little sad to see them in this way. At the fort we get a guide and spend a few hours wandering around the palace. It's pretty impressive. On the way down we stop to watch fisherman haul fish out of a very small lake/moat. We tell our driver where we want to go and then head off. It's another fort at the top of a hill. And another palace. Not particular wowing after the last one! Next is monkey temple, but first we stop to photograph the floating palace in the lake. The road to the monkey temple is up hill and in a dirty rubbishy area. As we drive to the gate a young man hips on the tok tok and wants to guide us. We say no. The driver leaves to get petrol and we start the walk up the hill to what looks like a temple. There are cows, pigs, dogs and monkeys all over on the way up. There is a grow with a deformed growth on it's back. It looks like it's in the middle of birthing a breach calf. There are two small extra legs! Malcolm gets lots of pictures. When we reach the temple it says sun temple. We check the map and the temple is elsewhere. We walk down and over a small crest. The temple appears to be low on the other side. We decide we have seen enough monkeys and head back. The driver is sitting down without his tok tok. We don't understand his explanation, but when another man comes driving it along we figure it out. He takes us to an emporium next. I want to find some clothes that will be appropriate in Africa. It's a bit daunting trying to figure out what to get. Everything is tucked away on shelves and a man opens what you ask. I don't like any skirts they show and want nothing made up for me here. I look at pants next and find a pair I like. Done. Next tops. There is one that looks really nice, but it's too pricey. We look at handcrafts and jewellery but find nothing we like. Just the pants. The driver takes us to a shop he likes that sells textiles. They have no ready made. It's just awkward. We know we will probably say no. The cost doesn't match what we want. On the way back we drive a kind of back way and see an elephant and lots of local living. I head straight to our room once back. I get ready for a shower and decide to wash some clothes. It's so dusty here. It takes awhile to shower and wash my hair and clothes. Malcolm uses the internet ten naps while I cut my nails and check messages. When he wakes and showers I check when we will meet for dinner with our guide. We have dinner on the terrace around a small fire pit. A nice ending to the day.