You might be surprised to know that Melbourne Cup Day came and went without a ripple in the Golden city of Jaisalmer. I even got the time wrong and it was well over by the time I started looking for news of it. We don't have a TV set up at the moment but that might happen tomorrow. Indian time is a bit like NT time, you know not today, not tomorrow etc. We have been promised that the orange juice man near the square will come and set it up for us!

Some real excitement today, sitting here having coffee with one of our friends, Mukesh, when I heard strange noises coming from the washing machine outlet - the washing machine is in the dining/lounge area, as you do - and it was moving! Bloody hell I thought, mouse, rat? Well suddenly we hear voices from outside the window and here was a worker sitting on a steel pole platform attached to a few ropes cleaning out the pipe more than 30 ft up, no safety gear whatsover!! I won't tell you that until tomorrow our washing machine water and our sink water goes straight out the wall of the fort and drops 30 ft to the walkway below!!! We were mortified when we first realised but we were told not to worry that's what happens and people have been living here since the 12th century! Our landlords family have been here for all that time - something like 45 generations. Just incredible. Anyway our shocked faces must have had an impact because there is a new drainpipe being installed tomorrow so the water won't drop on anyone's head as they walk underneath!

I got a small pack of Bega Tasty cheese today, a friend brought it back from a quick trip to Thailand would you believe. We can only get paneer, a soft white cheese, and mozeralla and Kraft slices. So I am hanging out for some Tasty! Getting my veg is great, I wander along the stalls, pick and choose and can get a big plastic bag with about 10 lovely tomatoes, cucumber, peas, onions and potatoes for about a $1.50. I mostly try to use the same lady, we have no idea what we are saying, I just do a lot of pointing and hand gestures and we get along well. The fruit is a bit different, all men and they seem a little disdainful, and the fruit quality is not so good, I am learning not to bother with grapes or exotics - never taste like they should. But we had a lovely papaw today. Grocery shopping takes a bit of learning and persistence. There seems no rhyme or reason to what they keep in their particular shop, except for the man who sells the soap and toothpaste, deodorant etc! The butter, no margarine, is at the Baker's and the cheese is sometimes too. Cornflakes are in various places, but I have found the flour and the cornflour was in bulk! Further down the road is the shop that sells only eggs. Oh and the washing powder is at the Government store, no idea why. There is no supermarket as you might have guessed, but we travelled to Jodphur the other week and there is a good one there, with the tiniest trollies, almost like the ones for kids at K-Mart. There are plastics shops, for all things plastic of course as well as cups, bowls, washing up stuff and maybe even a clothes rack. Then there are the metal shops, for all things metal, saucepans, serving bowls etc. This wonderful city is a treasure trove, and we are lucky enough to have some great friends who help us when we need it. So lucky, we couldn't do it without them.