Beaver Fever

And so the days roll by, as I stick to my rigourous diet and become slightly addicted to iced tea. This is on the permitted list. I scrambled up a hilldside yesterday, just to reach a small hotel where you can pay to swim and splashed about in their tiny pool for a while. Surrounded by dark pink flowers, small tattered prayer flags and the Himalayas  in the background it was impossible to feel hard done by. I spotted a chameleon sunning himself atop a fence post with his quiff slightly red and a jaunty look in his eye. He looked like an animal gangster. I pointed him out like David Attenborough to some other tourists who took lots of photos. Eventually he got fed up and shot off. He quickly reappeared by my sun lounger with a bright orange head. Hmmm. Methinks I maybe angered the beast. He skulked off into the undergrowth.
Animals are certainly always at hand. Often its a water buffalo chewing the cud slap bang in the middle of the pavement. Sometimes its an ordinary cow blocking the whole road and forcing everyone to manoeuver around it. Last night I spotted "reggae bat" who kept repeatedly circling in and out of the reggae music shop with his mate. Something about the bass lines must have appealed to his batty-sensitive-sonar. The music in my restaurant certainly didn't. It comprised of a driving fast drumming accompanied by a frenzied staccatto flute that sounded like the flute was trying to escape and the musician was chasing it and blowing notes down it against its will. Cue some serious Tibetan style chanting, with men saying either "party on' "hurry on" or "pay my mum" but most likely something in their own language. Then cut the lot, lulling you into a false sense of security that the track has actually finished, for around 6 seconds, then bring in some high toned full on cymbal action, roll a vigourous scale on a casio keyboard, crash all instruments together and begin again. "Party on" "Pay my mum".......Fusion doesn't even come close. I should've asked for the band's name; they would go down a storm at WOMAD. And if my friend Neil were here he could've danced to them in a mysterious way, which he's known to be good at.
Oh and just because you need to know that little but more about my gorgeous friend giardia, it was named after a French bloke called Giard who discovered the evil monkeys, (merci monsieur), it hangs around for up to four weeks which, at least, is less than most squatters and it is also known as Beaver Fever.Apparently the furry ones were good at passing it about all over North America. (ref point. Mrs Hilary West).