Booze, Cows

I went out for a long walk last night, trying to figure out the neighborhood a little. There's simultaneously a lot and not much around here. It seems like there is an endless array of the same store, each one selling sodas, newspapers, and potato chips; each with a crowd gathered around it until late.

I found a makeshift liquor store on a dark street, which is I guess the way it works when you're in a dry province. A young kid, maybe 18, sat in front of a couple of shelves of breast-pocket-sized flasks of off-brand vodka and whiskey, along with a little fridge full of "superstrength" beer and half-bottles of wine. I've decided not to drink while I'm away this summer, just as a discipline, but stood and watched for a while as men (and it's all men) ambled up, plunked down their rupees, and walked away quietly with their stash. Reminded me of a deli on the Upper West Side that we used to go to in high school, similarly furtive...

Everywhere I walked there were large cows and their offspring just kind of sprawled out and moseying around. Funny to see them in a city setting, grazing on garbage in empty lots, or lying next to the curb, hooves out, dozing. I'm told that they mostly belong to people, and somehow they know where to go back to in the evenings to be fed and milked. There are also quite a few lambs, with long ears and bony bodies, hanging out in packs at the side of the road, and a few stray dogs and chickens.