Re: The Amazing Papaya

No rain, and intense heat, causes terrible depression for people. I've observed an interesting psychological difference between the tourists and the local people. Everyday, many times a day, I hear tourists saying, "I hope it doesn't rain on my holiday", and in the next breath they are telling us that we should be watering our now dead lawn, so its nice for them to sit on. They get upset when I tell them that they can't use our water to wash their car with, they just don't get it. My partner thinks that we should turn off the water to the hostel, at least for a couple of hours a day, just to let people know what its like to have none, they might think twice about having their 30 min shower, or leaving the tap running while they're cleaning their teeth.

The local people watch the weather reports, and the conversations are things like "the BOM (bureau of meteorolgy), give us a 40% chance of a shower today", this is accompanied by smiles and hope. Then no rain, and people are downcast again. It takes its toll, no doubt about it.

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