smoking, troubadors and vendors

Smoking is big here. It's big in most of Asia that I've seen but they don't even have a pretext of it not being so here. I mean when I was at the immigration point in the airport one of the guards was smoking. Bus drivers (on city buses especially) smoke, and the guy beside me in the internet cafe is puffing away.

There are coins in 50, 100 and 500 ruppiah denominations but anything below the 500 is tough to find a use for. There is an economy that has sprung up around this at red lights and bus stations. People will walk the rows of cars or jump on buses, sometimes with a guitar or ukelem sometimes with just their voices and sing whatever. Local songs to pop stuff. Sometimes it's just a kid with a metal rattle who stands outside a window until the driver is irritated enough to pay. When the bus starts rolling they produce a cup or envelope and collect coins before jumping off again. Quite a few people give.

I have a picture of one guy singing but might need to get a guitarist to really demonstrate it. Sometimes there are pictures I feel I NEED to tell the story of my trip...we'll see.

Vendors. They also do the ol' jumping on the bus trick. SOmetimes they just work the statiuons and get off before nthe bus leaves other times they ride for one stop. They hand out their wares and come back and collect it again or the money. You can by candy, nuts, newspapers or cell phone ringtones in this way. Weird.