We are staying at Bissau Palace; a palace still owned by the original family and run as a hotel. When we arrived we had driven through chaotic streets where the day to day business of life was taking place. The gates to the palace were opened and as we entered a quiet green was revealed.
We were woken this morning my Muslim call to prayer which sounds five times daily.
Today we visited the Amber fort which was breathtaking in the mid morning hazy sun. We laughed and clapped along at a Bollywood film this evening. As the curtain went up at the beginning of the film the crowd erupted with cheers, clapping and whistles.
Each evening the sky is filled with many kites flown by kids from rooftops across the city. The power lines in the street are festooned with kites which have become tangled and snagged. The kites themselves are a simple diamond shape stretched on thin wooden supports. They give the afternoon a feeling of calmness and an awareness of the gentle blowing breeze. They are a mark of the day coming to an end.
It is the unexpected which leaves the deepest mark.
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