murky birds

A pigeon with a gnarly sick beak stands on the roof of the car and it doesn’t respond to hand waiving until I swing a man-bag and it slowly flutters to a ledge above.  Another sick bird stands on the balcony ledge outside my sitting room and while others scatter immediately when I open the screen and shoosh this one doesn’t move, I can see its tiny black eye, I’m going to die.

Every four days I have to wipe down the Honda from dirt and bird shit. Every side of the building is occupied by the murky birds.   Days after our last rain the tiled balcony was covered again with shit from those who roost on four floors of windowsills and air conditioners directly above.  The baby pigeon is certainly one of the ugliest creatures around here and when one finds itself on the balcony still unsure if it can fly, it shits even more when I encourage it to fly off.

And here this dying bird on the balcony has sat for an hour, unmoved.  A healthy pigeon shows no emotion in its eye but when it is close to death, you can see it.  I am too sick to be frightened, it says.  I don’t know if a dying pigeon carries diseases yet I’ll leave this one alone but I’m going to keep an eye on it because I don’t want it to die on the balcony.  

Only a few more days before the holiday begins.  Today I went in around eight thirty and left at one.  There isn’t much to do, the director said there would be no coordinators next semester so there isn’t much to prepare for.  I spent the day reading the Guardian online though the internet is slowed down and there were no images on the website.  Last night I jotted down hostels and inns in the cities I expect to visit.  My colleague is also traveling to the island and has every day planned including transport.  The only time I ever planned this carefully was three weeks in Japan.  I don’t want to plan that much this time.  Maybe I’ll stay three days in Hikkaduwa, maybe I’ll stay four.  Maybe I’ll climb Adam’s Peak, maybe I’ll just skip it.  The 1:30am start is ok and it ought to take four hours to do it, but I’m reading during the pilgrimage months it’s taking people up to nine hours! Nine hours to climb it.  Yeah, I don’t know about that at all.  Well, we’ll see and for these reasons I keep an open schedule.  I will certainly stay at least two days in Kandy, and at least a half day at the botanical gardens, my highlight eleven years ago.  And probably one night in Negombo, perhaps two if I pass up the Peak.  Still, sunrise on the top could be a serious contender for highlight of the trip.

So tomorrow is cleaning day:  clean the sinks and toilet, clean the bathtub, clean the floors, and any laundry.  And then a pre-pack.  I can’t believe how many pockets my new day pack has.  I found four more pockets.  Of course you know that means you’ll be looking through every one to find your nail clippers or rolling papers. 

And the plan Thursday is to drive 90km and get the exit stamp, go to the office, meander, go home for lunch, pace back and forth, and then walk across the border, take a taxi to the Al-Ain mall for dinner and then walk to the bus station and hire a Pakistani to drive me to the airport in his unlicensed corolla.  Sounds like a good plan, no?  I guess so.  I used to drive to Dubai and leave the car on the street or in a lot and then take a taxi to the airport but for reasons I don’t understand I don’t want to do that anymore.  The airport parking lot charges $27 a day and that’s too much. 

And Dr. Binoy gave me a composite filling. Fifty two dollars.  “The one next to this one is broken you know.” I knew there was something going on there.  “See you next month?”

“The traveler has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.”
― Rabindranath Tagore

“If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”
― Rabindranath Tagore