Ended up in a small art gallery by chance today. Ok maybe not that much by chance but rather by the owner’s brother who chatted me up in the streets.
Anyway, early on in the visit I had to crush their hopes of selling anything to me, as I told them I don’t have a home and no place to hang a painting either.
The lady running the gallery took it easy enough though and invited me to stay for a chat. She told me how she used to have the gallery on the main street but had to move away when she was unable to afford the rent.
According to her (and many others actually), the cost of living has sky-rocketed in the past months, with things like food and gas being 2-4 times as expensive now. People using wood for cooking doesn’t really improve the air situation in the city, I guess.
It made me wonder whether I could do some “development aid” by offering the art works on the internet. Anybody want to buy a picture of the Himalayas?
Aside from chatting with people, I’ve spent a fair bit of time just wandering around the streets, sitting down every now and then to watch life flow past. Despite the streets being rather busy, the atmosphere feels relaxed to me.
Talking to people here once more makes me realise how well off people in my country are. You lose your job, you get help from the state. Around here, if you lose your income, you might find yourself starving to death.
On a side note: I think I have to retract my statement about there being not many motorised vehicles about…
