Impressions

All countries I visit leave me with an impression. Something that instantly flickers into my mind when I think of that place. For example the UK, I think of rolling hills, winding narrow roads, stupid laws, grey skies & rain. For Switzerland I think, towering mountains, clean and pristine spaces, beautiful (physically) people. Singapore, gadgets, gleaming hi-tech looking buildings, superb food. Australia, chilled out attitude, WIDE open space, sports crazy people. You get what I mean. Well it struck me that this place has an impression all of its own on me. I shall go thru it, point by point, with explanation.

1st point is, Shitty quality. You know how you go to some cheap place like the "dollar store" by some cheap arsed product. You buy it and it is plasticy/ tinny, etc.. but it works. Not terribly well but it does. Infact all my purchases from "dollar stores" exist to this very day. All in working order. Granted I don't use em but they work none-the-less. For here I have bought things at a few tiers above the lowest as I wanted them to last a reasonable time but they have still busted at a fraction of the life of any of my other seriously abused purchases. Examples like the fried extension plugs, the melted wall socket, the bent mop handle, the mouse that worked for a day, my friends boxster whose transmission shaft fell out after a week, the other friend's cadallac which died after driving 200m from the dealership after purchase, my car with its mystery ailments after just 1 week, my all metal bbq set which melted(!), the trainers of which the sole detached after 2hrs of wearing them, the mop bucket which handle broke after 2 uses, the just built apartment we moved into only to have ceiling to floor cracks appear and sewage back up filling the whole 1st floor with raw sewage for a week, my neighbourhood which after 2 years living there still has no road or phone line or sewer pipeline. The plastic garden chairs that all (12) broke when people (regardless of weight) sat on them. I think you get the picture.

2nd point. Rude, incompetent drivers. I've seen more serious car crashes here than in my whole life combined. Heh, I should post all my crash pics I took out here. Several invoke the feeling of "how DID you manage it?" Also drivers here that have no clue what parking bay lines are for. Or those that don't know the purpose of a slip road. Or why breast feeding, using a phone and driving all at the same time is dangerous. Also the number of times people zoom up my butt flash and horn me out the way only to get ahead of me just so they can cruse at my exact speed. And the way they slam on the horn at you the moment the light goes green. Really the instant it turns green, your brain instructions to your foot haven't arrived yet and they are already on the horn at you. Also the same idiots that creep slowly forwards at the red light, only to actually stop(!!!) when it turns green, what's up with that?

3rd point. Loud and gaudy. Things in almost every shop has the most in your face colour scheme and/or design. The more visually offensive the more shops love to stock em. Clothes for example are hideous. Think of the era that style forgot, now add lots of gold, reds and greens. Even furniture is equally tasteless. Hideous and soulless designs. I can't explain it that well, but its just... when you go to shops here, baring electronics, there is nothing here that makes you think "Hey! This looks good, wonder how much it is" Everything just strikes you with "OMG who buys this shit?" And sadly when you look at the people around you the answer is in your face. In your face regardless if you want to see it or not.

4th point. Desolation. Space devoid of anything. Its an idea hard to convey but a very strong impression all those who have been here never fail to notice or forget. In most places on this planet. Leave a patch of dirt alone and few days later weeds or moss or something will pop up. Here, nothing. Just nothing. Even attempts at making this place green by the government is all for naught. Well partly cos not enough watering is carried out. But the desolation goes beyond the lack of greenery. It spreads to places to go or things to do. Unless you want to screw hookers or get drunk there is just 2 of what i would consider malls, all filled with stuff outlined in the 3rd point. And 2 cinemas... filled with loud inconsiderate people & screaming babies. And a handful of coffee shops. And the beaches you would assume would be nice given the blue seas, is infact murky with pollution from land reclamation and beaches are infact not composed of sand, but quicksand, a result as well of land reclamation. But that's if you can even see the beach under the mass that is the 5th point...

5th point. Rubbish. Literally. Refuse, trash, crap, etc. Nobody here has a concept of a bin. There are bins dotted about the place but no one knows how they work. Cos rubbish always ends up on the floor. Early in my stay here, I sat in traffic watching a guy sweeping the pavement. To my amazement a kid in the car infront wound down the window and heaped a load of crisp packets, apple cores and drinks cartons out. Right infront of the poor road sweeper. Almost to say, here ya go, just to make sure you don't run out of work. Even when I've driven miles out of the city and towns into the desert. Rubbish is everywhere! It is the middle of fricking nowhere. Literally miles from the nearest habitation but still its everywhere. And it comes in every form. Car batteries, cupboards, drinks bottles, sofas, propane tanks, tyres. Its just a mess.

With those impressions in mind. For those who know where I am talking of. If you want to visit, sure for a week or so, just for the experience. But in all honesty, save your money. There are plenty of much more enriching places this planet has to offer.