Observations on Day 1

The city does not have the natural beauty of Rio or many of the other great cities in the world. On the way into the city there was a pall of smog hanging over the city which leaves virtually all the buildings looking grimy. Graffiti is everywhere and it does not present a good first impression

What makes the city great is the people. It is the commercial and cultural centre of the country and there is a vibrancy to the city very similar to New York or London.

There are cops everywhere. On every street corner in this district there are not just one but often as many as five. I don't know if that should make me feel safe or worrisome.

The hardest part of the day was learning to operate my Pants. Before I left, I bought a couple pair of convertible tourist pants. There are so many zippered pockets, secret pockets, pockets within pockets, etc. that I could never remember which one I had put something in. On more than one occasion I thought I had lost something only to find it later in a pocket that I had forgot existed. I'm thinking they should make it mandatory for someone to be licensed before they are allowed to operate these things.

It was 5 Celsius when I arrived this morning. They claim it made it up to 24 but it's the coolest 24 I've ever experienced. The sun just didn't reach through the Canyons of buildings downtown. You needed a jacket for most of the day and there were many people wearing heavy winter jackets even in the middle of the day. It is winter here so it is dark by 6.

I took a walk through the Garden District just south of the hotel. Or maybe north because I really have no sense of direction here. Even if I could see the sun it is in the wrong part of the sky which just throws me off. Just like when I was in Australia everything is backward.

Anyway, the Garden District is heavy residential with high end shops. I didn't pass one building, business or parking lot that wasn't fenced and guarded. (As is my hotel). I think the number one occupation in the country must be security guard.