Breakfast in bed with the newspaper

only thing missing is the tea!  Walked away from the Old Pink City to explore the newer areas - buildings that had courtyards around them, occasional gardens, lots of businesses and one large drain running with a small river through the lot.  Despite the garbage and filth there were  3 different types of heron, several kingfishers, stray dogs, a peacock, small striped squirrels, lots of babblers and other small birds.  We had torrential rain again for much of the night so underfoot was slippy and I walked for miles watching a blackening sky and hoping the sun would appear every so often so I could navigate my way home although there would always have been a rickshaw around - they track you and honk their horns in a most irritating manner to attract your attention.  I know people have got to eat but as I was focussing my camera on a weeny pink breasted dove that was being stalked by a squirrel a wretched man came up behind me and asked if I wanted a  rickshaw, ruining the shot of course. 

I looked in through gates where a huge hole in the sandy ground about 5 stories deep was being gouged out by an excavator whilst on the far side the beginnings of a building with cement base with reinforcing rods was being built.  Immediately I was seen a bevy of men appeared all round me and although polite they were not going to allow me to take a photo and I was quite brusquely ushered out of the gate which was locked behind me.  Further down the street was another hole in the ground - although not as big they were much more accommodating and allowed me to take as many pictures as I liked, especially of the men and women who were carrying cement/stones in bowls on their heads from the cement lorry down into the bowels of the sandy earth.