Dust
So just how dusty is it here? I lived in dusty places in Aust and I have seen too many dust storms for my liking. In western NSW it was nothing to see a storm of dust literally roll towards us obliterating the horizon and visibility quickly becomes nothing. It then continues on its path. That race to close up a house as one watches the plumes of dust is unforgettable. Ahhh the sweet memories of living in country Aust!
This dust is completely different. It’s a pervasive persistent living with dust. Everywhere. The fine red dust is kicked up from all the unsealed roads in town as we walk, moto or drive cars about. The dust comes through our unsealed timber homes and settles on all. No exaggeration, a table can be wiped over and 20 minutes later a fine layer is there again. Lifting any item, comb, book, phone or whatever from a table top means seeing the imprint of the shape left on the table as the dust has settled around the shape. Very artistic at times but of course it sometimes saps one’s good humour living in this dust.
Sitting on my balcony here, I can see the dust flowing down the road in the wake of a moto rider. It is a mostly still day so at least the dust is not being whipped up and around today. Leaving a beer open and unattended for too long means you get a mouthful of dust. It pays not to look at the surface of a cuppa tea, as of course we drink all this dust. It’s the smell of dust that is most noticeable. Picking up the mosquito net too quickly for eg, when getting into bed releases all the dust and the smell always amazes me. And don’t even think about the impossibility of keeping dust out of beds!
Clean dust:
A comforting fact or myth told by all expats here, is that at least we are breathing in clean dust. A newcomer settles into their new placement comes along to their first Friday night social drinks and can’t help but mention their personal struggle with getting used to the red dust and people will chorus, “but its clean dust!” Like that helps get used to the red dust in one’s eyes, ears and nose!!
There are so few pollutants here and so few cars and the little 100cc motos are everywhere but in a tiny population of 17,000 the effect of vehicles is minimal. So as I ride through red mists of dust on my own moto I comfort myself that it is healthy dust!
At 5pm as we all leave from work, the dust is so bad that the main road through town looks like its dusk as the dust generated sits in the still air completely blocking out the sun. its nothing to be peering 5 metres ahead to see what is on the road and all because of the dust.
On my little residential road its not like that. Constant dust is blown about but not so visible. The signs of dust exist in that all trees are covered with red film on the side that faces the roads.
But I will never complain about the dust as the opposite that comes with wet season is the mud. And I never enjoyed the lack of mobility that comes with the mud. At least with dry roads for the 6 months of dry season, travel is easy. Well there are pockets of thick fine dust to scooter through but rarely will we slip over - just like 4WD in sand I think, except with 100cc. In wet season my work office is on the road considered the 2nd worst track in town and so once the rains begin it is a slippery water logged slippery clay base. One week last wet season (April – Oct) there were 7 staff with major leg injuries – not from traveling to remote villages but just trying to get to the office!!! So I breath in all this dust happily as I remind myself that soon I will be struggling to stay upright on my little moto in ankle deep mud.
So who wants to come visit me … after such an enticing description?
