Going to TOWN with Jonathan

There's so many things to look at, I can't focus on the camera!

So Jonathan's play shoes got played out -- there were holes in the toes.  I've tried going shoe-shopping without him before ....it doesn't work.  I just end up spending money on shoes that don't fit.  So I decided the only thing to do was go to town with Jonathan.  Not something I usually like to do!   Our high school friend Hannah came to watch Joshua while we went on our mother-son adventure! 

Jonathan hasn't worn his harness in a long time, but I asked him to wear it today for safety and he agreed!  It was a good thing I did because his impulse control is not very good yet!  I would have lost him several times!  So we found some new shoes at the first store we went to, and then went to the hardware store to buy some rope and have a tour. 

Oh my!  Is the hardware store ever an exciting place!  We looked at everything .....rooms full of cans of paint and rolls of upholstery fabric and bins of pipes and walls of water fixtures!  Not to mention ramps to go up and stairs to climb and mysterious corners to wonder about! 

We made a few more stops:  snacks, a few special groceries, and a birthday present for a friend.  Then it was time to go home.  Little legs were tired.  We were loaded down with purchases by now so it would have been a long walk back up the hill to the minibus terminal.  Fortunately we could get a ride on a dokar,  (horsecart)! 

It cost about $2.50 cents to ride all the way home with our purchases.  The minibus ride is only 50 cents..... so 5 times more expensive.  A local could have bargained the price down, but as a white-skinned person I've never been able to.

Really, though, where else in the world can you get a 15 minute horse-cart ride for under three dollars?

That said, the ride home is interesting as we traverse the main roads along with all of the motorcycles, vehicles, minibuses, and sometimes large lorry trucks.  I don't know how much longer dokar travel will be legal in our town as they can be a traffic hazard.  Those horses have nerves of steel! 

I enjoyed my trip to town with Jonathan and am looking forward to doing it again!  The next big thing will be to try taking both boys ....I think it will be another year at least before we're ready for that!