Regarding updating the diary I am still keen to keep it interesting/amusing. However, after a run of late nights and a weekend away I'm afraid it has fallen gravely behind... Here then with apologies are Week3 highlights...

At the beginning of the week it rained for the last time. The winds changed. The clouds dispersed, the humidity dropped – hotter and fresher during the day, cooler at night. The rain gone and (as if related) the tourists have begun to flock in – 2 weeks before days would pass without seeing another European – now they’re "2 a penny" – so confident, so arrogant, so colonial… not sure if I want to join in – but at least the local hawkers now have easy prey and will not bother with me so much…

Tuesday 10th evening ate at the Chinese Plate a new-ish restaurant with reasonable food but at US$7 for duck in peanut sauce it seemed expensive after the Forodhani gardens. It was nice to have a beer with my food, to sit on a chair, and to avoid mundane conversation… but still, not much fun on my own.

Had Swahili class three nights this week, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It turns out that Wahid works at the Serena – the swankiest hotel in town – and so we meet there from 5-7pm, which annoyingly coincides with the sun setting and the mosquito uprising.

Fri 13th (and didn’t even notice)
Worked long and hard this week collecting/ writing/ editing/ proofreading material for the festival programme – getting quite excited about the films and music we’re putting on –just a few weeks now. Finally left the office at 1AM – third time this week – but at least the job is done now. "Publish and be damned" as they say. Need a weekend. Need to get out.