Out of Gas, Out of Garlic

A woman waits at the Manambaro bush taxi stop.

Written March 16, 2012
Fort Dauphin

    Last Friday I failed to get a package from my parents, which was supposed to contain a jar of concentrated Costco garlic powder.  I’ve been consuming spoonfuls of the stuff as a prophylaxis against the fleas in my house.  So with the prophylaxis withdrawn, I thought my nights were going to be the Night of Blades and Stars, the chapter in The Passage when the First Colony’s defenses fail and the vampires outside swarm over the walls.
    Happily, the fleas are turning out to be passive enough to be turned aside by bug spray.  But I’m still looking forward to the garlic.
    I also ran out of butane for cooking, which meant I had to buy another charcoal stove and cook everything that way.  Tatum cooks with charcoal to save money, and Wes says he likes the “caveman” feel of it, but three meals a day over charcoal doesn’t work for me.  Maybe I’m overfond of the “chef” feel of having a heat source which can be controlled with the turn of a knob.
    On Thursday I was able to get to the Fort Dauphin Total station and refill the gas tank.  I expected a hassle, but the thing went off without a hitch.  I even managed to dodge the “fees” that the bush taxi station attendants will try to trick you into paying for a heavy object.  You have to ignore the attendants entirely and just talk to the drivers; drivers don’t care what you’re transporting.
    And I came in to the city today and wiza! there were three packages for me at the post office!  None contained garlic, but they did have the Hunger Games trilogy, a National Geographic, a flashlight, maps for my walls, tons of sweets, and a Mao-sized portrait of our beloved president!  The customs agent actually asked me if we Americans are into that sort of propaganda.  I am!  I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about redecorating in my life!