Kiev Leaving the park we quickly went into the town of Addo to get some gasoline. The gas station was swamped, with hundreds of people: they were all lined up at the two ATMs, chattering away. Stores in the small town were also open, past five p.m., which is not normal. Trying to bring the car into the gas station I had to yell at people to step aside so we could bring the car up to the pump. As the attendant pumped the gas – all fill stations are full-service here – I asked her what was going on. “Payday,” she said. “Last Friday of the month.” “Everyone gets paid the same day?” I asked, incredulous. She said yes. I suppose everyone here lives hand-to-mouth. And the crowd had a terrible, nervous energy: everyone was going to get drunk tonight.
Leaving Addo.
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This entry (permalink) was posted on Thursday, July 16, 2015, at 12:54 pm by jbkuhner. Filed in African Journey, Travels and tagged Africa, South Africa.
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