Snow!

I took this picture because there was ice on her eyelashes and I thought it looked cool, but I think it turned out to be just a plain old good picture. What do you think?

Over the weekend we went just outside the city limits to a camp where we could go sledding and skiing. I came back grumpy last night, but I think that's just because my bad ankle was semi-sprained, my arms were both sore, and a the guy running the "rental" (a pile of sleds and half a dozen pairs of skis) had been bugging me all day.

Early Sunday morning I had gone to the guy renting sleds and skis and had asked how much it would cost to rent skis. He said it was T5,000 for a day, about $4.50. I looked at the skis and wondered how on earth he managed to pay for his things. The skis weren't amazing (not that I would know) but they looked just like skis one would rent in the US. They hadn't been extensively repaired, they weren't too worn, they just looked normal. I guessed at my size (sizes here are different) and took some to try on. I guessed wrong. I guess I'm a 44 and not a 43. I took the skis back, but by then the church group had decided to play a game of soccer in the snow (it was -30). Using one of my friends to translate I said I’d be back in half an hour or so to get a pair that fit. He said ok. Payment - Proposal - "OK" would define the rest of my interactions with the schmuck.

I was back in half an hour with a sore ankle that had forced me to stop playing. I got a pair of ski boots that fit and was about to head off for the hill when the man asked me for money. I told him that I’d already paid this morning, but the boots had been too small. He said “OK”.

It was really hard climbing up the hill in ski boots. It’s a lot steeper than it looks in the pictures, though one of the videos does it justice. I only went down three times, because it started getting really crowded. After that I gave up, and went to rent a sled.

The man was waiting for me, and renewed his request for another T5,000. I grabbed a friend, and explained through her that I had already paid. He was adamant. I then offered to pay him T5,000 and get a sled instead of the skis. He said that would be fine.

Sledding was fun, except that the snow was so powdery that I got plastered in it. My glasses froze to my face, and when I took them off later they ripped out hair. The hill was really crowded, and no one knew how to steer, or had the sense to not walk up the sled runs. I saw some very spectacular accidents where people got hit so hard they did a complete flip. At one point a woman got carried in on a sled, apparently unconscious (at least at first).

It was still -20, and after a few hours I’d had enough. I went into the lodge, and was met by the rental guy who demanded more money. One of my friends translated, but it did no good. Finally I gave up, gave him 4,000, and told him (in English) never to come near me again.

He didn’t listen. A few minutes later he came, angrily demanding the sled.

I had given him the sled, such as it was. It was really two cracked sleds that had been riveted together.

He said he was missing a sled, and it was our group’s fault. Our group was unable to come up with evidence to the contrary, so he demanded T25,000.

$21 is a lot of sled. In fact, with the low prices they have here, that’s enough to pay for the trip into the city center, a new sled, and dinner for him and his wife. Still, the group paid. I gave T3,000 towards his family outing, but I was still ticked.

Still, in retrospect, I suppose I did get in a day of skiing and sledding for around $15. By US standards I came out on top.

Our pile of stuff for the weekend.

People in the van.

It's A LOT steeper than it looks.
Burma's hair is covered in frost.
I learned a very interesting fact. With an outhouse like this, you pretty much have to hold onto the door. Unfortunately, when it's -30 you can't hold onto the door for more than a few seconds without a glove on your hand. It was... unpleasant.
People were always asking me to take their picture. I'm not exactly sure why, it's not like they're ever going to have the pictures, though they certainly could if they wanted.
Am I going to be like this nut when I'm 50?
You can see the steam pouring out from the top of the ger door.

And if you couldn't see the steam pouring through the door, you can see it in this video.
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Being a missionary doesn't mean you never fail