I intended to write many more posts between the last one and this one, but time was not on my side.

Most recently, I was in England for the wedding of a cousin, but more on that later.

For now, a picture — or two.

The chained monkey shown above perched on a pole is holding a mask it is forced to wear almost every day in temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

The monkey is usually also forced to dance on the roadside to the beat of a drum while masked and clothed.

A man controls the monkey and makes it dance because he hopes to profit.

A child assistant usually begs from people in vehicles driving along this part of the road in Bogor, a city not far from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

This spot on the road is favoured by beggars and salespeople because it is a construction zone narrowed by hoarding.  A highway overpass is being built with the aim of alleviating traffic congestion. It forces traffic to slow, which creates a captive audience.

Ironically, due to all the hawkers and beggars performing in the area, the traffic becomes even worse — especially during late afternoon tropical rainstorms.