A lot of the horribleness of this town I could probably just come to accept. Maybe not willingly, but eventually I'd have no choice but to make my peace and come to terms with it.
Except when it comes to the smell.
Holy smokes, it stinks today.
Must be a "dead cow burn day".
You would think that perhaps over time you would adapt and it wouldn't be such an issue. But even the locals admit this place reeks. Some days more than others, but on the whole, every day in Bako is a stinker.
And it isn't just the air.
Yesterday I was doing some laundry, including a load of towels. When I got out of the shower this morning, I grabbed one of the clean "fresh" towels and held it up to my face... and nearly wretched.
It smells like it's been dragged through a septic tank.
And that's after having been washed in hot water, with bleach, and fabric softener and another fabric sheet thrown in the dryer for good luck. There are no amount of chemicals you can add to the laundry that will counteract Bakersfield tap water, which smells like it was piped in straight from the sewer. It's probably flammable too; I've never bothered to check.
Really, it's just so demoralizing. Like waking up each day and taking a shovel to the face.
