something in the water

This afternoon I saw: three redheads, a guy that I swear was wearing eyeliner (in a country with zero overt gay or goth culture), and a woman who was the spitting image of the old hag/witch/queen in Disney's Snow White--except for her strappy black high heels.

There are 3 possible explanations for these extraordinary sights:

1. Damascus really is that wierd
2. There's a local Halloween-like holiday I'm not aware of/it's a full moon
3. I ate/drank something that's causing random hallucinations

It's probably #1, but it could be #3, since I decided yesterday to embark on the grand travel adventure of drinking the local water. This is not *quite* the dramatic departure it initally appears to be. I'm pretty sure that the stuff I've been drinking at some cafes and any time I eat with my family has come straight out of the tap; I've just been telling myself otherwise. We'll see what happens...