January 3, 2009
Learning About Cuban New Year's Events: Cycling up the hill to our "banana farmer"
It was another windy day though the flag was yellow, indicating that at least one jellyfish had been spotted. I tossed bread into the water for the fish but it was not touched - something I have never seen. The wind must be stirring up the bottom too much.
We made a room change-over in two moves (the bikes and their boxes made it a bit tougher than 'normal')then got ready to go up the hill to see the banana farmer.
The time of day was around 3:30 pm so it was really hot out. The farmer lives up the road toward the highway at about the halfway point. I cycled and Marie-Anne walked from the road up the path to his house where we met the farmer, his brother, their mother and their nephew who is about twelve years old.
Yesterday we had brought them some medicine so today I took their photograph and then they gave us some of their bananas (platanas) and peanuts (cacahuetes) which they grow on their plots. They told us that they can never leave Cuba to go elsewhere the way we can and as they told us this they had a dreamy look in their eyes. When I said that it wasn't really fair their eyes lit up and they shook our hands.
When I asked about taking their pictures they ushered us in behind their home where an orchid plant covered with blossoms was pushing up beside their water tank. He posed everyone such that the blossoms could be seen. I took a variety of photos then Marie-Anne took one with me and our farmer friend. They seemed quite honoured that we wanted pictures of them and quite honoured, in general, actually.
The young boy showed us the fire pit where they cooked the New Year's pig (it seems that everyone in the country roasts a pig for the New Year). He was very polite and very interested in our bikes, curious about the camera and the dictionary. In fact, at one point when my camera bag rolled from my backpack as I opened it, he jumped forward to carefully cradle it so it would not fall. He is in school in Canasi but when I described the teacher we had met at Boca da Canasi he did not seem to know who I meant.
As it was becoming later in the afternoon, we could eventually smell kitchen aromas wafting from the house as the matriarch started to prepare dinner (she said that her husband had died three years ago). It smelled delicious but his was our cue to be on our way.
The nice thing about having come all this way uphill was that the return was primarily downhill.. And it was great... getting faster and faster until I had to brake in case the chickens crossed the road. In front of my wheels. Literally!
Grabbing our books, we had a Spanish coffee and read in the lobby for a while. And people-watched. Marie-Anne commented as the bus dropped off new people that all day, each day, as buses come and go, holidays are starting and holidays are ending all of the time. So true. Happiness and sadness. Excitement and disappointment. Anticipation and dread.
Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles)
Total: 43 km (27 miles)
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