One of the nicest people I met on the trip, most people I met were friendly, courteous and helpful but one that stood out, was the proprietor of the bike rental shop. I mentioned him in a previous post. His name was Kevin, which I found rather anglicized for Mexico, or Argentina for that matter, where he was born. He wore a genuine grin which never left his face. He shared with me the emotions of his pet parrot, the bird is apparently extremely protective and jealous, even of his wife. The parrot sits on it's perch outside the shop most days, not accustomed to flying the act wears him out quickly. He uses a hose, not directly but indirectly, to occasionally mist the bird who spreads out his wings to absorb the cooling water. They are like father and son. Our conversation, regarding truly nothing, lasted over half an hour. I found myself thinking what a delightful lunch or dinner guest he would make.
Then there were Gustavo and Patrick, the two guys that run the small hotel. Kind, gracious, more than helpful with my struggle with the lost luggage. I could, and have, done worse with hotel guesthouse hosts.
There were the smiling and attentive waitstaffs in restaurants, the young guy at the rock shop, who offered to hold my selections until I returned from looking at other options. The waitress at the restaurant I ate at during the Friday blackout, asking to ring my meal early since they didn't know how much longer they would have the capability to do so and explained the limited beverage options. When I returned the next day she recognized me and said "Today we have power. our full menu is available." I enjoyed a delicious, rich smoothie and a panini the size of my head. It made both lunch and dinner that day.
Encounters with the people that live and work in the places you visit can make or break a trip. This trip, for other reasons, was a little broken, they helped mend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment