Departure, departure

On Sunday, Marco's friends had to leave.

They had been so fun to be here and always wondering if we would eat with them, go with them, etc. I was especially sad to say good bye to Fllaaaaavio (I did the Best Run with him). we only got close right at the end, I regret that it did not happen earlier on. It was lovely but frustrating at the same time because it was one of those "wrong time wrong place" situations, because he was going away. I can imagine how fun and free it would be if we could be together for longer. Que pena. It hurts to be taken away. Together was those moments when you don't think about the future or the past you just think, "fuck, this second right here and right now is so so ... raaa!" You want to eat it. He was just himself, steady and kind and fun. Well I will stop there, I think that the people who know me will know what I mean. This is a video of him playing in the kitchen. I liked it when he played the drums on my legs.

The Farm
Theme Tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q39GlthnNVI
(This is the tune that is played during the exposition of some photos taken by someone who worked on the farm. To see this exposition follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VsuKcy31w0&feature=related. He was from Chile but took most photos in Brasil).



After a sad departure, the team of 5 met up; Me, Tiago, Marco, Senna and Maria (friends of Tiago's). We drove up and up into the green mountains where the air was fresh. We stopped at Tiago's family home, which is a classic family home where there are boxes of potatoes in the back room, a bread oven at the front, and roosters and kittens out under the fruit trees. We ate a heart-issimo lunch and set off pretty sharply, having collected some fruit to take with us.



Next, we stopped at a little village called Avo. This translates as "Grandfather". And it was rather suitable. It sat in a misty crevice, with a river running through and balconied houses perching over it.






We went on and on through the forests until we reached the farm of Christine and Dirk, near Oliveira de Hospital. The farm is nestled in a pine & mimosa valley which is green and green can be. It is as remote as anything, although sometimes you can hear the church bells ringing from a village further up. It is a farm on a series of terraces linked by dusty roads and crumbling steps. There are fruit trees, herbs, natural pools, vegetables, goats, a donkey, cats and dogs. There is a warehouse filled with screws and machines and wires and the table where we all sit to eat. The kitchen is a shack outdoors with rocket stoves. We only ate natural, vegetarian things, mostly from the farm itself. We had fresh goat milk each day. There are dry toilets, where you basically shit down into pine leaves. You can wash in the natural pool. The usual thing is to get up early and have breakfast, then divide the tasks and work until lunch, have a break, work again until sundown and eat supper together. The other people on the farm are "drifters", mainly, with many a story to tell. Many of them are into spiritual being and practise yoga under the trees before breakfast and bless their food before they eat. We constructed a shack around the shower and I helped to clear dry things to help prevent fire. Two years ago they were fighting fire off by themselves, and it so nearly got the farm.

PART TWO COMING ON MONDAY.