these are lyrics from my favorite brasilian song called "you don't know me" by caetano veloso. i first heard this song while driving to ubatuba with ju and helio just before new years. in this song, he sings in english... maybe that is why it's my favorite.
this past weekend maya and ben took me to their friends farm. we drove inland for about 2 hours and arrived to a beautiful, and very open, plot of green land. the areas around it reminded me of jurassic park. the lush green covering tall hills, decorated with palm trees and other large trees bearing fruits and covered in vines. the farm was used for a couple of things; one, they raised cattle... which i later found out they kill and eat them, typical. two, they hold special retreats. guests come for the weekend to gather in this beautiful wooden studio while they sit around on mats singing kumbya and drinking a special tea made of natural mushrooms... this made me think a bit more... finally, i realized they are really holding giant "let's trip out" parties, but they slap a religious sticker on it so that it's no longer illegal. don't worry mommom, these festivities did not go on during my weekend there.
the main house was used for the owners. it had a giant kitchen and a giant covered deck filled with a sitting area and 4 large wooden dining tables. each sat 12 people. in front of the seating area was the lawn and a small swimming pool. out back there was a cobble stone walk way that led you down to the many rows of tiny pastel colored cabins. i chose the blue cabin furthest away. across from my cabin was a tiny tiny church. i sat in there one day and talked to myself about my life and it's adventures, deciding if i was on the right path. i decided yes.
we stayed there for one night with 6 of maya's classmates. she is attending university for veterinary sciences. they all love animals, adoring the dogs and kitten, pointing in awe at the fileds of beautiful cattle and cute pig that laid under the tree..... for dinner that night everyone made scrambled eggs to go with their ham and cheese rolls. ironic, i know. i made sauteed eggplant and zucchini with garlic and onions. we spent the night dancing samba and singing karaoke. we even went for a swim and built a tornado pool. we all ran around in the same direction, eventually causing the water to swirl about. once it was going fast enough we would pick up our legs and float on our backs as the water rushed us in circles around the pool. it was beautiful to watch the stars looking dizzy above us. we did this 3 times that weekend.
sunday, the main event day. we all woke up early and had breakfast. everyone ate the same thing they had for dinner. i had a bowl of granola with coconut milk and a sliced plum on top. after breakfast we got dressed in our finest for our horse riding adventure. i was so excited, for this was my first time on a horse... except for that time at the zoo when i sat on it and someone pulled it around a ring. unfortunately, i did not bring jeans with me, so i had to borrow a pair from the guy to watches the horses. they looked like the worst style of bulky mom jeans... so flattering. i was paired with the only grey horse. he was covered in sweat and was shorter than the others, except for the mule in the corner. the 4 of us began our adventure walking slowly. we headed for the large hill in front of the farm. my horse was slow and really did not want to go up that hill, but eventually he did. we walked along its ridge, seeing the valley below us and feeling the earth's cool breeze. next was the jungle. it probably was more of a forest but i will call it a jungle because of the giant vines and brush that we had to duck and bend through.... oh and not to mention to 2 giant spiders and snake swirling it's way up the tree on my left. we turned the horses around and darted out at fast as possible, leaves smacking our faces. next stop, the bull pen. well, almost. we made our way up another hill, only not as steep as the first one. here all of the male cattle (bulls, as they are called) stood at alert while we mosied on by. there were about 20 or so of all sizes and colors. we came to a giant tree with the huge fruits hanging from every limb. they were about the size of 2 rugby balls, bright chartreuse and covered in spikes. the name escapes me now, but the smell i remember. it was similar to that of garlic and rotting. picking the biggest and most ripe we took turns holding the 12 pound fruit back to the farm. we unsaddled our horses and gave them all baths, i went first. i really enjoyed the whole process of riding a horse, even down to it's bath at the end. feeling it breathing beneath you. it's such a massive animal, with you on top. you must trust it and let it know that it can trust you... or you'll be in major trouble. sometimes i felt bad for putting my weight on it's back while we walked around aimlessly for hours, and for pulling at the metal bit in it's mouth telling it where to go. but, in the end, while i washed his fur with cool water and felt his heart beat slow, i decided that it was ok. most of the people that i have met who have horses truly love them. and usually when you truly love something, you take care of it really really well.
we ate a lunch of spiral pastas and packed our things. it was short but sweet and i had the best of times with that old horse.
As always I'm in awe of your stories and photos.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE CAETANO TOO! He's one of my favorite singers!