I do not think I have ever posted a purely person post on my blog… So here goes something… Let me know what you think…

Statuesque Aboriginal Performer at an Indian Village that is on the spot (or was it a recreation) where it is believed Christopher Columbus first landed here… After the show I saw the guy was inching towards me shyly, he was eyeing my hat like it was the hope diamond.

We did the usual ‘I don’t know your language-you don’t know mine’ version of smalltalk, totally random hand gestures, facial contortions and multi-frequency grunts…

He then whispered (this guy must be the last of his kind… a shy Cuban!) that the next time I come to Cuba, he would be extremely grateful if I could bring him a hat like mine. He then paused……… looked up at the hat and remarked so sincerely: 

BEAUTIFUL!….

At that point I think my brain had to reboot… it took a second to register that he was talking about my HAT- a freebie Caterpillar (ya know, the guys who make the tractors!) cap -

I ended up giving him the hat off my head. We embraced, he gave me a hug, kissed my girlfriend. T’was amazing what joy it gave him - this same object that was so insignifigant as to be virtually invisible to me.

I know what some of you are thinking but realize I’m a suspicious (too the point of paranoia) cynic by nature. I will conceed that there is the possibility this act is part of his repetoire but if it was he was WORLD CLASS… I would be proud to be conned by him ….for under 30 pesos.

We went on a “Jeep Adventure” Excursion on one of the days we were in Cuba. This tour includes offroad Jeep trek in the country. At one point they really take you off the road and you drive up a not- so-shallow river… Even though tourists drive the Jeeps, the guides give instruction in front of the more complicated obstacles. Of course, in every group there must always be 1 (sometimes more, alas their species is thriving as of late!) who does the exact opposite of what is instructed – yes, I am talking of the geniuses (will post pics later). At the river the instruction was:

GET IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE, START DRIVING AT THE DRY AREA, THEN KEEP DRIVING UNTIL YOU ARE THROUGH THE RIVER…

– They stopped –

The car got filled with water, the guide had to go in and extricate them and the car.

As we waited I was watching these two kids. I don’t want to spoil your interpretation so I’ll shut-up, I really love this photo.