It is quiet here in my villa in Cyprus - so quiet, I can hear the silence hum. The stars are out, shining brilliantly and winking at me. The landscape is even quiet - so few billboards, and many of them are in Greek, so they don't assault my senses the same way.
Tonight we went to a Chinese restaurant. The tables were layered with brilliant white and red cloths, and the lights sparkled everywhere. Little white Christmas lights decorated the windows, and a nativity stood on a table nearby. There were little Chinese figurines set into the walls, little tableaus as though you were looking in through a window to a little old man and woman having tea, or a man playing the mandarin. The restaurant was called 'Mulan', and on the walls there were canvas murals of the legendary female warrior. I wanted to take them home. Turns out that all the decorations were brought or shipped directly from China - everything was so authentic it brought out the enjoyment that much more. We chatted with the owner (my friend's brother), brainstorming about marketing and encouraging him to take breaks and not work 24-7. The highlight of the meal was something called 'blooming tea' which I had never seen before. We ordered jasmine tea and the lady brought out this clear teapot filled with hot water, setting it on a stand with a votive candle underneath. Then she took what looked like a large brown nut and dropped it into the hot water, and for the next five minutes we watched enthralled as this flower bloomed in the water right before our eyes. (Well, Henrietta and I watched enthralled....as Mihalis put it, he and Alex were 'being cool' and couldn't get too excited about a teapot and a flower. But we're pretty sure they were impressed as well.) I loved it so much I planned to come back later on in my holiday , just for tea!After the meal (and the blooming tea) we took a walk down at Finekoudes Beach, but there was so much debris on the beach that we didn't end up walking on the sand too much. I wasn't cold until I saw Mihalis come up with a leather jacket on, and suddenly I wished for mine. Funny how that happens!
My other favourite experience of the day was a simple one of just getting fuel for the truck I was borrowing from friends. The truck key was supposed to open the fuel door, but it wouldn't work. The young man who came to serve me tried to open it but without success. "Is this the key?" - "Yes, yes", I insisted, even ringing the owners of the truck to make sure. She confirmed, and whilst me and the young man kept attempting the lock, an older man came over, shouldering the young man out of the way and trying the key with no success. The younger man tries again, and soon there are three men surrounding my fuel tank, arguing vociferously in Greek. I have no idea what they are saying but by their actions and intonations it sounds something like this: "Here - let me do it." -"No. I, I alone, will help the young lady." "You are not doing it right. Try this way." The older man disappears and returns triumphantly with the WD-40, which they spray on the lock. Still no joy. One of the young men finds a knife and jiggles the fuel door while the other young man tries the key - ah! At last! And after filling up the tank they all wave me off with great cheer and kindness, and I drive off into happiness.
Walk length: 40 minutes
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