Cinder blocks and chocolate

Jan 24
Ah where to begin…
Whelp, yesterday I spent the first half of the day moving about 500 cinder blocks 200 meters with the help of about 20 volunteers. While work I couldn’t help but make the comparison between the lot of us moving cinder blocks from hand to hand at full face smashing velocity to the ancient Aztecs and Egyptians that built the most famed temples in the world. With this thought I also found a new appriciation for labor goals passed down through generations. How amazing would the party have been when one of the pyramids or Temples or a 300 year Cathedral? We, however, where only moving small kind brisk from place to place.
I kept a smile on my face all morning because that is all I could do. It was hard work and it was painful, but there’s nothing like some good old fashioned manual labor and intense challenge that’s brings a group together. While slaving away(I’m only half joking about the slaving part) I got to know the two Canadians on the farm quite well. The genial giant Martin, who cruises through work and life at a casual and steady pace, and Kelsea the babes. Kelsea is an 18 year old that is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. She is on the farm taking a GAP year from college to explore the world, herself, and hopefully to find a subject she is interested in so as to further study it. I like this old should because she is a rebel. She is rebelling against the social norms placed on her by her community and friends. She is not diving straight into college just because that’s what everyone eel is doing. She is strong, happy, courageous, and young, Annnnd to make matters even more awesome we are bunk mates.
For a well earned reward, after lunch myself and five other volunteers walked 40 minutes to the local chocolate farm for a tour! Yes a chocolate tour. We got to see the whole process from tree to blossom to pod to seed to fermenting to drying to roasting to grinding to flavoring to curing and finally to endulging! Seeing the different colored pods on the tree and eating our finished project was my favorite part. The pods came in also rats of colors and changed colors according to their stage in development.
Green pods to yellow pods
Purple pods to green yellow pods
Fuchsia pink pods to yellow orange pods
Each pod gives a different quality and quantity of cacao and fun fact of the day, dried cacao was used by the Aztecs as curancy; chocolate is good as gold. It also has, and I quote, “a shit ton of antioxidants” so eat it everyday it’s good for you.
We made a pistachio salt chocolate truffle and it was Devine. When it came time to eat our hand made truffles we where moved to another table with farm fresh raw chocolate milk from the cows on property!!! Heaven is on earth my friends.
I was no longer tired after eating all the chocolate and had a blast dancing around the kitchen making farm fresh curry back at Villas. I harvested fresh turmeric, bails, tomatoes, and lemon grass for the rice. Javier looked at me funny when I put the lemon grass in the rice but thanked me later. Martin is a pro at stir fries and everyone loved it; a nice twist on the usual flare. The evening was the icing on the cake, massage trains, beers, and falling asleep next to the Bon fire under the stars.