6/18/2014
After the grand robbery of yesterday at a highway oasis, which took away all our belongings except for what was on our persons (luckily that included our passports, money, credit cards and electronics) we canceled our plans to go to Granada and Cordoba. Our energy was so drained and both of us, my daughter and I were so exhausted through the processes of legal claims and the unnecessary shopping we had to go through all day long, we decided there must have been something to learn in all of this. Doesn't Buda say "Don't cling onto anything...". We let it go, it wasn't meant to be. However, it was still disconcerting to learn that such highway robberies were common place in Spain and they were most notorious regarding the outcome. The stolen items were almost never recovered in such robberies: We had figured that one out already since my hat, which was on the car seat next to my luggage was stolen along with the three pieces of luggage:
The sunset we returned to in Marbella after the robbery
That changed the meaning of the robbery altogether to either the robbers had a place to use my hat (to please a lover or girlfriend) or they had a market to sell it. If it is the latter, they would do the same to all the goods in our luggage, except for my diary. I so wish, someone in the group will not help himself/herself and realize how special an item that was for the owner but would serve nobody on their team with no market value. I know it is ridiculous to wish or hope that they may feel for me and send it to my address, which is on the luggage, but I do anyway asking myself will the universe feel the intense desire I have, just about that one piece and put some feelings into the hearts that stole our things? Or should I just resolve with the fact that memories are ours and nobody can steal them just like my friend tells me and I already feel deep in my heart? More learning to do... "Do not cling to anything, knowing to let go is the most important virtue especially when what is at hand is/was pleasurable..."
Sunsets are irresistable in Andalucia...
We decided to return to our hotel in Marbella mid-afternoon yesterday: Puerta de Aduares, owned by a family. Our hostess Doris, a woman from Morocco and her son call the police lost and found office and leave their contact information and learn one more time that highway incidents are hopeless regarding recovery. We are one more time thankful that they are so helpful just as we felt for the lady who had helped me with translation at the police station and the young woman, who had provided Zeynep with sample contact lenses that she had lost in the robbery:
After an exhausting day, we found joy at Bora Bora one more time....
Good people and good deeds always override bad and ominous ones. it all depends on how one looks at things. We may choose to look at things in negative light and make ourselves miserable by looking at everything skeptically, negatively, and bitterly or choose to recognize that what happened is but one negative experience without persevering. I recall what I had read in one of Pemma Chodren's writings: Pain is inevitable in life, but suffering is optional. In processing all that happened that morning, Zeynep and I, for a while go back and forth for a few hours looking at the circumstances leading up to the robbery. However, by the evening, we are back to our laughing spirits especially after the optician experience. We both understand there is something in all this to learn from: My "greed" to see everything there is to see in one trip, my lack of paying attention to my instinct regarding sensing something unsafe around us, Zeynep, dismissing my instinct regarding safety, and however brief getting lost in this virtual world of internet that absorbs us more and more each year...
Tiles are everywhere in Andalucia, elegantly climbing up multiple stories along staircases....
We are back in Marbella making a 180 degrees turn in our direction both physically and metaphorically. We still need some relaxation time and we will spend that time by going to the beach today and the next couple of days. We will become beach bums all day today. It feels good. We indeed spend our day in San Pedro, the little not so touristy town between Marbella and Ronda. It turns out to be a fantastic day. Light breeze under the overcast sky protect us from sunburn along with the umbrella the restaurant has on the beach. We first have a lovely breakfast at a hotel's beach cafe then move to this restaurant called Macaao Beach Cafe, clearly with a theme from North Africa. Most servers are of African origin, too.
Elegance of carnation out of white washed metal can: Extraordinary out of simplicity...
In the afternoon, an interesting encounter occurs: I am walking along the beach allowing the Mediterranean play with my feet. With each thrust of the sea my feet sink into the pebbly sand. With each retreat, my feet are again grounded in the sand that has let go of the juice of the sea... It is a lovely sensation that brings many sweet memories from the Aegean, along which I grew up. As I turn around to go back to our "homestead", I see a young man fishing on the beach and pulling something relatively heavy out of the sea with his fishing pole. As he pulls the line out of the water I am terribly excited: My it is a "cupura" as we call it in Turkey!
Sense of freedom in the distances beyond chicken wire fence...
I know they call it dorado in Spain! He is excited and he has all the right to be since this is at least a 2 pounder, pretty big for cupura, it could very easily, feed three people. We start chatting, then I see he has another fish in his bucket, a bigger one, a 3 pounder, he calls it Sarcoz or something like that, a fish that I don't know. His name is Emanuel. I ask emanuel whether he fishes for his family (he has a wedding band on his finger) or to sell. He says "depende" giving me the green light "if you'd like, I can sell it to you". He is asking for E20 for either fish. I get excited more but we can't cook it at the hotel, too much fuss! Can he cook it for us? He can, but, at his "casa", no way, we can't go to the house of a stranger, had we had a man with us, perhaps, but not two women, by ourselves.
I ask two restaurants whether they would cook the fish for us, unfortunately, they won't. Understandable, they already have fish in their fridges, why would they do that? It is time to let go of this hope and potential excitement. I catch myself still debating "Shall I go to Bora Bora (the restaurant we ate at twice already) and ask them as well?" Too much trouble my inner voice says and I let it go and I am at peace with it. I wave at Emanuel, who is looking at my direction and tell him with my hand gesture "It is off, sorry", he gets it. In a few minutes, as he walks by us to go to his car, we smile at each other. I bet it would have been a lovely experience to get to know his family, but unfortunately, we all experience enough negativity in this world, we learn not to trust strangers especially in a foreign land... My inner voice tells me one more time just as Zeynep would tell me "Clinging to things can be as harmful as resisting pain." I let it go in peace...
Paraphernalia from Bora Bora, our favorite restaurant on Costa del Sol
When we go to Bora Bora for our last dinner at Costa del Sol, we wave at Shofik right away. His face is all a smile, he recognizes us and seems like he is as happy to see us as we are to see him. He seats us at our number seven again as it has become our table at Bora Bora! He brings the outdoors heater as close to us as he can, too, knowing how cold we were the other night, although we don't need it as badly tonight, sweet. Shofik is clearly more friendly tonight. He tells us he has been living in Spain for the last ten years and is from Bangladesh originally. We also introduce ourselves to him. He figures out from our names we come from a Muslim country. He actually has been to Turkey, too. He tells us he has a young child. We order two tapas and a main dish as has become our usual in Andalusia. Another pleasant night on Marbella beach. We are happy to close our Costa del Sol adventure at Bora Bora somewhat having developed a belonging to this place.
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| Beach at sunset in front of Bora Bora restaurant |
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