another day & way ...  a progressive example

Sunday morning. Outside's still dark, so I've kick-started myself into day by some AB-kicks.

After the bath rituals, I prepared a few cheese tortillas for during the day and then left on a refreshing walk towards one of my favorite cafeterias, to catch the early tranquility, when most others are still inside (their beds).

Had a light breakfast: Pakistani tea with a warm bun, followed by a small milk coffee and apple pie – to upload quickly energy for the day – while reviewing in another pass the penthouse project plan, optimizing it once more.

As the it got warmer, I've started a walk towards the seaside, passing small urbanizations, collecting a few precious images on the way.

Walked then along the beach esplanade, had two of my hand-made tortillas in a shady spot, watching the happenings.
Feeling for a bath in turquoise sea, I put my stuff on the hot sand and entered the clear ocean waters, splashing into the breaking waves. After a few moves the fresh waters felt great, so I swam around and relaxed floating on the waves, with just a few swimmers away from the shore.

Back on the sandy beach I've made some stretching moves to release the residual tensions in my back muscles, built up over the past days at the gardening activities, tensions mostly 'decomposed' already while floating upheld by the sea waters.

To dry faster, I followed some sportive companions and jogged a few rounds, where the waters touches the sand ... feels great to run on the cool, flattened sand!

Still wet, I've continued my walk into the old city, observing the surroundings and its recent changes.
Stopped at a small plaza I liked since the early years I came visiting this seaside city, as it then had only one small restaurant were the owner loved cooking, an old fountain and the trees were not chopped ... It's been nicely redone, yet missing it's past charm in the new look, with a stylish bar and a pizzeria run well by Germans. Although thinking previously to maybe have a good pizza there, I didn't feel really hungry, so I moved on, possibly un-attracted also by the modernized design of the once traditional plaza.

 

So walking by the historic fisherman's district, looking as well for new real-estate opportunities, I took a coffee break in a house of tradition, as well to optimize by another pass the ergonomics of the penthouse plan – in another surrounding, looking for new perspectives.

Checking on the praised bargains of the local estate market, I've (almost) stumbled into a local art gallery, on a touristic street without tourists – as the city hall was delaying the reform works for more then one year, as the friendly man explained to me. As I've been looking to some miniatures, we started to talk about his business development(s), and why actually the East Europeans, especially middle class Russians, are his best customers ... As these people lived in their past in a communist society full of constraints and art was a pleasing escape from an often harsh reality, so they learned to appreciate it and did not give up this value even in the modern, commercially focused society they were emerged into since the nineties.
So I got a small painting and a handcrafted ceramic for the parents, as well to remember our encounter, that ended with genuine handshake.

With this in mind, I continued towards the pebbles beach on the other side of the city, walking on the new, modernly renovated main street – nice yet charmless and deserted by tourists, inhabited mostly by still friendly restaurant scouts.

Reaching the other city beach, I watched the waves moving over the lagoon, looking up to my finca, which was about a mile or something away, in airline...

So I've been thinking: why walk back and take the car to drive up, when I could already reach it by my looks? ... At this turning point I decided to walk ahead, as I anyhow had to go and water the plants.

Passing a small shop I picked up a cold beer, as a potential reward for when reaching my goal, and then I started uphill along the rocky coast, keeping my target in sight.

Walking up, choosing as possible the protective shady road side, I picked up some nice coastal views, until at a point I've deliberately turned off the main road, on a stoney track between banana plantations, watching out for my finca, to keep the right direction. At some moment I was doubting if I could reach another street leading to my place, yet then I heard cars noises and following them I got back on the main road, passing below the noisy highway.

Picking up a way I often pass by car, I used the opportunity of going by at low pace to observe details I do not get to notice when rushing by mechanized means. Being on foot, I could also choose to take some shortcuts not allowed by car, and even some where no wheel could ever pass ... I actually climbed back on the provincial road, passing then by a spot where even Humboldt, the world explorer, is said to have stopped to relish the views: looking towards the often clouded volcano peek, over the green (nowadays urbanized) valley stretching towards the sea, shining in blue when looked to from above.
I stopped at the viewpoint restaurant resembling by design a WWII bunker only for exchanging liquids, getting a glass of (free) water and as well releasing some. After a few minutes, in just one hour and a quarter from starting at the sea level, I reached after about 6 km on foot my farm in the hills, at 330 ms of height. Nice.

There I pulled my gray plastic chair in the shade of the large banana leafs and rewarded myself with the still cold beer I carried along in my versatile IT backpack, regaining strength with the left over cheese tortilla and a fresh hot chilli – yes, one of the "P*ta Madre" ones ...

As it was still hot in this afternoon and I was somehow tired from all the hiking, I granted myself a siesta, dozing away a bit in the shade, listening to the breeze moving the large banana leaves, peeking simply content towards the sea ...

After about half an hour I felt somehow chilly in the shade, so I stepped up and started to work around the finca, interlacing gardening activities with the watering of plants – to keep it varied and work (out) as well by different moves and so to avoid as possible muscular tensions by long fixed positions.
To lower my hunger building up naturally by such efforts, I've picked up some mellow fruits hanging around: strawberries, raspberries, some passion fruits ... my bananas need to get a few more warm days to mature in mass, but I could pick a yellow one out.

 

It took about two and a half hours to water all the plants appropriately, and before I left, I still had energy to make some 'rapid fire' pull-up super-series: working my back muscles, releasing by the different stretching moves the tensions that appears after hours of outdoor activities.

Then, following the sun set, I started on my way back, admiring the evening lighting by walking along the high set road.
After about 3 km I stopped at a small cafeteria I know to be good, reloading energy wise with a cappuccino and a brownie (while glancing once more onto the project plans), to rush afterward to a main bus station, running also a bit uphill to save time and also challenge myself to catch a bus bringing me closer to the home base.

After some nice night views along the highway I got out, as the buses route was turning opposite to my desired direction. Continuing so my journey again by foot, I passed a place filled with music so I stopped and watched something resembling a fe/male cheer-leading competition, followed by a transvestite show – it was actually the borough's fiesta, quite entertaining up to the point a pink lady started to sing ...

So I moved on, in the dark, following at one time a beautiful firework pointing in the direction of my home base, where I've been heading to at rapid pace. After another 3 km night-walk, I reached the village I'm currently residing in, just at the moment a holy procession was passing by on the main street.
I stopped to watch in respect, and right then the carriage with a statue of Saint Mary surrounded by white flowers was turned, to go up a steep hill ... Watching the old man hardly pushing the carriage up, I asked if I might help (being dressed like a tourist with short pants and a yellow shirt under my gray backpack), and being acknowledge as helper, I pushed up with energy, using the natural friction forces to support the holy figure ... On the top of the hill they then turned to go back and down again, so I left towards my shelter.

I got there somewhat after ten, cleaning up after this long excursion, yet preparing also the upcoming (Mon)day. And lastly finding the energy to perform my ten minutes evening abs work-out as well, after a really fulfilling day – like living more lives in one!

[ And all this without a (day's) need of driving the car or somehow clicking ... ]