A Fleeting Moment

     In 1971, I spent seven months traveling around Latin America, from Mexico

to Argentina and Brazil. At some point, pressed among a crowd of Indians at

the back of a dilapidated bus, my itinerary was taking me from Ayacucho to

Cuzco, in the Peruvian Andes. Holes and stones in the unpaved road shook

the bus in a cloud of dust, and a pot flew off the roof.  The driver stopped, and

a passenger ran to pick up the pot.

      Less than a minute earlier, I caught sight of a little girl sitting by herself along

the road, and could have cried with frustration for being unable to photograph her.

The flying pot was a miracle. The bus’s central aisle was crowded with people sitting

on bundles, but I scrambled over them toward the door, just as the passenger was

returning with the pot.

     “Where are you going?” the driver shouted."

     “To urinate,” I lied, almost unconsciously.

And I ran with a Leica in hand.

     “This is not the moment!” the driver yelled.

     “But what the devil are you doing? Come back!

     “…All right. Stay here and wait for tomorrow’s bus.”

And having said that, he pulled off.

     My luggage and most of my film was on that bus, but I refused to worry

about them just then. I shot three quick pictures, gave the little girl a bag of avocado

pears I carried in my camera bag, and ran back. The bus was far already,

but not going very fast, and I was a runner. Even so, my heart was in my

mouth by the time I got back on board.

     The driver shrank in his seat, but the Indians applauded. For a moment I stared at the driver wondering what to tell him. But I kept my mouth shut and went back to my seat.  It had occurred to me that for a small tip this man would have given me all the time I needed. That lesson would serve me well on future occasions

.

Tell me how and where you bathe,

and I will tell you where you live

Drifting Off To The Land of Nod

When fatigue or the sun weighs heavily, a shady spot is best to take a nap or just rest

For Medieval Entertainment, Music, Stories, Remedies, and the Crystal Ball, Head to Marrakesh's Jemaa-el-Fna Square

Uncommon Pets: From Around the World

Rare are the people, anywhere in the world, who do not own pets. We may hunt or raise animals for food or labor, but we also need them for love. And you can't get more love sometimes than from a pet. 

For all the reasons we know, dogs and cats have long been the favorite of people everywhere. I love both, but have a sweeter spot for dogs, even though I have a few stories to tell about the dangerous dogs I have faced in my travels.

So I’ll concentrate today on uncommon pets. Farmers' kids sometimes adopt goats or chickens as pets. Like other animals, when young they are more adorable than the most expensive teddy bears. And how many societies can afford or even find teddy bears to buy? Those baby animals may lose their fluffiness as they grow up, but by then they are safe from the butcher's knife.

 

The same happens with the desert nomad kid who adopts a white baby camel or kid as his or her own personal toy and companion. 

Amazon forest Indians, who must hunt for food, have enough respect, and even regret, for the animals they must kill to feed their families, that that they adopt any progeny the dead animals may leave behind. 

Now family pets, those monkeys, sloths, opossums, birds, and others, will be fed and allowed to die of old age.