Final Thoughts on Matehuala

The Rubber Band Technique
Right now I am craving for a hot fresh soy milk, from a market in Thailand – delicious, especially if you ask for less sugar. Today is the first time we bought a fluid in a plastic bag here, but they seem to use a different rubber band technique to keep the bag closed than in Thailand (both ways seal the bag, nothing escapes). It was freshly pressed orange juice, lots of vitamins but a bit sour. I tried several times to learn the Thai rubber band technique – it is so handy; if I only could remember…

Smells
Walking: All of a sudden there is an overwhelming flowery sweet smell in the air, it must come from behind that wall – maybe a great courtyard? A lot of times we follow the smells: good food, gardens or forests, the ocean (I loved the days where I could smell the sea in London; sea breezes are just special) - of course we try to avoid the stinkies.

How To Start The Day
The guy cleaning the rooms has chosen the breakfast music of the day: classical – sounds familiar? When I started helping out at the Mut Mee Guesthouse in Nongkhai, Thailand, there was an unwritten rule: start the day with some culture, classical music waving through the garden while the sun still tries to warm up the air, rising it to a the scorching heat (with all the concrete in town to help it along). It was amazing how I could feel the air getting cooler every single step approaching the garden from the Soi leading to the Mekong River. What a difference a few plants can make.