Up With the Roosters
The rooster’s crow broke my dreamy state. I slowly slid my eyes open to the window on the far wall. It was still pitch black outside, and given the early hour the sun rises here, I knew it wasn’t good. I looked at my watch. 3:46 in the morning. The crow was immediately silenced by the still night. I had a fleeting thought that maybe that was a one off. I quickly fell back into one of those instant dream states that comes with those short waking moments out of deep sleep.
Off again to some dream world yet to be imagined. As the dream was coalescing another crow in the night broke the silence. So this was how it was going to be. An hour or more of dozing and disrupting. By 4:30 the low light of dawn was creeping through the coconut trees and into the window. Dawn was rapidly approaching.
Venturing Out in the Early Morn
I laid in the low light for a while checking a few emails. I then briefly checked the news to see if anything important was happening. You know, in that place way out there beyond the mountains, known as the rest of the world. Eventually I got up and found that no one else in the house was yet stirring. I quietly opened one of the side doors to the house, slipped on my sandals, and ventured out into the property.
By now it was about 6 or so and the sun was climbing quickly, but prevented from it’s full potential by early morning cloud cover. A couple of Mangoes had dropped in the night so I collected them and laid them on the counter inside. As I returned to the patio, for lack of a better word, the rain began to lightly fall. The sound it made on the metal roofing high above was almost hypnotic. I sat in the cool morning listening to the rain and taking in the view of the mountains in the distance.
A Tour of the Property
The Kitchen
As the rain began to ease and I finished up my morning calls home, I decided to take a walk around the property. It is very modern, with WiFi, cable television, refrigerators, an indoor kitchen and modern bathroom. The property also has a few features that remind you that just a couple of decades ago this was one of the poorest countries on the planet. Sporting an outdoor kitchen which still gets most of the workload. Most cooking here is still done the old way,over open fire and the rustic outdoor section is where the dishes are cleaned and where any animals are slaughtered and prepared.
The Barn
Behind the kitchen is a barn of sorts, sectioned off for different livestock. In certain parts of the year it may contain a hog, now in the spring it has this year’s hatchlings. It also serves as extra storage. Behind the barn is the coop. It extends the entire length of the property against the back wall that marks the property line. It is divided into sections for the different ages and breeds of chickens.
Ba’s Workshop and Other Interests
Next to the barn is my father in law Ba’s woodshop. He is the local carpenter here and spends his days working on commissioned pieces of furniture or repairing broken doors and other woodwork. He uses a combination of modern electrical tools and ancient hand tools to amazing effect.
There are still a few other features of the back of the property that becon the past. A primitive squat toilet out house is operational, but I have only used it when there was great need and the modern bathroom inside was occupied. There is also an outside shower that is still functional. A concrete block room, slits for windows at ceiling level and only having a spicket about 6 foot high. plenty of pressure and no hot water. It’s a dose that will make you feel like you’re getting cleaned off with a firehouse in the front yard. But it is refreshing end to a hot day.
The Main House
The bulk of the house sits in front of the outdoor kitchen and barn, while Ba’s woodshop next to the kitchen sits in front of the open strip of ground that runs from the front of the property to his shop. It contains the fruit trees, eggplant bushes, chili plants, greens and other edible herbs and vegetables that supply the house.
The interior of the home has a large formal dining room, which is currently my makeshift office, A large casual casual living room, a spacious indoor kitchen and three bedrooms and 2 and a half baths. The floors are covered with a beautiful granite colored tile. White tiles cover the walls to about 4 feet with a decorative top tile, and smooth plaster to the ceiling. All the ceilings are extremely high. 6 meters from what I can tell or just roughly 19 and a half feet.
The side of the house that holds the garden also has a clay tile patio that runs almost the entire length. It’s cut short by the kitchen which extends out like an elbow at the back of the house. The front porch drops down from the main entrance down to another patio in the front. At the front edge of the house the side patio drops down and connects to the lower front patio which runs the entire width of the house. Beautiful columns mark the front porch and a large stone table with benches sits in the front corner. The forward edge of the patio is marked by a large gate and decorative fence that is closed at bedtime.
Fixtures and Functionality
The windows and doors are massive solid wood, beautifully crafted, with massive shutters. The main doors are doubled and about 8 feet tall and at least 6 feet wide. And an additional 2 feet or so of decorative panelling above. No glass or screens anywhere in the home except for the bathroom windows. The windows are unshuttered by day to let in the breeze, while the massive doors are kept closed. The kitchen door to the patio and the kitchen door to the outside kitchen are the only doors opened by day. The massive doors are more apt to let out the cool air and let in the warming sun. The house stays relatively bright with natural light during the day and relatively cool given the heat outside.
The entire home and the patio areas are covered with massive metal roofing on a steel frame that is at places 20 feet high. Forcing the sun’s heat to reflect away high above the house. As night falls all of the doors are opened to allow the cool air in and the home is always very comfortable. Save for late afternoon, as the sun has had most of the day to beat relentlessly down on the village. This is usually one everyone takes a nap before preparing for dinner.
The Wall of Pain
An interesting feature of the property is it’s protective wall. The property is lined with brick wall ranging from 4 feet in height to about 5 feet. Not exactly a height capable of keeping people or things out. So an inexpensive and what I thought was an ingenious solution was implemented. On the top of the wall extra mortar was piled and rounded to an even height. Into this top layer of mortar, shards of broken glass from bottles and glassware, were meticulously placed pointing up. Anyone who placed their hands on top of this wall in the darkness of night was in for a very unpleasant surprise.
The Woodwork
I have to point out that Ba, being the town carpenter, crafted every piece of furniture, window and door. Like my own father, Ba with a little help from his friends, built this beautiful homestead deep in the central highlands. He is an incredibly skilled craftsman. I’m sure I will spend much time here watching him work his craft. In fact Ba was the first up and went straight to the workshop to begin the days project. Breakfast should be ready soon and I think I’ll wander over and see what Ba is up to today. The simplicity of life here is intoxicating. It was the first of many days and adventures in the sleepy mountain village. I’m sure there will be much to talk about. I’ll talk to you soon.
Click Here for other posts in the Central Highlands
