When I first arrived to El Cuyo all I wanted was to have some rest and relaxation. As a young woman, I had a few backpack traveling experiences and then, as an executive, I also embarked on several cruises and other mass travel encounters. Well, I tried everything and, just like all other stages in my life, I sure enjoyed it all. But I can tell you now I feel at this point as the kind of traveler who just wants to put their phone and laptop aside and connect with the local people, the nature, people who tell you real, close stories without any other purpose than that of just sharing their experiences. It is really touching to see how blissful a person that perhaps has never left their hometown can be -and who can blame them, anyway- when the sea has always been a part of their lives… Because sometimes the sea can make you sick, but it can also make you heal.
Quite often for a traveler, places are not their national holidays, or their traditional festivities (Well, those too). Places are not their tourist attractions, or their museums. Rather, for the open-minded traveler places are what they make us feel, what they reveal and get from us. Places are the experiences we live and the people we find along the way –the connections-
“When in Rome, do as the romans do”, the saying goes. This town however, has such a kind soul that it lets you be who you are, and it welcomes you from wherever you come from, and makes you part of it.
I’m leaving with an open, thankful heart, eager to come back. This place has meant a healing, transforming experience to me. And I know that when I come back, chances are I won’t find the same guests, and yet the infinite sounds of the nature that struck me with awe will remain…. And so will the colors, the scents and flavors that stirred my soul.
I’m leaving in appreciation of your attentions and recommendations, your delightful stories around the backyard table. I would definitely come back. To your surroundings and the smell of fresh wood, the flavors of your kitchen that remind a little of home, because of the affection and devotion. I would return to the warmth of your smiles, to the kindness of your attentions, to the dedication I felt at all times; the integration to other guests and local friends. You even invited me to a birthday party! As if we were long-time friends, as if we were family.
I would come back to this place that can both sooth and stir up your senses, a reminder that you are alive and flow like the sea; sometimes calm and still, other times revealing all its power and fierceness.
I would come back to this place, to contemplate the beauty of the sky at every hour of the day, a daily gift that makes you wonder how come you did not notice it before. A small place you leave with a sense of trust in mankind, because they also protect the environment with such care it is contagious, and it makes you ponder things and want to be a better person. And to wrap this up, here’s a thought that comes to my mind: El Cuyo is not a place you find out about; El Cuyo is a place where you get to find yourself.
Forever grateful,
Marta.