It’s the small things...

One of the smallest of pleasures in life is to taste juice that has been freshly prepared. And I have been having a lot of it; maracuya, mango, lulo, and more. The flavors are bolder. There are seeds, fibers, and maybe some dirt swirled into the mix. But its like taking a drink of pure sunshine. When I was a kid on St. John, my mother always spoiled me with freshly squeezed juices, and soursop ice cream. All these years later, and I haven’t lost my taste for the stuff. 

In the Cartagena heat, there is nothing more refreshing that stopping at a street vendor’s cart for some cooling coconut water. Some quick action with a machete, a straw is popped in, and you have yourself a delicious bit of re-hydration. I can’t recollect how many of these I have enjoyed on my trip, but it’s a high number. Even better is that after you have finished the liquid, you hand the coconut back and with a few quick strokes, the coconut is struck again and the smooth young meat is scooped out and returned to you as an added treat!