Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Ponti Route Feud





Always looking for the lowest traffic roads we turned north and headed into the town of Palea Agioneri. Our hearts skipped when we saw that it was market day. It is always a treat to scour through local markets to see what new tasty treats might turn up.

We also needed to make some decisions about our route. Basil made the enjoyable mistake of pulling out our map in front of a popular fruit vendor. The helpful citizens of Palea Agioneri almost come to blows discussing which route would be best for us. One man wanted us to take the fastest, another the easiest, another the one that goes through his village. As the volume of the discussion rose, I stood back and watched the arms waving and the insults flying and the speechless Basil in the middle of it all. One of the fruit vendors smiled as he saw me staring in amazement at the route feud we had started by rolling in to town and pulling out our map. At the conclusion he leaned over and whispered, "Now you know how it is in a Ponti town". Sinking my teeth into the delicious local peach from the fruit stand, I couldn't help but wonder, "Why is it that the group that is always at the butt of a culture's jokes is always by far the most enjoyable"?

No comments: