The Gypsy in a cave

The Gypsy in a cave

Somewhere on a dusty, dry hill in Granada, Spain is a countryside spotted with cacti and some caves. These caves are home to many of Granada’s gypsies, artists, intellectuals, and misfits from all over the world.

In 2017, I traveled to Granada and met some wonderful people at Hostel called Makuto. 

In 2017 I traveled to Granada and met some wonderful people at Hostel called Makuto. 

I spent about four nights with them. The marvelous thing about traveling the way I do, is that I get to engage with people on a much deeper level, and that is truly beautiful. I may never see them again but I’ll always carry the conversations we had in my heart.

One day, while we were chilling at the hostel, Dale, one of the guys who worked there, offered to take us to meet a friend of his . Little did we know that his friend lived in a cave high up on a hill!

enter Baye

Baye is a kind soul from Senegal.

Baye's spoke without words.

He could only speak Spanish, French and a few broken words in English. We barely spoke to each other but honestly, his kindness needed no language. He welcomed us in and made us a delicious cup of tea. I was quite intrigued by the cave. Maybe he read that in my eyes as they eagerly scanned his living quarters, because he graciously gave me a tour of his home and also allowed me to help him prepare the tea.

We enjoyed Baye's tea while watching the sun crawl behind the horizon

The cave

That evening is etched into my mind forever. Baye had such amazing stories to tell! Not having a common language can sometimes be a gift. So many stories are often forgotten because words simply never find them! When you don't have a common language, you can tease out these hidden stories at your own pace, and give all the unanswered questions life and color with your own imagination. Baye's cave was full of such stories. The next day I went back to his cave just to relish them in peace ... Do you see them too?

We sat in silence, drank another cup of that magic tea together. I turned to Baye and put my hand on my heart to say thank you but I didn't feel like breaking the golden silence in the air. He understood perfectly and just closed his eyes in acceptance.

Baye taught me less is more.

Baye taught me, less is more.

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