Glitz… Glamour and GAR-BAGE.

Thursday, August 16th:

“Working here must be so magical.” 

From which I say, (with an ever-so slightly painted on smile) “Yes, its fabulous….truly an experience.” 

Honestly? I want to say “The bed in my casita is beckoning me, and I am desperately trying not to count down the hours before I lose myself in those feather pillows.”  However truthfully, so far, in our 6 weeks and 1 day here (but whose counting) working at Hoopoe Yurts it HAS been a ‘magical experience.’  Maybe just not quite the Disney Magical Kingdom kind, is all.

 

Rachael and Adam's YurtSo let me just wipe the sweat dripping off of my brow (its about 100 here today—39 Celsius) and take you through a week in the life of our personal ‘razzle-dazzle….’

We are working at a Yurt ‘hotel’ so to speak which are massive luxury-like canvas tents.  There are 6 extremely unique themed yurts (Afghani, Mongolian, Jaipur, Safari, Maimani and Kazakh) that are all set amongst the meadows surrounded by olive and cork trees.  If you are up to using a compost toilet, like wicked views, piercing black starry nights and enjoy melting into your sun chair with a good book, well then– this place is for you.  It’s stunning really.  Captures all the elements of tranquility.  Top notch.

Now, for the record– when I signed up for this gig, I can’t say I ever saw past the work involved, I just forgot ‘how much work was involved….’  Because if anyone only looked up from their ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ novel, they could see us running around in the background like Muppets making sure it all stays just as peaceful and pretty as in theRay's pasta drying in the kitchen.... hours of labor pictures. 

We play the role of ‘chef couple.’  This entails a 12pm to 12:30am lunch/dinner shift 4 days a week.  Thursdays we have off and Friday we begin at 4pm.  I am the hostess-with the hostess with bartending, serving and a ‘dash of dishwashing’—(I find oozed right into this role, shocking) as Ray prepares a 5 course Tapas two of those nights and the other three nights he does 3 course dinners.  He is once again, a PROPER CHEF.  My friends and family, I have never been so proud of him as he turns out some of the most sensational dishes.  Its absolutely stunning and the guests are entranced as they salivate over the menus he produces each day.  Every changing… always different.  His talent is on over-drive here. 

SIDENOTE: I should also mention, we do also have the ever so important responsibility of taking out ALL the hotels garbage, recycling and filling up the water supply (you are unable to drink the water here, it can only be filled by the local village spring fountain) to the village almost daily when it’s a full house.  We once thought that perhaps we weren’t going to make it to the dump, as some unsuspecting Spaniard later on the day would find our car and us still inside as we were ‘gagged-to-death’ by the horrendous stench of the garbage that was taken over by the maggots. (This is in fact a true story) 

On the other day, Mondays, we are shopping for the hotel in the nearby town of Ronda about 35 minutes away.  Frantically, really—because the sooner we get back, the sooner we can play.  Its quite hysterical, really.  Ray and I play it tag-team style in the grocery stores—leaving our shopping cart in the middle and weaving through the Spaniards like we are ball in a pin-ball game.  You really have to be defensive when you are shopping anywhere here.  It may be just social gabbing time to a local (aka, the flippers in our game), but for us—we mean BUIS-NUSS.  For instance, in the local grocery store up in the village, we take a number for the meat counter FIRST before we even begin shopping.  We can honestly shop for all the necessities, stand in excruciating long line at the counter (as we get evil eyes from the locals as our cart is busting at the seams) AND bag and pack away in the car and STILL its, its not our turn in the meat counter line.  Why you ask?  Because the Spaniards have the ‘gift of the gab.’  Mom, Loving 'after-hours' with Rachael and Adamuncle Sandi—Grams—  Eat your heart out…. because the Spanish win when it comes to BOTH decibels and fragmented conversations.

But I digress…..

A little bit of the ‘magical’ comes in as we just so happen to work with some utterly fantastic people.  Let me introduce you to Rachael and Adam whom play the role of ‘service couple.’  They basically work all the shifts that we don’t.  Breakfast, lunch (the days we are shopping or have off) and all the change-overs in the yurts + the lucky-ducky job of ‘cleaning the compost toilets.’  YAAAAY! They work crazy hard but would never show it—AND have been here almost 2 months more then us.

Not like us—whom find ourselves having a moan on an hourly basis.  In fact, you can time your clock to it.

They are the kind of friends that get you through the insanely long hours…. intense heat…. high-maintenance guests… (and are the masters of celebrating birthdays, even after 12+ hour shifts.)   And just when you thought you were all dried up from sweating like a full blown wackloo, they still make you laugh so hard you leak out of your eye balls.  So really, who needs some enormous KINGDOM, a MOUSE and 7 little friends, when you have all the magic youA night at the 'magical kingdome.'  My bday night need in just two.

Speaking of which, tonight in this little kingdom of Cortes de la Frontera, it just so happens to be the biggest weekend of the year—  “FERIA.”  A festival.  And you know how I love my gobs of people in one area ‘events.’  Tonight Rachael, Adam, Ray and I paint this crazy town ROJO.  Can’t wait to tell you all about it……   I can only imagine it will be a “Fabulous…. truly an experience”—with not a trace of a painted on smile, needed.

Until next time….

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