Trago and Graveyards

Rocio's Mum , Mami Noemi has been a bit full of cold recently so we went to buy her some traditional medicine, trago !
I know she was drinking this for fun throughout Santiago season but this time was for medicine. So we went to find one of those tiny "Trago and Coca" shops in town. I don't know who makes this stuff, but as you see it comes from very unofficial looking huge plastic barrels stacked up in a huge fire hazard of a shop. You buy 250ml or half a litre and it comes in a re-used pop bottle. It's damned strong stuff and I have found it cleans the windows really well. I would never drink it though. As I said the same shops sell coca leaf as well. Huge sacks of leaf sit on the pavement outside and a couple of quid will get you a big bag full for hours of chewing pleasure. I have chewed it many times, but it's not really for me. It doesn't seem to do anything at all (coffee is clearly a stronger stimulant) and it does taste a bit like chewing a hedge. Must be an acquired taste I guess

I just loved seeing this man take his harp across town on the top of a taxi. They are far too big to fit in a car and usually go in a small bus or tied to the roof. He perhaps forgot his rope to tie it on though as he had to have his arm out of the window and hold in in place. They are quite light and made of thin wood for acoustic reasons, so if he drops it it will smash on the road before getting run over I think.

It came time for one more bit of Santiago! These people really have stamina, but this time a really special one. This was Santiago in the graveyard to remember various family members who are now dead. Especially to remember Donato De La Cruz, Rocio's birth father, who died when she was quite young. Donato was a violin player in various folk groups and orchestras and he left behind him tow violins. Nobody after his death took on the violins until I went to Rocio's house. I took the violins, now in a state of disrepair, and I paid to have them both thou roughly serviced and polished and they are now mine. So these are very special instruments to me and to all the family. One day they will belong to Michael, who is getting better at violin. He is not big enough yet to play them and he has two small violins of his own to learn with, but one day I will be glad to pass them to him.

So Michael and I have been practising a couple of the tunes we have Donato playing in recordings. Me on violin and Michael on a small drum called Tingya. We are not experienced players but I think we did alright. We went along with one of the Principes orchestras to the graveyard and there was (can you guess?) much drinking and singing and dancing and more drinking, speeches and offerings of coca and beer for the deceased.The orchestra played and played and it was all a really jolly time. At one quietish moment Michael and I played our pieces, and then we all go back into the bus to go do it again at another graveyard. Nice time!

The guys in the band wanted me to wear one of their hats and pose with a saxophone, like a band member, so here I am.

I thought it was better to pose with the violin player of the orchestra so here he is with me and Michael.