Dutchess Travel Diary
  • Home
  • Travel diary (Nederlands)
  • Travel diary (english)
  • Travel tips
    • General
    • Destinations >
      • Australia >
        • General
        • Working Holiday
        • Farmwork
        • Tasmania
      • Carribean >
        • Cuba
      • Europe >
        • General Travel Tips
        • The Netherlands
      • South America >
        • Argentina >
          • Iguazu
        • Brazil >
          • Bom Jardim
          • Bonito
          • Chapada dos Guimaraes
          • Iguazu
          • Pantanal
          • Rio de Janeiro
        • Colombia
        • Galapagos
        • Uruguay >
          • Cabo Polonio
        • Peru
  • Inspiring stories
  • Contact
  • Sign up
Sanne de Groot

Pruning brings blossom

2/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
 At the moment it is very busy at the ranch. The B & B is fully occupied, the coffee plantation needs to be turned upside down and the owner flew to the States for a month. We produce Arabico Arabica, a rare species of coffee. The beans are of very high quality, but the plant requires more attention, making it unsuitable for commercial use. Fortunately, this coffee plantation is more hobby, and this plant has all the time on his side here to fully blossom and grow.
As with any plant, there is also a time for the Arabico arabica to prune and a time to blossom. At this time, all plants are pruned back to the trunk. This disastrous pruning needs to be done every three to six years, and keeps the plant small, strong and rich in coffee beans. At the time of pruning the plants are particularly vulnerable. Somewhat of wrong timing as there is severe plague of algae currently among coffee farmers in the valley. Day in day out, every staff member gives everything they got tho scrape the algea from the trunks, turning the once vast green plantation into a desolated place. Long lines of short bare stumps.
At first it made me sad, this bald look. But suddenly I realized the similarity to my own life. A few months back it was time for me to cut and scrape (see my blog `In a country far, far away`). I felt desolated, but now I'm in full bloom. Traveling independently and finally living the life I want to live.
 
Sunlight is making its way through the small opening between the curtains as it arises above the  green mountains. I`m wide awake. I take the dogs to the plantation and take a close look at the coffee plants. Suddenly something in my left corner of my eyes gets my attention. I walk over to one of the trunks and kneel down. There it; a new leaf. It is small and fragile, but still .... it is a leaf. The plant survived the algae. My lips started to form a smile. The plantation smiles back. Suddenly everything looks like a new beginning. The plants and I, we will get into bloom.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    After a burn-out it was time for a change. I quit my job, sold my stuff and bought a one-way ticket to the Dominican Republic. What was supposed to be a 4 month adventure turned into 2,5 years and counting......

    Picture
    Photo by: Vanessa Marques Barreto ​

    Archives

    November 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014

    Categories

    All
    Amazon
    Andes
    Animals
    Argentina
    Australia
    Basic
    Beach
    Border Crossing
    Brazil
    Busride
    Chile
    Colombia
    Corruption
    Couchsurfing
    Cultural Differences
    Ecuador
    El Cocuy
    Facing Fears
    Faith
    Family
    Friendship
    Funny
    Generosity
    Hapiness
    Hiking
    Hitchhiking
    Home
    Homesick
    Hospital
    Judgements
    Love
    Panama
    Peru
    Poverty
    Robbery
    San Blas
    Surfing
    Uruguay

    RSS Feed

Traveling is not about leaving your home town, it is about leaving your comfort zone


Email

sanne_de_groot@hotmail.com
  • Home
  • Travel diary (Nederlands)
  • Travel diary (english)
  • Travel tips
    • General
    • Destinations >
      • Australia >
        • General
        • Working Holiday
        • Farmwork
        • Tasmania
      • Carribean >
        • Cuba
      • Europe >
        • General Travel Tips
        • The Netherlands
      • South America >
        • Argentina >
          • Iguazu
        • Brazil >
          • Bom Jardim
          • Bonito
          • Chapada dos Guimaraes
          • Iguazu
          • Pantanal
          • Rio de Janeiro
        • Colombia
        • Galapagos
        • Uruguay >
          • Cabo Polonio
        • Peru
  • Inspiring stories
  • Contact
  • Sign up