Lost and Found

I started my day by giving a couple from Ontario, Canada a tour of Little Havana.

Well, that's not really what happened. I really seemed to start when I parked on 13th Ave. and walked across the back parking lot of Los Pinareños, admiring the smart-looking little roosters as they scuttled about. So fine they were, in their red, brown and forest green plumage!

After greeting me, Angel, Sr. (the owner) pointed me in the direction of a man with a fancy camera strapped around his neck: Oh yeah, the photographer from The Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald. He was going to do a photo shoot before the tour -- and take photos of the tour itself.

I posed in front of the Florida honey, wondering when I would get my first cafe cubano of the day. I posed while leaning back against a box of yellow plantains, their skin turned to black (perfect for maduros). And perhaps my favorite pose, which I assume will never make it into the paper, was when I picked up a  wicker basket of egg-sized green mangos and cradled it in my arms, looking like one of those smiling ladies on a product label.

The reporter joined us, and soon we were hanging out by the fruitstand's counter, chatting with Angel, Jr. (son of the owner) and his mother, Guillermina. As the tall, lanky Angel prepared our coffees, I began to wonder about the whereabouts of my tourist guests. I called them, and soon discovered the issue: they were lost. I gave them directions.

Then whom did I see but Adalberto walking down the street, videotaping with his iPhone as he walked. "Adalberto!" I embraced him, and we talked: Adal, the reporter, the photographer and I. "I'm doing a film project in which I'm putting together clips of 1-second videos," he explained. "I hope it works out." We just happened to be on his daily walking route.

We decided to be inventive and had Adalberto take a photo of me while the photographer took a photo of him. It's just the crazy stuff we do when we're charged with Cuban coffee and standing along Calle Ocho.

Meanwhile, up the street, tourists were stepping off the many coaches that arrive in the neighborhood every day, snapping photos, buying souvenirs and exploring a bit. A bit.

The tourists (I call them guests) finally arrived! Unfortunately, however, the photographer had to leave before they showed up, so we're doing another photo shoot on Friday, when I have another tour.

We spent the next two hours exploring many places and facets of the neighborhood, ending up at Azucar for ice cream. It was Suzy's birthday, so I arrived at the store singing Happy Birthday to her. At least the freezer was finally fixed!

For flavors, the tourists chose mamey ice cream and Abuela Maria, made from bits of Maria cookie, guava jam and cream cheese. They called the tour "tremendous" and I thanked them, then walked down the street back to Los Pinareños.