hippies in the middle of the desert

santa fe is the capital of new mexico. one might expect it to be the biggest, or the busiest, at least, but that is not the case. Santa Fe feels like an alternative capital city, oe perhaps, the way a capital city should be. the houses downtown look as if they were made of mud, with a clay, spanish-mexican style of building. it is full of colors and smells, and stuff to see. there are a lot of art galleries, and people seem to be very friendly.
god bless you, you have a wonderful smile, i can truly feel you, said Norma, the lady that cleans the breakfast table at the hotel. please, keep on smiling. When I told her I am from Israel, she nodded, "I am not surprised". and when she asked me when I was born (December 25th), everything seemed to be very clear to hear.
I kept walking around town and found myself in a carpets shop. hundreds of them, in all sizes and shapes. I told the salesman that I am just browsing around, but he stlil gave me a lesson in carpetry basics, which was very interesting.

I then walked into an art gallery, with the lady looking at me and saying that she likes my smile, and that I am probably happy. I guess smiling goes a long way in this town. We kept talking and talking, and she gave me some tips on places to go and see. I invited her to join me, but she regretted that she has to stay in the gallery
We parted, and I found myself walking into an indian arts gallery, where alex, a california-born jordanian waited for me, all fire and sulfur, that he almost managed to hide. I am not quite sure what was on his mind, but he tried to be very friendly, except the occasional remarks of you-know what. He then asked for my phone number, which I gave him, and I am wondering what exactly he is going to do with that.

The forrests outside of santa fe are beautiful, and I did some hiking in one of them. a coyote bumped into me on the way, but he seemed far anxious about the encounter than I was, since he ran straight into the woods, with me asking him to wait while I turn on my camera. there are trees and forrests as far as the eye can see, through hills and velleys.

And right now I am sitting on a bench with the entire valley in front of me, all the way up to albequerque. this land is wild and raw, and definitely has something about it.
and so do the people.