Trip to Cyprus

The one-week trip to Cyprus was over in the blink of an eye, and the driver’s pick-up at the airport on the first day seemed to be just around the corner. As soon as we got off the plane, the pick-up driver spoke with a British accent and clapped and greeted everyone enthusiastically. The car we took was also very different. There was a small trailer behind the car to store our luggage. This driver is from Scotland and has settled here for more than ten years because he likes the climate in Cyprus. Along the way, we were introduced to the history of Cyprus, which was formerly a British colony. In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus (the locals called this an invasion). Cyprus is now divided into two parts, one part belongs to Greece and the other part belongs to Türkiye. He told us that locals do not obey traffic rules and sometimes even run red lights, so be careful when crossing the road, even on the sidewalk. Later, every time we crossed the road, we were like frightened birds, shouting and reminding each other. Cyprus is suffering from extreme drought, with drivers saying it has not rained in five months. But they will have large and small reservoirs in case of emergency. So where do their vegetables come from? The driver said that there is an irrigation system here and the vegetables and fruits are grown locally. But I'm still confused. If it doesn't rain for a few months, the stored water will be exhausted soon. The scenery along the way is all gray, with only some green spots visible from time to time.

On the subsequent trip to the "desert", I even saw the local drought. We drove mountain bikes, and the tour guide gave everyone a pair of dust-proof glasses and a "dust-proof" scarf. At the time I didn't understand what this was doing. Only when we got to that barren mountainous area where almost all the plants were dead and loess was flying all the way did we understand the importance of these glasses and scarf. What's particularly amazing is that in areas where all the surrounding plants are withered and yellow, a green tree will occasionally appear. I don't know how such a tree obtains water. Does this tree have particularly deep roots that can be nourished from deep? At this time, I remembered what Nietzsche said: "People are like trees. The more they yearn for the light in the heights, the more their roots will reach into the dark ground." On the extremely arid loess, the vibrant trees reflecting the dead plants seem to interpret Nietzsche's words.

We ran all the way, picking up loess, sand and gravel along the way. Sometimes the road was rugged and there were cliffs below, which made us a little nervous. The last stop was a waterfall. When we arrived, everyone was a little disappointed. That famous waterfall is actually just a small mountain spring flowing down from a high place. But considering that in such a desolate mountainous area, you can see mountain springs, it is already very precious. This mountain spring comes from melted snow on the mountain. A local family built a mill based on this mountain spring, which has a history of hundreds of years. You can still see the big millstone, the kerosene lamp, the clothing of the time, the old photos of the family and the introduction to the family history. The mill was out of use until 1957. Because of this mountain spring water source, people gathered nearby to form a village with a history of hundreds of years. In arid areas, wherever there is water, people will settle down and form villages. Human history is closely related to water.

The "desert trip" was over and on the way back, we unexpectedly encountered a heavy rainstorm. The mountain bike was very fast and had no windshield. The people sitting in the front screamed in pain from the rain, and those of us in the back laughed wildly. When we finally arrived at the dealership, we all looked miserable, with messy hair, and the ones sitting in front were all soaked. But we were still very excited. We had experienced heavy rain that had not been seen in the local area for five months.

Paphos, where we are located, is listed as a World Historical Heritage Site by UNESCO. A huge local archaeological park and the tombs of the kings really make this title worthy of its name. The biggest regret in Paphos is the lack of professional tour guides. Paphos is rich in tourism resources, with the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea, historical monuments dating back two thousand years or more, and well-preserved towns that are hundreds of years old, but there are no storytellers. If history does not have stories, this history will be dead and no longer alive. But even if you don't find a tour guide, after reading the brief introduction, you can imagine yourself going back two thousand years ago, walking through the wonderful mosaics, the Grand Theater, and the cemeteries built like houses, and your heart will be filled with a sense of magic. yearning. How many people have walked through this land, farmers, nobles, invaders, monks, and even the disciple Paul in the Bible. From the initial migration of the indigenous population from Greece, to its subsequent occupation by various empires, to the present hostility of Greek Cyprus to the Turks.

A particularly friendly and enthusiastic staff member at the hotel, who unfortunately did not have a professional tour guide to show us around, volunteered her time to give us a small history lesson before we went to the Archaeological Park and the Tombs of the Kings. When we asked her the difference between Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus. She interrupted us without hearing what we were saying, "There is no Turkish Cyprus here, they are invaders. The local residents of Cyprus are all from Greece, so we all speak Greek." She also told how her grandparents were forced to leave their hometown due to Turkish aggression. Later, a local driver also said that even if Greece and Cyprus were in short supply, they would not import vegetables from Türkiye. Cyprus has investors from many countries, including many from China. From time to time, you can see Chinese billboards there to attract investment; but Greek Cyprus will never accept investment from Turkey.

The special geographical location of Cyprus has caused this small island to be swept up in the torrent of history. It is very curious how the local people have survived through several empires over the past thousands of years.

On the last day of the trip, eight people sat in a small jeep very constrainedly. At the back are two long benches facing each other. Without this day trip, all my impressions of Cyprus would be desolate and arid. But this time when we entered the mountains, it was unexpectedly green. Of course, this green color is completely incomparable to Luo's green color. When I had the opportunity, I reached out and picked a pomegranate on the roadside. It looked green, but I didn't expect it to be full of water and extremely sweet. It was the best pomegranate I have ever eaten in my life. There is also mango, which I dare not eat because of allergies, but others are full of praise after eating it. Along the way, almost everyone felt a little motion sick and wanted to get back to the hotel early. But the driver was very conscientious and did not skip any scenic spots. He also gave us a little surprise. He stopped the car, pulled out a handful of weeds, and asked us to guess what plant it was. Unexpectedly, this was the most important condiment in the Indian meals we had a few days ago, curry. The museum in the monastery is also full of surprises. There are many donations from the Russian Orthodox Church and even cultural relics from five to six thousand years ago. Because time does not allow, I can only take half an hour to experience a small town that has been around for hundreds of years. It is a bit regrettable. The stone road there shows the vicissitudes of history. The last stop is Three Stones, a story about the God of Love in Greek mythology. It is said that if you swim naked for three times during the full moon, you can stay young forever. The few of us did not swim, but found that the stones in the sea were very beautiful, and we concentrated on picking them up. I sat on the rocky beach to pick it up, while others rolled up their trouser legs, took off their shoes, went into the sea to pick it up, and screamed from time to time because the stones under their feet were too harsh. But when I picked up a particularly beautiful stone, I didn’t hesitate to sting someone.

I also want to make up for the boat trip. I basked in the sun all the way and it was so beautiful. Most of the people on the boat were British, and interestingly, many of them had tattoos. Cyprus was once a British colony, so it is also a traditional British resort area. When the ship was about to arrive at the port, the host on the ship also led everyone to dance a traditional Greek dance.

This week, the time was completely filled up, and there was laughter and laughter all the way, every week was like one day. I have felt that time has been stretched before, but this time it has been shortened. Although lengthening and shortening the surface are in opposite directions, they are probably different appearances of the same thing at the deepest level.