zaterdag 8 december 2007

A day in the life of a beekeeper

Leaving Mt Maunganui was not easy. I had made some good friends there, and was realy beginning to feel at home. But because the flowerpicking season was over, and I was fed up with working for Hamid anyway, the time had come to go.

I decided upon Gisborne, because Pierre had stayed with a beekeeper there on the WWOOFing scheme. He recommended his place highly. So I filled up the van and drove off to a new adventure, singing On the road again. I have now been working for Peter 5 days, making a lot of hours and even more fun. Let me tell you how a day looks like.

I get up around 8 in the morning and with a smile remember where I am. The "backpackers" Peter runs here is very funny. He built all these rooms next to his house and has people staying from all over the Uruguay, Japan, Filipines, Brazil, Germany, Czech Republic and Belgium. It's dirty and doesnt provide the services a backpackers should, but its a lovely place in a strange way.

When I come out of my room I see Colin arriving. He yells out "Time for breakfast boy", and gets out his waterpipe, which he fills to the brim with Marihuana. When we are both high anough to work, we get in the truck and drive to the factory. We pick up some empty beeboxes and put them on the truck. While we are working 'Snake' arrives. Colin tells me nobody knows his real name, and they've known him for 20 years. Snake is always high, and yells out things like "Ooooh yeah boy, machines I say". He 's crazy, I like him.

We drive to the places where the bees are kept, about an hour driving, through the mountains. It is incredibly beautiful here and completely isolated. Colin amuses me with his stories from on the fishing boats, where he spends half of the year, and about his previous life in Amsterdam, Ireland, Paris and South-Africa. He's on of those mad ones Kerouac talks about.

When we arrive at the bees, we put on our suits, which arent very good, and start collecting honey. If it's good you can hear Peter yelling "That's more like it", if it's bad you can hear him swear all day. We put some new boxes on top of the hives, so the bees can collect some more honey. It's hard work, and I get stung a lot, but that doesnt worry me anymore. The venom keeps me alert, especially when I'm high.

After the work is done, which is sometimes late in the evening, we smoke some more and go back to the factory to put the honey boxes. By the time we finish there, Peter usually has bought some beers, and rolls a big joint to share with everyone. After that we go back to the backpackers where I cook up some dinner and fall asleep easily and happy.

I really like this job and want to learn more about it. Kemps, tell your dad to prepare a hive for when I come back!

2 opmerkingen:

Anoniem zei

Seems like you found out how to combine two relatively bizarre hobbies ;)
http://hawaiianhighlands.com/wp-content/uploads/pot-bee-april-07.jpg

Anoniem zei

beekeeper,

je blijft verbazen. ben trots op je.

Moek