I was born at a village in the mountains situated between the capital of Cyprus Nicosia (Lefkosia) and Troodos mountains, where I lived with my family.

I remember when I was a little boy, around 8 years old (it was summer holidays so we had no school), my father told me that the next day, at dawn he would take his brother’s donkey, and go to our land up in the mountains to cut wood. He did not want to take me with him that early, and asked me when I weak up in the morning, to ride our family donkey called ‘siderkas’ (i.e. iron animal) and go to meet him so he would have 2 donkeys to bring wood home for next winter.

I was scared, I never went before to that place, called Ayios Constantinos, and told my father my concern. He calmed me down saying ‘don’t worry,

Siderkas knows the way, you ride him and go towards the south exit of the village where is the cemetery, and he knows, he went there many times’.

I tried to calm down, at night I could not sleep, I had nightmares, and early in the morning I did what my dad instructed me. I rode the donkey and proceeded towards the direction instructed. It was a strange experience for me, riding a donkey and climbing up the mountains. I was going and going in the middle of nowhere, and after 2 hours trip the donkey was still going. I was very scared, and suddenly when we were on the top of a hill, I heard my father’s voice. He was at the opposite hillside calling me. My heart was now beating for happiness… thanks to ‘Siderkas’.

DONKEYS ARE NOT ALWAYS STUPID, IN SOME CASES THEY ARE VERY CLEVER.

 

ANDREAS KAKOFENGITIS is Chief Executive of Bestservus Group, a qualified accountant and banker with long experience in the financial sector in Cyprus, England and Romania. He is also a humorous guy with a lot of stories to share.