I agreed to take a tuk tuk tour of the area at a small price. He brought me around to a number of places: a hand-washing operation, the beach (where I ran into another driver who i would coincidentally see two more times). We were in no rush, just stood there looking at the waves for a long time. He showed me some old trees, 500 years old, planted by those bastards, the Portuguese. If i’ve learned anything, it’s that history leaves physical evidence. The Israeli army plants trees to deracinate traces of Palestinian settlements, but these trees were most likely planted with a more peaceful motive. They reminded colonialists of home. It felt good touching the trunks, gnarled with age, knowing that they’ve survived everything so far.