Warrior Princess and the Moneys (los monos)

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I am out of wet wipes and my shower remains broken. Out of desperation and the fact that I am offensive in smell to myself, I decided during the absence of my host family, to sneak around their house and found a working (and cleaner) shower. It was still freezing but was oh so worth every second. I thought I would have gone insane if i had to wait one more day. it was truly becoming an obsession of mine to find clean water.

After my evening shower I resigned myself to my room to study when everything went pitch black. It was so dark i could not see my hand in front of my face. PANIC!

I looked outside my window and saw nothing. My heartbeat was accelerating quickly. For the first time since my arrival, I felt scared and alone. There was no one home, I did not know where candles were kept and I had no idea where my !"$· flashlight was. I am embarrassed to admit it but I was terrified. Deep yoga breathes and the rational that ´when i go to sleep it is dark anyway´; I was able to find my flashlight. Of course the lights came back on moments afterwards. The universe de Panama was testing me. :)

After a short sleep I awoke again at 5am to prepare for a hike to a place called WHITE ROCK. The starting point is about 30 minutes outside the city of Boquete. It is about a 5 hour hike which will consume my morning before i begin my afternoon Spanish lessons.

During the hike we wil be searching for he national bird calld QUETZAL. It is mystical bird of many colors. It is a bird that cannot be caged or it immediately dies. Th male of the species is the most beautiful. He cares for his young once they are born. I find this piece of informacion interesting as most of Panama consists of matriarchal societies. The country lacks the stereotypical male bravado (machismo) one would expect. The men are courteous, polite and do not make a fool of themselves in public. It is very strange! Granted there is still oogling of women as they pass by (showered or not).

My hike was spectacular. We did not see many animals but we di find 3 snakes, one of which was not poisonous, a transparent butterfly to which for obvious reasons i could not get a proper picture and several lizards. We swung from vines like monkeys, played in a beautiful waterfall, crossed precarious bridges and sweated in the humidity. Side note:If you come to Boquete to hike White Rock wearing boots are a good idea or shoes with a sligh tread. Also for women the humitiy is fantastic for your hair, I have curls to die for. LOL.

Spanish class was exhausting today. I am retaining many nouns but learning verbs are a nightmare. I give great credit to those who have learned the language on their own.

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