Agua Azul

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The tranquil roar of rushing rapids over limestone fills my ears and penetrates deep into my core, washing away my worries and letting some calming peace flow in. Fireflies dance in the night sky as Orion creeps out from behind the jungle canopy. It's safe to say that this is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. With our hammocks strung between a couple rocks near the river, we relax, enjoying the luxury of our remote campsite at Agua Azul. Situated where the clear, turquoise river comes rushing out of a narrow steep limestone canyon, we went as far as the trail would take us. We tried hiking up the mountain side along the river, doing some real jungle trekking, climbing over jagged rocks intertwined with gnarled, twisted roots. The path eventually disseminated so we decided to turn around. We could have continued up a dried waterway, but it would have required some real bushwhacking and sketchy traverses over steep cliffs 500ft above the river.

As we packed our gear at the truck, a group of local boys came to inspect what we were doing. They asked what various things were and hung around for a while. We gave them one of the soccer balls we brought down for that purpose and they were happy. It's nice to see children having a great time just running around kicking a ball. The first kilometer of the hike was lined with restaurants and souvenir stalls and brimming with tourists, but after a couple of miles of hiking you escape into the wilderness. There is something extremely pleasing about getting away from the crowds and into the solitude of natures remote niches. I do value the company of people, but it seems that the more people you pack into a given area, the more distant they act towards each other. However, in the back country it seems that every person you come across is friendly and eager to converse. It might simply be a ''Hello, how's it going? Nice weather.'' or ''Where you coming from?'' and ''where are you going?'' And sometimes you'll have a real meaningful conversation with someone who will impart a lasting impression and a bit of wisdom. I myself am very fortunate to have such a good friend with me on my travels through Latin America. Andy is truly a good person and a wonderful friend. He's the type of person who gives an extra effort to be generous and make people feel welcomed. We're pretty evenly matched on the chess board which makes for fun, competitive games. He's a great person to share thoughts with and has a great, positive outlook on life.

Morning stretches and deep breathing standing on a rock in the middle of the rapids to invigorate the soul by absorbing some of natures magical energy. The sun light scrapes the tips of the canopy and slowly drops down toward the river. An array of birds chirp and fly around in the fresh morning air. A quote comes to mind.

''Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water in a bowl, it becomes the bowl. You put it in a tea pot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend.''
-Bruce Lee

We stashed our gear in the jungle and the rest of the day was spent floating down the river, navigating rapids, climbing and swinging from vines, doing flips off rope swings and log battling, where you try to push your opponent off the log without falling yourself. We made it all the way to the main falls near the parking lot where it says ''DANGEROUS NOT TO SWIM'' a poor translation of ''PELIGROSO NO NADAR''. We went to check on the truck, grabbed some water, then walked back to camp barefoot. We retrieved our gear from the jungle, set up the hammocks and took a nap. Mashed potatoes with bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic and a Cayenne pepper for dinner. We watched the fireflies before falling into dreamland.

On the hike out we met a nice guy named Yepe from the netherlands. We talked as he hiked out with us and we gave him a ride to the main road. He was headed to the pacific coast to do some surfing and has been traveling all around latin america.

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