Wednesday, June 22, 2016

In the Cloud Forest, On My Birthday

Photo Shot by Paul Cook
I spent my birthday in the cloud forest, which is another way of saying rain forest, except, I guess in a cloud forest you really are in the clouds. In the middle of nowhere, I took a one-night, two-day-trip to the jungles, in the mountains, upon a recommendation of someone I met.

I arrived, hungry. So, up in the mountains, I ate a pizza, made in a wood fire oven. The locals, they always stare. Somehow, unlike other locals, these locals knows I'm not from Asia but I'm Asian. And they're always amused I speak Spanish.

As I walked to my cabin, some locals, were drinking by the creek. They asked me to join them. They introduced themselves and asked about me.

I wasn't forthright. I told them I was an unemployed writer, trying to become an academic. (And this wasn't a lie, either.)

They smiled and asked lots of questions. There was one black guy and one, and one full bodied, black girl, who had really big lips. She kept putting her hands on her butt and smiled a lot underneath the moonlight.

When the police came, they made me jump in the bushes with them. They said it was illegal to drink on the weekends, and that it was some stupid rule that the town made up. (It reminded me of how my city made up stupid rules all the time too. I guess it's a universal problem - dumb public officials.)

We all laughed after the police left. I said good night to them and slept in.

* * * *
The next morning, I woke up and took a hike to see butterflies. I've never seen so many different types of butterflies in my life.  They looked like paint strokes, lifted from an Impressionist painting, fluttering in a fury, in the air.

Their colors were brilliant and dazzling: lots of black and blues, yellow and blues, and yellow and white. It was like watching colored lights, dancing in the air.

I only had one day in the cloud forest. Not enough time. I wanted to see more, but I had to head back to catch a flight tomorrow.

PS: At my new location, my internet connection is horrible; so, it's harder to update everyone.

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