Another odd experience while adventuring around Panama. When we were on the pacific side (before a cold struck me down and snot flowed out of my nose in epic proportions), I decided to go on a run because that is who I am. I obsessively run, but that is not a little known detail; it's simply a fact of life. On previous forays in exercise, I would leave Tanager Tourism and turn left to run up a hill (with this strategic planning I end my run on a downhill, which is quite lovely and almost necessary when the surrounding atmosphere makes me drip with sweat when I merely step outside). This day, I turned to the right and headed down the road because I knew that I would be able to run through the small town of Malena and running the same route over and over again gets boring.
So I went off, running along and enjoying the small breeze that rustled through the trees and overcast weather that made the air much cooler. Per usual, there were very few vehicles on the road and my only companions were cows and chickens that foraged in the pastures on the hillsides.
I ran by a few small houses (houses are simply buildings made out of painted cement blocks with a thatched or tin roof, not structurally sound or really desirable in any aspect). After a few minutes, I reached the minuscule town of Malena, so small in fact that it takes 2 minutes to run (not drive) through. While running, I managed the obligatory wave to passersby and hola/buenas (the customary greetings) that is expected when passing the locals. I waved at a few people, but was focused more on reaching the top of a massive hill than fulfilling the normal social conventions. Thus, I panted onward. I originally thought the only odd occurrence on my run was that an old man harboring a machete started to run next to me for about 10 seconds. Weird, but not too unexpected in el campo (what they call the rural region of panama). I managed to reach the top of the hill, turned around and headed back to a shower and dinner.
The next day a Peace Corp volunteer who lives in Malena came to have dinner with us at the inn. Loes (the owner) cooks dinner for us each night and then we eat family style all together, so this night we just had one more person. We were talking and she said, "oh, I saw you running yesterday." And I responded with the usual chitchat. Later, I commented to Emily that she had seen me running to which the Peace Corp girl responded, "yeah, everyone saw you running. I think you made some of the men's weeks. Maybe even their months." We laughed, but I didn't think anything of it until the next day we were at a small restaurant in Torio (another small town near Palmilla, where we were staying) and this woman walks in. The first thing she said to me was, "those men are just waiting for you to come back and run by. You caused quite a stir." (Written, it sounds kind of creepy, but it wasn't it was just weird).
After hearing these stories, Emily and I tried to figure out why they would be so interested in a foreigner running down the road, covered in sweat and struggling to breathe. I concluded it is because I am white. Also, I am very tall. I feel my conclusions would be backed up with scientific evidence if a study were ever completed. I guess it is good to know that some people enjoyed my presence, even though I was unaware that they had even seen me.
You are working your way up to larger animals - started with running with the tarantulas in your hometown mountain abode, then running with the raccoons in your college abode, now running with the cows in your panamanian abode, working up to running with the bulls?
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