A phone call would change everything.
It had been a tough week, and little did I know, I needed to shake up my routine a bit.
-Suddenly, my phone rang-
I was still a bit sleepy. Fatigue had gotten the best of me.
On the other end of the line, a female voice said, “Get ready, we’re going to Puerto Escondido”
In my drowsiness, I recognized it was my sister -What do you mean, Puerto Escondido?-
My sister: “Yes, we have things to take care of over there.”
I just replied, “I don’t want to. Go with the rest of the team,” and hung up. I didn’t feel up for a trip.
The next day, just as dawn broke, they kicked down my bedroom door. My sister was yelling at me, asking why I wasn’t ready yet. Didn’t I tell her I wasn’t going? They paid zero attention to me.
Luckily, my travel backpack is always ready to go.
We left the house in the rain, and I had one eye closed more than the other. Our team at Estilo Viajero joined us along the way.
We were heading to Puerto Escondido, a beautiful natural reserve, but one I didn’t have very fond memories of.
We took two trucks, went up and down several hills, until we reached the campsite in question.
We reserved our tents, and I let myself be guided by the mini-boss (my sister).
Hiking
The first task (more like an order) was to do the Encanto hike. It’s not a very dangerous route, but we needed to study it for some clients who wanted to document the destination in detail.
So off we went, climbing to the first level. A not-so-pretty path, nothing but dry bushes and some glimpses of the local fauna (I loved the curujey).
At the first stop, there wasn’t much to see, but there was a small viewpoint overlooking the river's mouth with these views.
I wanted to stay a while, enjoying the place and the view, but there was work to do.
We continued climbing.
More than one lady slipped on the steep terrain.
Others wondered if it was worth it.
I just looked at my sister, and she kept telling me, “Don’t look at me, keep climbing, there’s not much left.”
I couldn’t do anything but drink water and laugh.
Finally, we reached the final viewpoint, the Mirador del Encanto.
Honestly, the effort, the ladies falling, the mini-boss pushing us, was worth it.
After the group decided to head down, we stayed a little longer; the viewpoint has a privileged view of the river’s channel.
Standing there only reaffirmed how small humanity is and how incredible nature is.
Just look at the shape of that mouth, and the most curious thing is that right in the middle is where the mouth is least deep, and people usually bathe there. Quite curious.
We headed down, and as it couldn’t be any other way, as we say in Cuba... straight into the water (right into the river).
We took a long break, chatted, and I felt my adventurous side awaken.
We could have chosen the beach, but we had no desire to keep walking; we just needed to cool off, so the river would do
The water, of course, was colder than my freezer at home. But who cared?
The nature, the calm of the place, people having fun, friends, the simplicity of life.
Night fell, we charged our phones, made a small, simple spaghetti dish and an instant drink. The place doesn’t offer many facilities.
But that’s where the beauty of these adventures lies.
These getaways remind me that sometimes I complicate myself more than I should or simply forget what truly makes me, me.
The next day, we had to return home. An odyssey that deserves a post.
We were back to climbing mountains, spending hours waiting for a ride, until we finally got in the back of a truck, which broke down a few kilometers later.
After hours, we found another transport, less comfortable but it did the job. Almost as night fell, we managed to get home. Exhausted but happy.
Going out to enjoy nature; being away from the concrete jungle, from daily problems, and especially out of routine makes me feel alive again.
I didn’t know it, but I needed this trip more than my team needed me.
If you’d like, leave me a comment about an adventure of yours that was similar? Any anecdote you can’t forget?
Don’t be shy, let me know in the comments
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