Clowns Have More Fun

I don't have many visitors here, so when friends come to town I put my party shoes on. Even if it's a Wednesday.

We arrange to meet at Juan Valdez, near the Cable off the avenue of Santander around noon. We're going to the Natural Hot Springs in Santa Rosa, about an hour and a half away from Manizales by bus. I greet Laurie-from-Canada with open arms. It has been a full month since I've seen her and it feels good to see a familiar face; not to mention English-speakers! She introduces me to her boyfriend, Etienne, a freckled and disheveled young man with assertive energetic eyes. He is a perfect fit for my spunky flaca friend.

Our bus takes us to the center of Santa Rosa, but there is another bus we have to catch in order to arrive at the hot springs. Unfortunately that bus doesn't leave for another hour. Fortunately, however, Santa Rosa is famous for their Chorizo and we are starving. We decide on Portal de los Chorizos and this guy, yeah the one with the hat, serves us the BEST meat I have ever tasted. Perhaps I am more hungry than I think, but en serio. Delicioso.

We finish our incredible meals and cross the street. It is time to hop on our next bus towards our destination, Termales de Santa Rosa. The ride is longer than I had thought it would be, but the winding roads are peaceful and green. I relax into my seat and gaze onto rich pastures. Cows graze lazily and barely lift their heads as our noisy bus rattles past on the twisting gravel road.

I fall asleep and only wake as the bus comes to a halt. Laurie and Etienne gather their packs and exit the bus. I follow. The entrance fee is $17,000 COP per person, about $9 USD. We hike up a steep rocky incline before seeing what we came to see. The hot springs are at the base of a majestic cascading waterfall cut into the side of a jagged green mountain. There are two "pools" to choose from, and beer and snacks are readily available for poolside purchase. We test both waters leisurely. The view is better in the first, but the water is hotter in the second. Hours pass and we realize we have missed the last bus back to town. In my previous life, this would cause a scare or at least mild irritation, but we are tranquilo.

We see a beat up jeep taking passengers. The man tells us to hop on the back and HOLD ON. Bueno! Vamos! The ride is incredible. We agree it's much more fun than a boring old bus. My muscles are tiring as I hold on to a metal bar across the back of the jeep. Night has fallen and fireflies act as field stars, the moon is low and thin. I bend my knees to prevent certain breakage as the car bangs through each divot on the patchy road. Dogs chase us a little too close for comfort. My attire is wildly inappropriate for the ride. I have knee-high boots and a sexy wool dress with no bra. I suppose I didn't plan on attaching myself to the back of a moving vehicle.

The transportation is always an adventure in Colombia, but we make it back to Manizales in good time. In fact, it's 9PM and we are ready for a drink. We quickly change into more comfortable clothes and hit the town... which is of course EMPTY. We go to three bars before landing at one of my new favorite spots, Mr. Jack. This bar usually features live music and has some incredible artwork strewn across the dark walls. Tonight, however, one wall is blocked entirely by a group of charismatic young Colombians. Students, I wonder? We sip our Club Colombias quietly and watch as the group (perhaps twenty people or so) dances, laughs and drinks. We want to do that.

Laurie voices her plan to integrate. We'll slowly get up, scatter into the group and start dancing. It works! We discover this group is a theatre troupe here for the International Theatre Festival of Manizales. My people! More specifically, they are acrobats and jugglers, street clowns and high-wire performers. We have stumbled upon the circus! We drink and laugh along with our new friends and they invite us to an empty theatre where we will continue our party even after the bar has closed.

Ron is purchased and salsa is the music of choice. A red light illuminates the small room as people dance and flip on scaffolding across the ceiling. An incredibly handsome man with tattoos and a cast on one hand takes me from the couch to the dance floor. His free hand slides up my shirt as his hips guide our dance. He has dimples when he smiles and a confidence that I haven't encountered in quite a while. His body is muscular and his lips are soft when he kisses my neck. Oosh.

He leads me to the hallway, and then a small alleyway outside the theatre. He says "Shhh..." when he pleases me, and whispers "Shut up!" when I really can't control it. His words are only forceful in the way that I like. He is kind and gentle but has a hard edge that's exciting more than it is dangerous. We almost get caught twice, but that just fuels our desire to finish.

When both our passions have come to fruition, he clutches me tightly and holds my head in his hands as if to say thank you, but the feeling is mutual. We walk back into the room, holding hands with smiles on our faces. We won't see each other again, but that's okay.

Yes. I do believe clowns have the best fun.