El Valle de Anton Visit no. 2

Yesterday I was in desperate need to escape the intense heat of the playa, and so decided to head back up to El Valle, with my sights set on finding the golden frog. I headed straight for my favorite breakfast spot on the main street where they serve incredibly small portions of food, but very yummy so that you order more and more. This tricky scheme works on me and many others too apparently. The carrot-orange juice is amazing, and the man who tends the tables is refreshingly happy and friendly all the time. I also like this place because I meet lots of interesting people there. Yesterday, however, an eccentric man, I’d guess in his 50’s, approached me in an odd sort of way. I had my Spanish dictionary and a map of El Valle I’d been studying on the table, and he said, "Oh, you don’t speak Spanish either". I looked at him in a strange way and he then said "Well isn’t that why you have your dictionary there?" I sat in amazement still, wondering how to reply to this very clueless and so far a little annoying man whose look reminded me of Kramer from Seinfeld. Then I said, “I have this dictionary that I refer to constantly when I don’t know a word so that I can learn Spanish, Silly, since I definitely don’t know every word in this compact little dictionary." He then went on to tell me how he’d be dead in the water without a woman that he pointed to next door. He explained that without her, he would not be able to do anything here in Panama. I asked, “Why don’t you learn Spanish then?” He quickly replied “I’ve only lived here for five months, I can’t have a conversation in Spanish, can you?” I answered “I always try to have conversations with anyone and everyone – it's the best way to learn” He then replied, “Well I’ve only been here for five months and she does all of my translating for me.” I don’t get it. You deliberately move to a Spanish speaking country, and don’t bother to learn the language with every intention of staying here. The woman, by the way, was a delightful 30-something year old with two kids (she proudly stated), from Argentina. What better way to learn than from a bilingual person at your side every day to teach? Enough of him, I had a wonderful conversation with her about places we both loved in both Argentina and Panama for as long as the crazy Kramer-like man allowed, and he then said that they were off to do mud facials at the hot springs, and invited me along. My little ears perked up, but I knew that I could not take another five minutes with the guy, and so as they ran off to do their facials, I ran off to an internet café, and to buy fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market. After an hour or so, I myself headed up to the hot springs, ran into them as they were leaving (perfect timing), paid my $1.00 entrance fee and coated my face with mud. Not having a bathing suit, I was not permitted to enter the natural mineral pools, but was allowed to soak my feet and legs in a different pool while the mud dried on my face. Again, for the sole purpose of entertaining, I may decide to post my self-taken photo with mud packed and dried tightly to my face, but right now I'm not that brave. What fun! The mud facial was awesome and the grounds were relaxing, although I still haven't seen that inconspicuous golden frog.