4:30am Run Part 2 – Jungle Town

It’s actually more of a resort town IN a jungle, and it was more like 4:50am run, but same thing.  I managed to get out the door early again this morning.  It was a struggle because they keep the building air-con on so low it was cold getting out of bed (for a now thin blooded Miami kid), but getting outside into the warm humid morning felt pretty good.

It’s a bit strange running though a small enclosed town.  It’s probably bigger population wise than many small towns in the US.  I’m guessing several hundred over a thousand people, plus there’s a gym, 2 pools, tennis courts, soccer field, movie theater, bowling ally, supermarket and hotel.  Yet all of this is packed within a fence surrounded by jungle – a small mining town disguised as a resort.  A route all the way around the outside is probably just short of 3 miles, so I got a pretty good feel of the place doing an 8 mile run this morning.  The FARC used to be pretty big in this area, and though I’m told there’s no danger anymore, I’m not sure how they’d feel about the gringo going outside the fence.  Even within the fence running the in dark can have it’s “on edge” moments – rustling in the bushes 9 times out of 10 is a bird or cat, but I don’t really want to know what might come out that 10^th time…

I’m surprised I don’t see more people out running in the morning here.  You’d think in a small town like this where everyone works for the same company and lives in close proximity, people would take advantage of this quite time.  Instead I saw 2 other runners, 1 armed guard and his dog and got to enjoy the sounds of a jungle waking up in the early morning solitude of the camp.

As much as I’d like to get out of the fence I think I’ll continue to do my laps in the relative safety and peace of this fenced in resort town and look forward to getting back to Miami and more running freedom.