The storm had caught us by surprise, which is why, when we caught a glimpse of old Gerald's cabin, we rejoiced. We had left Patagonia, Argentina, to travel the entire continent, without compasses and with great enthusiasm, inspired by the stories told by my uncle, an accomplished hiker who had encouraged us to travel the world with a backpack.
Colombia welcomed us with open arms, the problem would come in an almost impenetrable jungle called the Darien Gap, a wilderness that connects Panama with South America. Gerald noticed our arrival from afar and invited us to enjoy a cup of mate in his hut while the sun was rising. We discovered that this old man was Argentinean, which made for a pleasant encounter, enlivened by a small bonfire.
"Very close to these lands, there is a plant whose tea is so sacred, that it is worth the trouble to take a little detour to taste it", we all loved the idea. So, when the storm was over, we decided to delay our passage through the Darien Gap and head for the village of San Thomas.
When we arrived we were spotted by the locals who greeted us with amazement. When we mentioned the ancient plant from which the sacred tea was extracted, they did not say that we had been fooled. "Inside the thick jungle of the Darien, there is a legend of a man who diverts the innocent hikers who try to cross, so that they desist from doing so".
This puzzled us. We assured them that we had spoken to a real person and not a ghost, but they all assured us that Gerald was in fact an angel for the hikers and we had no choice but to access Panama via a boat trip.
The promise of a sacred tea had saved us from crossing an inhospitable place and where annually, we would learn a little later, hundreds of thousands die trying to find a route to fulfill their American dream.
THE END
This is my entry for the "Sacred Tea" contest of this great community, I invite the user @universoperdido to join with his entry before the time runs out, you still have time to participate! ☕
