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Published: March 17th 2006
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Not just another pretty face Very little sleep again last night. I had the slamming doors problem solved but a new one surfaced--nightmares!!! Why would I be chased all night by horrible memories of the years I worked as a veterinarian-in-charge at a slaughterhouse? These are pretty graphic but hadn't bothered me for years. Was it because I was so terribly tired or was it something about this country that was haunting me?? Bad karma?
Be that as it may, at 6:15 I was dressed, packed, and sitting poolside at La Hacienda watching the sunrise. I was grumpy.Mucho. I guess about like Nadette was a couple days ago. The sky was clear and the wind was already blowing. So much for a weather report. Humph.
Was it my imagination or my state of mind that everybody seemed testy over the breakfast table?? Even Luigi snapped a few times at random remarks by my fellow tour members. And he was being paid to be nice. More than could be said about everybody else. Breakfast tasted lousy too. Sounds like a family reunion back home. Humph.
I waited in the lobby while everyone checked out. Met a geologist from Houston who was working as a land man down
on the Rio Chiriqua
"..and then he says..." or whatever Luigi and the horse owner are talking over. The river looked fit to drink or was it because I was so hot and thirsty? here for Tekla. Graduated from Colorado School of Mines. Sounds like the exploration for oil is moving here too.
At 8:05 we were on the road to Boquete. Latin Rock played continuously on the radio. Yesterday it sounded good; today it sounded more like static. Everybody in the back watched a DVD on widening the Panama Canal. Another "Extreme Engineering" segment from the Discovery Channel, it sounded like. Poor me. I was in front and couldn't see it. Humph and humph again. (as you may be able to decipher I was REALLY in a bad mood--lack of sleep does that to me.)
We travelled west on the Interamericana (not Intercontinental as I was calling it before) Highway, passing several Isuzi bobtail trucks loaded with weaner brahma calves. They had a hard time pulling some of the hills--seriously overloaded. We met several truckloads of green bananas. All these trucks left a trail of black smoke and seemed to have a hard time getting up any speed. Lookie there. There was an old cabover International semi tractor pulling a 30 foot flatbed trailer loaded with what appeared to be scrap metal. First semi I'd seen in Panama!!
Then there was a Peterbilt
Great Mule!!
Kate actually got the mule to lope over a jump for her!! Nadette got along ok with her gelding too. Their stirrups were short too. in a driveway and a new International truck on a ranch road. Must be getting into more prosperous ranch country. (By the way, Mont owned a semi for years and had his own trucking business. I rode with him one time to Alaska and got pretty good at recognizing trucks. These facts are for his benefit when he reads this blog.)
Several small tree farms were scattered among the fields. This country obviously has been deforested and burned in the past.
Shortly after a passport checkpoint, we turned off on a bypass to avoid the traffic of David. It was now 50 km to Boquete. Off to our left reared the highest mountain of Panama--11,000 foot extinct volcano called Volcan Baru. Now we were for sure in better ranching country. There was a big Massey-Ferguson tractor and a new Peterbilt conventional tractor on one place. The cattle were obviously better bred and cared for. Lava rocks lay all around.
A big "Montana de Caldera" sign announced the forthcoming opening of a big housing development. There was a white rail fence that stretched a long way. Bulldozers were levelling sites and clearing roads through the brush. I asked Luigi where were
Cape buffalo
Kate, that doesn't look like anything I've ever seen you ride before!! the pipelines for water and sewer? He didn't know. Is there any regulation over water pollution? He didn't know but did say there was some concern about getting enough drinking water out there but thought they would drill wells and use septic tanks. For ALL those houses?? No answer. Ah yes. No problem. This is Extreme Panama not an ecological tour.
Big greenhouses with solar panels fill one area outside Boquete. What are they raising? No answer. OK. I won't ask any more questions. Lots of red tile roofs. There have been lots of expats move in here in the last three years, Luigi volunteers. Well, Thank you for the information, great leader. Humph. (I don't think you want to know what my grouchy mind was REALLY thinking) Bad karma all right.
Hotel Rebuquet proves to be a delightful place!! Beautiful room with tiled floors with a cool breeze sweeping across the courtyard and through the rooms. After coming through hot lowlands, this is beautiful highland weather!!
We stop at Java Juice for a quick, great lunch of grilled chicken and batidos. Things are looking up!!
Now we head out to ride horses. We drive a rutted road--nothing like yesterday's
petroglyph rock
I'll give you the explanation I got............ nothing. So look it up in a guide book like I did. tho-- and end up at Caldera Hot Springs. Turns out that's where the horses are. One steep trail led down to several small creek crossings to a low building where the horses stood. But first we must go see the hot springs!
Pause for one minute.
I live in Thermopolis, Wyoming, home of the World's Largest Hot Spring (Not really true but that is what the propaganda says). I dip in hot mineral water every day and see hot water springs any time I want to. Suffice it to say THESE AINT HOT SPRINGS.... What I saw was a greenish slime covered pit. There is no way I will put my hand in there much less take a dip. Maybe it's just the pool's bad karma but I swear I saw lethal bacteria lurking all over. I begged off and go to the restroom. Now THAT REALLY WAS A CRAPPY PLACE and I mean that literally. Don't look---but I already had. Need I go into more detail other than to say someone must REALLY have been having a bad day? Worse than mine for sure. This place will definitely go down as a MUST NOT SEE in my book.
Then we head to the horses. There they stand. Luigi has an Andalusian stallion. Kate has a large gray mule named Ohno. I have an eight year old Pinto mare named Samantha. None of them weighs more than 900 pounds. All have the same apparatus on their heads kind of a crossbred looking hackamore arrangement and all have western saddles.
And now for the most humiliating moment of my life. I have to be HELPED onto my horse. Me. Who used to run barrels, flag timed events at rodeos, ride in endurance trials, punch cows in the mountains and yes get bucked off. ( But I always got bucked off good looking, classy, piss and vinegar horses!!) And here I was relegated to having two people push me up on an undersized and dispirited mare. I don't know who I felt sorrier for--her or me.
There was no way to adjust the stirrups which were way too short. I had no strength in my inner legs to grip and my knees quickly got too sore to ride that way so my feet dangled down. Then I found out why I'd noticed riders using a switch--that and yelling is how they are compelled to move. Talk about feeling like a camel driver. My mare was unshod and walked over the rocks like any tender footed animal does. When forced to move faster--not my idea-- she was crossgaited. I worried how my two artificial hips would stand that abuse. This is not the place I want to have a dislocation, I thought.
We rode for two hours. Rather we were out for two hours but most of that time we sat on the horses while the owner talked to Luigi and we looked at deforested country where someone was building a new house and fencing in everything but just a lane that we rode down like a bunch of sheep. There were the petroglyph rocks off to our right. No explanation.
Well, enough griping. The Rio Chiriqui was beautiful. But when I saw Chris birdwatching back by the Toyota,(he doesn't like to ride) I truly believed he got more for his money. The owner's cowboys were there too so we didn't have to ride down and walk back up.
It was interesting to see the cape buffalo that this horse owner trained. Apparently he has won quite a few competitions with his trained animals.
We rode back to town and directly to Snoopies for a beer. And yes, I drank half a bottle of beer. That is a lot for me. The most I'd had the entire trip but I was choking to death... Well almost.
Back for showers and out at 7 PM for supper. My treat. Luigi took me up on the offer and he picked the place . We went to Salvitores for pizza--best lightest crust ever. Beer 60cents--cheaper than my bottled water. Total bill for 5 of us. $26. The day ended on a good note after all
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Kate
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Nightmares and Anti-Malaria Drugs
Since returning from Panama, I've heard from two pharmacist friends that certain anti-malarial drugs frequently cause paranoia and hallucinations. I don't know which ones they are or which one Mamma took, but it's worth considering if you're planning on taking any. CDC identifies several options for anti-malarial agents, though Chris, Nadette and I opted to forego any drugs. Either way though, you can't donate blood for a couple years after going to certain places in certain central American countries, including parts of Panama.