We are in coffee heaven! Boquete is a little town up in the mountains, and with its vulcanic soil and altitudes, it's the perfect nourishing environment for coffee. So we got to polish up our coffee knowledge by visiting a working coffee estate and through experiencing, touching and tasting the coffee beans. With its vast grounds, splendid mountains, chirping birds and tamed with butterflies Finca Lérida is simply paradise. The air smells sweet with flowers and coffee. I did not want to leave! Rolando was our guide and during a couple of hours he passionately shared all his knowledge about the plantation, the different varieties of coffee they grow (amongst which the super gourmet Geis... read more

An easy boat ride and 4x4 trip brought us to Panama City. It felt both awkward and pretty good to be back in the world of comfort, electricity and modern facilities. Panama City is a very modern city with a small antique center. A perfect base for reconnecting with the home part of the world and a perfect place to enjoy a perfect icecream, the best and freshest ceviche, yoghurt, good food and expensive beers.Although we did not want to stay very long in the city, we did want to visit... read more

We ended up at Isla Tigre, one of the more or less 400 islands of San Blas. The island is a community island, which means there is a Kuna Yale village. The village is beautiful and because we are still very far from civilization the people live extremely basic, all houses are made of bamboo with thatched palm leave roofs. Although the men wear western clothes, all women wear their traditional clothes and jewellery and not because of the tourists (there were not other foreigners except us) but just because this is the way they live and wear their clothes with pride.At one end of the island (which you can cross in about ten minutes) the ... read more

No cars. Only electricity in the evening. A small fishing village turned into low profile holiday village. Island feeling because there is no road access, only ultra small planes depart from the small strip in the middle of the village, and of course if the weather allows a lot of small boat activities.From Baranquilla to Capurgana took us two days by bus, van and speedboat. In Capurgana we just wanted to spend a few days on the beach and get our exit stamp to make our move to Panama. But a storm somewhere far away above the ocean pushed huge waves our way and made all water transport impossible. For us that was absolutely no problem ... read more

Could it be that we started to explore South America in its most beautiful, relaxed, fun and authentic city, named Cartagena, Colombia? From the very first foot we set here, we immediately felt enveloped by the Latino vibe and with its historic buildings throughout, it feels like walking through an open air museum. Every corner we turn, there's another breathtaking view that takes us back into historic/colonial times with cobbled streets, wooden balconies and buildings painted in different colours. The old city is fortified during the days the Spaniard were trying to defend the city, with huge walls, towers and canons remaining. We've explored the city over the course of a few mornings... read more