Blogs from Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama, Central America Caribbean

Less than an hour away from David on the bus was the hill town of Boquete. It's famous for flowers and coffee in Panama, and we arrived in the middle of the festival devoted to those two products. Sounds great, doesn't it? Unfortunately it meant music blaring out until 5am meaning most of our waking hours were spent in a bleary-eyed daze. I think visiting at another time would leave you with a very different impression, but for us it wasn't great. We enjoyed ourselves but perhaps not as much as we had expected to. We chose the Hostal Gaia (overpriced - they all are) away from the main drag but sadly for us it was in a direct line of sight to the stages with the very loud musicians. Anyway, moaning aside, we found plenty ... read more

Tues 11-Wed 12 December - Day 46 to 47 – Boquete, Panama but day 56 of our travels including Colombia The day was beautiful as we went back to the Panama mainland by boat. We then travelled by minivan onto the highlands and the charming mountain village of Boquete. The 3 hour drive was beautiful through the heavily vegetated highlands. Roads were windy with the occasional bad patched needing repair. One the way we stopped to view the massive dam and hydro electric syste, the biggest in Panama. Located on the eastern slopes of the Volcan Barú, Boquete is quickly becoming a destination for those who wish to bask in the cooler climate and marvel at the exquisite vistas. The climate was very different to the island we had just come from. There was misty rain ... read more

EL RIO CALDERA The Rio Caldera is the main tributary that gathers the water from all the other rivers that flow down the surrounding mountains, in the region of Chiriqui. The City of Boquette is the center of this "horseshoe" of mountains and at the center of this valley is El Rio Caldera. Some of these rivers run through the city of Boquete before they reach El Rio Caldera. The Quebrada Bajo Grande flows down Volcan Baru, and has already been explored in this blog site. Others include Quebrada Cheche, Rio Pianista, Quebrada La Sumbona, Quebrada San Ramon, and Rio Palo Alto. Further downstream, as it flows into El Rio Chiriqui Nuevo, many others join this rushing mass of water, lined with rocks of all sizes. At one point El Rio Chiriqui Nuevo has been dammed ... read more

El Rio Quebrada Bajo This river originates halfway down Volcan Baru. There the watershed from the frequent rains sends it's deluge of water into El Rios, through town, into El Rio Caldera, and melts into the sea. El Quebrada Bajo is seen at many locations through the town of Boquette as it passes under bridges and past stores and restaurants. Here I have included Video of a few of these popular landmarks: Refugio Del Rio, Mike's Global Grill, and Residencial Orquidea. The sound of this ordinarally tranquil river can be heard in many locations. However, when rain continues for days the river becomes a torrent. The sound becomes deafening as the boulders tumble across the river bed like pebbles. See Videos! Click below! v www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNQLFqgP8s www.youtube.com/... read more

On November 10, 182 the residents of Azuero declared their separation from the Spanish Empire, without sanction of the cental government in Panama City. Their declaration was called El Grito de La Villa de Los Santos (Cry From the Town of Saints). The central government dismissed the action as impotent and meaningless. However, separatist sentiment had been speading, and El Grito had been heard by the entire country. Feeling out numbered, the acting Govenor General decared Panama City's support for independence, and the military stood aside. The Panamanian people were free from Spain. Now, though, Panama was a department of Columbia. It was not long before the Panamanians grew tired of a distant, government. They made several attempts to secede. War erupted, in 1899, as a reaction to a treaty with the United States. The battle ... read more