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After our quick stop in El Valle, it was good to get on the road and really feel like this journey was underway. And getting to Boquete was no bad way to start. At over seven hours and including three different buses, I certainly smelt like a traveller by the time we arrived! Mind you, bus may not be the most comfortable way to travel but it´s certainly the best way to see the country. From the rolling hills of El Valle, we passed firstly through lush-looking agricultural country that could have been anywhere in northern Europe except for the odd incongruos palm and mango tree. About four hours into our second bus-ride, we entered the Chiriqui Highlands and the landscape began to change again as we climbed higher into the mountains. At David, we made our final connection of the day, ascending through the rain and clouds to Boquete in an old American school bus.
Boquete itself is a slightly larger, rougher-around-the-edges version of El Valle. Set in an almost alpine landscape, it´s populated by a strange mix of indigenous indians and retired Americans, attracted to the area by it´s temperate climate, gentle ambiance and a shed-load of tax
Anyone fuh coffe?
This is how it all starts. Doesn´t look much like what you find in a jar of Nescafe.breaks. As well as wildlife of the American variety, the surrounding Boquete cloud forest is also home to birds, flowers and animals that attract nature lovers from around the world while Volcan Baru (a dormant volcano not far from the town) offers some pretty adventurous hikes for more outdoorsy types. The most famous of the region´s birds is the Resplendent Quetzal, an exotic beauty with bright green and red plummage all topped off with a cute green moheekan, that twitchers come from all over the world to see. Boquete is also the centre of Panama´s coffee growing industry as the rich volcanic soil and the shade of the mountains provides ideal conditions for growing some of the world´s finest beans (or so the guidebooks tell me). With only two full days to take advantage of everything the town had to offer, we decided to do a bit of hiking on the first day and then take it a bit easy with a coffee plantation tour on the second day.
So, armed with a map drawn by our German host, Axel, and with a bit of advice from a local Brit - recently re-located from Four Marks of all places,
talk about your small world - we headed for the hills in search of the elusive quetzal. It wasn´t a particularly difficult walk but the scenery was specatuclar and while the quetzal lived up to it´s reputation, we did see a family of howler monkies. Even though we were only feet below them, we were able to watch for about 15 minutes as they weren´t at all bothered by our presence. Although we´d taken a taxi up to the starting point of our hike, we decided to walk the 10km back into town to take full advantage of our short time in the town. By the time we got back we´d been walking for about 6 hours but it was worth it, if only for the guilt-free chips I had for dinner.
On our second day, we took a tour of the Kotowa coffee plantation. Our Dutch guide, Hans, was very amusing and really knew his stuff. As well as learning about the history of coffee and how the beans actually get from plant to cup, we had a little coffee-tasting session at the end of the tour. Getting the finished product to make a simple cup of coffee is a surprisingly long and convoluted process with pretty significant economic and environmental repercussions, so although I´m sure I´ll have forgotten all the details by the time I get home, I´ve vowed to be a more responsible coffee buyer in future (yeah righ, that is until I can get to Starbucks or Caffe Nero).
I´m already starting to lose track of the days but I think we left Boquete on Wednesday, heading back down to David and then across the Chiriqui Highlands towards the Caribbean coast. Our objective, Bocas Del Toro, a small archipelago near the border with Costa Rica. After the cool, temperate weather of the mountains, it was quite a shock to get off the bus into the heat and humidity of Almirante, from where we had to catch a water taxi out the provincial ´capital´ (so small it takes about 10 minutes to walk from one end to the other), also called Bocas del Toro on Isla Colon.
Approaching from the water, the town looks like a picture-postcard caribbean paradise with sugared-almond coloured wooden houses and jetties jutting out into the water on stilts. The atmosphere is also architypically caribbean, giving the whole place a laid-back, surf-bum vibe totally different from anywhere else we´ve been in Panama. After the hectic journey to get here and in keeping with the gentle pace of the place, I opted for a day of snorkelling and pottering about on the water on Thursday. Guided by the lovely Alfredo and Hector, we started the day in Dolphin Bay where, surprise surprise, we saw dolphins. Although they didn´t leap about or perform for us in any way, it was really lovely to see them so close up. From Dolphin Bay we sped out to an area called Coral Cay, zipping past mangroves all the way. Here, there´s a restaurant built on stilts in the water and a small coral reef that provides great snorkelling opportunities. Although it was overcast, the water was warm and crystal clear making it difficult to tear myself away, even for lunch. Most of the fish I came face to face with I´ve only seen in aquariums or on nature programmes and the coral was absolutely beautiful, with colours ranging from deep purple to pale grey through rusty orange and pale cream. It all looked so perfect it was a bit like a scene from finding Nemo. As well as being colourful, the different types of coral form all sorts of wonderful shapes: some are long and finger-like, others look like big puff-balls and my favourite looks like fabric embossed with a labyrinth pattern that has been drapped over rocks.
After lunch, we headed out to another small island where we went hunting for the red frogs that are endemic to the area. Although it was pretty wet and squelchy underfoot, we spotted a few of them - teeny tiny little things, bright red with black freckles and so shiny they look like they´re made of painted enamel. After a brief stroll along the beach, it was back into the boat to go to Hospital Point and the last snorkel of the day. Named for the banana company hospital that used to be on the island, this particular spot is essentially a wall of coral going down to about 45 feet, that provides both good snorkelling and diving opportunities.
After a long, if not particularly hard day out on the water, we spent the evening drinking cheap cocktails at one of the local backpacking hostels, the very excellent Mondu Taitu. Surrounded by Brits, Ozzies and sundry Europeans, it was really nice to be back in a familiar pub-like atmosphere, even if it was more like a student union than a caribbean bar.
Yesterday was a totally lazy day. Nursing a very slight rum-induced headache we had a late brunch and watched the black clouds come rolling in from the mountains on the mainland. When the rain started to come down, I headed back to the hotel and I´m ashamed to admit, spent the afternoon watching The Incredibles on cable. In my defense though, I was resting in the knowledge that it would be a long night ahead, not out on the razz but on the beach looking for turtles. All along the caribbean coast of Panama and Costa Rica, turtles come ashore between March and September to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, both the turtles and their eggs are local delicacies so various organisations patrol the beaches during this time to collect the eggs and move them to sanctuaries where they can be safely hatched. For a small contribution, volunteers can go out on these patrols to take their chances of seeing a turtle. Unfortunately, despite several long hours walking up and down in the pitch black we lucked out. But it was worth taking the chance and just sitting around on the beach at night, with a couple of beers and good company was an experience in itself.
Today we leave Panama behind and head for the Costa Rican border, about 50km up the road. So that´s one country down, only six to go in Central America!
P.s. Sorry there are no photos for this epic. It´s proving tricky to find fast internet connections at the moment and a lot of the internet cafes won´t let you upload photos.
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Ireyes
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Enjoyed reading about your journey
Hi .. I stumbled into this trying to find a summer camp for my son in DR. I am originally from there, and it was very interesting to read about your stories. It is so nice to hear about your work with the kids, thank you, I am sure those kids wont forget you either. DR its an amazing place and I always love to go back and visit. I also lived in Panama for a year, outside the.. city Cocoli base ..and visited Costa Rica .. its amazing to see the world and see how other people live .. makes u appreciate every little thing .. Enjoy your travels.