El Valle de Anton, Panama

Despite recommendations for us to visit Bocas Del Toro (Panama's principle tourist draw to some of the most beautiful beaches) we decided to continue to seek out the quieter more remote mountainous areas, and so found ourselves in 'El Valle de Anton' elevation 2000 ft, nestled in the crater of a giant extinct volcano, last active some three million years ago! To be fair it is a popular, second home 'weekend get away' for the folk who live in Panama City, approx 2 hr drive away. Our lodging has been a modest hotel with the big attraction of having a large covered roof patio, hammocks, comfortable bamboo furniture, great views of the mountains/creater rim, along with warm breezes, so when we want to read, relax, or enjoy our breakfast of fresh fruit this is the spot to be. (Speaking of fruit....huge local pineapples for $1...perfectly ripe and juicy....what a treat!)



The charm here is once again the cooler climate, the lush scenery and clean air - though one finds 'pockets' of smoldering trash which is not so pleasant - a frequent occurance throughout Panama it seems. And the reason we are not at the coastline at this time of the year..... the comfortable 70 degree temps. Like Boquete, this is a popular place for hiking.....we did over extend ourselves a bit on a 3 hr strenuous and challenging walk one day with our legs feeling like jelly at the end, but we enjoyed ourselves and slept well.
Another shorter and kinder walk for our legs boasted of it's unique square trees along with their square growth rings. - We read that saplings from these trees were being grown in FL to see if they retain their squareness in a different environment, however, it is believed that the shape is probably due to some unknown but purely local condition.

Other attractions include horseback riding and warm thermal pools with the added attraction of indulging in a mud bath with supposed curitive properties all located in a remote forested area.....we restrained ourselves and just did a facial!


El Valley de Anton is pristine, quiet, and lacks a town center, however there is no evidence of trash, shacks (or worse) dwellings for the poor, for this is not an area where the indigenous people live. What does strike one as being unusual here is the number of bicyles due to the extensive flatness of the crater. However the cyclists could benefit from a couple of safety tips, such as, don't ride down the center of the roads at night without a flashlight or any kind of reflector on your bike, and the preferred dark clothing only makes you blend into the inky blackness of the night.

At times clouds DO tend to roll on down the mountain sides, almost reaching the town, feels a bit like being wrapped up in cotton wool, then the warm breeze becomes a little cooler and chases us indoors for a while. Several times today we heard a vehicle drive by with a loud booming megaphone making what we thought was some important announcement..... such as to the impending eruption of the volcano maybe? ... only later to learn it was a truck full of watermelons that someone was trying to sell!..... that's the problem of having an over active imagination.



There is an extensive choice of places to eat, from a road side stand that prepares the most delicious chicken or beef tacos $1.50 to a fancy Irish pub, that looks more like a country estate with it's stone walls, and upscale landscaping, where one can purchase fish/chips or sheperds pie for less than $10 and a beers $1.

Tomorrow (28th) we exchange our peace and quiet for Panama City.... better get the ear plugs out.

Boquete, Panama

And so, all good things must come to an end .... we said farewell to our jungle house and climbed into a taxi at 7 am to drive down the 7 km teeth rattling road for the last time in order to catch the 90 min water taxi to Golfito. Here we boarded a 2 hour "chicken bus" ride to Panama's border, thankful to have secured a seat. We prepared ourselves for the forewarned, complicated process of crossing into Panama, however it turned out to be a fairly simple, if somewhat disorganized, process because before we knew it, we were bundled into a taxi (deciding it was well worth the extra cash NOT to take another local bus which would have been a 4 hr, no a/c trip to our next destination). We received one last scrutinized head to toe check from a couple of armed police who obviously lacked any form of humor as my rather timid smile was received with a piercing frown.

Oh what luxury.... we were gliding along smooth well marked roads where 2 hr later we arrived in the mountain town of Boquete, elevation about 3000 ft, with it's cool fresh climate and lush pristine natural setting and our 'home' for 6 nights. Boquete is known as 'The valley of eternal spring' and is a well known destination for outdoor lovers with plenty of hiking trails and surrounding breathtaking vistas of mist covered hills, nearby forests, and many coffee plantations, farms and gardens. There are jacaranda trees, bougainvillaea and azaela blooming everywhere in fact the ground is so fertile here I would bet that if one stuck a stick in the ground, it would start sprouting leaves in no time! The climate is perfect, no air conditioning OR heating required year round! That's not to say there is not a rainy season or that it doesn't get cool at times, but folk just throw on a sweater or blanket at night.



There is a large community of expriates from the US and Canada now living here, some are involved with the much needed voluntary work (teaching, dental and medical services) for the indigenous folks that are very prevalent in this town, they have so very little, and one can see their poverty everywhere. Generally they seemed to prefer to keep to themselves, and would rarely make eye contact. We were fortunate enough to visit and spend a little time with several Americans who relocated to this beautiful area, and patiently answered many of our questions, they don't seem to miss living in the US at all.

Observations:

- An over population of wandering, seeminly homeless dogs, malnourished and skittish. We were actually told to pretend to pick up a rock, then the dog would flee.... this is how these poor animals are treated.

- Garbage needs to be placed in elevated wire baskets outside residences in order to keep it out of reach of these dogs.

- And, like everywhere we have been, the smell of burning of trash is always in the air!

- Fine dining, $12.... Beer $1 unless bought at a groc store then it's 50cents!

- Aggressive drivers, cars/ taxies/ buses, all oblivious they have indicators but love their horns.

- Excellent roads.

- Electricity erratic, one day we were without electricity for 7 hours, not sure what would happen had this been Christmas Day and all those turkeys cooking.

- Locals holding out a parrot, for sale along the main roads.... I wanted to buy them all and then set them free again.




Two coffee pickers that agreed to a photo, but would not smile.

Bamboo House

One would NOT believe the roads we drove on in order to reach our 'Jungle Home' which is well and truly "off the grid" During the 7 hour journey we drove over mountains that look as though the road would only support a bike, across wooden bridges barely wide enough to accomodate our 4 tires, even through a few low rivers. At one part of the journey we opted for a short cut that took us through a small town to an unmarked river crossing. To get across, the car had to be backed down a steep incline onto a "single car" rusty ferry propelled by a wooden boat lashed to the side of it..... quite the adventure.


Our "Jungle Experience" is not so scary after all. No mosquitoes :) and the monkeys keep their distance, but oh how they have entertained us as we watch them travel through the canopy of the trees in large groups with the young un's hanging on. It's keeping the racoonls at bay that is the challenge, all our food is either in a mini fridge, the oven or locked in a mesh screened cupboard. Yes, we have a few hard backed beatles, spiders, lizards, bats, birds that actually fly through the 'A' framed roofing, but we are doing GREAT!
We need to be vigilant with the clearing up after food prep due to the industrious ants. Katie and I took the 30 stepping stone walk to the open air bathroom one night only to see 2 pairs of eyes shinning in our flashlights .... we had disturbed two racoons playing in the toilet water! I am actually very impressed with the bathroom area, simple wood/ stone trough for a sink, and a bamboo covered pipe shower with folage for walls.

There is a beautiful butterfly garden at one side of 'the house' and they frequently drift through our living quarters, and the smallest birds rest among the bamboo beams singing their hearts out... it is truly like living in a garden. We are lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean and the howler monkeys calling out to each other.



The house with 'no walls' actually is really neat, a simple construction, a bit like a ' Swiss Family Robinson' tree house only it has raised deck levels from the ground, not up in the tree tops, and the four of us are enjoying it immensely. Our days are simple, even though the jungle comes to life at the earliest sign of daylight, we just take in all the strange sounds and scents... these monkeys can really make a racket. We don't get going till we have had our coffee, which takes us to about 9 am, and by 'getting going' I mean, we meander down to the beach, a 3 min walk away, and 'wallow' in the tidal pools - watching the brilliantly colored macaws - for a couple of hours. Then it's breakfast/lunch around noon, followed with reading and sleeping till 4 pm ...none of us have a desire to move any faster than a sloth! We can't, it's too hot. Then somehow it's evening time, fix dinner, play cards, sleep, and start the whole hectic process all over again the next day!

All four of us can say we have this relaxation thing down to a science!!


We did change up the routine one day by taking a remote walk to reach a waterfall which we had been told was a great place for a swim. So using the cobble stone river as our guide we carefully picked our way through the water which was anywhere from ankle to chest deep! (had we not been assured that this indeed was the right way we may well have turned back as there were no directions - just word of mouth). Shaded by the lush canopy filled with monkeys we trekked onward until we reached the cascading waterfall with it's deep refreshing cold pool. Here we lounged at the base of the falls thankful that we were able to steal a brief reprieve from the tropical heat. The 45 minuite walk back along the riverbed afforded us an opportunity to encourage a couple with directons to the falls, feeling we were now seasoned explorers!

March 5th Costa Rica

Today we left our quiet cocoon haven, the bio thermal springs, which we had enjoyed for the past week, and drove " the never-ending nightmare" of a road (5 hours to cover 40 kilometers in first and second gear all the way!) interspersed with sheer drop offs and at times the road partially washed out. We eventually reached the town of Monteverde, snug in the misty greenbelt of two cloud- forest reserves( elevation 4000 ft)... a good massage would be greatly appreaciated right now. However the views were quite magnificent, and we joked about how the tourist folk were missing out on NOT charging us for this 'adventure ride) Rain gear, smartwool, and mud boots are definitely in order here. This is also our first hostel experience ( have to say I miss my own private bathroom, and the bed could be compared to a park bench... BUT, there IS a sloth sleeping in the tree right outside our bedroom window.

Costa Rica

On Feb 27th we picked up our rental car and drove 3 hours north of San Jose to the mountains where we have been staying near a rain forest in a delightful, off the beaten track, quiet and peaceful hot springs "resort" consisting of our casita and one other .... total occupancy of tourists, four on 35 acres! Generally this location is used by the locals at the weekends for picnic gatherings and dipping in the various pools, we were told 200 plus came last Sunday(family day) Having enjoyed having the place to ourselves all week we are planning on a day trip out this Sunday! The air is clear with cool refreshing breezes that carries a delicious citrus scent, which wafts from time to time, from a cirtus factory several miles away(almost like marmalade in the making.. it's just lovely). This is THE place to calm one's soul. We are spending hours lounging in the warm spring pools day and night (though I prefer the day time) swinging on the porch watching the sun rise/set, while being entertained by the varying sounds of the rain forrest (which can almost be deafening at times).

We are starting to distinguish which bird/monkey/frog is serenading us since we took a couple guided tours.....one at the nearby Hanging Bridges in Arenal. Oh my ..... what a truly wonderful experience this was. Our 3 hour guided walk (once again just the two of us, high season is Dec) was truly awesome, we crisscrossed the jungle by a series of suspension bridges (17 total and varying in length 16-330 feet) at various levels above and through the colorful rain forest....ground level to canopy. We had good views of the Arenal Volcano, from the rainforest, and waterfalls within. We were amazed at the industrious Leaf Cutter Ants (see photo of how nothing is left of a huge palm leaf). We observed a ' palm eyelash pitviper' (one of the many poisionous snakes) quietly digesting his lizard meal, trantulas hiding in their holes, Spider and Howler monkeys swinging high in the canopy. Saw and smelt the Peccary (wild boar) trust me, they truly do stink. Our guide had with her a very powerful spotting scope and we were able to see up close, and capture a couple of photos, of a Rufous tailed Hummingbird, a coloful Motmot. Surprisingly the national bird is not the elusive, brilliantly colored Toucan, but rather the clay colour robin, reason being, this cleaver bird can imitate 22 other birds and preditors. The Toucan, we finally figured out, is seen very briefly in the early am and at dusk. I was rewarded for my patience today after waiting an hour and a half, to capture my first and only decent photo of this elusive bird... it was worth it.


Our week here has slipped by quickly and have no plans as to where we will be spending the next 4 days, but that's all part of the adventure. We will meet Donovan and Katie at the San Jose airport on Fri evening, then the following day take off on a 10 hour drive south for our week in our thatch roof only, open air jungle house... we may encounter our first mosquitoes!