From Panama City to Boquete!

On our last day in Panama City Keith and I went for a walk and came across this huge tree. It grows vines that attach to the ground creating this unique affect. The vines are very tough and one can only imagine how difficult it would be to go through a jungle with these trees.


This an outside view of our condo in Panama City. We would have liked to have had a balcony, but the location on the Panama Canal was great!


We drove for 7 hours to get to our next destination, Boquete, in the mountains about an hour from the Costa Rican border. Along the way we stopped at a local "Pio Pio" fast food place to have lunch. We had to really scramble to get what we wanted, because no one spoke English. Peter actually did a pretty good job getting my order. I wanted only white-meat and my chicken grilled (I hate oily fried stuff!). When we were done ordering, we looked at each other and said," Now lets see what we end up REALLY getting"!


We are smiling because we DID actually get what Peter asked for in Spanish! It was a fun adventure! And 3 combo plates of chicken etc for just $9 total.

Keith finally had to remove the embedded sliver that plagued him for the past 5 weeks. (That's what climbing coconut trees with your son will do for you!) He did the surgery himself with the emergency kit he brought. He anesthetized his own hand, cut it open, and dug out the very large (deep) sliver of wood. Peter and I were impressed and of course assisted him all the way (NOT)! I honestly don't think I would have had the guts to do that on myself (as Keith's nurses will attest: I hate blood!)

Here you can see how large the piece of wood was! (The maid won't be very happy when she sees the towel in the morning...)




In Boquete some of the Panamanian (and Columbian, Ecuadorean and Peruvian) Indians were gathering for the annual Provincial Fair ("Feria"). Their dresses were very colorful. The President of Panama was coming to the fair that evening to officially open the festivities.


This is our apartment in the "Boquete Garden Inn". The area is very lovely with pine trees and lush green vegetation. It is a lot colder here (altitude 3700 feet) and it rains more than anywhere else. The Pacific Ocean is an hour away and I miss it, but I am willing to give it up for a while so as to be able to experience all of Panama! Boquete was hit by terrible flooding in November which washed out one of four bridges and totally destroyed a new hotel. But the town is bouncing back.

Well, our first full day in Boquete, Keith and Peter decided to hike the volcano. What a hike! They climbed Volcan Baru which is 10,900 feet high, the highest point in Panama. They hiked 13.5 km up and 13.5 km back in 8 hours. After ascending 5000 feet to the top of the dormant volcano they could see the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Ocean on the other side!


They got up at 4:30 AM and I cooked them breakfast and sent them on their way. The hike was extremely difficult, too difficult for someone with a hip replacement (me). A guide (Mario) took them up to the top. This photo is early morning from about a third up the mountain. They started out in the dark using headlamps.

Here Keith and Peter are smiling because the made it to the top!


This is a view of Caribbean Ocean. This is the only point in the whole Western Hemisphere where one can see both the Pacific and the Caribbean oceans!

On the way down the mountain the guys came across a Coatamundi. They watched him for a long time and said that he was really interesting, but smelled REALLY bad! After just completing the first 5 hours of their hike, I have to wonder who smelled worse...hmmm..
Well Keith and Peter came home safe and sound and I cooked a fantastic Curried Chicken and salad and papaya (Yum!) for dinner. All of this followed by a plate of pastries obtained today from 3 different bakeries in town. You know where my weakness is! Needless to say the guys are all now snoring, crashed out on their beds. The guide said that they will be "feeling it" for several days! (Now, how do I get to sleep with all of this noise?)
Kathy