Flying through the Panama mountainside

Yes, I am afraid of heights. Not deathly afraid, just moderately so. So the thought of flying through the tree tops in Panama excited me, accompanied by just a touch of nerves.
We met our guides in a shopping center on Boquete’s main street at 7:45 a.m. and they loaded us up in an old truck whose bed had been converted into a canopy-covered people mover. It looked comfortable enough with its cushioned bench seats, and it was while we were on the town’s paved roads. However, once we turned onto the rock-filled trail that led up the mountainside, I knew either a massage therapist or a chiropractor would be needed to help reset my neck and back again. In fact, I think my kidneys might still be on that Panama road.
At the top of the three-mile rock road stands the Boquete Tree Trek headquarters where someday guests will be able to stay in cute cottages. Our guides strapped us into our gear, gave a quick safety demonstration, and we were all loaded back into the truck.
This time the road literally went straight up leaving us to hold on to every available bar. I still don’t know how we made it to the top without flipping over.
We made our way down on foot to the first tree stand with 13-year-old Julio Jr. eager to go first. None of us adults put up a fight.
As Julio flew across to the second tree stand, we all just watched in horror and amazement secretly wondering if we were insane. When my turn arrived, I knew I was shaky but I put on a brave face. The first cable went past in a blur as I kept my eyes focused on the second tree stand just hoping that the cable held.

There were 13 cables in all, the longest being 400-plus km long. By that time I was used to flying through the trees, and wanting that long one to last, I tried to slow myself down halfway through to have a look around. Volcan Baru was in the distance and it was gorgeous.
We made it back down to the main cabin, stripped off our gear, and enjoyed a margarita from the bar. Since it is difficult to be Tarzan and snap photos at the same time, Boquete Tree Trek sends a photographer on each tour and you can buy a CD of the photos for $10. Pretty good for memories that will last forever!

I wish we had had more time

After our adventurous white-water rafting excursion, I was more than ready to take off my wet clothes and get cozy in a warm bed.
We had made arrangements to stay at Villa Marita that night, a family-owned and operated lodge set atop a Boquete hilltop a couple of miles from downtown. I knew from its website that the grounds were beautiful, but unfortunately we didn’t get to appreciate them much upon check-in since the afternoon rains had set in.
Ana, the daughter, showed us to our room, which turned out to be her family’s original home, whose first floor was converted into an apartment. We had a huge bedroom and bath, a sitting area, and a covered porch for $66.
The only concern was that the house was all wood, meaning greater potential for creepy, crawly critters. I was almost too tired to care about what bedmates I might have that night, although the memory of Reggie was still fresh.
After a day spent battling the Chiriqui River, we were starved, so we drove back into town and ate at Pizzeria La Volcánica. We chowed down on an extra large pizza with mushrooms and a side order of patacones for $13.75. The price was right, the pizza was edible, and the patacones were delicious.
For dessert, we strolled over to Choko Chettas, whose sign kept catching our eye each time we drove up and down main street. Its modern décor and feel made me feel like I had just stepped into a Miami restaurant. We ordered two skewers of strawberries and brownies covered in milk chocolate, which cost us $6.00.
The girls kindly wrapped them so we could take them back to Villa Marita.
We awoke early the next morning to guess what? No creepy crawlies! Yay! We dressed and packed because we had to meet at 7:45 a.m. downtown for our next adventure – gliding through the tree tops on a canopy tour!
But before we left we headed down to the registration building to have some free coffee and hot chocolate, check email, and savor the surrounding sights. The morning sun highlighted the lodge’s beautiful gardens, which were in full bloom and we tried to capture a photo of two doves that came to rest on the porch awning, but t that exact second our camera wouldn’t corporate.
Villa Marita offers a buffet breakfast for a small fee, but we weren’t able to take advantage of it since we had a schedule to keep.
As Wes went off to start the car, I snapped a few last photos of the property’s caged toucans when Ana’s father introduced himself to me and explained that one particular toucan usually rests on his shoulder as he walks the grounds. He also has many greenhouses on the property, that Ana said he would certainly give us a tour of, but we just didn’t have the time.
That is one place I would go back to if to do nothing more than to sit on the big porch and take in the mountainous panorama.

Alcohol: the Panama cure-all

The one thing my husband wanted to do on our Panama trip was white-water raft. And while I certainly wasn’t against it (I mean I do want to white-water raft), I wasn’t totally ecstatic about it either.
I’m not a huge water person. I do know how to swim, but the prospect of rough water and the potential of going overboard made me nervous. But I wasn’t going to chicken out!
So the Chiriqui River Rafting guys picked us up at our hostel at 7 a.m. for our hour-long trek across Panama to get to our starting point. Along the way, we picked up some others – a couple from Dallas, another couple from Chicago, and a family from Kissimmee. All of us were first-timers except the couple from Dallas who has rafted all over the world.
With helmets and lifejackets on, we made our way down to the river’s edge and hopped into our boats – the Kissimmee family in one; the rest of us in the other.
The river’s water was chilly but after the hike down the rocky road to get to it, it felt refreshing. I had read in the brochure that this particular part of the river had a lot of good rapid action, which did nothing to calm my nerves.
Plus, Dave from Dallas left me on the shore with these words: If you fall out, don’t put your feet down. If your foot gets caught in a rock, you are sure as dead.

Whaaatttt???!!!
So off we went, with our little paddles, listening as our guide yelled instructions and told us what class of rapids were coming up. We were told this would be rapids 2 and 3, but every once in a while our guide would yell, “OK guys, rapids 4 coming up!” And I wanted to yell back, “Rapids 4? I didn’t sign up for rapids 4!”
I’m pretty sure it was in the midst of a rapids 4 section that we lost it. All I remember is hitting a solid wall of water and the raft going straight up and tipping over, leaving all of us in the current.

I, the water lover, ended up completely submerged. I flailed my arms for a couple of seconds before realizing I wasn’t doing any good. I just had to relax and let the water do its thing. I knew it had to spit me out sooner or later.
Thankfully I felt no rocks.
When I finally did surface, I saw Wes a few feet from me hanging on to our overturned boat. I, however, couldn’t breathe which made me panic as Wes told me to reach for him.
Now as I held on to Wes and finally was able to cough, our guide stood on top of the raft and told us to let go so he could turn it right side up.
I was finally starting to calm down, when the guide in the kayak yelled for us to hurry up and get into the boat as the next set of rapids were quickly approaching. So, what do I do? I turn around and see the impending rapids. Again, panic!
Our guide threw a rope to us and we heaved ourselves back into raft. Unfortunately we had no paddles and only a portion of our group. The Chicago couple ended up being rescued by the Kissimmee family and were regrouping on the other shore.
Soon after that excitement, it was time to stop for lunch. The guides put out a pretty nice spread of lunchmeats, chips, cookies and juice. Food, however, was the last thing on my agenda. First, was coming up with a plan so I didn’t have to get back in the raft and do the second leg of the trip. That was not an option.
After about a half hour or so, we hopped back into the raft and made our way down the river. This time the rapids were much calmer, but the water felt freezing now and my teeth kept chattering. We hit a few shallow spots where we got stuck on the rocks, and those of us who still had shoes (me not being one of them as my underwater struggle left me one shoe down) had to hop out and push. Otherwise, the second half was uneventful, which I was grateful for.
The experience ended at a cow pasture where we had to keep our eyes peeled for steaming piles as we made our way back to the van. The kayak guide was kind enough to give me his flip-flop to get me back up the ant-infested dirt road that also took us through a small, muddy pond. We tried not to think what might be living in it as we sunk in up to our knees.
Capping off the trip, was a flat tire that we got along the highway on our way back to Boquete. Thankfully, the Kissimmee family, who we had already dropped off, saw us and came back with beer. Yet another day in Panama ending with much-needed alcohol.

Where the Ex-Pats reside

We attempted to go for a hike after leaving the Boquete Garden Inn, but either the directions we were given were not accurate or we just don’t know how to locate a trail. Either way, the weather was beautiful for the short walking we did do.
Bowing to our lazy genes, we hopped in the car, rolled down the windows, and drove up and around the surrounding mountains instead. What amazing views! You could see the whole valley from up there.
We wound our way back into town and stopped for lunch at a place on main street. Yet again, the menu was huge, but we were getting used to the routine of ordering what we really wanted only to be told no and having to settle for our third or fourth choice off the menu.
I ended up with a fried chicken platter that came with one piece of chicken, rice and black beans, vegetables, and sliced bananas. Wes got his usual, a club sandwich and a beer. Funny thing was, the entire meal only cost us $7!

We stopped next door at the Chiriqui River Rafting office and made arrangements to go rafting the next day. Then we were off to check out Valle Escondido, a housing development that we had seen on HGTV’s “House Hunters International.” Believe it or not, the sales guy turned out to be the same person from the show. In it, he and his wife were looking for a condo in Boquete’s Valle Escondido. Can we say marketing ploy?

No doubt, the community was gorgeous. The salesman took us on a tour of two attached condos, which started in the high $200s for a two bedroom. The floor plans were similar to what you’d find in the States with lots of tile and outdoor porches overlooking the golf course. In fact, Wes and I felt like we were in a typical Florida community except for the barbed wire that lined the surrounding fences.

Something to note: Barbed wire is everywhere in Panama, which was a bit disconcerting to me.
Valle Escondido has a wonderful clubhouse with an indoor pool, fitness center, and spa. There was even this cool outdoor amphitheater and some little shops, plus a hotel. The surrounding single-family homes and estates were beautiful.
We stayed for a bit to see how the other half lives until the afternoon rains came and then we left for our $22 a night hostel.

Finally, beauty and peace found!

You know how sometimes you can physically feel the stress leave your shoulders? That’s how it was just looking at the Boquete Garden Inn.
What an adorable place! Flowers were blossoming everywhere, a winding stone path stretched out before us, and beautiful, two-story cottages dotted the landscape. If there would have been a for sale sign, I would have quickly signed on the dotted line.

And then, from the three gentlemen in the registration office, we heard the words we so longed for: Yes, we have a room available for the night.
Yay! Of course, these cute octagonal-shaped cottages and perfect garden setting didn’t come cheap, but after a long drive from Santiago and a crazy but quick run through David, spending a few extra bucks didn’t even register on our how-much radar.

We eagerly forked over the $80 for our night’s stay ($88 if you have to pay with plastic) and were escorted to our cottage, a second floor unit called Margarita. How appropriate since we had sucked down more than a few of these during our travels already.
Like the rest of the place, the room itself was cute with a king-size bed, a small breakfast nook, a cozy kitchen, and a separate bath. We said a few ohhs and ahhs, threw our bags down, and headed down to the bar for our complementary glass of wine or beer that was only available for another 20 minutes or so.

Located down by the river, the bar is a fantastic place to rest and listen to the gently rushing water. Plus, we met some great people from Canada who, like us, were considering relocating to Boquete. We spent a while drinking and chatting before they headed off to town for a late dinner and we headed back to our room to collapse.
The great thing about Boquete Garden Inn is the fact that you can sleep with the windows open because there’s an awesome, cool breeze (we are in the mountains) and you can sleep to the sound of the river. The best!

We awoke the next morning well rested and ready to explore this town that has Americas raving. But first we headed back down to the bar for our complementary breakfast, which consisted of yogurt and granola, homemade bread with nuts and raisins, fresh fruit, a few different cold cereals, and coffee and juice.
Reluctantly, we headed back to our room to pack up and leave this amazing place, but not before realizing that a crawly critter wanted to accompany us. The picture doesn’t do justice to just how large he was since I was only going to get so close and the zoom on our camera only goes so far! We named him Reggie.

Apparently Reggie liked Wes’ backpack and found refuge underneath of it until we so rudely took it away. Reggie didn’t move though, which made me question his life status. But, not willing to take any chances, I found a pot in the kitchen and placed that over Reggie. Hopefully the cleaning crew didn’t scream too loudly.

Escaping to the quiet of Boquete

With the craziness of David behind us, yet still fresh in our minds, we were all too happy to see the mountains of Boquete looming before us. Having heard and read so many good reviews of Boquete, we were excited to finally be on our way to our final destination—a place that could potentially be our future home.
There were many signs along the two-lane roadway advertising the many new developments that are continuously popping up in this growing town, as well as places to stay and places to eat.
It was pretty countryside with lots of open land interspersed by small clusters of homes. It only took us a couple of minutes to drive the entire length of Boquete’s main street, which is lined with restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and a number of real estate offices. Pretty much your typical small town main street, except for the hoards of Panamanians waiting at the bus stop at the town’s center, a sight we had become accustomed to.
Since we were starving, we quickly took it all in, made a u-turn, and headed back to the Mexican restaurant we saw at the beginning of town. The food was excellent and the price was fair, but the service was slow to non-existent. I felt like we could have slipped out the door without paying and no one would have been the wiser. We didn’t, of course.
Now our mission was to find a place to stay. Wes was enamored by the Boquete Garden Inn signs that we passed on the way into town, so we decided to try to find it.
Although Boquete isn’t big, just a few streets north and south of the main drag and a couple of streets heading up into the mountains, it took us a bit to locate the Inn. Unfortunately our navigation system was no help. But when we did finally find it, we knew we wanted to stay and could only hope a room was available for the night.

No Bucket List for me ... at least not yet

I’m going to stray from my Panama stories for today to share a milestone in my life that happened yesterday—my 35th birthday.
Among other things, this blog is about my life’s journeys and adventures, and turning 35 got me thinking about what I’ve accomplished and, more importantly, what I hope to accomplish.
I know some people actually make lists of what they want to do by the time they are 40 or 50 or whatever. Hence the famous “Bucket List.” But I’m not really a list kind of person.
My lists are more about what I need to accomplish on a daily basis like don’t forget to pay the credit card bill, or do I have something to take for lunch today, or stop by the grocery store and get hamburger rolls so we can actually eat the Manwich I had planned for tonight. I suppose I’m not one to look too far ahead.
At one point in my life I thought, maybe I want to write a novel by the time I’m 40. But I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that a book does not live in me. Or at least a character that I like hasn’t presented himself or herself yet.
Like anybody else I have things that I’d like to do pop into my head, like see the Grand Canyon in person, or have a permanently flat stomach, or sit in the front row of a Bon Jovi concert. But these certainly aren’t things I have to do before I kick the bucket.
So 35 came and went yesterday and my husband did an amazing job of surprising me with a wonderful mini-staycation, and my life list still consists of mundane things like can I stretch my half-tank of gas till the weekend?
What about you? Do you have a life list?

Move over Panama City, get a load of crazy and crowded David

We thought we wanted to spend a night in David (pronounced Da-veed), the third largest city in Panama, just 30 minutes from our final destination of Boquete. I had even gone so far as to email Hotel Alcala, a hotel located near the town square, about room reservations for Monday night.
Little did we know that David was Little China on Panamanian steriods.
The outskirts of the city looked relatively harmless with large department stores, some nice homes, and even a fairly large baseball field. As we got closer to the action, however, the city streets turned into pure mayhem.
Maybe it's because we arrived around early afternoon and that's when this agricultural town is hopping, but it was absolute craziness!
We drove in off a side street hoping to get closer to the town square, but the traffic was bumper to bumper and people on foot were everywhere. There are few, if any, traffic lights in town so we had to contend with stop signs and long streams of traffic. Basically, it was every person for themself as you desperately tried to snake through the traffic.
Believe it or not, I almost thought it was worse than Panama City.
We never did locate Hotel Alcala and I finally just said let's head on to Boquete. My husband needed no convincing and, without running anyone over or slamming into anyone's bumper, we escaped the madness and fled to the peacefulness of the hills.

Searching for rest in Santiago

We arrived in Santiago, our halfway point in our drive across Panama, while there was still thankfully some light left in the evening sky. This was the part in the trip where I wanted to fly by the seat of our pants, which basically translates into no hotel reservations.
There isn’t much in Santiago, but I knew from our guidebook that there were a couple of hotels. And, even better, there was civilization, meaning there was a McDonald’s and a KFC.
Turns out, one of the hotels, Hotel Plaza Gran David, was no longer in business with huge weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalks; and the second hotel looked fairly unsavory. By now, night was coming on fast so we had to make a decision if we wanted a decent night’s rest.
We drove on a bit further through town (granted the main strip through town isn’t too long) in the hope that we wouldn’t have to resort to sleeping in the car. And then our mecca appeared: Hotel La Hacienda.
It was a huge stucco building in bright colors of orange, yellow, and red at the north side of town. It looked inviting enough, with wagon wheel accents and cute horse posts in the parking lot. Its prices were a little on the high side starting at $57 for a double bed. Knowing we’d never be comfortable in a double, and the queen didn’t look much larger, we opted for the king-size bed for $71.
On the way to our room, we snuck a peek at the pool, which has an adjacent children’s playground. We then dropped our bags on the Mexican blanketed bed and headed down to the restaurant to enjoy a glass of sangria.

The beauty of El Valle

There are simply no words that will adequately describe the beauty of El Valle. It was breathtaking and the climate was perfect.
Here are some photos from our short few hours we spent there.

Incredible views!

This is Los Capitanes, a gorgeous resort just off the main road, where we had lunch outdoors surrounded by beautiful gardens. It was a little overcast and we could hear thunder in the distance, but El Valle stayed dry and we stayed cool.

A great market that I did read about in my Lonely Planet guidebook is open every day in El Valle's town center. There's everything here from fresh fruits and veggies to sculptures of the elusive golden frog and Panama hats!

We followed the main road just a bit further north to the famed El Macho waterfall. There are plenty of signs leading the way.

It costs $3.50 per person to see the waterfall and Oscar here was our guide. We even got our own walking sticks. Not for keeps, though.

At one point we had to cross a little waterway. It was touch and go, but I made it!

There are a few of these rope bridges that need crossing before you get to El Macho. As you can see, these are in much better shape than the one in "Romancing the Stone."