Exploring the mountains of Panama...

We are now in Boquete, located in the far west reaches of the Chiriqui Province of Panama. Nestled among the lush mountains bordering Costa Rica, including Volcan Baru (the tallest mountain in Panama), Boquete seems to us to be much like Aspen, Colorado before all the riches arrived.

Arriving here was no small feat; it took a boat, plane, taxi, bus and some walking to get us to this destination, but our days here have proved well worth the journey. The people can probably be best described by their "open door policy." Residents of this tiny mountain town leave their doors open all day and late into the night, allowing passers by to view their homes and share in their lives -- certainly a foreign concept to us city dwellers.

We rented scooters to ride along the "Bajo Mono," a winding mountain path that passes along cascading waterfalls, running rivers, green fields and coffee plantations. We initially rented bicycles, but had to exchange them for the scooters after we discovered that with the steep inclines, strong winds and our lack of physical fitness, it would take us at least two days, rather than two hours, to complete that Bajo Mono.

We did manage to get more than enough exercise hiking the Los Quetzales Trail. No amount of time on the Stairmaster could have prepared us for this challenging day-hike through the cloud forest surrounding the Volcan Baru, an inactive volcano that is the highest point in Panama. Although the hike got off to a rough start for me (in the rain, I slipped on a log, fell flat on my face and almost slid into the rapids of the Caldera river), the view from the top was spectacular and we even managed to get a glimpse of the famous Quetzal bird. However, because neither Darren nor I are avid bird watchers, our guide could have told us that any bird was the Quetzal and we would have believed him.

The economy of Boquete is mainly based on agriculture, specifically coffee. With this in mind, we toured a local coffee plantation, called Café Ruiz, followed by a "cuppeng," or a coffee tasting. Not only did we learn about the complicated process of bringing coffee from the fields to the local coffee shop, we discovered that we know nothing about quality coffee. During the cuppeng, I selected the coffee which I believed to have the best smell, and Darren selected the one he believed to have the best taste, both of which were immediately designated by the owner of the coffee plantation to be of such poor quality that he would not even continue to taste them throughout the cuppeng process, much less sell them. We also discovered that the Panamanians possess a great deal of pride in their coffee crops, and that Panamanian coffee ranks among the best in the world. We decided that when we return from our honeymoon, we will help out our new Panamanian friends by always requesting a coffee blend from Panama whenever we visit the local Starbucks.

After trekking around Boquete, it was time to leave for our next country, but not before stopping in the capital of Panama City. Our base for exploration was the wonderful Bristol Hotel. It exuded a sense of sophistication and elegance. Upon entering our room, our private butler arrived with a fresh fruit drink! We enjoyed the hotel so much, we found it difficult to leave.

Our final thoughts on Panama… it seems to be largely undiscovered by mass tourism, save for an occasional passage through the Panama Canal on the deck of a cruise ship. There is no doubt in our minds that tourism is about to explode in this little Central American gem, and currently visitors have a unique opportunity to explore pristine rainforests, wild mountain ranges and remote islands without rubbing shoulders with hordes of tourists at every turn. We have enjoyed our stay here but, alas, it's time to head to our next destination….

<< Back

© MoonRings, Inc. 2001 | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use