Day 96-98 Boquete

We started our long commute from Bocas to Boquete early in the morning. After a boat trip, a taxi and a few buses we made it into the hills of Panama. Boquete is one of those adventure towns where you can do as little or as much as you like. We chose to do as much as possible.

The afternoon we arrived we went for a wander to one of the beautiful gardens nearby which is where we met Edward, our soon to be tour guide for the next day. The Garden was a quirky little place with beautifully manicured trees, shrubs, flower beds and archways covered in vines all perfectly surrounding water features, small creeks with bridges, fish ponds and then bright coloured statues of giant people, cats, cows and other odd additions. The place was colourful and interesting enough for an afternoon wander. We returned to our hostel via one of the many cafes that boast the best coffee in Panama and sampled the coffee and a little something from the cabinet.

The next day we met Edward, the man from the gardens, ready for a full day of sight-seeing around Boquete.

We started the day with a coffee tour through Sittron coffee plant, the second biggest in Boquete. We wandered through the coffee plantations, following Edward as he explained the process of growing and picking and the labour involved. We then headed into the coffee plant where we walked through all the different stages of manufacturing a coffee bean into what you put in your plunger. We then got to try a few samples and bought some of the lovely ground stuff. It was really interesting and more so when you hear how many places Panama exports its coffee beans to, you never know, your local coffee joint could be selling Panamanian coffee.

After the coffee tour and a morning cuppa we headed to the jungle where we were to start our walk to the waterfall and hopefully spot some of the famous Quetsal Birds. We thought that we were over jungles a little but this was just beautiful. I realised again just how different each jungle was and how beautiful those enormous trees were and I think the fact that we weren't scrambling up a volcano or trying to watch our every step made it that much more enjoyable. We spotted a few of the elusive Quetsal birds which Edward was pretty excited about and added many times that only guides know how to find them. We reached the waterfall but it was way too cold to swim so we just rested on the mossy rocks and took it all in. We headed back down the trail and then caught a ride with Edward's cousin in the back of his ute towards town but not without a stop at one of the famous strawberry farms that have cafes attached that sell everything and anything you can put strawberries in. We opted for the plastic cup of strawberry sorbet which was fresh crushed strawberries put in the freezer, it was perfect.

Edward left us back in town to get some lunch before meeting again in the afternoon for a trip out to the hot springs. We made our way to a restaurant many locals had recommended which was a cafeteria style joint where you lined up and pointed to the many dishes on offer, some mystery and some more recognisable, and then moved along to the next station until you ended up at the counter ready to pay your $3 for a huge plate of VERY tasty food and a drink. This place was a winner and we returned a few times after that day.

In the afternoon we met Edward again, wearing gumboots and carrying a rain jacket. Hmmmm, I think he knows something we don't. We caught a taxi out to the start of the trail to the hot springs and not long into the ride the rain started. We hopped out of the car and the rain was getting heavier and heavier. We had donned our plastic ponchos but this was serious rain. We walked for about 30 minutes in the rain and mud until we arrived completely drenched but ready for the hot springs. We passed one little house where a small girl came out holding a monkey on her hip. While we paid her the couple of dollars for the hot springs I tried not to notice the material bag moving on the ground with what sounded like two piglets squirming inside. Thoughts of Charlottes Web came flooding in so I just kept walking in the direction she pointed. In the middle of a green field, surrounded by rocks were these amazing hot pools. They were the hottest I have ever been in and it was actually quite refreshing and beautiful to be sitting in there with the rain coming down. After turning into a prune we finally pulled our bodies out and put our wet clothes back on ready for the walk back. The whole day was great and Edward was a lovely guide with a true passion for his country and Boquete.

The next day we were up for some more adventure so we decided to go White water rafting down the Chiriqui river. This became even more special when we realised that the enormous hydroelectric dam being built not far away was going to render this river a calm and useless river for rafting. There were 8 of us in total and we grouped off into 2 boats of 4 and our guide. Freddie was our guide who was a skinny guy with a great smile and nervous look every now and then as we approached heavier rapids. Due to all the rain in the previous few days the river was high and fast and the guides expected a fast trip back down. After a few instructions and some worried looks by the Americans in our boat we kitted up and headed out. The river was cold but soon forgotten as we headed into the washing wachine of rapids ahead. It was so much fun and we were cheering and hooting the whole way down. We pulled over onto a bank half way for some great sandwiches and iced tea. Then back into the boat for some more rapids. Freddie told us that he had flipped his last 2 boats at this same point coming up down the river and that was what the other guide was egging him on about. We all nervously called him 'Freddie the Flip' until we safely passed that point. No swimming for us, except Brendan who was pushed in and then quickly yanked back up into the boat by a cheeky Freddie. The white water rafting was really cool and the scenery was beautiful too.

The other thing worth mentioning about Boquete was the hostel we stayed at. At 7pm each night the girl who worked there left and we were on our own, no one else there, just us and 2 hilarious big dogs that looked alot like boxers. On two of the nights we had people buzz the front gate to come in as they needed a room. The first night we didn't let anyone in as they didn't have a reservation, like we could check anything anyway, but on the second night 2 young Danish girls came to the door at night and had a reservation. We had no idea if we were to let them in or what room they were in so we just let them in and gave them the choice of all the open rooms there were. We all kinda laughed at the situation and even more so when we woke up each morning and the dogs, particularly the goofy young one, had got out of its leash and gotten into every bin possible, spreading the contents around the whole hostel. One morning we walked out of our room to find the dog lying on its back, legs in the air, on top of a cushionless couch with all the cushions on the floor gutted of their stuffing which again lay spread throughout the hostel. There was no hiding who had done this as the sleeping boxer had white foam and stuffing still in his mouth. These dogs were hilarious and served as entertainment each morning as we heard the hostel worker arrive to the next surprise and curse them back to their beds.

Boquete was alot of fun and gave us a rejuvenating love of jungles and a taste of some great coffee and adventure.