If I Had A Million Dollars...

I have seen almost every part of Panama at this point of my trip but what could you really expect in a country the size of South Carolina. I can tell you probably every place you would want to visit from Ancon to Veraguas and yet I am constantly surprised by the small niches and towns of Panama we constantly discover when we honestly are not looking. Maps in Panama are practically non-existent and the ones that you can find look as though it was a 5th grade art project (my parents can vouch for this). The maps are difficult to read most likely due to the constantly shifting road systems and absence of roadsigns that remind me more of Pans Labyrinth than a highway so getting around even if you “know where you are going” is nearly impossible. As an appropriate way to prove this point, here is what happened last week.

From November 3rd through the 10th, Panama celebrates 4 major days of independence (November 3rd- Independence from Colombia, November 4th- Flag Day, November 5th- Colon Day, and November 10th- First Call of Independence) and essentially shuts down all schools, businesses, and restaurants for a week of relaxation. What did this mean to me? Basically, I have to find a way out of the city and hopefully stumble upon something different. Luckily I was able to convince a few of my roommates the same idea and we decided to rent a car and head out to an undecided location. We planned like any good college students (hung the map on a wall and threw a dart at it) and decided on visiting a small mountain town near Volcan Beru called Boquete. Now, as my previous travels have dictated, when Lonely Planet describes a village in Panama as “small mountain town” it usually means desolate broken down third world shanty with no water or a place to stay but I am just going to assume this was because its hard to pass “piece of shit” through the editing board. So, throwing caution to the wind, we decided to go for it and make our way out to what we thought was going to be another nightmare (at least it would be a good story to write home about right?). Passing through David (about 6 hours away from Panama City and 2 hours from Boquete) on the Pan American highway does not exactly make you much more confident about what you could be getting yourself into considering it is the 2nd largest city in Panama and looks a lot more like a small rural town in North Dakota. We decided to stay there for the night which was probably one of the best decisions we could have made over the week because it just so happened that the night of our arrival was the city’s annual Festival de Luz (Festival of Light) which, to keep it short, reminded me of the last blog (drinks, cockfights, bulls, etc). All of us slept in probably one of the sketchier hostels we have been in since arriving to the country which is honestly saying a whole lot considering the last hostel our group stayed in was owned by a nearly insane German ex-pat and his collection of dead stuffed animals. After a quick breakfast the next morning, we made our way back to the car and straight into the mountains where we would eventually reach Boquete.

Thirty minutes into the second half of the trip we wanted to turn around. The road up into the mountains closely resembled the surface of Mars (we had a 2WD 4-door Yaris) and the towns in between the Pan-Am and Boquete were hardly towns at all. The trail only looked worse and worse as we proceeded and wanting to continue was becoming less of an option. All of a sudden, the scenery did a complete 180 degree spin. The trail smoothed out to concrete, the shanty towns turned into large community developments, and the backdrops changed from thick desolate jungles to large mountain passes and an occasional gigantic waterfall. I swear to you I thought we entered Narnia (minus the wood-nymphs and Aslan). My guidebook may have put it best when it stated Boquete was “an outdoor lover’s wet dream.” Rock walls, white-water rafting, hiking trails, and hot springs are easier to find in the valley than books are in a public library. The town closely resembles a sort of posh mountain township you might find in Virginia or Tennessee, largely out of place from Panama’s traditional beach cities. Originally, Boquete was very much intent on remaining a small community, but was faced with changes beyond anyone’s control – Baby Boomers started getting old. When Modern Maturity magazine (great read by the way) of the American Association for Retired Persons chose Boquete in 2001 as one of the four top places in the world to retire, a flock of foreign retirees started snatching up mountain plots. Today, the population has only gotten older and richer, and the indigenous people of Boquete seem almost out of place (most Panamanians are not too fond of pricey French bistros). To sum up Boquete in a quick statement, if you are looking for a party town, this place is simply not for you. Although, if you are tired of Panama’s everlasting heat and feel like you might need a chance to relax and recuperate from a tough week, you will definitely want to give this place a second glance.

The area is filled with vibrant gardens, most likely due to the high altitude allowing for more oxygen (GO SCIENCE!!) and constant rain showers. One of the most impressive gardens, named Mi Jardin Es Su Jardin, boasts over 96 different types of orchids and a volunteer staff of nearly 35. The garden is maintained year-round and constantly evokes an Alice In Wonderland vibe (they have flowers growing out of shoes and a really cool hedge maze).  The mountains are astoundingly vibrant, the views are breath-taking from almost anywhere in the city, and the wildlife is some of the coolest you will probably ever see in your life (honestly, how many of you have seen a quetzal?). There is also a huge amount of coffee plantations dotted along the hills providing the area with some of the freshest coffee in the country and nearly 50 percent of the country’s bean exports. I even enjoyed a cup and this is coming from someone who hates coffee. On every corner you will find something new to check out whether it be a small creek, restaurant, bar, or a simple view. The possibilities are quite honestly limitless if you take the time to enjoy your surroundings.

So, what did I get myself into this time? To be honest, an experience I truly did not expect. It was mind-blowing that we could have somehow just stumbled upon this place without ever hearing a word about it. Why had we never been told? Because Panamanians love keeping this place a secret and although they have begun to realize the word is slowly leaking out, they want to enjoy it for as long as they can. I realize this blog is not exactly helping the Panamanians with the secret keeping but I am just going to assume the majority of my readers are not planning on jumping out of their seats and rushing to their nearest travel agency. But, one thing I can say for sure is that it was a major relieve to discover a new part of Panama that often requires a sweater.

I know, I know. You all wanted some crazy story about how I ended up in a terrible situation and narrowly escaped right? Well, believe it or not, this time I actually just had an amazing week and I felt like this is one place that needed to be talked about whether or not there was an amusing anecdote involved. My time is quickly coming to a close in Panama and as I begin to realize this, I am becoming aware of the fact that there is simply not enough time for me to discuss every adventure I have had (some of which are due to the small detail that they are not “blog appropriate”). I am still traveling with the little money I have and trying my absolute hardest to uncover every little part of Panama just in case a place like Boquete has somehow slipped through the cracks. Whats next for me? Hopefully, planning one more large trip out to Santa Catalina and making a return to Boquete where I would like to hike the Volcan Beru (something I did not have time for on the first trip). Maybe then I will have that heroic story you are waiting for but until I suppose these mediocre blog entries will just have to tie you over.

“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” Etty Hillesum