So much!

So Boquete is really an incredible place. It has gorgeous views, terrific weather, nice places to eat, and coffee is grown all over the valley so it is some of the best in the world. Every little shop has coffee that will blow your mind. All of that being said many of the nice restraunts exist because of the large number of expatriots from the U.S. and Europe. They are all over this town and so are their SUV's. Can you blame them really? More hospitible weather than Florida, no traffic, and a quarter of the cost make this an easy place to relocate to.

The first night in town we found a sweet pool hall where the local Panamanians hang out and spent some time brushing up on our skills, or lack of them. It is $2 for an hour to play and beers here are $.60. Quite a deal and a great way to interact with some locals. The next day we were still super tired from hiking and just had a lazy day around town. We eventually went to La Explorador which is by far one of the strangest places I have ever been. Imagine Alice in Wonderland inspired orchid gardens, designed by someone who I am convinced was on HEAVY DRUGS. There were so many strange decorations, a maze of an organzational pattern, and painted rocks, and scarecrow sprinklers to keep everything pretty.

After a strange night we played dominos and cards with some friends we met, and went to the other local pool hall. This was some serious competition and we only played one game. For some reason for 8 beers, 3 shots of tequila, 1 coke, and a game of pool we were only charged $5? We are still trying to figure that one out.

Thursday we went to an animal rescue shelter where animals that were in bad situations in captivity, or injured are brought to rehabilitate before being able to be reintroduced into a wild setting. We saw heaps of beautiful parrots, macaws, coccatus, monkeys, tamarins, and even a margay. Margays look very much like ocelots and have quite the PURR. Imagine an ordinary housecat mad at a dog and growling, and that is similar to the margay's purr. What I am trying to say is I think my life would be made better by owning a cat that could easily end my life. After the rescue center we took a taxi to the small town of Caldera and sat in natural hot springs for two hours. Super relaxing and in a pristine setting. Life doesn't get much better!

We called it an early night and started hiking today at 7AM for the highest point in all of Panama, Volcan Baru. The hike was 30 kilometers total in which we climbed nearly 8000 feet to the summit at 11,398 feet. It is the hardest hike I have ever done with almost all of it being super steep with sand and rocks that move with each step. Your movements become so innefficient, and eventually it was dumping rain! The rain stopped and we eventually we reached the summit after some mentally devastating lows. It was about 40 degrees F, with strong winds, misty rain, and no visibility. They say on a clear day Baru is the only point you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific from the same viewpoint, but I guess we will have to wait till next time. Overall it was just under 9 hours of hiking so we are exhausted. Tomorrow we leave Boquete for an undetermined destination! Only 4 more days left it is hard to believe how fast the trip has gone.