Monday, January 29, 2018
Volcan, Cerro Punta, y el Cañon Macho de Monte
Panamanian breakfast was served today – finally! We've been wondering what that was since they were out of it at Pips in Panama City. We got a big bowl of fresh fruit (pineapple, kiwi, banana, papaya), meatballs in a tomato-based sauce, strips of fry bread, and little fried patties of what might or might not have been mashed plantain, or maybe it was yucca – heck if I know. Also, strong coffee and fresh OJ. Excellent!
View from our room, Casa Alegria
Today we headed to the other side of Volcan Baru along one of the most scenic drives in the country. From Boquete we drove south a few kilometers before turning west on a windy road past orange groves and through rolling hills. Twice we were stopped at police checkpoints, but I just flashed my driver's license and they waved us through. I think they were looking for drugs, and apparently we didn't meet the demographic.
This “shortcut” between Boquete and Cerro Punta is a fairly new road and is well paved, so you don't have to backtrack to David anymore to get to the other side of the volcano. There are lots of scenic vistas on this route but not many places to pull over. We stopped and got out at a stony river area with a suspension footbridge and found an interesting bird or two.
Suspension footbridges are very popular in Panama
Odd bird
I guess the road we were on was entirely too good for us, so we got off on a side road just for the heck of it and ended up on a very steep, twisty, purgatory of a road for about 8 km. (It seemed much farther.) No biggie since we had plenty of time, but I was glad when we returned to the better tarmac. Again, great views.
Actual picture of our car on this side road
Sweeping view
The road less traveled
In Volcan we stopped at Raquel's Ark, the exotic animal rescue we learned about yesterday. Raquel wasn't there when we arrived, so after about 15 minutes and an attempt by a local girl, who I suspect was unauthorized to do so, to show us around, we left, and I sent Raquel a text asking if she might be back in a couple of hours, so we could try again. She immediately called me and said she was almost home, so we turned around and met her at the Ark about ten minutes later.
Unpromising yet outstanding
Raquel is an American expat and quite a character. I'd love to know her whole life story. In any event, we first fed chicken wings to the jaguar, admired the jagamundi, and met several house cats.
Rosco the jaguar
Minnie the jagamundi
With no further ado, Raquel then went inside and brought out the sloths, Jessie and Kira. Tom and I each held a sloth for a long time and fed them almonds. The baby monkeys wanted almonds too, though they didn't care about eating them – I think they just didn't want to be left out!
Jana and Jessie the sloth, Raquel and a baby howler monkey
Tom and Kira
Hello!
Hola!
The sloths were adorable but pretty smelly – I'm not going to lie - and so were we after we held them. Finally, we gave up the sloths and put them in a large enclosure while we went to meet the other animals, including a parrot, a weasel, and a dog, before entering a cage with several playful coatamundi, one of whom, “Crazy Eyes,” was all over Tom. There's no fixed charge to visit Raquel's Ark, but donations should be given. We gave $20 for the two of us. Quite a bargain!
Sloth hangout
Pretty parrot
Curious coatamundi
Tom and "Crazy Eyes"
Leaving Volcan and the Ark, we drove on to the town of Cerro Punta and then to the end of the road at Guadalupe. This is a big agricultural area, owing to the temperate climate and rich volcanic soil. 90 percent of Panama's fruits and vegetables come from here. We bought some sandwich food and had a picnic while we took in the gorgeous vistas.
Farming in Guadalupe
Steep hillside agriculture
In Guadalupe we hiked up to Mirador de las Fresas Elisa ($1 each). The elevation is about 6,500 feet here, and we were starting to feel the altitude on the hike, but it was well worth the effort for the expansive views.
Erosion control and tire recycling
Climbing up the hill
View from Mirador de las Fresas Elisa
Another pretty view
On our way back to Boquete, we stopped at el Cañon Macho de Monte, near the village of Cuesta de Piedra. There was a very cool slot canyon where some guys were rappelling and jumaring and then an area upstream where others were making death-defying leaps into a lovely clear swimming hole. Great spot!
Sign above El Cañon Macho de Monte
Canyoneers
El Cañon Macho de Monte
Jana in the Canyon
Cannonball!
We got back to the B&B around dark o'clock, washed off the sloths, then went out for dinner. Boquete shuts down pretty early on a Monday night, and even the brewing company was closed today, but Mike's Global Grill doesn't close till 10:00, and luckily we got there at 9:00. The place is run by an expat couple from Arizona and Chicago. We had the pad thai, an Al Capone sandwich, and three Balboas, for $30. Cool place.
We walked around after dinner trying to find some juice to go with our rum, but most of the town was locked up tight. Finally we came across an actual 24-hour grocery store, Romero, next to the plaza. We were surprised to find a 24-hour store in this little town, but it worked for us!
Street art in Boquete
Tom
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