Volcan Baru ~ Image taken from our deck at La Montaña y el Valle (Coffee Estate Inn)

Welcome to the next leg of our adventures in exploring Panama. In our last posting we left the beautiful islands of San Blas and flew back to Panama City. From there we switched planes and flew West to David (pronounced "Daaveed") which is Panama's second largest city, located on the Pacific side of the country, closer to Costa Rica. In David we had a rental car waiting for us, a new Dihatsu Terios 4x4. We liked the Terios so much, we kept it for the duration of our trip! After driving through the city of David a few times, vainly trying to find our way to the Pan-American Highway, we headed for our next destination which was the town of Boquete, located at the base of the Volcan Baru in the mountains of Panama.

The Volcán Barú, pictured above, is the tallest mountain in Panama at 11,398 feet. Due to its height and Panama's relatively short width, it is possible to see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea from Volcán Barú's peak on a clear day. Much of the time, this peak is shrouded in cloud-mist. Lori and I stayed three days in this area and drove most of the roads and hiked some of the trails on this mountain.

We stayed at La Montana y el Valle or The Coffee Estate Inn just outside of the town of Boquete. We rented a beautiful cottage on the hillside for three nights and learned all about growing and roasting coffee from our gracious hosts, Bill and Jane. Up to this point, I never knew what coffee really could taste like .... incredibly good!

We also had one of the best rack of lamb dinners ever and it was served in our cottage along with candles and beautiful bouquets of flowers.

Our cottage at The Coffee Estate Inn showing the living room, deck and bedroom.
On the road in our little SUV we explored the different areas of the highlands, all very lush with lots of flowers in full bloom and streams of mountain fresh water everywhere. We stopped to try our Spanish out on Rambo, and to buy some fresh fruit.
Sendero Los Quetzales or the Los Quetzales Trail (seen at left) unites the two communities of Boquete and Cerro Punta, and is one of Panama's most popular hikes. Cerro Punta resides on the western slope of Baru Volcano, whereas Boquete is situated on the volcano's eastern side. The trail cuts through some of the province's most pristine, protected forest, offering spectacular views of the surrounding valley. Although we didn't see any long tailed Quetzals, Lori snapped a picture of a hawk (above). Because of the time of year, the trail was not in the best of shape and after hiking about half way, we turned around.
Yours truely on the Sendero Los Quetzales - Heading up the Volcano

One soon discovers that all properties in Panama are gated. Some of the gates are pretty imaginative.

At right our intrepid travel photographer scouts the higher reaches of the trees for the elusive Quetzal

On the trail, Lori spots something ... is it a quetzal?

After three days under the shadow of the volcano, we decided we had seen enough of the Panama highlands. We even played a game of golf before we left. Next on our list of objectives was the Pacific Coast and to that end we set off to visit "Boca Chica."

Before we left, our hosts at the Coffee Estate Inn took our picture, with the Volcan Baru in the background.

The Goodwins in Boquete, Panama
Boca Chica ~ The ocean, all the islands and sheltered coastline of this undeveloped region of Panama makes Boca Chica a beautiful place full of promise. This very spot, where Lori was standing to take this picture with the incredible view, was selling for $40 per square meter, which was at the high end of what land is selling for in this area. Other properties were selling for as low as $8/sq. meter. The road into Boca Chica from the Pan-American Highway was fairly rough but was being worked on by the Panamanian Government and is promised to be a paved access within the year. To see a chart of this area, Click Here (Click the back button on your browser to get back to "Life is a Beach".
Located on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Panama, in the province of Chiriqui about one hour and 15 minutes from David City, the fishing village of Boca Chica is well worth the visit. If you are a fisherman then this is the place to be. If you are into wildlife, the lush forests here abound with Howler monkeys and parrots.... among other things.
The dock and launching ramp at Boca Chica
Wahoo Willy's ~ Hotel Bar and Grill
We stayed for two nights at Wahoo Willy's. The rooms were clean with air conditioning and a great view. Pretty good at $40 per night, although the early morning activity of the fishermen at the dock ensured an early rise.
Porthole window of our room overlooking the dock area.

On our first day in Boca Chica we hired a boat to take us out on the ocean to see what we could see. At left and below, Lori braves the elements wearing her "Tilly" hat and with her telephoto lens at the ready. Some of the images she captured are well worth clicking on and waiting for the download to see them "full screen".

The "Golfo de Chiriqui contains the richest mangrove forests in Central America, the largest island in Panama, and one of the largest coral reefs in the Pacific. It offers truly world-class diving, surfing, and sport fishing.
Lori looks to the horizon ... take me to those islands please!
Islands off Boca Brava

Lori waited around to get the perfect picture of this young lad on a pile of netting on the dock, just outside of Wahoo Willy's.

The fish and prawns that came in every morning in the boats and filled the trucks was very impressive. The prawns were huge. Other catch included Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Cubera Snapper, Sailfish, Dorado and Blue and Black Marlin.

As with other regions of Panama, anywhere there is fish or seafood, you'll find pelicans. Instead of the seagull which is so prominent in northern coastal communities, in panama it is Vultures. Pictured above is a fish boat loaded with vultures looking for scraps.

At right a view of Rincon Beach taken form the gated community of Istana Properties. Below you see us at Christine's Cabana on the beach at Boca Brava, the nearest island.

Lori and Christine discuss Island life...
A timed shot of us at "Christine's Cabana" on the Island of  Boca Brava.

Above a fishing vessel returns, crowded with pelicans and vultures.

On our second day we had a water taxi take us over to the nearest island of Boca Brava to investigate the strange sounds emanating from that island .... Howlers!

Mother and baby Howler Monkeys

Wahoo Willy's isn't the only hotel in Boca Chica. The much finer resorts of "Gone Fishing" and "Seagull Cove" are a short distance away. We enjoyed the company of the guests and owners of the Gone Fishing Resort where we also dove into a steak and lobster dinner.

Pictured at right and left you see us on the dock at the "Gone Fishing Resort". Below you see me being disemboweled by the lady in the mural.

"Strike a pose!"
"Lets go fishing!"

Another image of the beautiful Rincon Beach above.
This concludes this posting of our Panama excursion so far. In the following days we traveled down the pacific coast, staying in Pedasi and Coronado where we lived for a week. One final series of pictures will conclude our adventures in Panama, so come back for a final look.

We hope you've enjoyed what you've seen so far.

My new girlfriend?

The golden hues of sunset on the surf make a great contrast with the sea bird looking for dinner.

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