Buns of Steel on the Quetzal Trail
Trip Start
Unknown
1
45
Trip End
Ongoing
Boquete, Panama
Friday, April 1, 2011
We decided to make the journey in one day this time and we caught a free ride with Alex and his air conditioned shuttle, which meant 4 hours less stuck on a sweaty public bus with a fat woman{s arse shunted in my face, and also shaved around 5 hours off of the journey, all of which meant the journey down was a dream!
I think maybe that i am finally reaching the end of my love affair with the hot weather, as i have been fantasising daily about this trip, seeing as it takes us up high into the cloud forest, away from the steamy coast, so high, in fact, that the guide book warns us that we may 'even need to wear a long sleeved jumper at night'! We felt the first stirrings of a cooling breeze as the minbus chugged higher and higher and eventually deposited us in the tranquil, mountain town of Cerro Punta. Aah, sweet, fresh air! Breathe it in! I was really excited about feeling so cool and really pleased about the fact that it was so cool that i actually shivered after my shower and rushed to get dressed. Of course, i had forgotten that our winter wardrobe is rather limited and so, i especially, looked rather like a refugee. We visited the worst bar that either of us had ever been to...and i have been to Basingstoke, before you ask. This place had smashed windows, 2 delapidated chairs and a table that needed to be thrown on a bonfire (Oh, i see someone already has!). By this time it had started raining and so we retreated back to our room. We attempted to sit on the balcony, but it was too cold to sit outside! Disillusioned with the cold weather so soon, we snuggled up in bed under the blankets! Steve actually wore socks to bed!
The next day we trekked the 'Sendero de las Quetzales' (Trail of the Quetzals), which is one of the most famous trails in Panama. It took us 2 hours of panting up hill to get to the trail head, where we discovered the entrance was cordoned off with 'warning' and 'danger' signs. The damn thing was closed! Well, we had not traipsed all this way not to complete this trail and so off we went, determined to overcome all obstacles to get to Boquette, the town at the other end of the trail. The danger seemed to be primarily a land slide that had wiped out half a hill side, but that was easily crossed (all the years of cliff climbing at Highcliffe Beach stood me in good stead!). The entire trail was in disarray though. All of the steps were rotten with water and the hand rails had snapped off and jutted out into thin air in many places. All of this only added to the 'Lost World' appeal of the place. This trail weaves through Parque Nacional Volcan Baru and holds a special appeal to the Panamanian people. The Resplendant Quetzal is considered the bird of freedom and has a historic significance relating to the struggles from oppression in Central America. We didn't see any of these dazzling birds, but the stunning cloud forest of the park was a visual delight in itself, what with all of the moss covered branches and pre-historic vines all over the place. Me and Steve had a disagreement at one point as which path to take. The sign pointed one way, But Steve's man compass pointed in another direction. Thank God we followed Steve{s advice as the next day we bumped into a couple that had been behind us, and they followed the sign and ended up spending the night in the forest! All in all, the trek covered around 25km and took us 8 hours. After 2 hours trekking on the other side of the park, we gladly admitted defeat and hailed a cab.
National Geographic named the little town of Boquette, with its sunny days and cool nights, as the best place in the world to retire to around 10 years ago and now a lovely little community of expats has sprung up, pumping cash into the town. Of course, in another 10 years it may all have got too much, but, for now, the balance seemed right. We staggered into the town of Boquette with our legs screaming and bunked down in a really cool backpackers. We spent the night drinking and yacking away to travelers from all over the world. I drank sufficiently enough to inform 2 Israelis that their kinsfolk hold the award for 'nightmare guests' and a good time was had by all!
We spent the morning of our third day off supping beers in the bar next to the hostel, which could have been an English bar in Christchurch really and then spent the night at The Purple House in David, before crossing back into Rica. We ended up just missing the bus to Quepos and so, again spent the night in the surf town of Dominical before heading home and back to work. All in all, we spent $400 between us, which is much better, but if we want to go to Asia, we have agreed that the next visa run simply must be spent sitting in a hostel. Until i pick up that Lonely Planet again! x
