Boquete
Trip Start
May 18, 2011
1
4
19
Trip End
Jun 19, 2011
Where I stayed
mamallena hostel
What I did
Boquete--the hippy getaway of Panama, Chiriquí, Panama
Sunday, May 22, 2011
It's fun to walk through the halls here because essentially everyone is a 20-something "meandering/traveling-type" and everyone is really outdoorsy (it seems) and very enthusiastic! This is all pretty fitting for the hiking/rafting/outdoorsy reputation of Boquete. There are a few older people (50s or 60s) staying here as far as i can tell and they fit in just like anyone else--this hostel and the whole town seem to be pretty accepting.
Walking around Boquete has the feel of walking around Carrboro back home. The one thing that makes me say this most is that cars typically will stop in the middle of the road to allow pedestrians to pass. People here are over-the-top considerate and generally accommodating--at least those in the service industry (I admittedly haven't met many other townspeople).
We spent the day today going whitewater rafting on the Chiriqui Viejo River with a company called Panama Rafters. It was well worth the money we spent on it, about 60 bucks a person. Katherine fell out of the boat and nearly drowned herself in the extreme panic that ensued. In all reality, the river was not dangerous at all. The rapids only went up to level 3. But Katherine went into such a panic after falling in actually that after screaming to her to turn on her back and float, as we had been instructed Kelley swiftly jumped into the water after her. I wish I had the courage to think to do that. The most I did was turn and outstretch my paddle handle to her, which she was too busy doggy-paddling to grab anyway. Fail.
After all the excitement, we needed time to chill out so we went to get liquados (fruit smoothies), an avocado salad, and coffee then spent all the rest of the day indoors waiting out the rain.
**EDIT: after having nearly completed my trip, I realize that I didn't give Boquete enough credit. If I were to do it all over again, I would stay in Boquete much longer, appreciate the conveniences and the excitement it had to offer but also soak up the home-town feel that it has (for a place with a lot of tourist attractions and a lot of tourists walking around, Boquete felt true to its roots and the locals kept their culture in tact very well and handled tourists very humbly. I would come back here again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone wondering where to go in Panama or the whole of Central America**
Comments
Sounds like you guys are having a great time! I love white water rafting. Very cool that you got to do that in Panama.