With Adam off defending his dissertation, my wonderful girlfriend Taylor (who is currently studying to be an ESL teacher) flew in to visit for a week. Trevor, Taylor and I had an awesome week of exploration into the western regions of Panama.
We took a bus to David and stayed at the "Purple House," a hostel for backpackers. We went up into the mountain town of Boquete next to the Baru volcano and the highest point in Panama. It sure was cold and rainy up there but a welcome change from the heat of the lowlands. We got lost hiking an easy 3 km trail and managed to turn it into a 6 km adventure in the mountain rain but with smiles the whole way.
For a change of scenery we headed south to Sona and to the beautiful, and practically undiscovered beach of Santa Catalina. We stayed in a small cabin by the beach for next to nothing and were amazed at how much tidal influence there was on the pacific shore.
Finally a trip into the old city of Casco Viejo (a world heritage site) rounded out our trip. Although once all there was of the original Panama City before it's expansion, today Casco Viejo is made up of fascinating old buildings including cathedrals, theaters, and most of Panama City's monuments. Despite it's charm, abandoned buildings and rocky ruins still tell of the attack on the city by the pirate Henry Morgan.
I sure was glad to have traveled and seen some of the "real" Panama. Colon (easily the most dangerous city we have been to) definitely paints an unrealistic picture of this friendly and beautiful country.
And Now?
Now I am back on board awaiting our canal transit date with much anticipation and working to finalize our pacific preparations. I was fortunate enough to have a whole week back in the US (in the Florida Keys) to visit my dad and sister. We were all there supporting my mom who was finishing a week-long kayak race in the Everglades. Chances are that our next stretch in the Pacific will make visiting very difficult and it was great to see them again.