We had a delicious breakfast at our hotel – La Casa Abuela – prepared by Morta and Rocio. I had a veggie and cheese omelet, fruit bowl, toast, guava juice and coffee all included in the $42 price for the room. We definitely would stay at this small but friendly hotel.
We drove to town and checked out the Catholic Church. It was quite beautiful with its stained glass and lovely woods.
In the town of Boquete we walked around and took in the splendor of this colorful little tow. The native tribal women wear colorful dresses in yellows, blues, reds and pinks. They are very poor and sustain there lifestyle by picking coffee beans at the many coffee plantations in the region. Central Park in Boquete is nothin like Cental Park in NYC. We also watched a school band perform. And what do you think they were playing? When the Saints Come Marching In – and no we are not in New Orleans.
After spending some time walking around Boquete we began the journey to Bocas Del Toro. At first we thought this would be a two hour drive. Then we were told it would be more like four hours. In actuality it was closer to 6.
We saw some magnificent waterfalls and of course we had to take a short hike into the woods to get a bit closer. We stopped so I could take some photos of a small village church. At times we were above the clouds and at times we were below the clouds.
At one point we drove over this bridge. It creaked and buckled under the weight. Do you think this is safe?
We saw a man on horseback. I guess this is prevalent throughout Panama. If you can’t afford a car you may be able to afford a horse. We passed Lake Fortuna where there was a huge dam. We also were stopped by the police and had to show our passports.
Finally after driving many, many miles over mountains with no guard rails facing huge tractor trailers around every turn, we saw the island of Bocas Del Toro. We arrived in Almirante with no idea where to go so I called Boca Ridge Hotel and spoke with Papi Romero. He told us to wait at the police station and he would come and get us. The police did not understand and they had us follow them to another place. I called Papi again and he came and got us. We followed him back. Oh no. Up those mountains again and Papi drives like a race car driver. But when we arrived we were treated like royalty. Boca Ridge overlooks the sea. I will be posting some pictures tomorrow. We had a fabulous dinner of almond encrusted tilapia and coconut rice, my new favorite. Then we shot pool. The boys against the girls- boys beat us 3 to zip. I guess they have to beat us at something.

