Day on the Catamaran

We spent the day on a rented catamaran, floating between the islands, and enjoying the calm waters of the Caribbean. It was the most relaxing sailing experience that I've ever had. Staring at the open water and watching the dolphins swim by was unreal. I felt completely at peace.

We basked in the sun, and lounged around soaking up the salty scent of the sea and taking in the picturesque views of the islands surrounding us. Our captin docked in the middle of the water, and we took snorkels to the mangroves. While not quite as impressive as Hawaii, the ocean was teeming with life and vibrancy.

I felt like we could cruise forever on that boat, and that I'd never lose that feeling of contentment...

Whitewater Kayaking

It was the highlight of the trip, which is saying a lot because this trip has been full of so many great memories and adventure.

I don't think I will ever look at an ocean kayak the same way...

Coming off the grueling volcano hike, it was going to be another action packed day. Our guide, Jim, came to our cabina to pick us up. There was an instant rapport. He drove around looking for beers for lunch, but there wasn't any place that would sell them to us that early, so we picked up breakfast instead--some pastries at the market.

Both of the guides, Jim and Papito, were easy to talk to. We had never whitewater kayaked before, but they were excellent instructors and made us feel very comfortable with the water. The first thing we did was practice "going for a swim" or what to do after falling out of the boat because apparently it's inevitable for beginners.


The rapids were small, class 2 and 3, but it's that much more magnified when you're in a little kayak compared to a giant raft. I guess the thing that I loved the most was seeing how your brain responds to stressful situations. There's so much adrenaline, and you really get a chance to see how you react to making split second decisions under pressure. There's no one else to help you paddle or bail you out when you make a mistake (well the guides are there to help you when you go for a swim, but other than that, it's all you).  The rush from whitewater kayaking is unlike anything I've ever experienced (we whitewater rafted a National Geographic top 10, but even that paled in comparison).

Fia and I took turns going for a swim.  We logged two each and really felt bad for our hardworking guides, but then we started to get the hang of it. I was amazed at how quickly the mind can adapt to those types of situations. I could feel myself willing the panic away and honing in own my powers of concentration. "Don't hit the rocks; stay in the boat; don't die," became my mantra.  You feel your mind and body kick it into high gear as the rapids trigger your sense of danger.  The whole experience was intense! Getting through my first rapid gave me such a jolt of excitement. It'll be hard to match that kind of thrill with anything else.

We booked our trip through Boquete Outdoor Adventures. It's a small adventure outfit owned by two Americans, and that was apparent right away because I think it was the only time on the trip that we had to sign waivers. We loved our experience with them. The pricing was reasonable, and our guides were the best! We had a 1 to 1 ratio of guides because it was just the two of us. We heard they do really good custom trips and would love to put some kind of group trip together and come back someday.

Midnight Volcano Hike

8:30 pm: Go to the local market to stock up on water, granola bars, and a banana for the hike

10:30 pm: Get back from the Internet Cafe and try to catch some zzzzzzzz

11:15 pm: Roll out of bed and throw stuff we think we'll need in our packs. My normally non-cumbersome backpack/purse doesn't seem to hold enough

11:30 pm: The Jeep comes to get us, but we're still groggy from not enough sleep. We drive through town, then through the most bumpy impassable road to the base of Vocan Baru.

11:43 pm: and the hike begins...

It's so dark we can't see anything besides the few feet in front of us that the headlamps allow. The path is not what we expected at all. It's not a trail--and it's certainly not a foot path--more like a steep road full of boulders, loose rock and canyons.

We immediately see why we warned about this hike; it isn't for the casual hiker. We start to peel off extra layers of clothing and regret that we even brought jackets. It isn't cold out, and the exertion of the hike makes it seem hot.

After we've hit the first couple of trail markers, we're still in good spirits, and we naively think we're making good time. Two hours into the hike, we realize that we've been crawling. The group starts to stagger, and it becomes a mental uphill battle for each of us. We all wonder how this ever seemed like a good idea.

To keep our minds off how strenuous the hike is turning out to be, we play an international game of 20 questions. It works for a little while to trick our minds into forgetting how exhausted we actually are, but after awhile the game is abandoned because we're trying to conserve every last bit of energy to get to the top.

We finally reach the top in 5.8 hours. It's gorgeous and the views are incredible, but the cross that is sticking out from the middle of a steep jagged climb is the actual top--celebration too soon. We do a little climbing and scrambling to get up the unstable rock, and if we weren't so deliriously tired it might have registered how dangerous and unsteady that last part of the ascent really was.

The view at the top is amazing. Standing on top of the highest point in Panama feels more like being on top of the world. We were standing above the clouds, and watched the sun break through. The peak we were standing on strandled two oceans.

We couldn't enjoy the view for too long becuase it was freezing cold. We put on every single article of clothing we had brought with us, and it still wasn't enough. We said goodbye to the beautiful mountain, and tried to get down the volcano as quick as possible. The loose rock made it tricky. There was a lot of skidding, and by that point we were so tired--even amidst the beautiful scenery, (since it was no longer dark, it was like a completely different hike) all I could think about was a soft bed and a warm shower.  

The Surf House on the Pacific

As charming as the town of El Valle was, a day and a half was good enough. We bussed it over to the surf house on the Pacific side.

It was a relaxing day playing in the waves, lounging on the beach, and hanging out at the pool. I even did a little surfing, or tried, would be a better word...the waves were pretty intense, and I got tossed more times than I got up.

One of my favorite parts about traveling is getting to meet different people on the road. This trip was no exception. We met a lot of great people and made some really good friends. We ended up doing a house barbeque. Fia, Carine, and I were part of the prep team, and we learned a lot under the direction of Alex, an engineer with a talent for cooking. I never knew you could sharpen knives with the underside of a mug.
Alex was traveling with his wife, Alex. Cute, right? They were newlyweds on their honeymoon, and just fun people. Hopefully we will get to catch up with them in California when they return from their travels.

Good food. Good company. We couldn't ask for a better day.

El Valle

El Valle is a charming, litte mountainous town. It was nice to finally get out of the city and back to nature. We were so ready for the adventure part of the trip to begin.

There isn't much going on in the little town of El Valle. There was a short hike to a 70-foot waterfall, but Fia and I got sidetracked by the little handcrafts market on our way to the falls. We stopped when we saw the sweets, and before we knew what was happening, we found ourselves bargaining at the various stalls for trinkets and souvineers for people back home.

Our little detour ended up costing us a lot more time than we realized. The sun was beginning to fall, and we were told by our traveling mates who were already on their way back that the entrance was closed. Apparently, the city of El Valle has taken a very capitalist approach to their prized waterfall, and there is a gated booth that charges an entrance fee.

Not wanting to head back after we made it so far without a peek, we were told by the group that they had hopped the fence and snuck in. We decided to do the same.  It wasn't difficult to hop the little gate, but we were quite paranoid about getting caught.  Once on the other side there was a series of wooden bridges to cross and little stepping stones.  The entire scene, I imagine, must have been pretty impressive during daylight hours... but it was much creepier in the dark.  Our imaginations got the better of us, and after a quick peek and a couple of black photos, we ran out of there.