At
a distance of 310 miles from our hostel in Panama City, utilizing the local
transportation made for a fun and adventuresome day. First Ingrid made arrangements for an 8:00am taxi. We were picked up at Posada 1914 hostel and taken to the local bus station in Panama City.
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| Ticket counter at bus station in Panama City, Panama |
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| Bus station in Panama City, Panama |
Next
would be a bus ride from Panama City to the town of David, a cost of $15, included
in our school tuition price.
Normally
this bus ride would take 6 hours but a detour was necessary due to the closure of the Bridge of Americas for a scheduled bike race. The detour would add an additional 1.5 hours to our trip.
At
1:00pm the bus made a 30-minute stop for lunch in the town of Santiago. The
cafeteria was very clean and offered several selections at very affordable
prices. Portions were large and a plate
of spaghetti or fried rice came at a cost of only $2.
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| Cafeteria at lunch stop |
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| Cafeteria at lunch stop |
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| Spaghetti and fried rice dishes |
We left Santiago promptly at 1:30pm but were forced to stop again at 3:00pm for document control. An officer boarded the bus and checked all
passports. The entire process took about
15 minutes.
We
finally arrived into the town of David at 4:30pm. We briskly followed Ingrid as
she made her way to the opposite side of the station. Here she located the local
bus to Boquete. We boarded a small white
school bus for the 45-minute ride to Alto Boquete, located about 3 miles from
Boquete.
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| White school bus from David to Boquetre Photo: Public Domain |
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| School bus to Boquete - My green luggage right behind me |
It
was raining as we stepped off the bus at the Alto Boquete stop. This prodded us to walk briskly to the
hostel. It is located about 800 yards from the bus stop. The walk has a very slight incline and the hostel is located on the left hand side of the road. It is clearly marked with a
large “Spanish by the River” sign.
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| Bus stop at Alto Boquete is across the street from the building |
Arriving at the hostel, we
were cheerfully greeted by Ricardo, the hostel host. He had prepared apple pie, cookies and chips
for our arrival. He had also made hot
chocolate for us, each cup and saucer garnished with a piece of chocolate. It was much appreciated as we were damp from
the walk.
I shared a room at this hostel with my traveling companion Marci. The room configuration was an upper and lower
bunk bed. I initially claimed the top bunk but
looking back I suspect I might have enjoyed the bottom bunk more. The
climb up the ladder wasn’t bad but I found the climb down a bit more difficult.
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| Our room in Boquete |
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| Shared bath |
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| Inside the hostel |
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| Inside the hostel |
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| Kitchen in the hostel |
The hostel provided each of us with a towel and small bar of soap. Bathroom facilities were shared
and offered warm water. The internet was
relatively fast and reliable. Our classes would start promptly at 8am the following
day but for now it was a glass of wine and a little relaxation for the
remainder of the evening.
The town of Boquete is located in the Chiriquí
Highlands of western Panama. At an elevation of 3,200 feet above sea level, Boquete is home to Geisha arabica coffee, hailed as the best and most expensive coffee in the world, commanding up to $800 per pound.
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| Small little packets available at a local store for $30 |
I
found it more comfortable to wear jeans while in Boquete.
The temperature this day was only 61 degrees at 8:00am with a projected
high of 72 degrees and a 100% chance of afternoon rain.
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| One of the outdoor classrooms in Boquette |
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| Class time |
Typical Spanish classes run from 8am-noon but fellow student Jasmine had taken ill, resulted in
some time adjustments. I enjoyed a private
class from 8-10am and Jasmine would need to make up her hours when she felt
better.
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| In my classroom |
At
1:00pm Ricardo, Marci and I left the hostel and headed to downtown Boquete. It was raining just slightly as we left. Our transportation options were taxi or bus, both with a
price tag of $0.60 per person one-way.
Ricardo graciously escorted Marci and I around town, pointing out the highlights.
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| Old cable car ion display downtowbn |
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| Local artwork |
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| A local family owned shop |
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| Marci mailing a postcard at the post office |
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| A little girl helping her dad make jewelry |
It
turned out to be our very favorite restaurant. Lunch this day consisted of tomato soup with
vegetables. It was definitely one of the
best I have ever eaten. Marci and I each
had a bowl of soup and split a hot turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread. Our total bill was $8.50.
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| Sugar and Spice Restaurant |
We then stopped at a local supermarket to buy a few small items to take back
to the hostel. The supermarket is
located just 1 block from the downtown park. This is a central location where taxis and vans are located for
the trip back to the hostel. Another $0.60 and we found ourselves back in our room by 5:00pm.
For our Monday activity Ingrid had scheduled a cooking class. The
menu would include chicken with mashed oto’e
and salad.
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| The menu for cooking class |
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| Ready to start cooking class |
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| Everyone had a job |
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| Chicken ready to go in the oven |
Once Ricardo had the chicken in the oven, it was time for conversational Spanish. We enjoyed our dinner outside on the patio at 9:15pm.
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| Finally ready to eat |
Tuesday’s
scheduled activity was Tree Trek Ziplining.
This activity cost listed as $65 and is included in the school tuition fees.
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| Ready for our zip lining |
First
was the short bus drive into downtown Boquete where we boarded an awaiting
all-terrain vehicle. The
4 mile drive to the staging area was a narrow and winding, taking us past numerous coffee
plantations.
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| The all-terrain vehicle to the zip line area |
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| Coffee plantations along the roadside |
Once we arrived at base camp, the first
order of business was to meet the staff, put on our protective gear and listen to a safety
briefing.
We
then boarded another all-terrain vehicle and were now ready to head up the mountain
to the first line. The course itself is listed as 4.5
kilometers in total length and divided into 12 different zip line cables and platforms, the longest of which is 1500 feet in length.
Our transport would take us to an elevation of 6,000 feet.
From here it was a short walk
through the coffee plantations to platform #1. Walking the trail is very easy and the path is
well groomed.
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| Trail to the first zip line |
The different lines stretched across water
falls, hanging bridges and some spectacular scenery.
The trip through all 12 lines took 1 hour, ending up back at the check-in area.
Once our equipment was removed we were taken inside to watch a short slide
presentation. These were photos and videos
that were taken by the staff. The cost for the package was $10 and
included all photos and videos.
Now it was time to get back in the all-terrain vehicle for our descent down the mountain to Boquete. We headed
to Sugar and Spice restaurant for the soup of the day. Cream of chicken vegetable soup was on the menu at a cost of $3.50 per
bowl. We then walked to a local artistry
market, shopping just briefly before heading back to our hostel.
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| Father and daughter making jewelry |
One final activity for the evening was to
watch a movie in Spanish.
Wednesday
was a free day with no organized group activity.
Our
Thursday activity was dance lessons. Our
instructor was Dany Riquelme from David.
Dany has been a professional dancer and has enjoyed being an instructor
for 15 years. During our 1.5 hour
session we were introduced to Salsa,
Bachata and
Merenque dance steps.
Friday's activity was a rum tour and tasting at the Carta Vieja rum factory.
Our
guide, Oscar, was with Mucho Gusto Tours in Boquete.
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| Tour guide Oscar from Boquete |
and provide us with some insight into the yearly Semana Santa Procession.
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| Inglesia Santiago Apostol de Alanje |
Dinner
this evening would be home-made pizza by an Argentinian couple
staying at the hostel. It was fun to watch them cook 7 pizza's on the BBQ. While we were waiting on our pizza Ingrid made
a batch of her “secret” Sangria recipe.
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| Ingrid's secret sangria recipe |
A
late night surprise came when the Argentinian couple put on an impromptu fire
dance for us.
Before
retiring for the night I was offered mate’ from the Argentinian couple. This
traditional South American herb tea is the national drink of Argentina and can be drunk
with or without sugar or sweetener. I
gave it a try but must confess that it tasted a little grassy to me. I think it’s an acquired taste.
Saturday
was our travel day. We set our sights on the third element of the Travelling Spanish Classroom, the hostel and school of Bocas del Toro, Panama.
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