Gran Nacional David

Our visit back in David this time was completly work related this time.

We drove back up the Pan American Freeway on Friday in order to see his boss. Its was fairly convenient meeting as Devin´s boss had been looking to buying property in Panama for well over a year now ...

... animal. We photographed the remains, intending to submit
them to the newspaper upon our return, and sullenly continued. About
an hour and a half later we were still walking - the beach seemed to
stretch on forever. We came to an estuary too wide to climb across and
removed our shoes and rolled up our pants to continue. Once across,
the Panamanian men wanted to burn a stretch of beach drift wood that
was blocking the tree line. They said is ...

... huffing and puffing, hating those steep hills and steep steps. Even now, 3 weeks into the travels those steep steps are still killing me, hopefully it will get easier as I get nearer to Guatemala and the El Mirador trail.

The Fortuna Reserve is beautiful. Lush vegetation and a thick forest of trees ensure a nice temperature and not a whole lot of sunlight in certain areas. We were on the lookout for species (toucans, mackaws, jaguars, deer, raccoons, kinkajous ...

... up and down and said; mi dios eres grande, señora! Which means something like oh ****, you're big (like a tree) All Milli could do is offer up a wearied heat stricken sí and keep walking. We finally arrived back at the purple house (yeah... if you guessed everything is purple, you guessed correctly) and watched the rain bucket down.

It's really hard to find a bar in David, it's a very bland boring city and everyone looks at us funny. Also road rules are ...

The border crossing from Costa Rica to Panama was another crazy one, it's right up there with Nepal. The bus stopped just before the border and kick every one off. We were the only tourist so followed the crowed into a small hut where we got our exit stamp, then we had to walk a hundred meters across a dilapidate railway bridge where you had to step aside if any Lorry's came past. The immigration on the Panama side was an other hut, served by two little men who stamp your passport ...

What a special treat Isla Boca Brava turned out to be! A small little island in the Golfo do Chiriqui that is inhabited with a few homes, one hostel and a ridiculous number of howler monkeys! To reach the island you need to take a taxi, bus, jeep taxi and boat... it sounds more difficult than it actually is- as long as you have a bit of luck and some helpful bus and taxi drivers! The island has some very easy trails to follow that lead to isolated little beaches ...

... the Quetzal Trail. This is one of the more famous walking trails in the area, providing the only direct link between the villages of Cerro Punta and Boquete. The trail is officially closed due to the trail being washed out in a few areas in storms in November but I've met a few people who have done so I decided to give it a go. I met a Georgian guy who was also interested and we set off early one morning to catch ...

... things about it, so that should be cool. And in other news.... my travelling life is now complete. I now have the most essential piece of equipment anyone could ever need...... BALSAMICO! It livens up everything and is just delicious. I´m happy now. I should also mention my devotion to my ipod, I´m so glad I brought it. So I should probably go now and get the bus and whatnot.... I hope you are all keeping well, it´s good to hear from you all. And come on England this week!

... Real gems. Callista got to play in the surf for hours, and there were some nice shade trees right on the edge of the water. We ate lunch in the shade and stayed until the sunburn was too much. Back at the hotel, the new room was much nicer. Still a bit scurvy, but thicker sheets (still ill fitting), more comfortable asbestos pillows, and A/C!!! Plus a queen size bunk bed for Callista! It was real nice until I woke up at 1:30 AM to find the power out ...

... festival would be held this year because of the flood damage - the show ground is beside the river. The main town bridge was also washed away and they´ve build a new one and reinforced the river bank in 2 months. Quite extraordinary efforts by all. I´m staying in the poshest hostel ever in an enormous 5 bed dorm with huge ensuite bathroom. There are hardwood floors and ceilings, a vast and beautifully equipped ...