Kalima Suites Boquete

... and have us all walk underneath it while holding it up. What a sight we must have been. It was rather difficult at times- manuvering around puddles, looking for cars before crossing the road..therefore we deemed ourselves the Professional Poncho Walkers, Boquete Chapter. We're thinking that it should be considered for a new Olympic Sport..the rules could be quite challenging; always holding the poncho with the same hand, not allowed to let the poncho ...

... and a late-night trip to the supermarcado for peanut butter and cookies! Perfecto in my opinion! Needless to say we enjoyed a very lazy Sunday...and Monday she was off to San Jose! But don't fret- I'm not alone. I'm still house sitting with Rebecca and Robb (and Sky- the kitty).

We discovered the gym yesterday, and as much as I loathe working out in the states, I must say it was quite refreshing to get a little cardio in after a month of nothing ...

... then she's heading back to the states :( Lucky for you all- you get to have her back! And Rebecca and I will stay through the first or second week of October. Robb is excited to have the 3 of us volunteer on a more permanent basis and has talked to each of us about individual projects for GHA. And since I'll be saving on a place to stay, I've decided to take some Spanish classes while in town..habla espanol?? Si! (well soon enough anyways).

We went for a hike ...

... any traffic in either direction. We would have to walk down the steepest of hills to the second ranger station to try and hail a collectivo back to town. Of course it started raining half way down as well but lucky for us it only lasted about 10 mins. We ran into some malnourished cows along the way, all tied up to the fence and making it known to everyone that they were not happy about it! The farmer came out now and again to swat them on their behinds to shut ...

... a butterfly bandage the official medical diagnosis was, no stitches, phew!

After getting back to the hotel we ventured out again for a hike along the sendero quetzales trail. We were running out of daylight b ut still managed about a two hour hike...we wished we had more time as it was beautiful and only getting better, but there were just not enough hours in the day in Boquete.

Our last night out in Boquete we had another ...

... or rest. We could not stop, because we had already lost an hour. In spite of the hardnees, and the lack of light, it was a really interesting experience, I would redo it : )

At 6:30 we were on the top of the volcano, we came just on time to see the end of the daybreak.

There are two ways to climb the volcano: the one from Boquete (longest, but easiest) and the one to Cerro Punta (shortest, but more tricky, and also much more beautiful). I proposed the ...

... a nice boy whose made his own business helping tourists figure out how to cross. We definitely appreciated his help and rewarded his entreprenuership). From there it was a quick jump to David and a very loud and crammed bus ride to Boquete (complete with loud music, flashing lights, and feathered boas). We were greeted by Pancho who just happened to be the owner of the hostel that we wanted to stay at. He very enthusiasticly showed us his hostel and gave us advice on how to get ...

... makes organizing these things so much easier. Thank you again Bill Hartman. On day 5 of being back I was out networking, shaking hands and trying to make some new connections outside of the ones I already have. It was nice to be happily welcomed back by the shop owners where I buy my stuff, and for the first time in along time I am somewhere I feel really good and comfortable and familiar The fit, as far off as it is from where I was expecting my life to be, just feels right ...

... las tucanas le gusta jugar con tus zapatos y tambien hay pajaros pequeños. Tambien hay dos pajaros que habla y dice "Hello", "Hi", "Bye", "ok", "How are you" y "Hola". Tambien hay una gato que es un Margay. Era muy lindo. Tambien hay mono y yo da una refigerio. Es un mono petiblanco se llama Monty. Tambien yo ve una oso hormiguero y era una bebe, solo era 3 mezes viejo. Despues tiene almuerzo en ...

... but this is really a not-for-profit rescue center for animals. It was started by an English couple who had bred parrots for most of their lives and then relocated to Panama to retire. They moved here with 6 large birds. Over several years they came to take in other birds for various reasons: abandoned, captured in drug busts, purchased illegally on the street and then taken to the rescue center, etc. Over time they have expanded and now have ...