A few months ago I made a trip to Panama to do a bit of sightseeing and research. What I found was a beautiful country with friendly, gracious people, and all the adventure that comes with plopping oneself down in a foreign country where one has no grasp of the language whatsoever. There are, however, some universal signals that help to convey what you want. For example, pulling into a gas station usually means you need gas. Sitting at a table in a restaurant is taken to mean you are hungry. And dancing around on one leg with the other wrapped tightly around yourself while keeping a deathgrip on your you-know-what will get you pointed in the direction of the nearest bathroom in a hurry. It's all about knowing how to utilize international sign language.
But now to the photos....
The first destination was alongside Volcan Baru above the mountain town of Boquete. The temperatures were mild and humidity low as I was there during the dry season. There's nothing quite like waking up to this sight every morning. This photo was taken at 5000 feet from outside one of the guest houses at Manana Madera Coffee Plantation.
Speaking of coffee, Panama grows some of the best coffee beans in the world and waking to a pot of freshly ground coffee that was roasted just hours earlier is a luxury that everyone should get to experience at least once. These beans were immortalized less than 24 hours before they wound up in my coffee cup. It just doesn't get any fresher than that.
In the lower elevations the humidity and temperature was higher but the vistas were just as spectacular. Obviously, this photo was taken at sea level. This was taken on the Pacific Coast of Panama at the seaside resort of Las Lajas.
This young lady and her brother approached me to ask if I would take some photos of them on the beach and email them. They were at Playa Venao, which is an upscale resort on the Pacific Coast where I stopped in long enough to determine that I couldn't afford to drink there. This is probably the best shot I got that day - what I call the "Bo Derek" shot. If you don't know who Bo Derek is then never mind. And guys, calm yourselves. She's just 14.
Near the town of Las Tablas, not far from another seaside resort more in keeping with my socio-economic bracket (Playa El Uverito) I was driving around and came upon this pasture right about sunset. I see a little silhouetto of a cow...Oh, stop it.
Near Vista Del Mar, the B&B where I stayed during my time at Playa El Uverito, I began taking meals at this little open air restaurant (called a fonda) where the fried plantains were hot, the beer was cold, and both were delicious. I think this guy was the owner. I saw him there every night and saw him every morning taking a walk by the beach.
Speaking of beer, the local brews were Atlas, Panama, and Balboa. By far, Balboa was the best, in my humble opinion. It compared favorably to Coors Light which, in hot weather, is pretty darned refreshing. Since taking this photo I've been waiting for the Balboa Beer Company to offer me a contract for marketing. Hasn't happened yet so don't be looking for this shot on a billboard near you anytime soon.
This little guy was pretty good at blending in with his surroundings. At least so long as his surroundings consisted of black volcanic sand. For reference, this sand crab was about the size of an American dime, which, along with his coloring made him pretty well invisible. At least until he moved. Very skittish, these crabs would take off at warp speed whenever something approached but they could only seem to detect lateral movement. As long as I didn't move quickly and was able to get close enough to make my approach from above these crabs would pose pretty well.
This doorway is to an old house built in the jungle outside of Boquete. Built in the 1930s, it was never completed, although an effort was made in the 1970s but it was finally abandoned because the jungle terrain made it too difficult to get materials in. The Panamanian government has taken it over and it is now part of a wildlife preserve, or so I'm told.
An exterior shot.
An interior shot.
Both of these photos were taken alongside a road that winds through the jungle outside of Boquete. This particular area, in the Chiriqui province, was home to the Ngöbe–Buglé tribe of indigenous people, who provide most of the manual labor in the province.
Boquete is home to one of the most beautiful botanical gardens I've ever seen. It is a private garden that also serves as the residence of the Gonzalez family and is known as "Mi Jardin es Tu Jardin," or, "My Garden is Your Garden." At seventy-five cents for admission this is one of the best bargains in a country filled with bargains.
These are just a few of the nearly 4,000 photos I took during my two week trip. I can't wait to go back. In the meantime, though, I'll be working on my Spanish language skills. The full series (not 4,000 photos but quite a few) can be found here.
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