Rafting The Changuinola River

This was another trip where I had to leave the camera at home and I'm glad I did.  Some of you following my blog from the beginning may have remembered that I like to raft on our adventures.  This rafting experience was amazing because the river was chaotic in some parts.  The Changuinola is not a river for beginners nor is it for people who can't swim.  We had some incredible rapids on this 3 hour trek down the river.  There were two rafts.  One was the raft of the "borrachos" or drunks and ours was the one who saved their sorry butts when their entire raft flipped over spilling everyone into the river.  Normally this wouldn't have been fun, but I loved the challenge as we put into place our emergency measures while still floating towards a major rapid.  I had pulled a member to safey onto our raft but for the first time in my life, I was thrown from the boat as we hit a rock. It went something like this.  Their raft flips.  People scattered all over the river screaming for help.  Our raft reaches out to assist while we enter dangerous waters ourselves.  I pull a person up onto the raft.  In slow motion, I look back and see the "rock" and prepare for my death.  I'm thrown into the waters while still in the rapids. It was a bit scary as the current caught my feet in several of the rocks but thankfully I didn't let go of our raft and two members were able to haul me up.  The Changuinola river is a several hour ride from the town of David or Boquete.  The rapids, depending on the time of year, can go from level 3-5.  Our journey measured at 3/4 which made it exciting and fun.  If you want some adventure, sit in the front of the raft for maximum water splash.  Rafting is a great and fun way to see a different part of the countryside while getting some exercise and laughs.  There are 3 rafting companies in Boquete that are all very good.  We paid around 80 bucks for the day.  If you don't have experience rafting or don't know how to swim, don't do this river. I have to admit that I was a bit scared going into this one when they started talking about rafts flipping over....and sure enough, one of them did.  We didn't want to go on the raft with the drunks because as we all know, drinking and driving aren't good things.  And because they didn't take things seriously nor pay attention, their raft flipped over.  Anyhow, I'd do it again because it was a blast. If you want a little spice for your trip, this makes for a great day trip.  One more post to go today at 2PM and our adventures in Panama will be over.  September is a really interesting month of writes from the garden, forest fires, gardening tips, some travel, and a bit of science.  We're back in Tucson starting tomorrow!

The Bus to Boquete

Exhausted and bitten up, we headed from David to the town of Boquete. For most of our stay in Panama, it had been very hot and humid until we reached this town in the clouds. I remember the day well as I walked off that school bus onto the center square.  It was actually cold and rainy! To top it all off, our hotel was just a couple footsteps away from the bus stop! In fact, there was a beautiful supermarket by the name of Romero, several banks, a language school, bars, ice cream shops, and a lot of other places that would make our stay in Boquete convenient.  Now if only the rain would cooperate every once in awhile.  Bring an umbrella!   

Boquete celebrated its hundreth birthday this year.  They moved one of the old railroad cars in front of the post office at the center square.  Boquete is a beautiful city that has an educated feel to it.  While it didn't take my breath away like Coiba or Gamboa, the weather and people made it very appealing.  In fact, we ended up staying a bit longer in this cool weather and it was here that we felt like we were on vacation since our trip had begun.  Plus all the conveniences that one takes for granted at home are all right at your doorstep.  We could cook our own meals.  We could walk everywhere.  We could walk around at night without getting killed. We could sleep with our windows open without sweating up a storm in our bedsheets.  There was warm water, delicious pastries, activity centers to plan day trips.....and coffee!!  It took very little effort to live here and because of it, we kinda lost track of time so be careful if you're on a schedule.  Boquete's convenience is alluring.

I'd go for walks along mountain slopes and there were times that I felt like I was in Europe. The Caldera river winds through this town and brings with it a cool breeze. Today this town is not only attractive to Panamanians but it has become home to retired Americans and Europeans as well. English is spoken all over.  You can drink the water from the sink. And Boquete seems like a good investment for all people interested in living here.  

It is cloudy much of the day and will rain forever.  For this desert dweller, I rather enjoyed this misty change of pace. Picture it.  Raining. Coffee.  My kindle.  So while my friends pressured me to go go go......I just wanted to stay stay stay by my open window and breath in the fresh air.  In fact, they thought I was funny because I didn't do much at all in Boquete.  Well to be honest, it's true.  I forced myself to move from my rocking chair overlooking the stormy woods to go and do some reports for this blog.  Well, the word "forced" sounds negative and it wasn't a negative experience at all.  Everything was fun, but I found myself needing to take a break from blogging.  I just wanted "to be" and left alone to read my George R.R. Martin series. Yes, I'm currently on the "Fire and Ice" books which I started about 2 years ago. Now I'm reading the 5th book, "A Dance With Dragons". These books are mammoths at around 1200 pages each!  LOVED MY KINDLE for this trip!!  They sent me my book over the whispernet.  No need for bookstores anymore which is kinda sad but that's for another discussion. Some of you who blog 24/7 understand what I mean.  Sometimes, you just gotta take a break.

This is also a great place to study Spanish.  I'd recommend visiting Boquete at the end of your Panama travels as it's the perfect place to relax and hang out with friends.

We enjoyed our time here and saw gardens, did some rafting, and had some coffee.  My friends took a scooter ride up into the hills.  You can do as much or as little as you want, it all depends on you. I met a lot of interesting travelers.  In fact, they sell a boxed wine for $2.50 cents.  I enjoyed my mojitos in the muggy tropics, but I also enjoyed my boxed wine with others during our numerous and delicious dinner conversations.  If you want to make this place a work out, there's always that midnight run to Volcan where you hike the entire night to see both the Caribbean and Pacific side of Panama from on top this super high volcano.....but seriously?  There's no way I was doing that again.  It's dark and uphill. At the end of our trip, we were exhausted and so glad Boquete was there to offer us some down time.  Until tomorrow.....

PS.  The architecture and design of this town is really interesting.  And breakfast is cheap and delicious.