The simplest way to get to Panama City appeared to be by bus to San Isidro and then another to David direct. I figured that if I took the first bus of the morning at 0530, I would be in David by about 4pm. After an initially very boring drive inland we swept down to the coast again to Playa Domingo. A sleepy little town frequented mainly by the hippie set and surfers. After this we started to ascend the high ground that forms the spine of Central America and the views to the coast from the hairpin bends were spectacular. It was on one of these bends that a rear tire blew out on the bus, but apart from the bang and the flapping of the ruptured casing we continued on to San Isidro uneventfully. After walking to the Tracopa bus terminal, I had a couple of hours to kill, so I played some flamenco to the bemused passers by. I dozed through much of the next leg of the journey, but it was most enjoyable winding through rolling hills before the ground flattened out as we approached the border at Paso Canoas.
David is Panama's 2nd city and it seems to have been founded, or at least populated by Europeans who thought they were going to California to join the gold rush, but were dropped off in Panama. Instead of continuing on to their intended destination, they stayed and made a life. I attempted to go to the main museum,Osbaldia, but this was closed for restoration, or rather left open and empty, so that vagrants wouldn't break into it. Next was the Police museum, which had a rather tedious display of photographs from the conflict with Costa Rica, which Panama won apparently, but the US ceded the Panamanian territory to Costa Rica as the result of some terrible misunderstanding on their part(?). Finally I went to Museo El Casaron, which housed clothing and artifacts from the colonial era in the house of a Dr Mueller who had come to Panama by mistake. Apart from seeing the old clothes, bottles and furniture and agricultural implements, there were some bond certificates for the original Panama Canal, which the French didn't manage to build.
THe Art Deco bank on the edge of the Parque Centrale
The old colonial house which is now Museo Osbaldia, and belonged to a former President of Panama. Now empty and waiting for repair
I had read that there was a very beautiful walk called the Quetzal Trail, that links Cerra Punto to Boquete through cloud forest by the side of Volcán Baru and si determined to do it. The 2 hour ride from David brought me into an Alpine setting, where many small holdings produced an abundance of vegetables, although mainly onions and potatoes at this time of year. It was lovely to walk in the fresh cool air after the oppressive heat and humidity of David. I rose early the next morning to make the walk alone, which I did slowly in the hope of seeing a beautiful Quetzal bird. Sadly, I found out at the end that this is the wrong season for them, they tend to migrate at the end of April and reappear towards November. It was utterly magical to have the trail to myself initially, so peaceful, pausing every few minutes to scan the canopy and the undergrowth.
Towards the end the illusion of mystical beauty was destroyed as I encountered other groups of walkers, including one with a professional guide; they neither saw nor heard a quetzal either.
The Alpine scenery at the Cerro Punta side of the trail before Refugio Respiguo
The trail at the start
Looking up into the cloud forest canopy
Still looking for those elusive quetzales
Willie the toucan at Pension Topas in Boquete, the final destination of the walk. Sadly caged alone in an aviary now, because he is so tame, having been hand reared from being abandoned at birth, that his owners fear that he'll be stolen and sold.
Looking down on Boquete from the hill behind the town. It is now full of American and European retirees attracted by the fresh climate and mountain air. It is surrounded by coffee plantations and hills and occasionally you can even see Volcán Baru. The big estate agents are there now and property prices are high.
David is Panama's 2nd city and it seems to have been founded, or at least populated by Europeans who thought they were going to California to join the gold rush, but were dropped off in Panama. Instead of continuing on to their intended destination, they stayed and made a life. I attempted to go to the main museum,Osbaldia, but this was closed for restoration, or rather left open and empty, so that vagrants wouldn't break into it. Next was the Police museum, which had a rather tedious display of photographs from the conflict with Costa Rica, which Panama won apparently, but the US ceded the Panamanian territory to Costa Rica as the result of some terrible misunderstanding on their part(?). Finally I went to Museo El Casaron, which housed clothing and artifacts from the colonial era in the house of a Dr Mueller who had come to Panama by mistake. Apart from seeing the old clothes, bottles and furniture and agricultural implements, there were some bond certificates for the original Panama Canal, which the French didn't manage to build.
THe Art Deco bank on the edge of the Parque Centrale
The old colonial house which is now Museo Osbaldia, and belonged to a former President of Panama. Now empty and waiting for repair
I had read that there was a very beautiful walk called the Quetzal Trail, that links Cerra Punto to Boquete through cloud forest by the side of Volcán Baru and si determined to do it. The 2 hour ride from David brought me into an Alpine setting, where many small holdings produced an abundance of vegetables, although mainly onions and potatoes at this time of year. It was lovely to walk in the fresh cool air after the oppressive heat and humidity of David. I rose early the next morning to make the walk alone, which I did slowly in the hope of seeing a beautiful Quetzal bird. Sadly, I found out at the end that this is the wrong season for them, they tend to migrate at the end of April and reappear towards November. It was utterly magical to have the trail to myself initially, so peaceful, pausing every few minutes to scan the canopy and the undergrowth.
Towards the end the illusion of mystical beauty was destroyed as I encountered other groups of walkers, including one with a professional guide; they neither saw nor heard a quetzal either.
The Alpine scenery at the Cerro Punta side of the trail before Refugio Respiguo
The trail at the start
Looking up into the cloud forest canopy
Still looking for those elusive quetzales
Willie the toucan at Pension Topas in Boquete, the final destination of the walk. Sadly caged alone in an aviary now, because he is so tame, having been hand reared from being abandoned at birth, that his owners fear that he'll be stolen and sold.
Looking down on Boquete from the hill behind the town. It is now full of American and European retirees attracted by the fresh climate and mountain air. It is surrounded by coffee plantations and hills and occasionally you can even see Volcán Baru. The big estate agents are there now and property prices are high.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario