This is going to cover a few days, mostly because we were so exhausted at the end of every day that blogging was the furthest thing from our minds.  With that in mind, this post is quite the tome.  I hope you’ll understand.

Going back a few days, we decided that because I was still waking up at 5:30 or so, we’d head back to the car to get our kit.  I happen to like getting up early when it’s quiet, no one else is awake, I can catch up on the world via the interwebs, and watch the sun rise as the world comes to life.  Doing that without coffee, however, is intolerable.   If any part of my morning is ritualistic, it’s my morning coffee.  The restaurant here doesn’t open until 7:30, so on Sunday we took a water taxi back to the mainland, got our kit, some water, and a few munchies.

While we were on shore, we took the car up to Playa Horconcito, a flat, wide beach, with the tide wayyyyyy out.

It didn’t look like there was much for shade there, as nice as it was, so we put a check mark in the box, and made our way back.

By that time, it was about 10:30 or so, and looking forward to the next morning, made our way back to the beach, but this time with the camera.

Here’s a few shots of the long walk to the beach.  Arriba, abaho, arriba, abaho.  The first picture sets the tone.

This is that crappy tent you can rent for $40/night. Riiight.  Howlers Bay.

The first few days this was brutal.  Now, that my calves have stopped screaming at me, it’s not too bad.

We spent another nice day at that small beach, which we copied verbatim the next day, but that time we had the beach all to ourselves all day.

Yesterday, along with two from France, and two from Italy, we took a boat tour to Isla Bellenas.  We got a different view of all the places we’d walked to along the way.

The Captain, El Perizoso (spanish for lazy), horked and spat all the way there, just laid on the beach, and basically did nothing but put money in his shorts.  No life jackets.  No “tour” info.  He did have masks and snorkels, but no warning of tides or wave actions near reefs.  So, add that to the list…

Here’s the restaurant from the water.  On the top is a deck that is quiet and private at night.  On a clear night, the stars scream at you.

Cass had never been snorkeling, so a few short lessons there, and she was off.   A little freaked out with the waves and current coming back, but nonetheless ok.  Don’t worry Ma, I have lifeguard training.

We had our hammocks set up in the trees again, hers and his.

I found a coconut to break open and share with people, and no sooner was I ten pages into my book than Captain Perizoso gronked, and told us all to get back on the boat because we were going to another island.  THAT, was unexpected.  The other tours I had been on spent the whole day there.

Another 1/2 hour later, we were at a nicer beach, but with a noisy boat of teens, on a skinny part of an island I don’t know the name of because he didn’t tell us, but you could cross to another beach directly opposite it, which was pretty neat.  This pic is from the other side, which was HOT!!!

You could swim both sides of the island in under 3 minutes… but who wants to run???

We were there for another hour before heading back, and we all got our fair share of sun that day.  I’m lobster boy, while she’s an Oreo cookie.  Give me another day and I’ll be chocolate chip.  I know I’m starting to get a good tan when I can see the blonde hairs on my legs, but I’m not there yet.

And that was the end of the goodness.

Once home, all we wanted was a shower to get the salt off of us, but the continual water problems here had the shower water looking like mud. I told the owner about it, he was mildly apologetic, and promised to flush the line out for a while.  Check this out.

Nice, huh?  I’m not unfamiliar with water issues down here.  Things happen, I get it, but THAT was inexcusable, and for me, the final straw.  You’ve been at this 6 years now, so get it figured.  Frank had it down.  Disgusted, I can’t pan this place enough.  It USED to be great.  Cheap rooms, sort of pricey restaurant but with really, really good food that made up for it, access to boat tours, beaches within walking distance that had Christinas’ palapa with drinks and snacks if you wanted, sport fishing, interesting people drawn to it.  It was all there.

Now, the rooms are still inexpensive, but the restaurant is this giant sucking sound right next to your wallet, and they treat you like a captive, because you are one.  They pretend they don’t have drinking water that isn’t bottled (and you know damn well they do for the kitchen), and it’s $1.25 for a liter.  Expensive for here.  The restaurant is even more expensive now, and the portions are smaller, and inconsistent.  No meal, not even breakfast, made it to the table in under 1/2  hour (order drinks please), and the waitresses were…. dunno how to put it…. there, but really not, unfriendly, dull, and the icing on the cake is that you are forced to pay a 10% tip for the pleasure.  Oh, and Christina is not there anymore, her palapa is a ruin, and I learned this is also the new guys’ doing.  Panama is a small town.  Everybody knows everybody.

The whole place has an ill air about it, and for me, it wasa bitter disappointment, mostly for what had been lost.   It got so you just couldn’t overlook it anymore without feeling like a damn fool.  Akkk, I’ll stop before I really go on a rant… have another look at that shower water.

Do come here, but stay on the mainland and take a water taxi.  It’ll be cheaper and you’ll have options.  Or, you could get to know one of the former staff who owns a house on the island and will let people stay with him.  He doesn’t want his place mentioned, so I won’t, but we used to play Frisbee on the beach in the years before.  Super nice guy.  Ha, he said he saw my car a few days earlier in David.  Small town, see?

The good was still very good though:  we both got a great start to a tan, took the R&R we needed, made it to Isla Bellanas, ran into old friends and new who told us of new places, and we’ll leave what we didn’t care for behind.  With that said, it was time to pack up and go, so we did.

Today, we headed towards David, to come to Boquete River Inn, a place I have history with I won’t be putting on the interwebs.  However, an accident on the Interamericana had us sitting still, on fresh black asphalt, in the middle of a long stretch of tall grass on either side.  Sweltering is putting it mildly.

Glad for a map, we turned around after 20 minutes, and headed up through Chiriqui, towards Gualaca, and put off the trip to David until the morning.

Up past Gualaca, and a few other towns, was a place called Caldera.  We didn’t make it there, but instead to the river just before it, which is a fantastic place to cool off and go for a swim at the right times of the year.  We were a little early, but the views were nice, and we’ll probably be back soon enough.

We had some more time to kill up in Boquete, so we toured around some more and got a few really good shots of the coffee plantations up and around there while I sought out another old friend I met years before.

Now, we’re sitting in Cabin #3 at Boquete River Inn.  It’s cool, we’re showered and settled in, and Cass just told me her nose is cold.  Unfreakinbelievalbe!!!

I have to help out around here a bit, which is fine by me, and Cass says she’ll gladly clean the pool.  🙂 We’ll see how long that sentiment lasts.  The place is still amazing, even better now that I have made it here during the change of the seasons.  This is the view out our door here.

We’ll stay here are few days to collect our wits, and then see about maybe Santa Catalina, and a boat tour out to Isla Coiba.

There is a lot more to do here in Panama.  That was only a first stab.