Panama!!!

Somehow, one thing lead to the next and we hopped on a bus in Monteverde and found ourselves nine hours south on an island off the coast of Panama. The trek just about killed us as it was scorching hot, we didn´t bring food, and there weren´t break stops. The last leg of the trip was on a boat to this island and I think we were both about ready to just ship and call it a good life! But things `pìcked up undoubtedly and after a long night of sleep in the 90 degree weather we have rebounded and come back to our usual adventurous selves...aka. We island hopped with kayaks today in the gorgeous tourquoise water and it was unreal! The water is pleasantly only luke warm and the sunshine, the view, and the choppy double kayak ride were a delight! Highly recommended to all!

Monteverde was the first real disappointment of our trip. It may have been that a week of traveling for the sake of traveling was beginning to take its toll and we were ready for something a bit more productive, or it may have been that Monteverde had been too hyped up by the many foreigners who recommended that we go there. The town itself bills itself as a ´rainforest in the clouds´, and it is just that. When the sun rises the mist clears and the sky is blue, but by early afternoon the clouds settle back down and the town is buried again in a fog. It was the first time that we had to wear our sweatshits, and the hotel came equipped with flannel sheets. We went on a few hikes, but aside from a few amazing views, they were not much more impressive than the hikes we had done in other places along our way. In fact, after a long an hot hike through the sticky forest we were finally approaching the ámazing buena vista/mirador...and loa and behold we turn the corner and the view is totally blocked off by an old and totally overgrown tree...NO VIEW! the killer part was that we paid 8 dollars each for a non view view!!!!! To make matters even more comical, when we were finally leaving by bus the next morning the road we drove on for oh soo cheap had the exact same view, at half price mind you! Needless to say, we boycotted taking pictures of the tree.

The history of Monteverde is kind of interesting as it was founded by Quakers from the states that chose to move away from the more modernized society. They set up a cheese factory which is still in buisness today but descendents of the same family. Once the region had been discovered, with its supposed endless wildlife, it became and eco tourism Mecca. We didn´t see much wildlife, but it was still a relaxing few days. After two days we decided that we would skip Vulcan Arenal and head back to the beach to finish off our trip with heat and sun, which as Rachele said, involved crossing the border down into Panama. That was quite an experience in itself.

The pictures above are from just ourside our hotel. We are in a series of Islands collectively called Bocas del Toro. There is plenty to keep us busy for the next few days, and then we´ll be heading back to catch a flight from San Jose on Friday.

Hope everyone is well back home, we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Kenton and Rachele