Panama Travelog #13
El Valle, Panama - Tue, 24 Dec 2024. 12:30pm.

After the one hike we were able to do this morning, at Chorro Macho falls, we came back through town to get lunch. I was still fuming about the two hikes we were not able to do but tried not to let my frustration drag me down too much. After all, there are still other worthy things ( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #12
El Valle, Panama - Tue, 24 Dec 2024. 11:30am.

Finally, we've done a hike in Panama. A hike on a trail that was open, accessible via our weeny rental car, and which delivered exactly what it promised (no touts or shills filling sites with fake reviews). And it only took us... 5 tries.

On the way back to town from our aborted ( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #11
El Valle, Panama - Tue, 24 Dec 2024. 10:30am.

Today's Tuesday, our second full day in Panama and our first full day in El Valle de Antón. We had a full day planned of fun hiking trips on trails around the northwest side of town. Emphasis on had. As in, we had plans. Now they've joined the maddeningly long, and still growing, ( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #10
El Valle, Panama - Mon, 23 Dec 2024. 8pm.

With so many little things go wrong on this trip we're trying to keep our spirits up. Instead of remaining bitter about the things we missed because they were closed, broken, unavailable, swapped to a cheaper model, etc., we're trying to focus on what we do have.


( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #9
El Valle, Panama - Mon, 23 Dec 2024. 4pm.

After our tiring 2-hour drive in Panama today we arrived at Hotel Campestre in El Valle, Panama. This area, whose full name is El Valle de Antón, is in the caldera of an ancient volcano. There are mountains all around us.... They are the rim of the ancient volcano we are inside.


( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #8
El Valle, Panama - Mon, 23 Dec 2024. 3pm.

This afternoon we drove from Gamboa, Panama, the home of the Gamboa Rainforest Preserve, to Valley de Antón. It was a 132km trip. Along the way our only stop was a brief, foiled attempt to hike a waterfallDriving 132km, which is not quite 80 miles, can be quite an undertaking or can be a ( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #7
Gamboa, Panama - Mon, 23 Dec 2024. 12:30pm.

First our hike this morning at the pipeline road was a bust. "Abundant wildlife!" gushed one recent review. Others praised the quantity and variety of wildlife we'd see. We saw none. None. It was just a walk through the rain forest on a dirt-and-gravel road ( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #6
Gamboa, Panama - Mon, 23 Dec 2024. 12pm.

Today we checked out from the Gamboa Resort after breakfast. We wound up not doing anything resort-y during our time there, except that Hawk relaxed in the hammock on our balcony. I fret that we squandered the opportunity there. Shouldn't we have taken more advantage of the activities ( Read more... )

Panama Travelog #5
Gamboa Reserve, Panama - Sun, 22 Dec 2024. 7:30pm.

This afternoon after landing in Panamá City (the one in Panamá, not Florida, US) and renting a car we drove around Panamá City and then north into the mountains along the spine of the country to the Gamboa Reserve. It was a drive of 45km that took about an hour due to some ( Read more... )

For lunch Saturday Hawk and I tried visiting a new-ish restaurant chain nearby, Sourdough & Co. I've eaten there once before and was disappointed with the high price for a modestly sized sandwich but thought I'd give it another try. In hindsight I should have known there'd be trouble when the restaurant didn't have its basic sandwich prices listed ( Read more... )