2006-11 = Trip to Panama

	*Jay & Nicole's Trip to Panama - Nov. 2006* (click any small picture to get enlargement)

This is the last page in the story of Jay & Nicole's trip to Panama: Panama City & Canal Southern Beach Boquete Mtn Bocas Del Toro Islands Trinidad Mtn & Return previous this page

We left the islands of Bocas Del Toro via a series of water-taxis and returned to the mainland. We retrieved our rental car and headed back up the mountains towards David. From there we would travel to the central mountain area and stay at the Trinidad Resort for one night.

We looked for a gas station as we left the Bocas area, but couldn't find one. We didn't remember seeing any gas stations on the way here, but figured there had to be some. As we progressed further from the coast and began ascending, the tank got emptier ... and we got more worried.

We got to the top of the mountain and sighed some relief. On the way down the other side, I let the car glide in neutral whenever possible. We only found gas at the very bottom of the mountain ... whew!

We had constant rain after David and thus the drive to the central mountain area was quite slow. This central mountains are ancient volcanoes and have a unique shape. Well-placed signs helped us find the Trinidad Spa & Resort rather easily.

*The resort consisted of multiple one-story buildings scattered over a rather large property.* *The rooms were nothing special, especially since we just paid for the standard version. The mountain air and scenery is what makes this place special though.*



We walked around and looked at the other buildings ... some had awesome valley views.


The Gardener must have been a busy person!	Hawks would glide past without paying any attention to us.	We had a night-time visitor hoping to find some apples.


The next day began with a nice breakfast and a stunning view ... including a strange hill in front.

*From the outside terrace we could get a better view of the volcanic hill (an old steam vent).*

*We walked to the end of the property and got a better view of the valley next door ... very nice!* *The weather was perfectly comfortable, with fresh air and tons of plants and flowers.* *Paradise!*



*We followed a trail for a while and came upon small local farms ... a muddy area turned us back.*

*A bug took up residence on my hat while I took another picture of the beautiful mountain area.*

	*Back at the room, we saw the deer from the previous night; it came up to greet Nicole and wanted to be scratched.* *The deer was not afraid and I could go right up and pet it. I don't know how they did it, but it was very friendly and tame.*

	*The next day, after another fine breakfast, we said goodbye to Trinidad and headed back towards Panama City.* *The mountain areas of Panama were excellent and we will recommend any of these areas to anyone who plans to visit.*

*On the way back we passed a cemetery which was beautifully decorated with flowers.* *The people of Panama seem to have a passion for color ... even when dealing with death.*

*We descended from the central mountains and got back to the coastal highway for the return trip to Panama City.* *We were ahead of schedule and decided to visit another beach area. We didn't have any good write-ups of this area, so we just took any exit we saw that went towards the sea.*


*After a few failures in finding a suitable place to stop, we came across this nice looking beach area.*


*The beach had black volcanic sand, which looked neat; the crab hole above highlights the contrast.*


At first glance we thought this was a top-notch resort area, but then found out it was only a simple fishing village. We were even more saddened when we couldn't even find a place to get a drink!		*Once again there were remains of large projects that were left unfinished ... too bad!*



In conclusion, we returned safely to Panama City and had a decent flight back to Caracas. Overall, Panama was an enjoyable place that will likely continue to grow at a fast pace!

Panama City & Canal Southern Beach Boquete Mtn Bocas Del Toro Islands Trinidad Mtn & Return this page Go to Jay's Home Page Go to the Costa Rica picture page new