Friday, April 21, 2017
It's Day 13. We are in Boquete, a well know travelers stop in the Panamanian mountains.
We are staying at the Villa Marita for two nights. Today is the second of our two "off" days. It's early morning. I'm on the dock of the main lodge,
watching the sunrise illuminate the volcano before me. A sight to behold. I'm enjoying another jungle concert of various wildlife; multiple species of birds, crickets, monkeys and more. I'm sipping my strong Panama coffee, black. It's the only way to drink it here. A rooster is crowing, a dog barking in the distance. I am as contented as I could possibly be. My favorite time of day, in this serene setting, overwhelmed by God's finest. I couldn't be more appreciative. A special thank you to Margot for her supportiveness in allowing me these long adventures without her.
Yesterday ride was a tough one; 23 miles in the heat up and down long steep low trafficked roads. I paced it well, going much slower than usual. Despite the conditions, I could have kept going for quite awhile. The quarts of water, bananas and pineapple helped a lot.
We were slated to go around 35 miles but Fredder cut it short. A couple of the others were struggling. A smart decision on his part.
We began riding around noon after a morning ferry and a three hour van ride on steep, tight winding roads. Thankfully, David had motion sickness pills (he's thought of everything). I get motion sickness quite easily. The pills really helped. Thank you David.
We arrived at the Villa Marita around 4:30 after stopping for lunch in Boquete town center. Rather than another big greasy meal, I went to the supermarket where I bought a yogurt, a health bar (if you can call it that) and a jar of peanut butter and crackers.
It was pouring rain so we didn't walk around much. I'm so happy that Intrepid Travel arranged for our accommodations to be outside the noisy center. The town was interesting but not a place to spend a lot of time.
The Marita only serves breakfast. Last night, all of us, except Margaret, hung out on the lobby balcony. We ordered out for pizza and drank the case of beer that Bill had bought in Boquete. It was a fun night of storytelling and laughs.
Though unspoken, not having to tiptoe around Margaret was evident to all.
I have a two room cottage to myself. The shower has hot water, a rarity on this trip. The view outside my sliding glass doors is incredible. Being in the mountains, it was cool at night. I left the windows open and listen to the wildlife. It was my best night sleep yet.
Today's off day was intended for everyone to do whatever they wanted, alone or in subgroups. Like our off day in Bocas Del Toro, we opted to do something together. At 9 a.m. we are being picked up for an all-day white water rafting trip. Should be fun. Bye for now.
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Location:Boquete, Panama
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