Snapshots Boquete

A sudden urge came up to hit the road the day I last wrote on this blog. Something was up in the air, felt as an itching or heard as a humming maybe. I asked about the last bus leaving Santa Catalina at the store. The woman replied at 14:00 hours. That´s in 40 minutes, just enough to walk up, get my stuff I already had packed that morning in response to a nasty morning mood getting up at 06:35. So, I said to myself, if Nina and Chris are there to stay, I don´t go, if the path shows otherwise, I march. On my way up I meet Chris packed and sacked moving towards the bus already, he had written a note for us. That´s the sign, I´m off too. 40 minutes, clock´s ticking. I arrive, tell Juan Carlos, the surfer that works there to make up the bills straightaway and move into the room to grab the bags and say goodbye to Nina. It all happened so fast, a moment´s decision. I walk down again, with exactly 20 minutes left. At the fork in the road there´s a car a haller at. He gives me a ride part of the way. ´Thanks for the wave´ I tell him when jumping off. An Australian ´no worries´ sounds and the car pulls away. I will make the bus.

The busride was covered partly standing up, because they ticket sellers have no clue of how many people there are already on the bus. But it was alright. One man got a little upset complaining out loud. I asked a woman, hey, could you teach me some salsa whilke I stand up here? She had to laugh. The guy that got upset is standing next to me and a chinese man. He tells him: Usted es un chino feo. You are a ugly chinese. We can´t help laughing because of the guy´s bluntness. Chris offers me his seat after the first hour and after that some people get off and we are all a sitting family again, Chris, and two tourguides from Costa Rica and the US. We share the taxi to the purple house hostel. There I meet some people including a Sweed how´s name is Frosty, Ricky from San Francisco and Joe and Veveka from Canada. (Joe, Veveka and Ricky are in the pictures) We team up for Boquete the next day. What I originally would do with Chris and Frosty, but Chris leaves on an twist of fate and furthermore conscious choice to catch a cheap flight to Buenos Aires.

The next morning we are good to go. I wake up vibrant, energized, doing my daily peaceful warrior routine. Frosty left just before we get back from the supermarket. I guess we´ll see him there then.

Miguel Gonzalez is a member of the couchsurfing community. He wrote me he would be for a week in Boquete and said it would be cool to meet up. I wrote him and he told me where best to stay in Boquete, so after having toured different hostels, we all check into El Refugio del Rio, what a great place.

That same afternoon we take the bus towards the Pozos de Caldera: hotsprings from the vucano (see pictures) After the bus drops us off at a crossroads we hitch a ride in the back of a truck to Caldera, a town of witches and cowboys accodring to the Planet. Then it´s just another gravel road hike until we make it to the first hot spring. 42 degrees celcius makes us lightheaded in no time. The sulfur smell is minimal. After two hot springs we refresh ourselves in the nearby river before heading back. We got half an hour before dusk. We get out at the supermarket, buy foods, cook a meal and call it a day.