El Valle
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the Chorro el Macho
waterfall |
A short one hour drive up into the hills to a town called El Valle. After the heavy air of the coast, the coolness at altitude is a welcome change. There is a final dip into the town itself as it sits in what once was the crater of a volcano. Looking for signs to a potential campsite - which I don't find - I end up at the waterfall. I know this to be a popular local attraction because there is a busload of old tourists hobbling over to check it out. Paying my $3.60 to get in, the surrounding woods to the waterfall are beautiful and I'm thinking a nice hike is in order. Except, every trail has been blocked off for some reason. You can swim at the waterfall, but I didn't come prepared for that. Nice to look at, though.
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| square tree |
I ended up staying at a local hotel in the center of town for convenience sake. They rent bikes - the best way to see the area - so that's what I did, pedaling off to see another of the local attractions, the square trees. There is a short hike through the woods to get to a small area where these trees grow. They are, in fact, quadrilateral in nature, I'll say that much. The picture doesn't do it justice. What I notice most about this town is the large number of very expensive homes, beautifully landscaped and usually behind gates. And lots of people riding bikes or golfcarts. And lots of expats. Two of them are Ty and Michelle, from Canada. Laid off from the auto. industry, they rolled the dice and came down here to open Ty's Sports Bar. I walked in to hear some english spoken and to watch the playoffs. On the menu was a hot chicken sandwich with fries, brown gravy over everything. Oh man, talk about flashbacks to all those Jersey diner days. This was an excellent meal!
Santa Catalina
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| a view of the sea at Las Palmas |
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| Santa Catalina cove |
After one night back at XS Memories RV in Santa Clara (I really wanted to sleep in my tent), I headed west and south to the growing beach town of Santa Catalina. Still small with a number of cheap rooms and cabanas for rent, it feels like it's ready to become something bigger. This is another of the great surf breaks in Central America and most places are full of surfers from around the world. I follow a one-lane dirt road to it's conclusion at a place called Las Palmas Cabanas. The Panamanian owner shows me a room, nice enough, but I notice a flat spot off to the side. "Can I camp here?" "Sure, $6." Sweet, my new home for two nights.
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| the chef with lunch |
The surf beach is a healthy 30 minute walk under a strong sun and when I get there the tide is way out. Everyone is laying in the shade waiting for the tide to change, so I explore down a few side roads which lead to more cabanas and a few homes. Except for the surf beach most of this coast is quite rocky with some large islands off shore which turns out to be good fishing territory. Some men are unloading their lancha of the days catch at a nearby landing where there's a restaurant. The chef there buys a couple of red snappers, and about 30 minutes later one of the fillets becomes my lunch. Pretty good timing.
My next stop is Boquete, where I am now, again up in the mountains. After this it's off to Bocas del Toro. This time I've tracked down a room ahead of my visit. I don't want to miss another island experience. I hope it pans out.
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