Pack it up we did on Friday morning and left a remote village tucked in the basin of a volcanic crater. It´s called El Valle. I sit now writing to you from a computer looking out at a grand view of the mountains we climbed today.
First let me tell you that we made our way to the Panama City bus station with ease and were quick to find our bus. The buses in Panama are colorful, airbrush painted like the artwork you´d expect to see on pinball machines. You can find depictions of Mr. T from the A Team, Hollywood stars, Wild Animals, and a scantilly dressed senorita painted next to Jesus Christ. Religion is seemlessly spliced into the raciness of their daily lives.
I was pleased to inspect the pack sizes of my travelmates and see that I hadn´t overpacked. My camera equipment weighs the most.
A two and a half hour bus ride Northwest through the subtropical forests of Panama brought us to this absolutely marvelous, quiet and friendly village. We saw McDonalds, fruit markets with piles of pinas, naranjas y guavas. It essentially rained all day. We are staying at the Hotel Don Pepe that has a restaurant and gift shop on en la planta baja (ground floor) and tropical birds in the back garden. Don Pepe is a gregarious fellow who extended his hand with a heartfelt "Bienvenidos" showing the way to our rooms. We fell in love with the remoteness of this valley and the curious residents. The children were all returning home from school in their uniforms. After a bite to eat in the hotel cafe we walked in raincoats to el zoologico de El Valle. The pueblo is so small that everything is within walking distance.
The Zoo was a place of zero commercialism. We were met at the gate and paid a couple bucks each. One more or less follows a path through a thick vegetation and trees which spill out to different viewing areas. Aviaries and cages of exotic birds, monkeys, tapirs, ostrich, and our two favorites: the leopards and the golden frogs, or "Ranas Doradas".
The gold frog are typical of this valley and we actually found one hopping loose around the zoo. The monkeys wanted attention and enjoyed being stroked... as did, to our surprise, one of the leopards. It was dusk when the caretakers were making their rounds to feed chickens and other smaller birds to the leopards and to the birds of prey (such as falcons and owls). So this female leopard was quite sociable and would purr and talk, stepping up onto the chicken wire cage rubbing her face along it and sticking her legs through the wider spots to be petted. One was parading around with her chicken in her mouth. Other features of the zoo included the orchid house and the Japanese reflecting ponds with fountain.
While filming the golden frogs, I was fortunate to capture video of a whole school of boys who were eager to perform a comical handclapped song.
Dinner was at the Pizzaria Pinnochio.
Early to bed and early to rise.