Post from Michelle:
Leaving Panama City for Costa Rica presented a daunting 14 hour bus ride. So we decided to break the trip into two sections, stopping for a day at Boquete. Boquete is a small town sitting in a mountain valley at the base of an inactive volcano. The mountains surrounding the town rise high and the beautiful citrus and coffee plantations that cover the hills are frequently half obscured in clouds.
We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day! Tim and I started our day with bread and coffee at a local bakery and then headed out to explore. We visited a coffee factory called Cafe Ruiz and were given our own private tour of the facilities - all in Spanish! Needless to say, I didn't understand much of it but still enjoyed it.
We ventured farther down the road and visited "Mi Jarden es su Jardin", an amazing gardens surrounding a private estate. Flowers, running streams, and lawn ornaments were everywhere. A cross between a classic plantation and a miniature golf course, the garden was truly unique.
We then walked about 8 miles on back roads above the town among coffee plantations, school children staring at us in awe, and the sparkling Rio Caldera River. The landscape and cool climate reminded me quite a bit of the Colorado mountains. We returned to our pension in the afternoon ready for a nap!
We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day! Tim and I started our day with bread and coffee at a local bakery and then headed out to explore. We visited a coffee factory called Cafe Ruiz and were given our own private tour of the facilities - all in Spanish! Needless to say, I didn't understand much of it but still enjoyed it.
We ventured farther down the road and visited "Mi Jarden es su Jardin", an amazing gardens surrounding a private estate. Flowers, running streams, and lawn ornaments were everywhere. A cross between a classic plantation and a miniature golf course, the garden was truly unique.We then walked about 8 miles on back roads above the town among coffee plantations, school children staring at us in awe, and the sparkling Rio Caldera River. The landscape and cool climate reminded me quite a bit of the Colorado mountains. We returned to our pension in the afternoon ready for a nap!