Western Panama - Boquete

From Costa Rica I dropped into Panama. Just across the border in the mountains is the very pleasant town of Boquete. Dormant Volcano Arazu towers above it. From the top, if the skies are clear, you can see the Caribbean and the Pacific Oceans. The volcano can be seen above the bus in the following picture.

Like all the volcanoes I've been up, it began with an area of jungle cleared for cow pastures. In the picture that follows is an abandoned house - a good indicator of the moisture the area recieves.

Then came a steep section farmed by the local ¨campesinos¨ - or poor people who make what they can off the land in the mountains. This guy looked like he was working in the clouds (pink shirt in center).

This is followed by dense jungle. In this case I was fascinated by the difference in the colors of the trees.

Then comes the section where the locals rearrange the volcanic rock just below the summit into graffiti. I chose to blow up the biggest and most prevalent - Viene Cristo (Christ is Coming).

Finally, the summit. There is always a cross and usually offerings (flowers and such). This one also contained a radio tower farm.

I hauled my gear to the top prepared to spend a cold night there with the expectation of a clear morning view of both oceans. However I was met by a friendly policeman who offered to let me stay in the police bunkhouse with a warm beds, heater, stove, water and bathroom - I accepted.

The morning was incredible (8°C outside, 18°C inside). I hauled out at 5:30 am and was met by a stunning view of the stars above and town lights below (a recurring theme in my trip.) I could see the lights of David City on the Pacific side and the lights of Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean side. At dawn, the oceans began to reflect the sunlight.

Caribbean side...

Pacific side...

About an hour after sunrise, the clouds began to move in and the show was over. I headed down.