Lost and Found in Panama!

Having only spent a fortnight in Panama, this country is starting to win me over, and Costa Rica has some serious competition!

After two attempts to leave Bocas, (the first boat ran out of petrol) I took the 2 1/2 bus trip to the mainland. The route was simple enough and flew by! Before I knew it I stepped off the bus to the Lost and Found entrance, the jungle hostel hidden up in the mountains! 

I read about it briefly in a Central America guide book but was convinced to go after meeting someone who had recently been and loved it! If you think it's something you would like, it's definitely worth a look: www.lostandfoundlodge.com.

The walk uphill to the hostel wasn't half as bad as what I had read and they even had signs encouraging you to keep going and a small bench to give yourself a 5mins rest. 

This place reminded me a lot of Merazonia, an animal refuge in Ecuador I volunteered at last year and brought back good memories. The jungle feel, feeling chilly at night, the trees, the greenery. I'm happy I chose to go here.  

Above: My bed was the top bunk for 3 nights! 

The views are phenomenal and that's really not exaggeration. There are mountains everywhere and the cloud are so white and clear and when the sun is setting you can't take your eyes of it.

I realise this sounds a bit like a piece from a guide book, but I can only explain it this way. A nice change from the business and beaches at Bocas!

 

On my second day, I went hiking (pic below) with a nice Belgian girl who had been hiking to every landmark surrounding the hostel and I was keen to see some myself.

We began early, but it didnt do much good as the sun was already out and after 10 minutes we were sweating! 

The hike took us past the 'on and off' lake that was dry when we looked, the little oven lookout gave us a little peek of the mountain views. We then came across the huge tree beard (below) that looked like lots of tall trees mounted together with swinging vines that we attempted to swing on!  The banana kingdom was not full of bananas as I'd hoped as I can't get enough of the fruit out here! 

After a tiring 3 hour hike we finally made it to Valley View the furthest point and it was so worth it! We must have stood there taking in the view for a while, admiring everything around us and to catch our breath of course!

On my second day I took a trip to the river canyon, which was great to jump in and swim in the cool river but the night time was really great when a campfire was lit and we all sat around roasting marshmallows and even bread on sticks! De-licious! After 3 nights in Lost & Found, the third being free, I caught the bus to a small town in Boquete, a place that everyone I had met in Bocas raved about! 

Now I am here I can see why people like it, it is surrounded by mountains and when the sun is out it is a pretty place. But it is another town,that reminded me a lot of Tamarindo ( a town I went to in my second week, which seems a life time ago now). It is packed full of tourists and tours offering days out for 'cheap' prices.

I was fortunate to meet up with my lovely French friend who I met in Isla Bastimentos, who I saw on the bus the day before! Of all the buses we could have taken and of all the hostels in Boquete we choose the same one! That worked out well really! 

We chose to take a trip to the hot springs (above) another cheap day like the snorkelling trip we took, so we are quite happy with our findings so far! And of course we got lost on our way and walked waaaay further than we should have, but hey it's all good excercise, right? That's what we were saying to ourselves anyway. 

So, we dipped our feet into the hot springs and were so suprised as to how hot it was. We were told it was around 35-40 degrees, hotter then the weather which seemed impossible! 

A few locals passed by and one woman told us that she suffered from arthritis in her hands for years but after regularly visiting and bathing in the springs she was healed! She told us to let the water soak into our skin that night and not shower until the morning. 

We said we would and are hoping to have smooth and healthy looking skin in the morning! If only we could visit these springs every week we'd be glowing!

Today is my last day in rainy/hot Boquete and also marks the beginning of my 7th week in Central America! I think a taste of the infamous local coffee is in order and a glass or two of this Argentinian white wine I have heard so much about... Who ever said coffee and wine don't mix?!