I cannot believe I have just written that title! I remember thinking that this week was soooo far away when I first arrived. So much has happened since my first day here and I'm happy I have kept this blog to remember it all!
On my last day in Boquete, my French friend and I walked around town, trying and failing to find a tour on a Sunday and it was such a beautiful day too!
I can't say I loved Boquete and I don't know why everyone raved about it! It's only a small town covered by the mountains, full of tourists, retired Americans who now live here and tour operators offering pricey day trips datying from $40 a person!
I am so glad I had my friend with me and met some great people at the hostel for the two days I spent there. However, I cannot say a bad word about the view. The mountains are so green and big it's not a bad sight to wake up to every morning, and I will miss the fresh bread for breakfast every morning!
Above: Having breakfast with my lovely French friend, view of Boquete on a lazy Sunday, the colourful art around town and the yummy 45 cents holjadres or French toast I had to try!
Having finally heard back from a few volunteer opportunities I decided on seeing what the city of David had to offer! And it turns out, it's not a lot!
I was fortunate to be able to volunteer at Bambu hostel (pic below) just outside the city centre from Mon-Fri. I didn't realise how hot and humid it would be and it was great that they had a pool and was the only hostel around that did. Waking up at 6 isn't anything new to me out here, and so my 7am starts were fine but by the time 9.30pm came along and I was tending the bar alone I really longed for my bed! Especially when it rained every evening I worked and it chucked it down like I was back in Wales!
Above: the drawing wall at Bambu, where anyone can write anything they want!
After cleaning/sweeping and general tidying up in the morning my afternoons were free! I spent one of them in a taxi 40mins south towards the nearest beach, Playa Barqueta. I hadn't been on the Pacific coast in 4 weeks and having seen the Carribean I think I definitely prefer the Southern Coast.
If I wasn't volunteering in David, it would only be a one night stop as it's known as a city to get to and get out of quickly to other and better places but if you ever find yourself stuck for something to do in David Playa barqueta is such a refreshing and nice change from the craziness of this city!
It only cost us $10 per person and we manged to get a free ride back with the staff that worked at the fancy looking 5* resort by the beach. Don't get me wrong the resort looked great and what a view, but it was far from the shops and main road. I guess it was for guests who prefer the all inclusive vibe holiday.
But while waiting for the bus, I took a quick dive in the still pool wondering where everyone was until I saw a sign stating the pool was closed for a few hours in the afternoon! Oops! Ah well, it was nice to have the pool all to myself for 10 mins!
My nights were occupied tending the hostel bar (pic below) and it was great! The only 'bar work' I had done before was handing over pre made drinks to rugby or football fans so running the bar on my own was awesome!
Ok so maybe 'running it' is a little much but I served the drinks and was bought a few myself and the best part was the mix of interesting and different people staying at the hostel each night and each had so many stories and experiences to tell! I could have sat there and listened to some of them for hours.
The people you meet while travelling really do make your trip especially the people you meet in hostels. Yes there are beautiful beaches and places to see, but sometimes it's just as nice to meet someone you get along with and go for a walk, grab something to eat and just enjoy the company. This week, well this whole 8 weeks has definitely made me realise that you don't need to occupy yourself with tours/things to do all day. It can be just as nice to spend a day talking and getting to know someone when you just want to relax and take a break.My bar shifts have definitely helped me do that!
And now I have 2 nights left before I begin my last bus journey heading back to Costa Rica and have heard it's a long 8/9 hours! Can't say looking Im looking forward to it, so I'm determined to make the most of my last few days in sun! No more rain please David!
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