A FUN DAY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

We recently had a very fun day of hiking and lunch with family and friends.  Our morning started out with a leisurely hike on the Pianista trail in Boquete and ended with a great lunch at Il Pianista restaurant, our favorite spot for Italian food.  Our neighbors and great friends, Cathy and Larry, helped plan the day, and Nico (who works at Wild Orchid), his son, Hernan, and their neighbor, Carlos, all joined us.  It was an exciting day.  Cathy and Larry have hiked extensively in the Boquete area, but had never been on the Pianista trail.  In addition, while Nico and his family have grown up in Boquete, they also had never hiked the Pianista trail.  The weather was perfect, and everyone (Gringos and Panamanians) all marveled at the spectacular scenery and thoroughly enjoyed one another's company - certainly a memorable day!

Starting out our hike on the Pianista trail...

Our fun group for the day (Larry, Carlos, Nico, Christina, Greg, Matt, Monica, Cathy, and Hernan)

Matt and Hernan with their walking sticks

Gorgeous Horses

Larry and Cathy hike up the Pianista trail with fabulous mountain views up ahead.

Beautiful flowers along the creek

It's always a pleasure to hike on a trail beside a creek.

Monica and Matt sampled many berries along the way.

A beautiful pasture spotted with cows.  

This leaf with interesting markings looked like one giant bowl.

Stunning colors on this tropical gem!

We've seen several of these bright yellow and red flowers on many of our hikes and walks in the Boquete area.

Seed Pod

Nico and Cathy enjoy their first hike on the Pianista trail.  

Carlos, Cathy, Hernan, and Monica head down the trail.  It's almost lunchtime...!

Nico and his adorable son, Hernan, with the Boquete valley in the distance.

This butterfly stopped for a few seconds, just long enough for us to capture a quick photo.

Orchids seen at the end of the Pianista trail.

The Stoney Family