Saturday, November 15, 2014

LOS QUETZALES CABIN

The month of November is filled with numerous Panamanian holidays, and this past week, Monica and Matt had another day off from school.  We decided to take advantage of the time off, and at the last minute, rented a cabin for a night and headed to Parque Internacional La Amistad, a two hour drive from Boquete. Little did we know that we were in for a fabulous adventure and a very special treat!

Upon arriving at Guadalupe, a small and remote farming town, we headed to Los Quetzales Lodge and Spa, where a nice man named Abel escorted us to our cabin.  We knew that the cabin was fairly secluded within the cloud forest, but had no idea that getting to the cabin would be such an adventure. In order to get there on a very rough and rocky road, one needs to cross several streams, and this would not have been possible in our 4 wheel drive vehicle.  Abel assured us that this was not a problem, and skillfully drove us in his tractor, towing us and our cooler of food in a trailer behind him.  The drive itself was a true adventure, as Abel reminded us to "hang on tight" while we navigated the narrow roads, crossed several streams and headed up into the cloud forest.  Upon arrival at our cabin, 7500' in altitude, Abel showed us how to light the wood burning stove, use the lanterns and the VHF radio provided if we need anything (no cel phone reception in this neck of the woods...).  As you can imagine, all of this added an unexpected and fun element of adventure since we truly were being "dropped" in the cloud forest.

During our short stay we enjoyed the wildlife seen right from the cabin, played card games, read books, went on 2 fabulous hikes (Las Quebradas de las Minas and El Sendero de Las Cascadas), and enjoyed the peaceful existence of being in a solar powered cabin with not much to do other than relax and enjoy the beauty of it all!  Our highlight of the evening was staying up late into the night, observing a cacomistle eating the fruit and sweets that we had put out on the cabin deck.  Cacomistles are quite rare and only found in areas that have intact primary forest, so this was quite exciting not only to see one, but to be able to observe it for more than just a few short minutes - super fun!  Our trip to Los Quetzales Cabin far exceeded our expectations, and our only regret is that we did not stay longer.  We'll just have to plan a trip for another time...



Abel skillfully maneuvered his tractor and towed us behind in a trailer as we headed up into the cloud forest to our cabin.




Passing spectacular scenery as we head up to our cabin





Walking past this beautiful pool of water on our way to the cabin




After being towed in a trailer behind Abel's tractor, we hiked a short distance on this trail in order to reach our cabin.





Yes, we finally arrive at our beautiful and cozy cabin!





Squirrels hung out on the cabin deck all day long.





We spent hours on the cabin deck observing the incredible birdlife.  This is a Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.





Beautiful markings on this bird!





Yellow-thighed Finch






Hummingbirds were abundant on the property, and we saw many different types.






This bird truly lives up to its name, the Magnificent Hummingbird.





As hummingbirds move, their iridescent colors change.  It was fascinating to sit on the cabin deck and watch this process. 





Lush and dense cloud forest on our hikes right from our cabin






Our hike on the Sendero de las Cascadas in Parque Internacional la Amistad proved to be one of our most challenging thus far in Panama.  We needed to cross several streams and navigate through what seemed to be nonexistent trails.  It was all worth the effort, and certainly one of our most thrilling adventures!





The Sendero de las Cascadas (waterfall trail) is beautiful.





Colorful orange and yellow spiky flowers seen on our hike





Monica and Matt enjoyed resting up a bit at the tail end of a strenuous hike.





FINCA DRÁCULA
After a wonderful stay at our cabin in the cloud forest, it was time to head home, and we stopped in at Finca Drácula, an well-known orchid nursery in Guadalupe.  Finca Drácula has one of the largest  collections of orchids in Latin America, with over 2200 species of orchids, some of which are rare and endangered.  The grounds were beautiful, and it was fun to receive a quick tour of the property and see many beautiful orchids and other flowers as well.  Pictures of orchids and flowers from Finca Drácula are shown below.























Saturday, November 8, 2014

HOLIDAYS IN PANAMA

We just had the opportunity to celebrate two major holidays in Panama.  Día de la Independéncia de Colombia (Independence Day from Colombia) was celebrated on November 3rd, and Día de la Bandera (Flag Day) on November 4th.  Both days are festively celebrated in Boquete with long parades.  The community gathered in the streets of Boquete to watch all of the schools in the surrounding areas (both public and private) participate in the desfile (parade) with bands, marching, and baton twirling. Panamanians take their parades very seriously, and school bands practice for months (not weeks) in advance!  In addition, as any Panamanian knows, the parade goes on, rain or shine!  Students with the highest grade point averages are highlighted in the parade by leading their school and wearing sashes around their shoulders.  Monica had the opportunity to march in the parade and represent Panama and her school, Academia Internacional Boquete (AIB), as Greg, Matt and I cheered her on.  She marched for 3-4 hours straight both days, and YES, it rained!  As a parent, it was thrilling to be able watch Monica participate in these important Panamanian events, and this is certainly one of the many benefits of having enrolled our children in a local Panamanian school.  We did not feel like we were watching the parades or celebrating the holidays as outsiders, but were proud participants and felt part of the community - so fun!


Día de la Independéncia de Colombia - November 3, 2014 

Monica and her friends from Academia Internacional Boquete (AIB) get ready to march in the parade.






Students carry the school banner as they march in the parade.  Can you spot Monica with her red hair?  






AIB's band practiced for days on end in preparation for the desfile (parade).  Students are playing the lira, a common instrument here in Panama.





These two beautiful girls were happy to have me take their picture and show off their polleras, Panama's traditional dress worn on holidays and special occasions.




Día de la Bandera - November 4, 2014

Monica is ready to march and wave her Panamanian flag.






Monica participated in a second day of marching to celebrate Día de la Bandera.





The parade for Día de la Bandera was very colorful, and participants were invited to wear "tipica", Panama's traditional clothing.






Panamanian students were eager to dress up in traditional clothing and show their pride in their country.






Students in this school wore brightly colored costumes and masks and danced for the audience.







The traditional Panamanian dress is the pollera, and women often wear colorful beads in their hair, as seen in this picture.