Mountain Clouds

Wife and I Back at the Bambito

I broke up my self-imposed lethargy yesterday with a run up into the mountains. I equipped my vehicle with the appropriate number of Panamanian women to insure anything but a quiet trip. We drove up the coast and then inland to visit first Volcan and then Cerro Punto. Volcan, literally translated means Volcano and both towns sit on the slopes of Volcan Baru the highest peak in Central America and an active volcano. It’s always jarring to make the turn upland and have the weather transform from the desperately hot humidity of the coastal plain to the brisk temperatures of the mountains.

Lunch in Volcan

Out first stop was Volcan as we made the climb. My wife has a cousin who lives there but she wasn’t home so we stopped in a Mexican restaurant (I know!) and had a great lunch. We then continued our climb further into the mountains. We took a break from the very slow truck we were stuck behind to pull into the Hotel Bambito for a dose of nostalgia. This was the resort my wife and I spent our honeymoon thirty five years ago. I’ve written before that the trees that tower over the entrance were mere shrubs when we drove into the new hotel in 1982.

Road to Cerro Punta

The further we climbed into the mountains we actually entered the clouds for a while. There’s one problem with clouds – they’re full of rain. The PanaGals, not to be thwarted, donned rain gear to explore shopping opportunities in the small village above Cerro Punta. I stayed with the car and did some exploring, taking roads as far as they would go into the mountains. Cerro Punta is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Even though it was shrouded in rain yesterday the beauty still shone through. As a true New Englander I always wonder what the nearly vertical roads are like during a snow storm. Of course that’s never a problem there where temperatures that dip into the 50s call for full parkas and talks of the apocalypse.

Highest Point I reached

Lots of Farming and Livestock

Herd of Horses

Cerro Punta

It was a fun day mostly because of the nearly constant flow of conversation and laughs supplied by the ladies. The beautiful scenery was also welcome but it was nice to climb down out of the clouds. My wife made nearly constant suggestions that we make the short side trip to the Costa Rican border. My mother in law finally figured out why I avoided the suggestions when she asked, “Does he know what’s there?”. When I answered that yes, I knew the border was a major shopping location, the mystery was solved.

The Gutter Washer

We ended the day back at the house surrounded by family making serial FaceTime calls back to the US to share some of the comradery with family back there. We also had the first major rain storm since our arrival - a real tropical gutter washer. The First Blog Reader was fully engaged with eating and deigned to note our presence a couple times. She was much more interested that her mother kept her ketchup plate full so she could dip the broccoli and watermelon into it. They’re also starting potty training which includes a manual supplied by my nemesis for her attention, Elmo.

Initial Training Session
She Looks Dubious