West of Panamá City, nestled in the giant crater of an extinct volcano is El Valle de Antón [5].  Famous for square trees which only exist here in the mountain village and several species of endemic orchids, it is also home to the endangered golden frog.  Petroglyphs just out of town remain to be deciphered.

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The cool climate of Boquete [6] 1000 meters up in the western highlands of Panama, make it the perfect place to grow coffee.  Due to landslides we were unable to hike in the surrounding mountains, a pity because there was a chance to see the quetzal birds.  From Boquete we took a couple of chicken buses and then a boat to Bocas.

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To finish off with Panama, we spent a few days relaxing on Isla Colón [7] in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago.  When Columbus arrived in 1502 on his 4th voyage, he repaired his ship and named the islands: Carenero (repair a ship), and Colón (Colombus in Spanish) after himself.  The small town had a laid back Caribbean atmosphere.  The people speak English but with the accent of Jamaica, mon.  We stayed in an old wooden hotel with creaking floorboards built out over the sea many years ago.  There is nothing quite like an early morning swim off the back deck followed by a breakfast of fresh fruits, well except maybe an evening swim followed by a cold beer.

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