Panama

Hey All -
Last post I was in Mal Pais, Costa Rica. We stayed one more day than planned, renting ATVs and driving backroads, seeing the country. Rolling green hills dotted with white cattle, skirted by think jungle, and the blue ocean as a backdrop. I felt like I was finally seeing Costa Rica. The natural beauty of the country is the real draw. The touristy towns are the major setback.
We drove to Montezuma and hiked/scaled cliffs to get to the bottom of a giant waterfall. The falls cut a deep crevice in the sheer cliffs on either side, letting a bright shaft of light flood into the dark, thick jungle below. It was a special, powerful place.
We thought we'd been on somewhat of a trail, and were shocked by how dangerous it was. From the bottom of the falls, we found the real trail, which took us to the top of the waterfall. Three falls, nice swimming holes, culminating in one giant waterfall. We all took a jump off the top of the smaller waterfall - about a 40 foot drop. Tons of fun.
From malpais, we took several buses and a ferry SE to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Spent two nights there, doing some snorkeling and hanging out on the beach.
Now we are in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Beautiful place. Last night was the finale of a week long festival - the festival of the sea. We stayed for about three hours and had a great time sitting in the "club" (a tent on the beach) watching all of the locals dancing, the kids running around with toy guns. I love the mix of cultures here. It is predominately migrants from Caribbean islands with beautiful, dark skin. They speak Creole and Spanish. They dance the salsa and are Panamanian. The result is a fun, laid back community.
We will be here for maybe 3 or 4 days; excited to stay in one spot for a while after several long days of traveling in the past 4 days. From here we will head to either the Lost and Found hostel in the jungle, or Boquete, also in the mountains. So far, we are loving Panama. The hostel has free bikes and B and I enjoyed a nice tandem ride around town this morning. The bikes are all pretty old, and it was a great ride until the back tire collapsed, sending me to the dirt. Long walk back to the hostel dragging a tandem bike.
It's a rainy day today. If it's nice tomorrow, we'll rent some kayaks for the day and find some remote beaches to do some snorkeling.
Hope all is well with everyone.