Panamanian playtime...

Studying Espanol in Boquete, Panama, was a bit like studying German in Leavenworth. There were people around who spoke Spanish, that's true, but the majority were also comfortable in English. Like Leavenworth, tourism reigned and there was plenty to do: the hiking and vistas were incredible, the temperatures were perfect, birds of all colors flew the skies and the flora was mountain tropical. We settled in comfortably with our gracious host family in their flowering paradise. Our teacher shared her knowledge of the preterito, subjunctivo, and imperfecto with us, we tried to focus and keep up but it's a tall order to study 4 hours a day after a long time on the other side of the desk. After two days we dropped the last hour of class and found more energy for actually speaking Spanish with people.

After a week of enjoying classes and having a home with a closet for our clothes, we loaded the bags and headed out of the mountains to Mono Feliz (Happy Monkey) on Punta Burrica.

Jutting out into the Pacific, the Burrica Peninsula was one of the last parts of the virgin Pacific Coast of Panama to see settlement. Homesteading on the peninsula continued into the 80s and now the last strip of jungle outlines the end of the spit like an overgrown eyebrow surrounding pastures, cornfields with incredible sea views. The small communities that live there move over terrible roads, mostly on horseback or in the community truck on the beach at low tide. A few hours standing on an overcrowded old school bus, a transfer to a thankfully air conditioned mini-bus and few more hours of rolling along, a good dose of waiting around, a crammed pick up truck ride, then a 3 hour hike brought us to Mono Feliz.

Mono Feliz is nestled into the jungle a stones throw from an idyllic white sand beach with good surf. The reforested grounds include a few thatched roof 'rancheros' with hammocks for lounging and foam mattresses for sleeping. One ranchero serves as the kitchen, for us and the monkeys. The crowning glory of the place is a cool spring water pool to slid into anytime you have to bring the body core temperature way down or rinse the salt off. Upon arrival we found peace and lots and lots of monos--most of them feliz like us. We explored the nearshore tide pools, fed the monos and borrowed the old surf board for an excercise in self-flagelation. This place was amazingly close to paradise!