Valley of Anton

4.4. After the Cold Americano at the village square, we say goodbye to Boquete and drive an hour to David. There we buy a ticket to San Carlos and wait half an hour for the connection. Since we have to change to another chicken bus afterwards, we ask the bus attendant for information. He is impatient and not really helpful. They should just tell us, "We will let you off at the right place, no problem." But it takes them 5 minutes to say that and they are surprised by our uncertainty since they can't explain it properly. About halfway through the journey, there is a half-hour break at a bus station with toilets and a canteen. We stay on the bus until someone comes and explains that he has to lock the bus. We tell him it's no problem, we'll wait on the bus. Then a second man comes and tells us that we HAVE to get off, which the previous attendant unfortunately did not tell us. Well, Panamanians aren't good at explaining... It's pouring rain and the bus is a bit slower than usual. At 17:15, we can get off at the turnoff to El Valle and board a chicken bus. It takes another 45 minutes to drive into the old volcano crater where the village is located. The hostel is quickly found and after a 9-hour trip, we check in. We quickly buy some groceries at the supermarket and fruit at the fruteria before we go to "La Florenziana" for dinner. Absolutely amazing Italian restaurant with everything you can imagine! Even the wine and the tiramisu are excellent! And a bit expensive ;) We happily return to the hostel, which has locked the entrance door and we only get in by banging loudly on the metal wall.

The hotel plays music from 8:00 to 23:00, which may be cool for young people, but can also be annoying. Especially when it's mainly electronic and techno music.

5.4. The day promises rain, so we don't plan any excursions and focus on future plans. Amelia is intensively researching yoga schools in Bali, and I'm researching tourist attractions and future musical instruments at home. The dogs at the hostel are affectionate and cuddle with anyone who wants to. In the evening, we ride the hostel's bikes to the village to order pizza at the Italian restaurant. The Panamanians really have some excellent restaurants with decent wine and, of course, pizza, what a delight! We end the day with a movie in the room.

6.4. Today we want to go for a hike. The India Dormida is a viewpoint on the crater rim of El Valle and is the only one connected to the walking trails along the rim so that you can walk further than just up and down. We start the 3.5 hour round-trip hike at the toll station for $3 per person and reach the summit half an hour later. The view is amazing and we can see all the way to the sea. It's hot, but the wind helps a bit. On the way down, it gets narrower and more scratchy around the legs and we see many ant trails carrying leaf clippings. Back at the valley floor, we can observe various birds before walking back to the village through well-kept properties and mango trees. A cool beer quenches our thirst and we cook and relax in the hostel.

7.4. Today is our ultimate lazy day! We've never been so lazy on our entire trip. We simply change our "positions" from the bed to the table, to the couch, to the hammock, and repeat. We do more research on Indonesia, listen to podcasts, and read books. Every now and then, a dog comes by and wants to be cuddled.

We do go on one more excursion, which we regret afterwards: we visit the nearby zoo. Our emotions are mixed. On one hand, they have plenty of space and lots of greenery (there's also a nursery). However, many enclosures are much too small. And it seems that some animals are breeding uncontrollably. Others are completely alone... it's sad. Even when the sign describing the animal says it's a herd animal, and then you look at a single specimen in the cage. Some animals have plenty of food, while others like the two monkeys reach for the green grass outside their cage—they are terribly skinny... it breaks your heart. It gives you the uneasy feeling that the plants in the nursery get more water and care than the animals. We should have just stayed lazy.

8.4. At 8:00, we stand at the intersection to catch the bus to the main road. We are told that there's a bus directly to Panama City, and lo and behold: after 5 minutes, it's already here and takes us to the Albrook Station for a small fee, where we take a taxi to the Nomada Hotel. Finally, we receive an email response confirming that the pickup for San Blas will work tomorrow morning. We're excited! For the rest of the day, we use a nearby mall to stock up on rash guards, contact lenses, new towels (yes, we forgot our pestemals in Bocas...), and drinks.