Boquete

Boquete has some of the most amazingly beautiful waterfall hiking trails just up the mountains but alas, I am unable to embark on any of them. I have been carrying an achilles tendinitis for some time now which is annoyingly taking forever to rectify itself. Patience and daily physio is my frustrating state of being this trip to prevent any further flare ups. While my dorm roomies venture out into the mountains each day to tackle a new waterfall hike, I remain in town trying to curb my envy and not lament my current position.

Still, it is not like me to just sit and wallow in self-pity so I found a 6km trail which wound up through the town’s hills on one side of the valley. One of my dorm roomies introduced me to a hiking app, Komoot, which had some walks more suited to what my ailing achilles would allow. After breakfasting at my now favourite Jewish bakery, I headed off to pick up the trail.

Walking up a steep, newly ripped road leading up the hill and out of town, the trail took a sudden detour up an even steeper partially concreted access way. Trying to follow the app’s route indication took me past a señora’s small, neat casa where I was promptly informed that the route I was on was not my intended. Backtracking a short distance, I eventually found where I had lost the trail. A tiny bridge led to a covered set of steep, narrow, concrete stairs which wound past several casas perched on the side of the hill.

Half way up, the path clung precariously to one side of the hill as the other side had evidently decided to part company. A faded length of caution tape delineated the effected edge. While I quickly ascended as close to the ‘attached’ side of the path as possible, shortly afterwards an hombre strolled past me and continued down on the exposed side. A dice I wasn’t quite prepared to roll.

Eventually, the steps led to a grassy slope which offered up spectacular views of the town and opposing hillside. From there, it was along another road which climbed further up the hillside. This time, the humble, casas of faded pastel hues were replaced with stately homes sporting luxurious park-like gardens and security systems to match these grandiose estates.

Down a gravel road of dubious condition, the trail made its decent towards the Rio Caldera and back towards town. I found a little ecological park which had been built on former flood plains of the Rio Caldera where river-fed lagoons and tropical gardens abounded. And made a delightful detour en-route back to the hostel.

Catching up with one of my dorm roomies, we wandered back into town to look at souvenirs for him before parting ways as I had decided to have a quiet one with a bottle of wine back at the hostel.