The señor that checked me in last night was out front when I went to leave so I assumed he lived somewhere on the premises behind one of the few doors I didn’t have a sticky beak in last night. I asked where the bus terminal was to catch a bus to El Valle and he kindly offered to drive me there.
Crossing the Pan American Highway is an adventure in itself. Multitudes of vehicles ply its many lanes and there are no traffic lights. It’s a matter of seizing the opportunity to speed through a gap in the traffic to get to a merging lane on the other side. Then, after you’ve driven past your intended destination which happens to be back on the side you’ve just risked life and limb to leave, you move into an exit lane and repeat the procedure. All going well, you arrive with organs intact.
The most direct route from Penonome to El Valle happily encompasses a narrow road which winds its way up through verdant valleys and lush cloud-forested countryside. The route is slow, which gives plenty of opportunity to take in the scenery.
El Valle has the distinct claim of lying inside the remains of an extinct volcano. About 300 000 years ago, the volcano in question blew its stack. Quite literally. And left behind a 6km crater which gradually filled with rainwater to form a large lake. To the dismay to any duck in the vicinity, it then developed a crack and drained away. This, in turn, left something far more manageable for the local indigenous folk to put their shoulder to. Add a Spanish colonial incursion a couple of hundred years ago and you have the quaint little town of El Valle de Antón.
I got dropped off outside the local market and wandered off in search of coffee. I hadn’t manage to book any accomodation online as one of the hostels only had room for one night, and the other one was reportedly infested with bed bugs – I do draw the line somewhere! I thought I’d try my luck with the first hostal, but alas the story remained the same. Still unsure what to do, I decided to enquire about a hotel above some shops in the main street. To my surprise, I was offered a really nice room with ensuite for only $45pn, so decided to treat myself for a couple of nights.
Accomodation sorted, I decided to wander up to the visitor centre where I found an informative and attractive display of the region. It was getting too late to attempt any of the walks so decided to put that off until the following day.
Back at the hotel, I discovered that a tour group of 18-40 year olds had descended on the place. And the only communal space happened to be outside my room! I started chatting with some of them and ended up going out to dinner with them. Well, I drank $4.50 cocktails while they ate but you get my drift… We returned with three street dogs who threw up all the food they had begged off the guys, then made themselves comfortable on the couch in the common area for the night.
Wild Woman Wandering 