Thread: documentation to Panama

Sounds like you had a great vacation. Did you see the little Indian sleeping on the mountain in El Valle? I've done all pretty much what you did except for visiting BOCAS DEL TORO, but I prefer the mountain cool air in the tropics such as in Panama. Not a beach person, rays are too powerful down there, burn the heck out of you. I have to question your elevations. I doubt El Valle is 2500 feet. I could be wrong, but I suspected it was maybe 1500 feet or so. Maybe at the top of the valley before you drop could get that high around there, same with Boquete. I thought Boquete ran 1500 feet, maybe VOLCAN gets those elevations. Did you check out AMADOR and the causeway in PC? I like Panama, its a great country, but I just can't stand the heat too much all year around and in those cooler spots such as El Valle, Volcan, Boquete, there ain't much to do unless you really get involved in something like farming or who knows what. Did you have pizza at PINIOCHOS in El Valle? Did you try a VOLCAN pizza in Boquete? How did you like DAVID? That's a nice town, but again, HOT.[/b]

I agree on the heat, but Bocas is worth it for a visit. Didn't see the Indian (whirlwind tour of Western Panama). The elevations were what I remembered from reading my small Magellan GPS. Didn't have a GPS map of Panama but it was fun for elev. and helped on backtracking a couple of times. The readings were from points overlooking both Boquete and El Valle. Just re-checked my "Frommer's" and it refers to 2500' for El Valle and a comment about 3200' for Boquete. It is a little bit of a drop into Boquete from the overlook where I took the reading. I looked at my map of Panama, but it had limited elev. info and it looks like it is in meters. We did drive out on the causeway. It was a monday and the place was dead, but we hear it is "the place" on weekends, except for traffic jams.

Well, we are off to Alabama tomorrow to hitch a ride down a river to the gulf with some friends. Tough job being retired with a daughter who is a F/A.