Bountiful Bouqete

Bouqete, the mountain town. Over 2000 meters high. Known for its world class coffee, cool climate and beautiful surroundings.

I came here to drink coffee, be cool, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, surprisingly. 

I've been here since... Saturday? Maybe, something like that. 

The town is nestled in a valley, surrounded by impossibly steep hills covered in coffee beans, citrus fruit, maize and other crops. 

The hills are green and lush, and at this time of year it rains almost every afternoon. 

My first day here I rented a bicycle and went for a hairy ride around some of the hills, with breaks that were worn to the metal. I wondered why they were so worn down, but not for long. I got showed up by some local kids with no breaks at all. I asked them something along the lines of "que calle es bein?" or "which street is good?". To them, typical of young boys on bikes, good means steep and rocky, so we raced down a scary steep hill, them hot on my heels. Then we walked the bikes back up, they grabbed a couple of oranges from a tree, and I continued on my ride. Steep hills everywhere. Good for going down, bad for going up. Hence the worn breaks. 

Bouqete from above


A river runs through town and one day I followed one of its tributaries far up a jungle choked valley. I followed a small trail through magical rainforest, staring in wonder at the moses, lichens, bromeliads, and massive bearded trees, hanging with growth and some rotting away as they grow due to the humidity.

After walking for an hour and a half I came to a tall waterfall, with water feathering off the top and dusting  onto a pile of jagged rocks below. I remained there for some time, listening to its grumble and feeling its mist before heading back down the mountain.

 I walked slowly along a mountain road, following a river back to town. On the way I stopped to climb on one of Panama's most famous climbing routes, dark black basalt columns stacked horizontally, great fun. I also stopped at a well known private garden on a massive property which is open for the public to explore, and had two delicious coffees at a world famous coffee production company, Cafe Ruiz.

My final Bouqete adventure will need an entire post for itself, given its magnitude and scale.
To follow shortly.