TRIP TO CERRO HOYA NATIONAL PARK

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We got up at 5.30 with the help of John's cellphone. The bad news was the phone didn't stop ringing!

Startingpoint of the long way up

Justino, totaly exhausted and what about his Dad!

Huge mushrooms, I put the machete next to it, which is about 50cm. By the way, I worked with the manchete for a bit. The men worked on their bare feet, "flip flops" or "Crocs" don't go very far on trails this steeps. There were nasty vines with thorns growing over the trail. Found it my job to get rid of them.

And they made it to the top

Cerro Hoya, is the unexplored national park at the south-western end of the Azuero Peninsula. It has an astonishing natural beauty with primary forest and cloud forest. One can even find impressive flora and fauna in the buffer zone.

Bird watchers will be pleased: Cerro Hoya is the only home of the endemic Azuero Painted Parakeet and the Great Green Macaw breeds in large Cuipo trees. And that is just the beginning! Cerro Hoya has some very special mammals, such as the Azuero Soider Monkey and the Azuero Howler Monkey. Other species include the Neo-tropical River Otter, Pumas and some Jaquars.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOkgbIy0q1E

Last monday we joined several locals to bring a 200 lb nest (an oildrum like structure) up a mountain in Cerro Hoya. Quite an unusual trip through the rainforst. It took them 2 and half hours to get it to the location, up a muddy trail, a very large tree.
The past couple of days, a group of people have secured it in the tree some 30 meters up. The hope is that the great green macau will nest there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIGEL

Around 7am we can hear the hummingbirds getting active, around eight the parrots get their noisy time high up in the trees.

One of the many flowering shrubs around the Ranchos.

Heliconia Wagneriana

"Sexy Pink Heliconia"

Rana lechosa/Milkfrog in the bathroom, comes out at night and changes to a brown color.

The Heliconia Hotel is just before this sign

http://www.hotelheliconiapanama.com/

It is not only a great, clean and tastefull hotel but, Loes can give you tons of info about trees, flowers, birds, frogs and reptiles. Their bookcase is filled with books to look up anything! They also have a blog.

Their website:

http://www.tanagertourism.com/about_us.html in Nederlands/Dutch

http://www.tanagertourism.com/

Don't worry, there is very good sign before this, but I just like this roadsign. As if there is much traffic here. There are a few big trucs though, all used for the transportation of the rice. We saw lots of ricefield the day we drove up to Cerro Hoya National Parc.

Red Lord Amazons

Parrots, make a lot of noise around 8 in the morning. Most of the time they are around the kitchen and the third Rancho.

BACK FROM LAS LAJAS, NOW IN PALMILLA , MARIATO DISTRICT, VERAGUAS PROVINCE

Sunset in Las Lajas.

Waiting for our bus to leave from Tole to Santiago, where we had a quick breakfast.

Our new place near Mariato, you can watch their website

http://hotelheliconiapanama.com/veraguas-azuero-panama-links.htm

have a look!







We have 2 Ranchos, one with a tent with real beds and another Rancho which is our kitchen and then a bathhouse.
I was hanging in the hammock when I took this picture.

Flowering shrubs and trees in front of our bedroom-rancho with a hammock too.

We went for a walk, and somewhere in between all that green you see "our private village".

What to do with broken down fans! In this case used as hanging planters.

Rio Negro, seen from the beach.

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Yes we got a little sunburn, allthough is was bit overcast.

SATURDAY IN DAVID

"Mana",the Colombian bakery is just 100 meters away. Have to watch Opa, several times he sneaks out to buy something.

According to our opinion the best bakery in Panama so far!

Correction, we found another Cheesecake in Santiago. Great place for a cappu and a wide variety with cookies, cakes, chocolates, salads and wraps.

  

                   This was a novelty, street cleaners.

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On our way to the Mercado, several of the trees with small flowers have an amazing scent

It's not the flowermarket in Amsterdam or Bogota, but there was enough.

Orchids, Aloe Vera and lots of herbs.

$ 1.- for 5!

Bought tomatoes, a papaya and an avocado all for $2,-
Had to pass on the large bags of oranges!

Birthdayparty for 20 kids + parents. Cost $10,- plus food.

Cake for the 4 year old "Muchacho", his name was Adam. A real "Diego" cake, Zoe!

And 7 pizza's, not for us but for the birthdayparty.

Finaly a picture of "Tres Leches", the former blog.
I was kicked out, well not really, but I passed the limit of Picasa.
This Tres Leches was in the fridge of Romero, one of the supermercados in David. Hope to find a Tres Leches in on of the finer restaurants. Maybe the Gran David or the Panemonte in Boquete

Arroz/Rice

Beans

And of course, azucar de cana/sugar

A whole bag of popsicles, the pastel coloured ones are with yoghurt

Which picture is better of Opa?