Panamania: Hiking the Divide

So I am not sure if I have mentioned this or not already, but Boquete is a great jump off point for some amazing hiking. I´d like to tell you about my favourite one, le Pianista (or the Continental Divide).
This hike is rated moderate to difficult and takes from 5-6 hours to complete. At the top, hikers are supposed to be able to view both the Pacific and Carribean Oceans at the same time.
On the day that we chose to hike, my friend, Kate-an Australian, and I booked a guide to lead us up the mountain at a cost of $20 per person. The guide´s name was Feliciano, a 45 year old Panamanian, who told me at least 5 times that day how much he LOVED Canadians
Feliciano picked us up at 7am and then went on to pick up 3 more hikers-Radek and Justine from Poland and Yaryi from Israel.
We headed to the trail head and Feliciano gave each of us walking sticks and coffee that he had grown from his own farm.
The trail started out in some farmer fields and we had to walk across (this is scary) a one plank bridge that is lined with loose hydro wires. Definitely not something you would find in Canada.
We gradually made it into the jungle where the path wound through rock cuts and hanging vines. Every so often the guide would stop and point out something that our untrained eyes had missed: a hummingbird perched on a branch, a snake curled between some rocks (ugh!) and numerous plants with medicinal properties.
As the trail started to climb,we began passing small waterfalls and wading through shallow rivers. The trail became very muddy and the rocks that we had to walk across, very slippery.
As we hiked, we all told about where we were from and what it was like back home. It was pretty amazing to have all of those different cultures represented in one small group.
After 3 and a half hours we reached the top and were rewarded with clouds. It was raining-hard- and the wind was intense. We were fully exposed and it was disappointing and exhilerating all at the same time. Feliciano brought cookies and tea for us and we sat for a few minutes to imagine what the view would be like on a clear day
We eventually headed down on shaky legs and were relieved as we came closer to the bottom to see the sunshine through the canopy.
I fell 3 times (I am definitely not known for my co-ordination) and then Feliciano took to trying to hold my hand to prevent¨injurious results¨on his tour. I eventually convinced him that I was ¨fine, really¨ before falling just one more time.
Radek and Justine and I made dinner plans for that evening and then Feliciano dropped us each off at our respective hostels-sopping wet, muddy and tired.
It was a good day.