Jorge, Sara and I spent a four day extended weekend visiting my friend Lynne who had recently moved to Boquete, Panama. Round trip we drove over twenty hours! The border crossing, Paso Canoas, is low stress compared to the rest of Central America.

Boquete is simply gorgeous. We crashed for three nights at Lynne's beautiful home, set in the lush, green valley of Boquete, with flowers in bloom, a panoramic view of Volcan Baru and a pristine river running next to the property. We ate several times at the local gringo hangout Amigos Restaurant. The food was exquisite! Sore from the previous day's long drive, we soaked our weary bones at Caldera Hot Springs.

The final day we had an unexpected, delightful off-roading adventure in Volcan Baru National Park. The 15 kilometer road to the peak is extreme. We only made it a few kilometers up the rocky terrain. The fun ended when massive rocks started bashing the undercarriage of my Isuzu Rodeo.