I met Joy, two of her friends who are climbers, and our guide, native Panamanian from Boquete, Cesar. I was totally impressed by the quality of the rock (basalt) and the routes themselves. We climbed 5.7 up to 5.12c (I don't know if that rating is accurate and I was not in a position to weigh in since I pulled on three out of eight draws and really made my belayer work!) but the 10s and 11s felt every bit accurate. The bolts and anchors are virtually brand new, well-placed, and as close together as Jack's Canyon in Northern AZ. Cesar is an excellent guide, speaks near perfect English, super fun, humble, and a climbs like a spider monkey. He has been developing this area, the only climbing area in Panama, for a few years now. He is going to Moab and Zion for the first time in late May, so any fellow AZ climbers reading this, he would love to hook up. He's never heard of canyoneering, so I suggested he make sure to go in Zion.
Joy stretching it!
The crew.
After climbing, I went with Nilena to see a potential house to live in. I didn't expect it to be an entire guest house all to myself with two beds, kitchen, bath, two porches, dining/living room, fully furnished, and right in town. The family that owns it is so nice, and the area is very quiet. I might try to find a roommate, but they said if I couldn't, they would bring the price down to make it more affordable. I am waiting to find out when it will be available, and I will probably go for it when it is. Just an example of how welcome I feel here so far: I walked into the office where Cesar runs his climbing business and told the guy at the front desk I was looking for an apartment. He immediately got on the phone and asked me to check back later that day. Since then, at least three locals associated with him have been updating me on available places. Nilena, who runs the Spanish school, heard I was looking and took her time to escort me to a family and to help with some translation. The people here are always willing to help, and have been very encouraging/helpful with ways to find what I'm looking for.
After that, I met Joy and friends at my new favorite bar where Adam's band was playing. They are really good, and play a mix of English and Spanish covers. Notable was "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, a couple U2 covers, NIN, and Pink Floyd. Every time I go this bar, I meet a few locals. Everyone I've met has been super friendly, and I have been invited on several excursions already. They want to speak English all the time, and most of them are pretty good. This of course doesn't help me much, but sometimes I'll speak Spanish and they reply in English, and that's how it goes. They are very gracious about correcting me, so it is helpful sometimes. I always felt overwhelmed in intensive Spanish classes in the past, like there was just too much at once and I wasn't absorbing anything. I've decided to slow down a bit, speak whenever I can, learn five new words a day, and focus on key phrases to use each day. That way, maybe I'll be more efficient in my absorption rate.
Adam's band playing "Creep."
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