Weekend Adventure #2: Chepo

So two weeks ago (weekend of April 21-22) I went up to the mountains to Chepo de Las Minas to visit Steve and Heather, two other Group 70 volunteers. Their host family graciously let me stay in an extra bedroom where another teacher at their school normally stays during the week. After an ant incident with the bed I was supposed to stay in, I was SUPER comfortable there - they are some of the sweetest and most loving people I have met so far down here! And Chepo is GORGEOUS. I was planning on only staying one night, but I decided to stay two.

Here are some photos from the weekend:

First up on Friday, after an incredible ride up there (aka 27 people piled into a pick-up truck. That's right. I said 27 people. You figure it out.) we went to their near-by swimming hole! it is plenty deep, so you can jump off of the rock or log into the water (I didn't go any higher than halfway across the log... I'm a 'fraidy cat and proud of it.)

GORGEOUS views from everywhere. This is from their house.

The view out my window. PINES! I felt like I was back in the mountains of North Carolina. The first morning I was there, I stereotypically woke up, threw open my shutters and stretched as I looked out and took in the view. It was fabulous.

We did plenty of hiking! This is a really interesting rock that is from the native people that lived here hundreds of years ago. They carved it, but no one knows what it is or why they carved it - pretty neat!

Almost at the summit with Heather! Aldo del Higo - 987 m

Gorgeous views. you could also see the ocean in the distance, though the photos didn't do it justice.

Saturday evening we stopped by anther house in Chepo who was preparing a lot of food for the next day to celebrate a new priest's first mass. These two women are cutting up palm leaves to make tamales.

Who knew? Sledding exists in Panama. Only it is on grassy hills with palm leaves instead of on snow with plastic sleds. Still super fun!

And then there was a rainbow that we could see both ends of. More and more firsts for me! I couldn't get a wide enough view with my camera, but it was gorgeous!

Odelia, their host mom makes cakes (because transporting a cake for a party up from Chitre in a pick-up with 26 other people is all but impossible, so she has her own little cottage industry) and we helped her make a coconut cake! Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so well so she had to make another one, but that just meant we got to eat the "ugly" one, and it still tasted delicious! Above is Steve grating the coconut. Below is Odelia decorating the finished product!

We walked to the other end of town and up another small mountain. Can you see the ocean in the distance? It's the strip of slightly lighter blue in between the two darker land masses. 

 Sunday night I (reluctantly) came home to Pesé, but was greeted by another gorgeous sunset!

Hard to beat this weekend! I plan to be a regular guest up in Chepo :) Get your guest room and guest hammock ready Steve & Heather!!