If I could howl
Like a howler monkey
I’d feel like King Kong.
Monday, May 9, 2016
The Quetzal trail is my favorite running/hiking trail. But just because it’s spectacular doesn’t mean I’m always up for it, or after doing it 30+ times, I don’t get a little lackadaisical and take it for granted. Sometimes I’m tired and it’s a push and sometimes I‘m in a little bit of a pissy mood and I don‘t expect it to show me anything that I haven‘t seen before.
But once I’ve slogged through the first two very steep and rocky kilometers of farm road and reach the single track, my mood’s usually brightened and I can actually feel a little bit of enjoyment creep back into my lungs as I face the tip toe slide down the 7 kilometers to the end of the trail in Boquete.
Yesterday’s jaunt even offered up a few surprises. First, at the trailhead was a very pretty little dark green and yellow bird. Now dark green and yellow birds are a dime a dozen here, but this one had just a dash of a quite dapper red crest. I’m going to say it was a Scale Crested Pygmy Tyrant. It wasn’t, but that’s a cool name and it’s the closest our little Panama bird pamphlet can get.
On the return I also got to see a female Quetzal up close and personal. It doesn’t have the distinctive plumage of the male, but it’s still damned pretty and has a pretty cool call to boot (Please don’t ever ask me to sing, whistle, or try to imitate a bird call.).
Howlers were also out and about near the Boquete end of the trail and they’re loud growl sometimes makes me wish I were born a different kind of primate.
Even the trail itself offered up a surprise; about half way through there was a huge downed tree that required a good old fashioned belly crawl over.
And to top it all off, at lunch afterwards at the Quetzal Lodge I received yet another version of a banana split. This one had dates and some fruit they call “ushuba” here. It’s a tart small fruit that resembles a lemon drop. And that means next trip out I get to yet again order another banana split.
The banana split is part of their seasonal, farm-to-table menu!
ReplyDeleteHey Peipster, I'm not sure bananas are ever out of season here. And speaking of farm to table...The Quetzal has the bananas in bunches hanging directly over their buffet. Last week one rather large bunch slipped from its rope and landed with a thud. So it's more like rafters to table menu.
ReplyDelete