Jan 30 – Jim had one more hike on his list, so we set off this morning in another direction to find Loma el Pastoreo / the Grazing Hill.
Wall art!A calf tied to a roadside fence – maybe she’d like to come grazing on the hill.
We walked down a road that was not a main road. On either side were large private homes behind stone walls and iron gates. So peaceful and so pretty.
More high-stepping horses!These horses looked sadThe yellow frog is the national animal of Panama. It is an endangered species, so this is probably the only one we will see.Yes! If we ever get a palatial retreat, we will name it Villa Amnesia.
We finally reached the trailhead, if you can call it that. It looked more like a dry stream bed, full of sticks and rocks. Jim said, Up! So up we went.
I’m coming as fast as I can!
After a steep, but mercifully short scrabble, we reached the vista. We could see in all directions. It was so windy!
Happy Jim!
Our time in El Valle is drawing to a close. We had dinner at the Colombian restaurant, with excellent patacones (fried plantain chips as big as your hand), and one more evening walk down the main road. El Valle has been a magical place for us, and we’re going to miss it.
Jan 27 – After a day of rest, today was a day for action! We had an early breakfast and set out for El Valle’s most famous hike, up La India Dormida. Although the reviews called the hike ‘challenging, steep, rocky, and moderate to difficult’, Jim assured me that it would be no problem for an experienced hiker like me. Famous last words.
We walked all the way through town, then down a road another mile to the start of the trail.
There’s La IndiaWe paid the $3 per person entrance fee and off we wentA big boulder contained ancient petroglyphs, sheltered from the weather by the slant of the rock face.This is believed to be an ancient mapMore petroglyphs – what do you think they represent?The trail started out benignly……but soon we were scrabbling over big rocksA pretty waterfall Up and up we go!Another petroglyph boulder We reached a clearing where we could see across the valley. At this point, I called ‘no mas!’- I could go no further.Others must have had the same idea, as there was a very uncomfortable bench built here. Jim was determined to get to the summit, and continued the climb for another half hour. I waved farewell and sat on my bench.Jim graciously shared his pix of the summit ridge……and the town in the valley below
Jim climbed back down, all happy, and we ate our lunch on the bench. You might think that scrabbling down is easier than climbing up, and sometimes you’d be right, but the muscles at the front of my thighs had already given all they had to give, and our descent was painfully slow.
Stopping for a breather – at least one of us is smiling
We finally made it down, then only had to walk one more mile to get back home. It was a long mile! We stopped halfway for a strawberry ice cream cone, which made me feel better, then home for a hot shower, which made me feel better still.
Taking Our Time 