After a two-day rest, it was time to start our return to the US from the farthest point of this expedition. We left Panama City without regrets. Heading towards Costa Rica, we took the Pan-American Highway again. Before crossing the border however, we wanted to visit the westernmost part of Panama. There was very little traffic on the road--it was a Sunday--but we had to carefully watch the speed on the meter. I have never seen so many police speed check points in my life. They watched the 80 km per hour limit. On average, every 15-20 km there was a policeman on the roadside with a radar in his hand. It took us a full 7 hours to cover 300 miles / 480 km. We finally stopped in Boquete which is at elevation of 3,300 feet / 1,000 meters. It was a big change for us as we set off from sea level that day. Along with the altitude difference, not only did the surroundings changed into an evergreen rainforest, but the air temperature also dropped significantly, giving us a pleasant breeze at night. It was a long-awaited break from the heat of the Central American lowlands.

Boquete is a small town located in the green mountain highlands. It is a region of coffee plantations and a place popular among tourists. To experience nature, we chose a trail that led to three waterfalls. When we set off, we were almost immediately absorbed by the richness of nature. We were immersed in huge leaves, surrounded by vines hanging from trees on all sides. It was not raining, but we were still walking along the muddy trail. We slipped and stumbled to reach the massive, breathtaking cascades. We were not disappointed with the Lost Waterfalls trail; it was a beautiful hike.

It is not hard to imagine that the forest in this region was a challenge for the Spaniards who first came here in the 16^th century. Heavily armed, with steel helmets and armor, the conquistadors had quite a problem with moving in the mountains. There were no roads here, just narrow, steep, muddy and slippery trails. A full set of metal armor weighed approximately 60 lb. / 30 kg. Every Spanish infantryman carried a sword and often a long-barreled arquebus. They were not adapted to the local climate, they struggled not only with high humidity and torrential rains, but were most afraid of venomous reptiles and tropical diseases. Despite the difficulties they encountered, they successfully conquered the new land, easily defeating the outnumbered local Indians. Thus began the colonial era in Central America.