Capurganá, Zapzurro and a brief step into Panama: October 13-22

Taken from our end of the beach looking toward Capurganá.

Zapzurro´s church.

An abundance of plant life.

You either take a boat or an airplane to get to these small towns that are right next to Panama.  With a  population of 2,000, one is promised a tranquil vibe.  However, before you go, check to see if your visit is going to coincide with their once-a-year festival.  We didn´t.  Our first three nights in Capurganá are forever etched on our ear drums.  Even when we moved 1 km out of town after the first night, I could still heard the music with ear plugs in until somewhere around 2 a.m.  After those unforgettable three nights, we began enjoying the nightly tropical serenade.  During the day, there was plenty of walking, swimming, and tropical life to enjoy.

Arriving in Capurganá.

Capurganá´s main plaza - where the bleepin´ festival speakers were.

The main street.

Transportation is by foot, bicycle, horse or one of 4-5 motorcycles.

The place we stayed - a great setting about 1 km out of Carpurganá.

Going for a swim in the ocean...  We learned that at night they let their horses roam to find grass to eat.  Early in the morning someone then goes wandering to find the horse.  The airstrip in town seemed to be an attractive place that the horses liked to graze.  It´s a good thing flights only come in about one time each day!

On the way to ¨Bahía Aguacate.¨

Using inadequate tools to open a coconut. It was worth it!

Nice juxaposition - thatched roof house with a satelite dish.

¨El Cielo¨ - lots of walking through the river/stream to get there.

From Capurganá it´s about a 1 1/2 hour walk up and over a jungly ridge to get to Zapzurro which is even smaller.  It also seems a bit nicer and cleaner.  We saw monkeys on the way over but they aren´t so easy to photograph.

Zapzurro from ¨El Mirador¨.

Remember the camera button issue?

It´s kind of a fun thing to then zip up and over a tiny hill, show your passport to both Colombian and Panamanian officials and take a swim in Panama.

¨La Miel¨ - on the Panamanian side.

We took the boat out and back - about 35 people on board.  Interestingly there was engine problems in both directions.  On the way out it was a relatively short return to the port to fix one of the two engines.  On the way back, it ended up being an ordeal of being taken into Acandí - jumping off the boat (literally) - and waiting for a new engine to be brought out from Turbo.  There more than a few unhappy passengers!  I enjoyed the 4 hour detour for the most part since I ended up talking in spanish with a nice man from Medellín.  It was a great way to get a preview on the city that my family lived in back in the day.  And, it was nice, because Medellín is where we went next.  Goodbye, Carribean!