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At 4:00 a.m., the alarm clock tore us from our sleep. Since we had direct room neighbors, we set it as quietly as possible the night before, but still loud enough
to tear us out of our well-deserved deep sleep. The goal of our nightly excursion was the sunrise at Cerro la Silla, still almost an insider tip in El Valle de Antón, but one of
the most beautiful and lonely viewpoints we had visited on our travels so far. Here you meet nothing but tall grass, endless expanse and the first rays of the day's sun. But we had to get there
first.
We crawled out of the cozy bed and were about to get ready when we noticed it was raining outside. Oh great, we thought to ourselves. The anticipation for this adventure was huge, as we had talked to people at the hostel the night before who had also been to Cerro la Silla a few days earlier. What now? Lui already wanted to lie down again but I insisted that we at least have breakfast and then dare a view from the nearby balcony. It didn't get any better but the will was so great that we set off into the rainy night with our weatherproof gear.
But the mood got another damper. The actual plan was to cover most of the distance with our rented car. However, we found that the parking lot of the hostel was locked with a gate and padlock. So it was legs in hand and off we went! Through the accommodation, on the road and always the nose after. Or rather the dog! In front of the entrance door of the hostel was a dog lady, which we called Wauki and accompanied us on our hike. At first we thought that she would follow us only a few meters, highest to the edge of the city, but it was not so.
From our accommodation Bodhi Hostel & Lounge we followed the main road Via El Valle - La Unión until serpentines led us up the mountain. Since the hike takes place in the middle of the night, you should follow the packing list and have a headlamp in your luggage! When we were just thinking about which direction to go, Wauki walked past us and showed us the way. After just under 4 kilometers, there is a bus stop on the main road, and before it, a road branches off to the right. Follow this road, then the path makes a 90° right turn and branches off after a few meters into a Y-junction. Keep left once and then you can't get lost anymore. Especially with a four-legged companion who knows the area, the hike turns out to be child's play. The trail led us along transmission towers out of the valley and spooked us in a landscape lined with green hills. The sun gradually drenched the foothills of the volcano in color and the three of us soaked up the first rays of the morning sun. It was dreamlike!
We enjoyed this breathtaking sunrise, which in my opinion was the absolute highlight of our stay in Panama, and warmed ourselves in the increasingly strong sun. The fog, which seemed to hang tightly in the foothills, rose with the sun and gave the landscape a magical, almost mystical atmosphere. In the distance, the Pacific Ocean. Breathtaking!
We were happy as heck that we had taken on the hurdles despite the supposedly bad weather at the beginning of our hike! So do not be deterred. This adventure is worth all the effort! After this outstanding start to the day, we marched back to the valley in good spirits. Here the main road lived up to its name as cars, buses, and trucks pushed past us into the valley, which did not please our four-legged companion at all. Without consideration he ran to every car and barked at it. Unfortunately, we could not stop him, but fortunately nothing happened. The pancakes with banana and pineapple at the hostel put the crown on the morning and we still had the whole day ahead of us for further adventures. The sleeping Indian was already waiting for us, La India Dormida!