The lost and found

‘I knew the moment I arrived at The Lost and Found - I was in a very sacred place’. Pictures by Rosa Briant

Gisborne’s Rosa Briant treks alone through dense bush in search of a secret location in Panama . . .

Panama, on the Gringo Trail, is more of a bridge country used to pass from South to Central America, or vice versa, via the San Blas Islands.

Most travellers do not actually spend that much time there — however, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a secret hostel up in the mountains, amid a cloud forest, where I ended up living and working. This place is possibly the best kept secret in all of Central America — The Lost and Found.

With a purposefully weak online presence, The Lost and Found relies on word of mouth to draw travellers to its intrepid location. When I ran into an old friend in Panama City, he told me about his time at The Lost and Found and explained to me how to find it. Most people I met afterwards had only heard rumours of it, if anything at all, so it quickly became clear to me how lucky I was to have this opportunity. I was so excited for the adventure that I left the next day.

From Panama City I took an overnight bus to the city of David, where I had to ask (in Spanish) for a ‘Collectivo’ mini-van heading to Bocas Del Toro. When I found one of those vans I asked the driver if he knew of The Lost and Found. The first driver I approached had no idea what I was talking about, the second one smiled a knowing smile at me and ushered me aboard his van.

It was a nerve-racking journey as I had no idea where I was, nor where I was going. Crowded in a small van overflowing with Panamanians, their shopping, their goods to sell at markets . . . and their animals. I had to rely on the driver to stop somewhere on the roadside, and show me the path to walk through the forest to The Lost and Found.

About two hours into the journey, the driver pulled over on the side of the road and signalled for me to jump out there. It was literally the middle of nowhere with thick forest in every direction and only a small fruit and veggie shack in sight.

The driver pointed to a pathway leading into the dense bush and I nervously began to walk the long uphill hike to my secret hostel destination. Had it not been for the encouraging signs placed in the ground once in a while, I would have for sure thought I was hiking to my own kidnapping and sacrifice by some cannibalistic indigenous tribe and no one would ever see me again. I don’t know about you but that is the weird stuff my imagination does when I am very far out of my comfort zone.

However, I kept going, taking comfort in the little wooden signs of encouragement. Finally, I arrived amongst big, bright-yellow cabins with beautiful murals and wall paintings everywhere and hammocks tied up in every corner and under every tree.

Sitting at the table was a small group of travellers having beers and looking out at one of the most spectacular views I have ever experienced. We were simultaneously above, below and amongst the clouds.

I knew in that moment I was in a very sacred place on earth.

'Go find it for yourself'This hostel is something so very special because it is such a well-kept secret and its location is hard to find, therefore it invites only a select type of traveller. Everyone I met there had an immense respect and love for mother nature, a strong sense of integrity and responsibility for the impact we each have now, and in the future of this planet. We were all intrepid travellers who knew our tribe and embraced that soul connection.

We spoke about life experiences and about all the hard things we had been through which changed our lives for the better and made us grow. There was no small talk, or gossip, or negative energy. We became family.

The other incredibly magical part of this story is that The Lost and Found has two treasure hunts which are permanently set up and used by the guests and volunteers every day. The first has clues tied to trees deep in the forest which takes a whole day to hike and complete. It takes you across rapidly-flowing rivers and up mountains, through the trunks of GIGANTIC trees, into dark caves, and all the way back to the hostel.

There, the second treasure hunt starts. With the help of an app on your phone you end up in the loft of the bar deciphering codes from ancient books, finding hidden messages in the wall paintings, and even in the forest maze collecting clues from hidden totems, all in order to solve the mystery of The Lost and Found.

I can’t say more than that in case any of you reading this ever head there . . . it would be unfair of me to give away too much and remove that element of magic for you.

Go find it for yourself!