Surprise! We found internet!
Now, the last update. Before leaving Bocas del Toro, while we were enjoying 3 veggie burgers on the street, past walked our friend from Panama City the very first day we arrived. We had dinner with him that first night and he told us his plan to buy a bike and bike across Panama. 2 weeks later, he happens to walk by on the sidewalk 10 minutes before our boat leaves, to tell us that he has biked all the way from the city to the west coast of the country. We really have come full circle.
We arrived in Almirante, boarded the bus, and began our 10 hour journey back to the city. The first couple hours of the drive were on a dirt road that was very curvy. They passed out little plastic bags to the passengers in case anyone got sick. That´s when I started feeling sick. Don´t worry, I soon fell asleep and slept for the next 8 hours, except to get off the bus at 1 AM and finally eat a dinner of white rice and potatoes.
We got into the Panama City bus station before 5 AM. We were scolded for trying to sleep in the waiting area, so we waited around until closer to 6, an appropriate time to call our friend. He met us at the station around 7 and then we took a scenic series of busses and taxis to his house in a suburb. After generously feeding us breakfast, we fell asleep for the next few hours. We then played some cards and watched la copa mundial (world cup). Finally, we said goodbye and took a taxi to an impossible to find hostel in the downtown of the city, much closer to the airport. Juan Carlos is going meet us tonight for dinner in the area and then we´ll probably call it an early night, considering we feel like we haven´t slept in 24 hours. There´s even a vegetarian restaurant near our hostel!
And off to the US tomorrow. We have successfully traveled all the way to the west coast of the country in back. We feel accomplished, tired, itchy, tan, and ready to come home. Hope to see you all soon!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tropical oasis
Sorry we haven´t had access to a computer in a while. We´ve just been too busy hiking through waterfalls and basking in the Caribbean Sea and drinking coconut water straight from the fruit. Just a normal day in Panama.
After David, we headed to Boquete for 2 nights, about one hour north of the city. Although it rained both afternoons we were there, the mornings were beautiful. The first day, we took a 5.2 km walk around the area and got to see some indigenous villages and pretty views. We don´t all agree it was worth the 3 or 4 hour walk, though. The following day, we took a shorter, about 2 hour hike, that ended in a really pretty waterfall. While Boquete wasn´t our favorite place, we enjoyed the natural scenery, the over friendly hostal owner that was so energetic it looked painful, and the beautifully bright indigenous dresses that many women wore. We also ate 3.5 times at the same restaurant. A huge plate of rice, beans, salad, and platanos for 2 dollars. We couldn´t help ourselves.
After two nights in Boquete, we took the one hour bus back to David, then hopped on a 4 hour bus to Almirante. Our butts hurt a lot, to say the least. Then a 45 minute boat to Bocas del Toro, the main island. The island is known as being touristy and a party place, so we decided to go all out and stay at the most tourist, party hostel. Just for kicks. Our room was literally in a tree house, with walls and a door that did not go all the way from the floor to the ceiling. We had to climb up a ladder to even get inside, and then slept on mattresses on the floor, as did the lizards. Luckily Rose, the early riser of us all, was the only one to witness our shared accomdations with the animals.
At 7 PM that night, we went to our hostel´s bar´s happy hour...50 cent beers and 1.50 drinks. Rose went to watch the celtics game at another bar. A few drinks in and by 8 oclock, both Louisa and I were definitely done for the night. We walked around town and hung out on a dock over the water, but none of us could make it past 10 PM. Shows how good we are at partying. Mission failed.
The next morning, we got off Bocas as early as we could and took a 10 minute boat to Isla Bastimento. It´s a much smaller island, with less people and more beautiful beaches. We checked into a cheap hostel that is so beautiful...the building is directly over, well in, the water. There are hammocks in the back looking over the ocean. And only 8 dollars a night!
We immediately dropped our bags and took the 30 minute hike to the beach. Soaked with sweat, we jumped in right away to the warm Caribbean water. We stayed on the beach for hours, reading and swimming. It started to feel like a beach vacation. Then we realized it was 2 PM and we had no lunch. We got back, settled ourselves, and splurged on dinner with most of us eating Creole style fish (my dad would be proud to know I ate a whole fish and deboned it myself!).
The next morning, yesterday, our last full day here on the island, we decided to splurge one last time and take a whole day boat tour. A Chilean young woman guide took us snorkeling, where we saw neon bright fish and coral, and then took us to an abandoned beach that you can only reach by boat. We spent hours there, where we snorkeled, saw sloths in the trees, spotted little bright red frogs in the jungle, and drank coconut water straight from the fruit. Can´t get more Caribbean than that. Not to mention that the weather was perfect. We got back to our hostel, cooked in, and went to bed around 10. Hope I remember how to stay up past then.
Today, we read in the hammocks and then found a hostel with internet in an air conditioned room! We´ve been here ever since. We live a hard life, right?
Tonight we´ll take an 11 hour bus from Almirante to Panama City that leaves at 7 PM and gets in at 6 AM. Then spend our last day in the city, hopefully with our friend, and leave back for the US on Friday afternoon. I think we´re all excited to go back to the city where we will be forced to speak Spanish again, as people here on the island speak a lot of Jamaican English.
We probably won´t have internet access again before then so hope you´ve enjoyed reading our blog! Hasta luego.
After David, we headed to Boquete for 2 nights, about one hour north of the city. Although it rained both afternoons we were there, the mornings were beautiful. The first day, we took a 5.2 km walk around the area and got to see some indigenous villages and pretty views. We don´t all agree it was worth the 3 or 4 hour walk, though. The following day, we took a shorter, about 2 hour hike, that ended in a really pretty waterfall. While Boquete wasn´t our favorite place, we enjoyed the natural scenery, the over friendly hostal owner that was so energetic it looked painful, and the beautifully bright indigenous dresses that many women wore. We also ate 3.5 times at the same restaurant. A huge plate of rice, beans, salad, and platanos for 2 dollars. We couldn´t help ourselves.
After two nights in Boquete, we took the one hour bus back to David, then hopped on a 4 hour bus to Almirante. Our butts hurt a lot, to say the least. Then a 45 minute boat to Bocas del Toro, the main island. The island is known as being touristy and a party place, so we decided to go all out and stay at the most tourist, party hostel. Just for kicks. Our room was literally in a tree house, with walls and a door that did not go all the way from the floor to the ceiling. We had to climb up a ladder to even get inside, and then slept on mattresses on the floor, as did the lizards. Luckily Rose, the early riser of us all, was the only one to witness our shared accomdations with the animals.
At 7 PM that night, we went to our hostel´s bar´s happy hour...50 cent beers and 1.50 drinks. Rose went to watch the celtics game at another bar. A few drinks in and by 8 oclock, both Louisa and I were definitely done for the night. We walked around town and hung out on a dock over the water, but none of us could make it past 10 PM. Shows how good we are at partying. Mission failed.
The next morning, we got off Bocas as early as we could and took a 10 minute boat to Isla Bastimento. It´s a much smaller island, with less people and more beautiful beaches. We checked into a cheap hostel that is so beautiful...the building is directly over, well in, the water. There are hammocks in the back looking over the ocean. And only 8 dollars a night!
We immediately dropped our bags and took the 30 minute hike to the beach. Soaked with sweat, we jumped in right away to the warm Caribbean water. We stayed on the beach for hours, reading and swimming. It started to feel like a beach vacation. Then we realized it was 2 PM and we had no lunch. We got back, settled ourselves, and splurged on dinner with most of us eating Creole style fish (my dad would be proud to know I ate a whole fish and deboned it myself!).
The next morning, yesterday, our last full day here on the island, we decided to splurge one last time and take a whole day boat tour. A Chilean young woman guide took us snorkeling, where we saw neon bright fish and coral, and then took us to an abandoned beach that you can only reach by boat. We spent hours there, where we snorkeled, saw sloths in the trees, spotted little bright red frogs in the jungle, and drank coconut water straight from the fruit. Can´t get more Caribbean than that. Not to mention that the weather was perfect. We got back to our hostel, cooked in, and went to bed around 10. Hope I remember how to stay up past then.
Today, we read in the hammocks and then found a hostel with internet in an air conditioned room! We´ve been here ever since. We live a hard life, right?
Tonight we´ll take an 11 hour bus from Almirante to Panama City that leaves at 7 PM and gets in at 6 AM. Then spend our last day in the city, hopefully with our friend, and leave back for the US on Friday afternoon. I think we´re all excited to go back to the city where we will be forced to speak Spanish again, as people here on the island speak a lot of Jamaican English.
We probably won´t have internet access again before then so hope you´ve enjoyed reading our blog! Hasta luego.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Heaven and Hell
We have had an INCREDIBLE past couple days and I'm overwhelmed with the thought of writing it all on the blog, so we will do this cooperatively, because I love cooperative efforts.
I'll begin where I left off. Walking around Santa Fe, we discovered that the entire town is basically a cooperative, which was fascinating to me with my obsession with cooperatives. It is well developed compared to the neighboring communities, mostly because an influential politician is from the area and had a hand in using panama canal resources to develop the town. Our first full day in Santa Fe, we departed for a hike to a waterfall. After walking a few minutes, we passed by a pink, sparkly clean house with a young man sitting outside. He introduced himself as Juan Carlos, age 27, native Panamanian, on vacation at his house in Santa Fe and offered to take us to a different waterfall the following day. He will definitely make a reappearance in this tale, so pay attention.
After thanking him and passing by his house, a pickup truck offered us a ride to the waterfall. 15 minutes later we had still not arrived. I didnt realize how much time had passed, as I was sitting in the front seat next to the driver talking. I learned later that Louisa and Rose, who were sitting in the back on piles of bread, had been yelling my name for minutes, worried that I had been kidnapped. We realized that the waterfall was very far and before getting lost wanted to walk the rest of the way. Finally, we reached a little dirt path, walked another 45 minutes through mud and plants to end at...a trickling river of water. Although slightly disappointed, we felt quite accomplished when we arrived back at Juan Carlos's house over 2 hours later, with aching legs and parched mouths. He invited us in for water and we got to talking. We learned that he is a chef in a restaurant in Panama City and is vacationing here. He owns his own house both in Santa Fe and in the city. After about a half hour of getting to know each other, he invited us over for dinner and offered to cook for us. He immediately struck us as incredibly friendly and unthreatening - he was the first man that hadn't called us beautiful or tried to hit on us. We agreed to return at 6 PM. And it didn't hurt that he's incredibly good looking.
We went back to our hotel, sat in the hammocks enjoying the beautiful weather, and got ready for our 3 way dinner date. On our walk over to his house, we noticed that we each had little red dots all over our bodies, though Rose was hit the hardest, el sangre mas gringa. We began inventing things that could be wrong with us, maybe it was a poisoneous plant we rubbed against, something we ate, malaria! We, mostly Rose, got more and more anxious about our worsening conditions. When we arrived at Juan Carlos's house and began cooking with him, he noticed our red disease and simply said, oh the Chitras found you. Apparently, there is a little bug that only exists in this area that is a relative of the mosquito. You can't feel it when it bites you but the bites get itchy later. 2 days later, we are still itchy, and Rose is proud and horrified to announce that she has over 200 bites. It's probably better you all can't see her right now.
Besides the Chitra, which became the Hell of Santa Fe, we had a really nice time cooking, eating, and having a few beers with Juan Carlos, learning about the country, its politics, natural resources, and his life. He was so generous and kind and we immediately felt comfortable around him. He walked us back to our hotel and on the way showed us all the different fruit trees native to Panama. Our favorite was the mamon, a really small melon type fruit, while Louisa's least favorite was the mango...turns out she's pretty allergic, though she's being a trooper and not letting it slow her down. Finaly, we agreed to meet up with Juan Carlos the next day to do another hike.
That night, we didn't sleep much. We all woke up in the middle of the night itching ourselves furiously. The only possible explanation is bed bugs. Again, Rose was most affected. Literally, the bugs drove us out of Santa Fe a night early. But not before we had an incredible day with Juan Carlos in Santa Fe.
We woke up the next morning, pissed at the world, but ended the day the most happy we've been all trip. We walked by Juan Carlos's house, he got his bag and dog, and we started walking down the road. About 45 minutes later, after he pointed out the houses in the distance of his cousin, his aunt, his uncle, his other cousin, his other uncle, we came to a hidden river. He told us to take off our shoes. He grabbed his machete and started leading us through the river, past little waterfalls, making sure we were safe and never falling, often supporting our complete body weight. Finally, having no idea where we were going and putting our complete trust in our friend, we saw a beautiful water fall and swimming hole. We changed into our bathing suits and jumped into the water. We spent hours here, taking pictures, talking with Juan Carlos, swimming around, and sliding down the waterfall. It was one of the most picturesque places we've ever seen and it could not have been a more perfect day. We had a quick snack of mamons and fresh sugar cane, and started heading back to Juan Carlos's house.
When we got there, he invited us inside for a minute. We sat down and when we looked up, he was offering us jello and ice cream, a snack he had clearly prepared in advance for our enjoyment. Without even asking, he sat us down at the table and fed us tacos filled with deliciousness and fried tortillas and yuca. We couldn't imagine a better friend to make...someone to practice our Spanish with, someone who knew the area like the back of his hand, is handsome, and knows how to cook!
He walked us back to our hotel and said goodbye, offering to let us stay in his house in Panama City when we return at the end of our trip. We exchanged numbers and he said he'll return to the city especially to see us. Then, we hopped on the bus back to Santiago, treated ourselves to an airconditioned hotel room with a flat screen TV, WITHOUT CHITRAS. This morning, we took the bus to David and came to the Purple House hostel, where everything is purple, literally. We'll spend the night here and head off for our next adventure tomorrow. The only thing we've discovered to do here is hang out in the supermarket for hours, and we've already done that.
Our trip already feels like it's almost over. Although we are so satisfied with the last few days, we don't know exactly where we're going from here. We know we'll figure it out and update you all again soon.
Adios.
I'll begin where I left off. Walking around Santa Fe, we discovered that the entire town is basically a cooperative, which was fascinating to me with my obsession with cooperatives. It is well developed compared to the neighboring communities, mostly because an influential politician is from the area and had a hand in using panama canal resources to develop the town. Our first full day in Santa Fe, we departed for a hike to a waterfall. After walking a few minutes, we passed by a pink, sparkly clean house with a young man sitting outside. He introduced himself as Juan Carlos, age 27, native Panamanian, on vacation at his house in Santa Fe and offered to take us to a different waterfall the following day. He will definitely make a reappearance in this tale, so pay attention.
After thanking him and passing by his house, a pickup truck offered us a ride to the waterfall. 15 minutes later we had still not arrived. I didnt realize how much time had passed, as I was sitting in the front seat next to the driver talking. I learned later that Louisa and Rose, who were sitting in the back on piles of bread, had been yelling my name for minutes, worried that I had been kidnapped. We realized that the waterfall was very far and before getting lost wanted to walk the rest of the way. Finally, we reached a little dirt path, walked another 45 minutes through mud and plants to end at...a trickling river of water. Although slightly disappointed, we felt quite accomplished when we arrived back at Juan Carlos's house over 2 hours later, with aching legs and parched mouths. He invited us in for water and we got to talking. We learned that he is a chef in a restaurant in Panama City and is vacationing here. He owns his own house both in Santa Fe and in the city. After about a half hour of getting to know each other, he invited us over for dinner and offered to cook for us. He immediately struck us as incredibly friendly and unthreatening - he was the first man that hadn't called us beautiful or tried to hit on us. We agreed to return at 6 PM. And it didn't hurt that he's incredibly good looking.
We went back to our hotel, sat in the hammocks enjoying the beautiful weather, and got ready for our 3 way dinner date. On our walk over to his house, we noticed that we each had little red dots all over our bodies, though Rose was hit the hardest, el sangre mas gringa. We began inventing things that could be wrong with us, maybe it was a poisoneous plant we rubbed against, something we ate, malaria! We, mostly Rose, got more and more anxious about our worsening conditions. When we arrived at Juan Carlos's house and began cooking with him, he noticed our red disease and simply said, oh the Chitras found you. Apparently, there is a little bug that only exists in this area that is a relative of the mosquito. You can't feel it when it bites you but the bites get itchy later. 2 days later, we are still itchy, and Rose is proud and horrified to announce that she has over 200 bites. It's probably better you all can't see her right now.
Besides the Chitra, which became the Hell of Santa Fe, we had a really nice time cooking, eating, and having a few beers with Juan Carlos, learning about the country, its politics, natural resources, and his life. He was so generous and kind and we immediately felt comfortable around him. He walked us back to our hotel and on the way showed us all the different fruit trees native to Panama. Our favorite was the mamon, a really small melon type fruit, while Louisa's least favorite was the mango...turns out she's pretty allergic, though she's being a trooper and not letting it slow her down. Finaly, we agreed to meet up with Juan Carlos the next day to do another hike.
That night, we didn't sleep much. We all woke up in the middle of the night itching ourselves furiously. The only possible explanation is bed bugs. Again, Rose was most affected. Literally, the bugs drove us out of Santa Fe a night early. But not before we had an incredible day with Juan Carlos in Santa Fe.
We woke up the next morning, pissed at the world, but ended the day the most happy we've been all trip. We walked by Juan Carlos's house, he got his bag and dog, and we started walking down the road. About 45 minutes later, after he pointed out the houses in the distance of his cousin, his aunt, his uncle, his other cousin, his other uncle, we came to a hidden river. He told us to take off our shoes. He grabbed his machete and started leading us through the river, past little waterfalls, making sure we were safe and never falling, often supporting our complete body weight. Finally, having no idea where we were going and putting our complete trust in our friend, we saw a beautiful water fall and swimming hole. We changed into our bathing suits and jumped into the water. We spent hours here, taking pictures, talking with Juan Carlos, swimming around, and sliding down the waterfall. It was one of the most picturesque places we've ever seen and it could not have been a more perfect day. We had a quick snack of mamons and fresh sugar cane, and started heading back to Juan Carlos's house.
When we got there, he invited us inside for a minute. We sat down and when we looked up, he was offering us jello and ice cream, a snack he had clearly prepared in advance for our enjoyment. Without even asking, he sat us down at the table and fed us tacos filled with deliciousness and fried tortillas and yuca. We couldn't imagine a better friend to make...someone to practice our Spanish with, someone who knew the area like the back of his hand, is handsome, and knows how to cook!
He walked us back to our hotel and said goodbye, offering to let us stay in his house in Panama City when we return at the end of our trip. We exchanged numbers and he said he'll return to the city especially to see us. Then, we hopped on the bus back to Santiago, treated ourselves to an airconditioned hotel room with a flat screen TV, WITHOUT CHITRAS. This morning, we took the bus to David and came to the Purple House hostel, where everything is purple, literally. We'll spend the night here and head off for our next adventure tomorrow. The only thing we've discovered to do here is hang out in the supermarket for hours, and we've already done that.
Our trip already feels like it's almost over. Although we are so satisfied with the last few days, we don't know exactly where we're going from here. We know we'll figure it out and update you all again soon.
Adios.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Santa Fe
We're here in Santa Fe, a small town way up in the mountains near Santiago, about a 3 hour bus ride from Penonome. I'll start where I left off. Our last night in El Valle, we went to that restaurant opening, which turned about to be a bigger deal than we originally thought. Not only was it a restaurant, but it was also a community center and hang out spot for the local residents, something the town was lacking. There was a big opening ceremony, with a live band, children singing, and fire twirling. Definitely a big event.
The next morning we woke up before 7 to catch the bus to Santa Clara, a nearby beach, because the person working at our hostel told us there was only one bus a day in the morning. However, as usual, everyone has a different answer for everything. A bus passed us and told us there was no bus to Santa Clara and we had to switch busses. After we got on our second bus and told them to let us off at Santa Clara, they ignored us and kept driving until the person sitting next to us informed us we'd passed Santa Clara at least 3 km ago. So we jumped off the bus, crossed the highway, and started walking along the Interamericana, determined to get to the beach. One bus passed us and looked at us like we were crazy gringas walking along a highway in Panama (which we were), but the next was kinder. After chuckling at us, they picked us up and drove us the 2 minutes by car to Santa Clara. When we finally made it to the beach, we were soaked with sweat and ready to jump in. The Pacific Ocean was really warm and although we all got a little burnt, we definitely enjoyed our first official day at the beach. The highlight was probably sitting in the restaurant when three huge motorcycle men dressed in leather bought us 2 rounds of beers. After Rose kindly told them I was the only one without a boyfriend, one of the guys proudly announced that I was his future wife and sat with us for a while. But hey, if I have to sacrifice for some free drinks, it's worth it. It also gave us a great opportunity to practice our Spanish and make more facebook friends (this is my second Panamanian one). And was invaluable in the memories it gave us, including the one of us with 3 men in leather in front of a motorcycle.
Finally, exhausted and filled with chicken fingers, the cheapest and only option of food on the beach (another sacrifice), we hopped on a bus to Penonome and arrived at our hotel, finding a room cheaper than the hostels we previously stayed in, air conditioned and with a private bathroom! We played cards, walked around to find dinner, and called it an early night. I was disappointed that my friend from school never contacted me, but was exhausted from the long day of traveling and beaching to do anything about it.
This morning, we woke up and got breakfast. On our walk back, I heard someone yell Marlee from a car. It was my friend Jackie, recognizable as the other group of gringos in the city. Although it was only a short visit, I'm glad we happened to be in the same place at the same time. It's crazy how small the world is sometimes.
Then, we took an hour and a half bus to Santiago, switched onto another bus to Santa Fe, and arrived here another hour and a half later. Luckily for us, it has been pouring the entire day, our first day with so much rain. Hopefully, it will clear up by tomorrow so that we can take a tour of the local coffee producer and see the surrounding waterfalls. Our hotel is even cheaper than last night and we're the only ones staying there. AND it has hammocks. We can't complain.
Rose would like everyone to know that she doesn't have malaria yet, but she is still lactose intolerant.
We are still amazed that we've managed to take busses successfully so all of these places and fill our days with fun activities. People here are so helpful and friendly, offering to walk us to restaurants or tell us when to get off the bus. Definitely a different culture than in the United States. Lots of Panamanians have also been complementing my Spanish, saying things like, you don't have a north american accent, or your spanish is very good for someone from the US. Not to brag or anything.
Feel free to comment on these posts so that I know people are reading it and I'm not talking to myself! Thanks!
The next morning we woke up before 7 to catch the bus to Santa Clara, a nearby beach, because the person working at our hostel told us there was only one bus a day in the morning. However, as usual, everyone has a different answer for everything. A bus passed us and told us there was no bus to Santa Clara and we had to switch busses. After we got on our second bus and told them to let us off at Santa Clara, they ignored us and kept driving until the person sitting next to us informed us we'd passed Santa Clara at least 3 km ago. So we jumped off the bus, crossed the highway, and started walking along the Interamericana, determined to get to the beach. One bus passed us and looked at us like we were crazy gringas walking along a highway in Panama (which we were), but the next was kinder. After chuckling at us, they picked us up and drove us the 2 minutes by car to Santa Clara. When we finally made it to the beach, we were soaked with sweat and ready to jump in. The Pacific Ocean was really warm and although we all got a little burnt, we definitely enjoyed our first official day at the beach. The highlight was probably sitting in the restaurant when three huge motorcycle men dressed in leather bought us 2 rounds of beers. After Rose kindly told them I was the only one without a boyfriend, one of the guys proudly announced that I was his future wife and sat with us for a while. But hey, if I have to sacrifice for some free drinks, it's worth it. It also gave us a great opportunity to practice our Spanish and make more facebook friends (this is my second Panamanian one). And was invaluable in the memories it gave us, including the one of us with 3 men in leather in front of a motorcycle.
Finally, exhausted and filled with chicken fingers, the cheapest and only option of food on the beach (another sacrifice), we hopped on a bus to Penonome and arrived at our hotel, finding a room cheaper than the hostels we previously stayed in, air conditioned and with a private bathroom! We played cards, walked around to find dinner, and called it an early night. I was disappointed that my friend from school never contacted me, but was exhausted from the long day of traveling and beaching to do anything about it.
This morning, we woke up and got breakfast. On our walk back, I heard someone yell Marlee from a car. It was my friend Jackie, recognizable as the other group of gringos in the city. Although it was only a short visit, I'm glad we happened to be in the same place at the same time. It's crazy how small the world is sometimes.
Then, we took an hour and a half bus to Santiago, switched onto another bus to Santa Fe, and arrived here another hour and a half later. Luckily for us, it has been pouring the entire day, our first day with so much rain. Hopefully, it will clear up by tomorrow so that we can take a tour of the local coffee producer and see the surrounding waterfalls. Our hotel is even cheaper than last night and we're the only ones staying there. AND it has hammocks. We can't complain.
Rose would like everyone to know that she doesn't have malaria yet, but she is still lactose intolerant.
We are still amazed that we've managed to take busses successfully so all of these places and fill our days with fun activities. People here are so helpful and friendly, offering to walk us to restaurants or tell us when to get off the bus. Definitely a different culture than in the United States. Lots of Panamanians have also been complementing my Spanish, saying things like, you don't have a north american accent, or your spanish is very good for someone from the US. Not to brag or anything.
Feel free to comment on these posts so that I know people are reading it and I'm not talking to myself! Thanks!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
El Valle
We are now in El Valle, literally the valley, of a town called Anton. This is our second day and it is much quieter and more picturesque than the city. Almost a little cooler, though not cold, as people from the city described it. We took a bus here from Panama City which broke down half way through the trek. Luckily, they called another bus to pick us up. Just part of the experience. Upon arrival, we found a friendly vegetarian restaurant, making us feel right at home. The veggie burgers were delicious and the owner was very friendly, explaining all the tropical fruit juices that we'd never heard of. Then, we took a hike to a waterfall and old petroglyphs, where we swam and got explained the history of the drawings by a local resident. Then we found a bar called Ty`s Sports Bar (we Americans can't help but flock to the most American places) and got treated to a drink by some visiting Canadians who felt an instant bond with Rose, though they were disappointed she spoke no French. Today, we took a walk to some square trees that were actually just round and were intent on hiking but were too pooped from the over an hour walk to the path that had led to the trees. So instead we've decided to go to the hot springs and go to an opening of a new restaurant tonight that will have live music that some local people invited us to.
Tomorrow, we will spend the day at a nearby undiscovered by tourists beach and then spend the night in Penenome, where a friend of mine from school is spending the summer. The next day, our plan is to head to a similarly rural and nature-filled town called Santa Fe, and eventually head to David and Boquete. Then to Bocas del Toro, back to Panama City, and if we have time, go to the San Blas islands where the indigenous Kuna reside. So we made a plan! Who says you can`t plan a vacation in a day!
Tomorrow, we will spend the day at a nearby undiscovered by tourists beach and then spend the night in Penenome, where a friend of mine from school is spending the summer. The next day, our plan is to head to a similarly rural and nature-filled town called Santa Fe, and eventually head to David and Boquete. Then to Bocas del Toro, back to Panama City, and if we have time, go to the San Blas islands where the indigenous Kuna reside. So we made a plan! Who says you can`t plan a vacation in a day!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Panama City
We{re here! Safe and sound. Panama City looks a lot like Miami and although we've only been here less than 2 days, I think we're all ready to go on to the next stop, El Valle, which is located in the middle of an extinct volcano crater, and is surrounded by natural hot springs and waterfalls. We're staying in a hostel in a dorm room with about 9 other people in Panama City, definitely an experience. Yesterday when we arrived, we explored the area that we're in, Casco Viejo, including the presidential palace, where the president lives. Today, we woke up early and went on a 2 hour hike through a national park near the city. However, it being the wet season, it poured in the middle of the hike. Luckily, we had our rain coats, and were so sweaty anyway that we welcomed the rain. We also got to see an incredible view of the city. Then, we went to the main bus terminal, got a typical Panamanian lunch (I have a feeling w'll be eating rice beans twice a day for the next two weeks, since all they really have here is meat) and then got the bus to Miraflores, one of the locks on the Panama Canal. We happily paid the relatively steep museum fee in exchange for some great air conditioning and interesting exhibit on the canal. Then we got to see some big cargo ships go through the canal. On the bus there, we made friends with Tommy, a local who was very friendly to us. When we mentioned we didn't know anyone and we just planned this trip two days ago, he insisted on giving us his number and email in case we need anything. Unfortunately, our bus ride back was eventful in a different way...I got stung by a bee. Now, with a swelled neck from the bee bite and soar feet, we're exhausted and back at the hostel.
So far, my Spanish is serving me well and we're really enjoying just talking to people and exploring. Other kids at the hostel have given us some good advice (there was even a kid from McGill!) and we're excited to see where our next journey takes us. Keep posted!
Family, I am alive.
So far, my Spanish is serving me well and we're really enjoying just talking to people and exploring. Other kids at the hostel have given us some good advice (there was even a kid from McGill!) and we're excited to see where our next journey takes us. Keep posted!
Family, I am alive.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
To Panama?!
That's right. After an unfortunate wave of a volcano eruption followed by tropical storm Agatha hitting Guatemala, we have reset our plans. Within 48 hours, we've gotten a refund on our tickets, looked at a map of Central America to pick our next destination, and landed on...Panama! It's one of the few countries not hit by the tropical storm and still not as discovered by tourists as Costa Rica. After sitting on the floor of Borders for a couple hours reading all the guidebooks they had on the country, we decided to commit, bought our tickets, and now there's no turning back. Panama, here we come! We'll let you know how the canal is.
A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.
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