Once I am on track, these issues should greatly improve. At the time of writing this, I am already one month into my travels... I will probably flip back and forth between present and past and I will try to insert posts about past events in chronological order.
Panama....
Panama was not on my list of places to visit. I had felt that our time (and money) would have been better spent elsewhere in Central America. As well, it meant we would have to pass through Costa Rica to get to the rest of Central America and Costa Rica is expensive. Lucky for me, Tracey really wanted to go to Panama. Also, I found a destination named Coiba National Park that looked very attractive. So while planning the trip my thought was to fly into Panama City, head straight to Coiba and bus directly out. Travel, and life, has a way of changing things and this leg of the trip was no exception.
We arrived on the 10th of January and made our way to Hostel Amador in Panama City. Plans changed immediately and the decision was made to spend two full days in this large, modern city. What struck us immediately were the following observations: people were VERY friendly and honest; the city was very clean by Latin American (and even North American) standards; traffic was a nightmare; and there were very few homeless people to be seen anywhere. Our hostel was oldish looking but quite clean. We were on the top floor with a corner room and a washroom with hot water… the last hot water we would experience for the rest of Panama. This was an old Canal house, built for the workers who worked on building the Canal.
We explored our immediate surroundings and were only able to find a mini/super and a pizza place. That pizza place was our staple due to a lack of choices in our immediate area.
On our first full day we explored Casco Viejo, the Fish Market (we had black clam ceviche, and a seafood mixture that we first thought was wieners and beans!), we also discovered that Panama City is very hot and humid. We took a nap along the promenade that separates the city from the Pacific. We were surprised that there were so few people using this space… perhaps due to mid afternoon heat. We encountered our one and only beggar we met in Panama. We gave him a buck because he woke us and did look down and out.
Our last full day was to include Cerro de Ancon and the Canal. Cerro de Ancon was a nice 300 m hike up a local hill in a protected park. We saw a toucan, lots of tropical plants and were rewarded with great views of the city Skyline and the Panama Canal. We spent some time up there and decided due to our amazing view of the Canal, there was no need to go to the Canal visitor center. Since we took a cab to the trailhead we thought we would make our way back on foot. On our way back we finally found a food wagon at what looked to be a police training centre. We were (I was) a little hesitant to get into line not knowing if we were welcome nor what the food was. We bypassed but made our way back… why would anyone turn away paying customers? Tracey is my voice of reason. Good thing we did, 8 dollars got both of us each a plate of rice, beans, salad, chicken, and a drink.
We were excited to leave Panama City, for people with our interests there really wasn’t much more to see and give us reason to remain. Also, just arriving from Calgary, we found the extreme heat and high humidity to be challenging to cope with. We took a taxi to Albrook Bus Terminal which was a lot simpler than initially thought. Due to our poor Spanish speaking (and comprehension) skills, everything is a lot more challenging. At the beginning of this trip, everything was new, and at times, this can be a little overwhelming and stressful to deal with. Once at the terminal, it was pretty straight forward. We found the ticket booth for El Valle de Anton, locally known as “El Valle”, bought the ticket and were told the bus was leaving. We hurried to the departure bay but were stopped for some unknown toll that we were supposed to pay…. And it had to be done on a prepaid card. We really didn’t understand but a very kind man behind us swiped his card for both of us and refused any repayment. This expression of kindness and generosity is something we experienced all throughout Panama by the people there.
When we reached the bus we found it to be a 20 or so passenger van. We sat in different seats as the seats are tight. This was one of our first bus lessons that still continue as the days go by. Stay together, and empty an bus never remains an empty bus. Also, payment is not generally provided until near the end of your journey. Equally important to know is that bus drivers don’t rip you off… rest assured, you are paying the right price and if you over pay they will get you the change.
The drive to El Valle was approximately 1.5 hours. At first the landscape was rather uninspiring. However, around 40 minutes in that began to change. Dramatic hills appeared to the north and as we gained them the pacific started to come into view. Also at this time, the bus was full (by Canadian standards), and as we gained elevation more and more people got into the van. At our fullest point, there were no less 10 people standing and every seat was crammed full. It was very apparent when we reached El Valle, where we were. We were dropped off at the central gas station across from the fruit market. The town is quaint and ringed by the walls of the crater of the extinct volcano that houses it. Supposedly, the town is one of two communities the world built within a volcano crater.
We were only a couple blocks from the Windmill Hostel where we had a reservation. We were able to walk there after meeting the town drunk, friendly guy who reminded us a bit of home. The hostel was a very interesting place, it had a pool, common kitchen, private rooms and dorms, games room and shared washrooms. Sadly the manager was a little rough for us and not very friendly to the locals. He and the owner called them lazy and there were other shady dealings that I don’t care to get into. Being this is my journal I will briefly list the issues: we arrived to barking order about what “thall shall not do”; he and the owner smoked outside our window constantly; he kept us up until 2 am the first evening (thall shall not do what I do but what I say); the kitchen was too small for the number of people staying there, the ceiling tiles thumped all night with the wind; the pool was toxic and they had no idea how to maintain the water chemistry… I tried to help; no hot water as advertised. Honestly though, it was the attitude towards Panama and its people. This all to prevailant attitude that “we are here to make money and we will do what we want regardless of the government rules”…. On to the good stuff.
The first night we visited the local zoo… it was amazing. I fed and scratched spider monkeys, we saw the only known Golden Frog, many birds and various animals… many being rehabilitated to be released again in the wild. That evening we enjoyed a meal of tacos from a stand.
Our first full day we hiked the sleeping indian girl trail. A great hike of only 300 m elevation but a commanding view of the El Valle and the surrounding area. On our way down we explored a side trail to a small house, waded in a beautiful cool pool of water, saw petroglyphs, a waterfall and ended our hike with a wonderful meal of Fonda, yet again. We ate dinner at the hostel, taking advantage of the local fruit and vegetable market and eating salad.
Our second and final day required domestics, including sorting out the logistics to get to Santiago, laundry and the pool chemistry. We visited El Rey, the grocery store, the sepentarium, the orchid preserve and hit up another and my favorite of Panama, Fonda. We packed that evening and prepared for the next leg of our journey.
We were able to arrange with Javier Elizondo, our guide for Coiba, to pick us up in Santiago being he would be there anyhow. We made our way to Santiago with little trouble and found ourselves at a very busy and forgein bus terminal. A crazy old lady told us to leave, but to be fair, we were in a were standing not knowing what to do the next few hours while on the arrival platform. We decided to walk around and found a pizza/pasta chain that offered free wifi. We ate for hours, one slow bite at a time, trying to kill time. It was very apparent that Santiago is not used to tourists and we found that we stuck out more than usual. We were forced to leave when the washrooms were out of order and I had to go really bad (we thought someone was in them for 30 mins, but in fact the restaurant place lost all water). We walked over to a brand new KFC… Tracey bought a pop so that I could use the washroom. We walked back to the bus station, watched a street performer for about 5 minutes and just as we arrived Javier pulled up and whisked us away to Santa Catalina… about 2 hours away.
Javier dropped us off at our hostel Mundo Pequeños (small world). It was operated by young Swiss couple and her brother who was visiting. This was a very clean and pleasant hostel. No shared kitchen but a quite expensive restaurant. We borrowed some bikes and flew into to town were we saw both beaches before returning with food from the grocery store. Food in Santa Catalina’s finest store was expensive, poor quality, and low quantity.
During our first full day we rented a 2 person Kayak ($30!) and used it for 2-3 hours. We paddled over to Santa Catalina Island. Initially we sat under a rather benign looking tree until locals warned us it was very toxic and if exposed to the sap from the leaves, bark, or fruit we would be badly blistered. The locals call the tree in Spanish “bad shade”. After relocating, we snorkeled for a little while. We was many fish, and a sting ray. We noticed a lot of puffer fish which seems to be the norm in the Pacific. We also experienced quite a current which now realize we have never been exposed to but are now cautious of. When we returned we found another Fonda and had lobster. Tracey loves lobster, I think it is ok. Sadly that night my stomach did not agree with the lobster and I was left worrying that I might be sick for Coiba. I took some Pepto in the middle of the night and awoke, to my relief, with just minor issues… nothing that would hold me back.
To be continued as Coiba National Park on a later post.
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