Panama (Summer 2008)

Staring out the window as we landed, I couldn’t believe the amount of highrises clustered together along the water’s edge. For a second I thought we had made a mistake and had double-backed toward Miami or something. I had no idea Panama City was so built up. In the back of a taxi, speeding toward the city, I was even more surprised to see how tall and skinny the buildings were and just how many were being built. I never did find out why there were so many, but I’d like to think they’re building up in order to protect more of the natural environment that’s spread around. I guess I’m an optimist.

I had a total of three weeks in Panama, traveling with my friend Ian for the first week and solo for the remaining two. Little was planned beforehand so it was all made up as we went along. Spent the first day in Panama City, catching a taxi out to the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal. The canal was impressively long and narrow and we were lucky enough to see a huge ship from Japan passing through. I guess some of the ships only have a foot or so clearance on each side and it’s interesting to see how the whole thing works. Afterwards we headed to the ruins of old Panama City and walked through the crumbling structures, checking out the very modest Puente del Rey which is supposedly the oldest standing bridge in the Western hemisphere. Narrowly missed a huge rainstorm, but as we headed west out of the city it seemed to follow us. After a long bus ride we arrived in the second biggest city, David. Not a lot going on, but a nice central park and good people watching. Then headed north to the popular islands of Bocas del Toro. The main town wasn’t much except a departure point for boats headed out to the different islands and a place for a drink at night. The weather wasn’t on our side, but we did enjoy a nice day at the beach even when a stray coconut tried to end Ian’s trip prematurely. Headed back to David and enjoyed our last two nights, meeting all kinds of random Panamanians at the local discos. Ian headed home and I prepared for the next two weeks on my own.

I headed to the mountain town of Boquete and was immediately off on a wild goose chase to find the local hot springs with my new friend Boaz from Israel and a Canadian couple. We finally managed to find it but I soon realized something important about Panama – nothing was easy when it came to transportation. I found myself constantly switching transportation, and on one day I think it involved something like 4 buses, 1 minivan, 1 taxi and 1 water taxi. Made some more friends including the hotel owner’s friend Pelenchin (boxing champ of the world) and Yuhei from Japan. Yuhei and I went hiking the next day and my brain was mush after speaking a mix of Spanish/English/Japanese all day. The next day was an even longer hike when Boaz and I took a 3 hour bus ride to the town of Cerro Punta and attempted to hike the 8+ kilometers back through the jungle to Boquete. Were joined by 2 girls from Austria and it turned out to be a very long, wet day in the jungle but a good one. After that I was determined to find the sun and headed to the south coast and the island of Boca Brava. Only one hotel/restaurant but thankfully it was a good one. I had met an American couple who didn’t seem to mind me being a third wheel and the three of us, along with most of the other hotel guests, signed up for a boat trip the next day. Spent the day snorkeling on the reef and enjoying a tiny white sand beach and were even lucky enough to spot whales on the way back. The American couple and I then spent the following day on sea kayaks, exploring the little islands full of caves, coves and our own private beach.
Headed to the town of El Valle de Anton the next day, which is a little mountain town right in the bottom of a huge extinct volcano crater. Had met another couple, this time from England and Holland, and we spent the evening in some local dive bar trying to decipher drunken Spanish and laughing until we cried when one guy insisted that I translate to my friends “in case you’re wondering, I have no helicopter”. It still brings a smile to my face. The next day we went hiking to the not-so-impressive “El Macho” waterfall and the underrated “Painted Rock” which was actually huge giant boulder with ancient engravings carved into it. The best part however was a nearby waterfall with a small swimming pool below. The rain was back in the afternoon and I headed back to Panama City, determined to get a flight to the northern islands of San Blas. Throughout the trip I kept hearing about how amazing these islands were. Unfortunately my plan backfired because all flights were booked until the day before I left and because of the thunderstorms created by the hurricane over Cuba. So I was stuck with about four days left and several different options. Hoping to avoid the rain up north, I headed south and took the ferry to the island of Taboga. It was a great colorful little town with a nice beach but I soon realized it’s primarily for daytrippers. There were one or two expensive hotels and that was it. Determined not to blow all my money at the end, I asked around and found a private house with simple rooms and I was set. I enjoyed my final few days lounging on the beach and snorkeling around the attached little island but the town was dead. Thankfully I befriended a couple of Columbians and enjoyed a day of only Spanish before spending my final afternoon wandering around Casco Viejo, the old run down part of Panama City. Actually felt like I imagine Cuba does, with latin sounds blaring out of colorful old buildings and balconies hanging overhead.

Had a great time in Panama and will definitely be back again to see more. Would love to go surfing in Santa Catalina, snorkeling around Isla Coiba, explore Portobelo, cruise around San Blas and experience tribal life in the Darien. My three weeks just flew by. I found the people of Panama to be friendly and extremely honest. There were multiple times throughout the trip when complete strangers were happy to share a beer and a laugh. I’m also used to haggling over prices and was shocked to be given the “tourist price” maybe once or twice the entire trip. I mentioned how transport can be a pain but that being said, there was almost always something showing up to give you a ride. It just took a little more effort. The food was great and there is something very fulfilling with a plate of rice and beans, salad and a portion of meat. Chicken seemed to be very popular but I found myself eating lots of fish as well. One thing I was surprised at though was the lack of street vendors selling food. I missed them and had to be content with sausages and other skewered mystery meat. A welcome surprise however was the constant stream of music, especially the 80’s dancehall reggae that was forever blasting from the speakers. No complaints there. Actually, no complaints all around and I’m already looking forward to a new adventure.