el 20 a 23 de junio
Tuesday morning I began my journey to Panama. As I mentioned before I can only stay a maximum of 90 days in Costa Rica without a visa so I needed to spend 72 hours in another country. So if I am going to go to Panama might as well make the most of it, right? I had heard from several people that Bocas del Toro (translated “mouths of the bull”) is a beautiful spot and a popular tourist destination so that’s where I was headed. Tuesday morning I was planning to take the 8am bus from Limón to Sixaola, which is right on the border. Now it hasn’t rained much at all in the 2 weeks I have been in Limón so it was a bit of a surprise to hear the sound of raindrops just as I was throwing on the backpack and ready to head out the door and walk to the bus stop. And it was not just a little sprinkle to start the day, but a little something called an “aguacero” (aka – downpour) that is a popular occurrence in Heredia/San José during the “green” season. Anyway, so plans quickly chained to involve calling a cab yet still getting soaked in the few steps from my front gate to the door of the cab. The cab stopped in front of the bus station and I proceeded to go from soaking to drenched in the next few steps from cab door to bus station. Please know that I am not exaggerating with the rain here – my tee-shirt and back pack were still damp 3 hours later… Thanks to the pour drainage system the streets were flooded within about 5 minutes, but thankfully the worst of it only lasted about 20 minutes (of course it had to be the 20 minutes that I needed to be outside). Anyway, after the rain lightened up and before I got on the bus I decided it was officially time to give in and purchase an umbrella. (Growing up in the Pacific Northwest I have never really been accustomed to the use of such a contraption…we just figure a little water can’t hurt you. Plus it doesn’t really rain as much as most of you probably think it does – I guess that is our secret to avoid overpopulation. Just like the little Denver secret that there is sun and blue sky year round, even when it snows.) Okay, so I bought an umbrella and sat myself on the bus for what turned out to be a 3 hour ride, thanks in part to the stopping and going not only for passenger pick-up and drop-off, but also as a result of the pothole-ridden road (this was the same route that I told you about before on my trip to Puerto Viejo and the flat tires and all…) After arriving in Sixaola I had to “check out” at the little immigration office of Costa Rica, walk across a bridge into Panama, and proceed with the “check in” process on that side. A slight delay presented itself in the fact that Panama is an hour ahead of Costa Rica, so when I arrived at immigration there it was a little after 12pm and 12-1pm is the lunch hour so you just have to wait til they get back. After that was all taken care of it was a taxi ride to a city called Changinola. The taxis in Panama, at least this part of it, are a little different than any previous taxi experience. They are all little 4 door trucks and its more of a “fill ‘er up” style of transportation – meaning 5 people in the same taxi whether they know each other or not. They just keep adding people up they are full up. It was about 20 minutes or so via taxi truck to Changinola, all for the light fare of $1.20. Now for the first interesting tidbit about Panama – they use U.S. dollars as their currency. They have some of their own Panamanian coins floating around along with the nickels, dimes, and quarters, but they have no other paper currency of their own. It was quite strange to see American dollars after more than two months, and even more so considering I was still in Central America. Costa Rican currency involves the use of a lot of rather large and heavy coins, so after getting used to that the quarters felt like small little wafers in my hand. So now I was in Changinola and jumped on a “bus” (which was really a larger sort of mini-van packed with about 20 people or so) and rode for another pick-up-and-drop-off hour to Almirante. I had told the bus operator that I needed to get off at the stop for Taxi #25 and when he told me to get off and “walk straight” I found myself on a random street corner in the little town of Almirante. I headed down the road he had pointed out and discovered a little inlet of water, and then indeed Taxi #25. Taxi #25 turned out to be a water taxi – meaning a little semi-speed boat they load with people to take out to Bocas. So $3.00 and about 15 minutes later I am bouncing along with the waves on my way to the islands. Bocas del Toro is a spot just off the northern Caribbean coast that consists of a lot of little islands and inlets and such. To be honest, I have only glanced at the place on a map one time so I really don’t know how to describe too well just where it is located or what it all consists of. The little islands are quite unique too because they appear as if they are just patches of tree tops popping out of the water. You can’t see any land or dirt or anything from the outside – just a twisted mess of roots and the tops of trees that look like they are sitting on the water. My conclusion is that the trees and vegetation grow straight out over the water from the edge of the land, hiding it from sight and giving the unique look. (Hopefully you understand what I am saying here. I am realizing now as I try to write just how difficult it can be to try to provide word pictures for a lot of the things I have seen.) Anyway, after about 45 minutes in this boat we approached an inhabited patch of land that was lined with houses, hotels, and other such buildings along the shore. It is really a unique sight as many of the buildings are largely “on top” of the water – kind of like they are built on stilts. Now I had looked on the internet a little bit before I came here, hoping to investigate and maybe secure a lodging option but there had been so many choices and a lack of critical information (price, room description, etc) to sign up for anything. I decided to take the lodging the same way as everything else in regards to this trip – figure it out as you go along. Upon exiting the water taxi (and therefore completely my journey) in Bocas around 2pm I noticed that there was another younger girl on my boat who was also traveling alone. She had the “backpackers” backpack and a Lonely Planet Central America guidebook in hand and looked friendly enough so I decided to see about making a friend. Jess turned out to be from Holland and in the early stages of a 6 week journey through Central America from Panama to Mexico. She had a couple of lodging options in mind thanks to the advice from her guidebook so I decided to tag along and check them out with her. Considering she was still in Panama on a Panama to Mexico journey, cheap was her number one motive so she was happy to set up camp in a popular backpackers hostel were you can stay in a dorm-like room with bunk beds and a shared bathroom for $7 a night. I, on the other hand, not being made of money but also not on a 6 week traveling and spending spree, was willing to put out a bit more cash for a shot at my own room, full size bed, private bathroom, and TV. I checked out a nearby spot on my own but wasn’t sold on the somewhat sketchy conditions for $20/night and decided to put off the lodging search and enjoy a World Cup game and a $3 plate of hummus and toast on the patio of a restaurant across the street. (This is where my money-saving tactics come into play – I find the cheapest, yet filling meal so that I can pay to eat once and then coast through the rest of the day on the few crackers and snacks I brought with me.) Now fully rested and nourished I was ready to begin anew the hotel hunt. Everywhere I walked around the little town of Bocas I was met by many young local guys who all asked me where I was going or what I was looking for or what I needed. I figured they were trying to make a buck off of me somehow so I politely offered a “no, gracias” and continued on my way. There was one guy that I happened to run into a couple of times, once when I first arrived and was then Jess, then after she had settled on the hostel, then again after the restaurant, and finally again after I had wandered through town a little more and had turned away from one hotel for $110/night and another for $50/night. He asked me what I was still doing wandering around with my backpack and explained the he lived here, he wouldn’t make any money off of it, but he knew the area and all the hotels and would find a good place for me. He asked me what I was looking for and how much I wanted to spend then said he had a couple places in mind to show me. The first was alright, a decent $35/night room but didn’t have a water view or breakfast or any additional “perks”. The other was a new hotel he said, and few minutes walk from the main strip of hotels, but it included breakfast and he promised that when I saw it I would want to stay there. Well, I proved him right. My new home for the next three days turned out to be a big yellow house right on the water called “Olas de la Madrugada” (which means – waves of the late night/early morning; look it up online to see pics: www.hotelolas.com). The room was nice, clean, new and complete with A/C and cable tv and included breakfast all for $35/night – I don’t think you can even stay at a dumpy Motel 6 for that much in the states. What really sold me was the view though – and the fact that the hotel really took advantage of it. On the main level the restaurant was open air on three sides and had a view of the water from each as well. The second floor, where my room was, boasted a fabulous lounge/patio area above the restaurant, complete with comfy patio furniture and once again a 270 degree view of water, islands, and a few of the houses and hotels nearby, all of which are situated right on the water as well. So my hotel-hunting guide did indeed find me a great spot, and I guess it was worth it for him because I handed him $20 and signed myself up for the snorkeling/dolphin watching all day tour the next day. I learned that this is a typical tourist experience and a lot of the locals make their living by offering this service to folks like me. So anyway, the rest of day 1 included reading and relaxing on the patio, some entertaining tv drama thanks to the WB, and more time out on the patio. I think that my spot right there, sitting on a comfy patio chair (and we all know that not all of them are comfortable), and just enjoying the sound of peace and quiet and the view of the Caribbean and scattered islands on the horizon is one of my favorite places I have been, not only here in Central America, but ever in my life. There was just something about the serenity and simplicity of life in this part of the world, and the beauty of the view, and the fact that God had not only brought me safely to Panama but given me such a dream-come-true place to stay. I could have sat there all night. While I was sitting there reading my book (which is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand – recommended and given to me by my brother – a 1067 page masterpiece of which I have consumed some 600 pages thus far in my time here. I figured with such a large book I wouldn’t need to bring a lot of other options) a man sporting a Denver Marathon t-shirt joined me on the patio, so of course I had to strike up a conversation. Turns out he lives in Denver (Capital Hill area – just a block from Gov’rs Park for all you Denver residents) and was vacationing in Panama with his 12 yr old son. Small world huh – meeting someone else from Denver in Panama, in a hotel that only has some 15 rooms anyway.
Day 2 – Wednesday June 21 – The day started off with further confirmation that I loved this place. I started the day with a little reading and devotional time on the patio, then made my way downstairs to check out this free breakfast thing. Probably like a lot of you, most of my experience with a hotel breakfast involved the contintental style – a spread of fruit, yogurt, small boxes of cereal, packets of Quaker oatmeal, with milk and orange juice. Much to my delight, I discovered that they do things a lot differently here at Hotel Olas. I was handed a menu that had about 6 or so different options including eggs, an omelet, pancakes, cereal, and French toast. Since I was hoping to make the free breakfast go a long way, I figured something hearty like French toast would be a good option, not to mention the fact that I love it. The menu said French Toast (fruit, honey, maple) so I figured that it must mean you pick one of the three as a topper for the French toast. Not so, simply saying French Toast was enough for the waitress, along with my selection of coffee or tea (I chose tea). So here I am, sitting practically outside and on top of the water, and in a few minutes I am served what turned out to be one of the best breakfasts I have ever had in my life. The French toast was made from a fresh loaf of French bread and was just the right amount of crispy and soft. I don’t really think that they soak the bread in an egg batter, as we usually would, because the bread definitely came out more toast-like. So there were about 8 small slices of the toast placed neatly around a pile of chopped banana and pineapple, all topped with, once again, just the right amount of a honey syrup. It wasn’t maple syrup really, but it wasn’t super thick like honey either. Some combination of the two I guess, but whatever it was – it was fabulous. I was seriously thinking “Wow” with every bite I took, and also feeling a slight sense of remorse as each delicious bite brought me closer to the end. Pathetic, I know. I just devoted an entire paragraph to French toast, but it was really that good. (Jessamy you would have loved it!) After breakfast I was ready and waiting for my snorkel tour by 9:30am, as instructed by my friend Raul (the hotel-hunter guy). As I waited there were several boats that pulled up to my hotel to pick people up and take them on the tour, I of course had many offers to join one of them, and probably would have had I not already paid Raul $20. By about 9:50am or so I was still waiting and boats had stopped coming and I was starting to worry that I had paid $20 to sit in my bathing suit at the hotel and be stood-up. But alas, Raul, came through for me. He apologized for being late as I climbed into the boat. There were already 2 other girls and 3 guys aboard – apparently all the pick-ups had delayed him a bit… Turns out that the two girls were both exchange students from the US studying at the University in Heredia, just a few minutes from where I lived. They were in Panama for a last little vacation before they headed back home to the US. The three guys were all from Spain and were spending about two weeks or so between Panama and Costa Rica. Anyway, so we headed off to Dolphin Bay (appropriately named) for a bit of dolphin-watching. There were in fact dolphins to watch, too. Not the most spectacular, Sea-World like showing as they didn’t perform any tricks or talk like Flipper or anything, but they did show their fins a bit as they went swimming around. Next stop was some off-shore snorkeling. Considering it was only my second experience snorkeling it was pretty cool – lots of coral and vegetation as well as some cool looking fish. Unfortunately for us, the day was cloudy and started to rain just as we were getting back into the boat, not exactly ideal conditions for snorkeling or hitting up a beach. We made our lunch stop at a restaurant on one of the islands, where the group of us were the only diners. By this time it had stopped raining so after eating we took a little stroll through “town” – which meant we walked along the cement sidewalk that divided the row of houses that were built on the water from the row that were not. I couldn’t help but think about what a simple, peaceful life these people must have, not to mention the gorgeous scenery they get to enjoy every day. Back on the boat we headed for another island for some more snorkeling. This island had a bit of a beach, so we went ashore and walked around a bit (and by that I mean a few seconds because the “beach” was about 20 feet long and there was about 6 feet before you were in the think of the trees and vegetation – a pretty spot though). The snorkeling in this area was pretty cool and me and two of the Spanish guys were swimming about and watching fish and enjoying the scenery underwater for more than an hour. I guess it turned out to be a good thing that it wasn’t too sunny because I didn’t have to worry about a repeat performance of my lobster burn from my first snorkeling experience. We ended up back on shore around 4pm or so – a nice all-day adventure on the high seas (ha!). The evening was more of the same as my first. After a nice hot shower to wash the salt off, I enjoyed reading, thinking, and just enjoying the view on the patio, and some great ER re-runs (once again courtesy of the WB) to put me to sleep.
Thursday – June 22 – This of course was to be a big day, full of all sorts of scheduled activites… hahaha. Really, the only thing I had on my agenda was watching the US World Cup game against Ghana at 9am. So after some morning patio-time I planted myself at a table with a great view of the flat screen tv in the restaurant and was ready to eat and watch ad cheer. Eat and watch, I did, but unfortunately there was not much to cheer about. You may be surprised to discover, however, that I did not go back to the French toast. Despite the utter joy it gave me, I figured that I should be willing to give something else a shot at impressing me as well. I decided on the “Museli (fruit/granola/yogurt)” selection which turned out to be a big bowl of banana and pineapple covered with yogurt and a sprinkling of granola. I could have gone for a bit more of the crunchy stuff, but I really can’t complain too much with pineapple and banana as sweet and delicious as this. Since they were out of tea, I opted for the coffee, which proved to be a wise decision. I had answered affirmatively to the waitress’ question of whether I wanted milk with my coffee, and I expected a mug of coffee and a small pitcher of milk. What I did not expect, but did receive, was a mini-latte of sorts complete with steamed milk. I was only missing the vanilla syrup and it would have been a little Panamanian version of Starbucks. (As a side note, I have not run into a single Starbucks here, nor very many people that even know what it is. Just so you know, despite what many may think, Starbucks has not yet taken over the world…) While watching the game I met two guys who were also from the US – John from Nebraska and Brent from Georgia. Both of them were living in Costa Rica and going to language schools to learn Spanish. The more ironic thing being that they were also studying and living in Heredia, once again only a few minutes from where I was living. After the game and subsequently the US pathetically bowing out of the tournament I decided to take a stroll through town and check out the scene. I walked along the little main street – lined with hotels and restaurants and about 4 blocks – and then followed the road another mile or so into the more “local” part of town. Not a lot to report there, sorry. On the way back I stopped in at a $1.00/hour internet café to check email and report back to those interested parties that I was safely on the other side of the border and enjoying myself. Since the day was sunny and hot I wanted to take advantage and do a little sun-bathing. I hadn’t really discovered any beach or similar spot appropriate for such an activity, but I headed back to my hotel to change and remembered that I had seen a few lounge chairs on the edge of the dock by the restaurant. So around 2pm I settled in for a few hours in paradise. Picture this: me, laying out on the lounge chairs at the edge of the dock with my iPod providing the tunes and my chair placed ever so strategically as to watch the Brasil-Japan game on the flat screen in the restaurant. Ah, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the pure beauty of that... ((Pause)) It truly was great. And after the game was over I switched to reading my book. A little while later John and Brent returned from a boating/snorkeling trip and joined me on the patio. <
> John and I ended up talking a lot about living Costa Rica, learning Spanish, language schools, home-stays, etc. Turns out that he just finished law school and then took the bar exam in February and came down to Costa Rica a few weeks later to go to language school and learn Spanish while he was waiting for the bar exam results. He found out that he passed and has a job waiting for him in Nebraska, but was enjoying being in Costa Rica and learning Spanish so much that he wanted to stick around awhile longer. I told him about the language school I had gone to and gave him Luisa’s card – so maybe she’ll get another student out of it.
Thursday night was more of the usual routine. You may be thinking, “how sad and lonely” but trust me, it was great. (With all this “alone time” during my months here, I may be at slight risk of becoming an introvert. Yikes. Or maybe I will just be off-the-charts extroverted the first few weeks back in the States. Ha. Really though, I am thankful to God for this whole experience. I am definitely learning a lot of things – one of them being the ability to rest and relax without always having something to do, and another being an appreciation for solitude and serenity and how much that can help to restore and deepen my relationship with God.)
Friday morning I was back at my morning reading spot on the patio and was later joined by John. We talked a lot more about what brought us to Costa Rica, the things we were experiencing and learning, and a lot of cultural ideas and differences. It was cool for us to be to be able to share stories and ideas with someone who has had a lot of the similar experiences. I ended up eating breakfast (back to the French toast and it was heavenly, once again) with John, his friend Brent, and another guy who was staying at our hotel as well who was a surfer from Israel. Turns out the owner of the hotel is Israeli as well, and this guy was a friend of his who is also studying Spanish in Costa Rica but came down to visit his friend and do some surfing in Panama. I love that in just three days in this one small town I have met so many people from countries all over the world, each with their own stories of what they are doing and why they came.
At noon I had to bid farewell to the fair “Olas de la Madrugada” (already dreaming about when I might be able to return to my favorite spot on the patio and my favorite French toast breakfast…) and begin the trek back home. At 12:30pm I boarded the water taxi for the ride back to the mainland, at 1:30pm I was in the mini-van/bus headed toward Changinola, around 2:30pm it was the truck taxi to the border, by about 3pm I was stamping my passport in Panama, walking across the bridge (gaining an hour as I entered once again into Costa Rica), so it was a little after 2pm in Costa Rica when my passport was all stamped – clearing me for another 90 days – and I walked up to the bus stop to find the bus had just left at 2 so I got to wait until the 3:00 bus. It wasn’t until 6:30pm that I finally got to get off the bus in Limón (hallelujah) and make the hike to the house. By this time, after a good 7 hours of sitting on boat, bus, and taxi, the 20 minute walk home was a welcome change of scenery. So there you have it, by 7:00pm I was safely back in my house – solo vacation to Panama on the record books. The saddest part about my whole 8 hour journey is that it really isn’t a distance that we would attribute such a significant amount of travel time to. But the way things work down here – it is not exactly smooth sailing on a direct multi-lane highway from point A to point B, but hey, it’s an experience and I survived! Maybe I can get one of those t-shirts… “I survived the trip from Limón to Bocas del Toro.”
