We got into Panama City Sunday, April 11th, in the afternoon. I managed to find the only cab in the city that didn't know where we were going. Luckily, after asking directions a few times, we made it to the condo.
Our place was awesome. 10th floor apartment with a bit of an ocean view, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen, couches and satellite TV. How totally awesome?!?!?! There was a mall next door, with VIP Movie theatres and a grocery store. We found out later we were in the jewish district, so everything in the grocery store was kosher. We toyed with the idea of getting some King David Sacramental Wine, but decided just to try plain old Isreal Wine.
Monday we had a slow morning, then went to the Summit Zoo. The zoo was layed out over a huge area and didn't have too many animals, but what they did have was cool. There were Tapirs, Jaguar and Harpy Eagles, along with many different kinds of monkeys and small wild cats. The enclosures were all very big and well taken care of. It was the kind of zoo you left feeling good about, not sorry for the poor animals. Then we headed for the Panama Canal and the Miraflores Locks. These were the first set of locks on the pacific side. We watched a couple to tankers go through. There was a visitors centre with a restaurant, but we just stayed on the rooftop observation deck and watched the boats get lowered through the locks. They would motor in the one area, then the water would drain to the level of the next compartment, the big water gates would open and move though to the next set. Some boats paid between $80,000 to $300K to go through the Canal. They have to pay by weight.
That night we stayed home, drank some Australian wine and watched TV.
Our last day in the City we had lunch with David, our friend who set us up with the apartment. Then we headed to the old part of town called Casco Veijo. It was the main part of Panam City in the 1800s but had since transformed into a ghetto. In the past few years, the City has undertaken a huge renovation project of the area and brought back some of the grandure of what it once was. Apparently it's a lot like New Orleans. So we wandered around taking pictures then had some Mojitos at the Cuban restaurant. We went into the Emerald Museum and learned about mining, then bought a tiny little raw emerald. Ian got excited as there was a reef break just off shore and some surfers and boogies boarders out having great time.
We went back to the apartment for the afternoon then went to the movies with David and his girlfriend. We went to the VIP theatres where we sat in our own leather recliners and had waiters bring us beer and sushi. We watched a movie drinking beer and eating sushi. So rad. These Panamians really know how to entertain.
We got up realy the next morning to go to the airport. David sent over his driver with this Licoln Town Car and for the same price as a dirty old cab, got driven to the aiport in style. The flight to Houston was good, no issues. Our 6.5 hour layover went by ok, we read for a while, then went for dinner then read again then it was time to board the plane. Canadian Customs were really good with us. We declared everything and made it through with no stops.
We are now home and winding down, trying to get our life back together. We've gone through our mail and set some appointments to view potential places to live this weekend. It's hard to believe that our trip is over. Now that we're home, it's hard to believe that it happened at all. But we have our memories and our pictures and our empty bank accounts to prove it. It was definitly the experience of a life time and Ian and I had so many amazing experiences. We're already dreaming of what our next great adventure will be.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Panama City Pictures
Casco Viejo, the old quarter of Panama City. It was once part of the slums but is now being renovated and is compared to New Orleans for it's architecture.
The New part of the City. Looks just like Vancouver.
The Panama Canal Miraflores Locks. We watched a couple of tankers come through, they drain the water until it's level with the lower water then open the doors and let the boats through. It's still all the origial hardware from when the canal was built in the early 1910s.
One of the buses, they all have a unique painting. Rad.
El Valle Pictures
Ladies getting ready for the traditional dancing at the Sunday Market in El Valle.
The Sleeping Indian Lady, I don't remember her name, but there's a myth that goes along with this mountain formation. It's so crazy how you can actually see the face and the body of a sleeping lady in the mountain.
The Petroglyphs. They look like graffiti, but they have just been outlined in different coloured chalk.
Me and a crazy big fruit. They are called Jicaro in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but I don't remember the Panamaian name for them. They are just ginormous fruit.
Playa Venao Pictures
Me walking out into the beautiful surf.
Ian surfuing a perfect wave.
Ian and his best friend.
This was on our way to Playa Venao, waiting on the street corner for a ride. We got one eventually.
El Valle
El Valle was a beautiful and peaceful town. It was so relaxing being in the mountains, nestled in a pocket on mountains. The first night we went for a great pizza dinner and survived a windstorm.
The next day, Wednesday, we slept in, then went for a long walk around town. We found the Orchid Garden and got a tour of some rare and beautiful orchids. Then, with some help, we found the Serpentarium, a little snake zoo that had some big boa constrictors, fer de lance and eyelash palm pitvipers, to name a few. All very gorgeous.
I got pretty sick off of something in El Valle, not sure what, Ian wasn't affected, but it kept me in bed all day Thursday, I think that was the 8th. I managed to get out and we went for a long walk on Friday to the petroglyphs and up one of the surrrounding mountains to see some waterfalls. Then back down again to see the big 60 meter waterfall then swim in a naturally fed river pool. It was so refreshing I could only stand it for a few minutes. Saturday I didn't make it out much again but the people who ran our hostel had a restaurant down below and fed me some soup and peppermint tea, which made me feel a little bit better. El Valle had such a relaxing vibe that we mostly just layed in bed reading. We were also pretty tired from travelling for the last 5 months that we slowed down quite a bit. Sunday was an awesome market, complete with traditional Panamanian dancing and singing. We took a bus around noon on Sunday to Panama City.
David, a Canadian we met at Santa Catalina, had set us up with a great apartment in Panama City. We had a tenth floor 2 bedroom apartment for the last few days of our trip. We made it there by mid afternoon and settled in the city for our last few days.
The next day, Wednesday, we slept in, then went for a long walk around town. We found the Orchid Garden and got a tour of some rare and beautiful orchids. Then, with some help, we found the Serpentarium, a little snake zoo that had some big boa constrictors, fer de lance and eyelash palm pitvipers, to name a few. All very gorgeous.
I got pretty sick off of something in El Valle, not sure what, Ian wasn't affected, but it kept me in bed all day Thursday, I think that was the 8th. I managed to get out and we went for a long walk on Friday to the petroglyphs and up one of the surrrounding mountains to see some waterfalls. Then back down again to see the big 60 meter waterfall then swim in a naturally fed river pool. It was so refreshing I could only stand it for a few minutes. Saturday I didn't make it out much again but the people who ran our hostel had a restaurant down below and fed me some soup and peppermint tea, which made me feel a little bit better. El Valle had such a relaxing vibe that we mostly just layed in bed reading. We were also pretty tired from travelling for the last 5 months that we slowed down quite a bit. Sunday was an awesome market, complete with traditional Panamanian dancing and singing. We took a bus around noon on Sunday to Panama City.
David, a Canadian we met at Santa Catalina, had set us up with a great apartment in Panama City. We had a tenth floor 2 bedroom apartment for the last few days of our trip. We made it there by mid afternoon and settled in the city for our last few days.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Santa Catalina, Panama
Just a little baby scorpion climbing on our tent, this one was only a fraction of the size of the one that crawled on me then Ian played with.
Some crazy abandoned Hippie Mobile. We thought it was cool. We didn`t actually get any pictures of the beach, too busy laying in a hammock.
Matapalo and Pavones, Costa Rica
The beautiful turquoise beach at Matapalo, this isn`t the beach we were surfing, but the view was amazing.
A Helicopter Dragonfly that we found on our walk up the dried up waterfall.
Pavones at Sunset. One of the most beautiful nights we`ve had. Tim and I are out there in the water somewhere, Ian sat it out cause the waves were too small for him. Great for us though!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Santa Catalina and Playa Venao
On March 30, we took a cab from Santiago to Santa Catalina. We stayed at Oasis Surf Camp, where Ian stayed last year. We had to drive across a river, which is no problem at low tide, but the river gets about chest deep at high tide. Luckily we got there at low tide, but the cab got stuck in the sand and we had to get some people to come help push. We camped on the beach, although in a fenced in area. There were other cabins there and a pretty good restaurant. The town itself was about a 1.5 km walk from where we were staying. We only made the trip once, after that we were too lazy and just layed in our hammocks reading when we were not out surfing. The waves were only OK, but I had fun surfing the little waves.
We met some nice Canadians, David, Alan and Angelica, who live in Panama. We had quite a few drinks with them one night, partying and having a good time sitting on the sand beside their tent. At one point I felt something crawling on my shoulder and without thinking I just threw it off me, kinda a grad and swipe kinda motion. Well, when it hit the sand we realized that it was a HUGE SCORPION and it was headed strait for Ians shorts. I couldnt believe that that thing was crawling on me. Eeeesh! Ian of course did his creepy crawly whisperer thing and had the scorpion hanging out in his hands in no time. I couldnt find the camera in time but luckily our new friend, David, got a quick video with his blackberry. I still cant believe how big that thing was. Another night we found a little scorpion climbing on the outside of our tent. Man, scorpion city.
Since the waves were pretty small and blown out, and Santa Catalina was getting pretty crowded with the Semana Santa vacationers (Easter Holidays) we decided to leave after 3 nights and head for Playa Venao. What a trip that was! We had to walk the 1.5km into town, then take 5 different buses just to get to the nearest town to Playa Venao which was still a 30-40min drive. But because it was a holiday, the regular shuttle that takes people to the beach was not running! So there was a couple of us with surf boards and bags standing on the side of the road, trying to either flag down a taxi or hitchike. Thats when we found out that there was also a huge surf competition going on at Playa Venao that weekend and the place was going to be packed. I few times we were wondering what we got ourselves into. We were finally able to flag down a taxi and share it with a guy from Argentina coming to visit his friend who works at a restaurant on the beach. The party was in full swing when we got there. All the hotels were full Friday and Saturday night (we got there Friday) so we had to camp. At least camping was free, but it was in a dirt parkinglot and everyone was saying to watch your stuff cause things get stolen. Great. So I decided that I wasnt going to surf until we got a room to keep our passports etc safe and just carried them around with me wherever I went. Ian would come in from surfing and take a shift watching the stuff so I could go for a swim. There were so many people in the water and on the beach that I didnt want to surf anyways. The music played at a temple throbbing pitch right from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. It didnt stop at all. The first night we just got drunk and passed out, so we were able to sleep that way. Second night was a little less comfortable. My air mattress had a hole and deflated and Ian was sleeping on the board bag. The restaurant washrooms were so disgusting from 3 days of partying I just peed in the ocean.
Finally, Sunday we were able to get a room and the expensive hotel on the beach. It was $100 a night but well worth every penny. We badgered the receptionist to let us in the room early so we could hide from all the party people still hanging around. We had a nice relaxing time on the soft bed, taking long hot water showers and watching TV in the comfort of air conditioning. I finally had a good long surf Sunday evening and stayed out longer than Ian. The waves were pretty nice, not too big for the most part but a head high set or more would roll in every so often.
We had chatted up one of the waitresses, Claudia, at the restaurant by our hotel and we ended up selling my board to her and her boyfriend, Ernest. We hung out with them that evening and chatted about our adventures. They are German Swiss and they imported their crazy land rover to Central America and have been travelling around for the last 5 months. They were heading to Panama city before heading into Columbia to explore South America. I got a littel less for my board than I hoped, but it was still better than nothing and Im glad it was to people who are still going on an adventure. So that was then end of my surf trip. Ian surfed the next day but then sold his board for $20 for some guy who really just wanted the fins. Not a bad price seeing as Ian wanted to give it away.
So now our surf trip is officially over. We are pretty bummed about it but travelling without surfboards was such a relief. We left Playa Venao on Tuesday, April 6 and took a taxi and 2 buses to El Valle. The first bus ride was nice and comfy on a gray hound, but the second half reminded us of the trip to El Estor, in Guatemala. There were so many people crammed in a little microbus. Ian and I had our bags on out knees and some people were standing crouched over other people. Luckily more people were getting off than on, so eventually it was tolerable.
El Valle is a beautiful little town in the mountains, about 3000 feet above sea level. It is actually nestled in a crater of an extinct Volcano that blew its top off thousands of years ago. It is a little cooler here but still warm. Last night there was a crazy wind that rattled the doors and windows of our room, but all is sunny and warm this morning. There are lots of things to do here, waterfalls, orchid gardens, snake house, zoo, petroglyphs and tons of hiking trails. I dont think we will run out of things to in the 5 days that we are here.
I think lunch is the first thing on the agenda though.
We met some nice Canadians, David, Alan and Angelica, who live in Panama. We had quite a few drinks with them one night, partying and having a good time sitting on the sand beside their tent. At one point I felt something crawling on my shoulder and without thinking I just threw it off me, kinda a grad and swipe kinda motion. Well, when it hit the sand we realized that it was a HUGE SCORPION and it was headed strait for Ians shorts. I couldnt believe that that thing was crawling on me. Eeeesh! Ian of course did his creepy crawly whisperer thing and had the scorpion hanging out in his hands in no time. I couldnt find the camera in time but luckily our new friend, David, got a quick video with his blackberry. I still cant believe how big that thing was. Another night we found a little scorpion climbing on the outside of our tent. Man, scorpion city.
Since the waves were pretty small and blown out, and Santa Catalina was getting pretty crowded with the Semana Santa vacationers (Easter Holidays) we decided to leave after 3 nights and head for Playa Venao. What a trip that was! We had to walk the 1.5km into town, then take 5 different buses just to get to the nearest town to Playa Venao which was still a 30-40min drive. But because it was a holiday, the regular shuttle that takes people to the beach was not running! So there was a couple of us with surf boards and bags standing on the side of the road, trying to either flag down a taxi or hitchike. Thats when we found out that there was also a huge surf competition going on at Playa Venao that weekend and the place was going to be packed. I few times we were wondering what we got ourselves into. We were finally able to flag down a taxi and share it with a guy from Argentina coming to visit his friend who works at a restaurant on the beach. The party was in full swing when we got there. All the hotels were full Friday and Saturday night (we got there Friday) so we had to camp. At least camping was free, but it was in a dirt parkinglot and everyone was saying to watch your stuff cause things get stolen. Great. So I decided that I wasnt going to surf until we got a room to keep our passports etc safe and just carried them around with me wherever I went. Ian would come in from surfing and take a shift watching the stuff so I could go for a swim. There were so many people in the water and on the beach that I didnt want to surf anyways. The music played at a temple throbbing pitch right from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. It didnt stop at all. The first night we just got drunk and passed out, so we were able to sleep that way. Second night was a little less comfortable. My air mattress had a hole and deflated and Ian was sleeping on the board bag. The restaurant washrooms were so disgusting from 3 days of partying I just peed in the ocean.
Finally, Sunday we were able to get a room and the expensive hotel on the beach. It was $100 a night but well worth every penny. We badgered the receptionist to let us in the room early so we could hide from all the party people still hanging around. We had a nice relaxing time on the soft bed, taking long hot water showers and watching TV in the comfort of air conditioning. I finally had a good long surf Sunday evening and stayed out longer than Ian. The waves were pretty nice, not too big for the most part but a head high set or more would roll in every so often.
We had chatted up one of the waitresses, Claudia, at the restaurant by our hotel and we ended up selling my board to her and her boyfriend, Ernest. We hung out with them that evening and chatted about our adventures. They are German Swiss and they imported their crazy land rover to Central America and have been travelling around for the last 5 months. They were heading to Panama city before heading into Columbia to explore South America. I got a littel less for my board than I hoped, but it was still better than nothing and Im glad it was to people who are still going on an adventure. So that was then end of my surf trip. Ian surfed the next day but then sold his board for $20 for some guy who really just wanted the fins. Not a bad price seeing as Ian wanted to give it away.
So now our surf trip is officially over. We are pretty bummed about it but travelling without surfboards was such a relief. We left Playa Venao on Tuesday, April 6 and took a taxi and 2 buses to El Valle. The first bus ride was nice and comfy on a gray hound, but the second half reminded us of the trip to El Estor, in Guatemala. There were so many people crammed in a little microbus. Ian and I had our bags on out knees and some people were standing crouched over other people. Luckily more people were getting off than on, so eventually it was tolerable.
El Valle is a beautiful little town in the mountains, about 3000 feet above sea level. It is actually nestled in a crater of an extinct Volcano that blew its top off thousands of years ago. It is a little cooler here but still warm. Last night there was a crazy wind that rattled the doors and windows of our room, but all is sunny and warm this morning. There are lots of things to do here, waterfalls, orchid gardens, snake house, zoo, petroglyphs and tons of hiking trails. I dont think we will run out of things to in the 5 days that we are here.
I think lunch is the first thing on the agenda though.
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