Feb 27, 2013 - Emberá Tribal Village

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND To make my writing go a little easier, I have copied some excerpts from the Culture chapter of the Lonely Planet – Panamá: Of the several dozen native tribes that inhabited Panama when the Spanish arrived, only seven now remain. Perhaps the most well-known group in the West, due to their distinctive dress, are the Kuna, who inhabit the Archipiélago de San Blás and run their native lands as a comarca (autonomous region). The Emberá and Wounaan inhabit the jungle of the eastern Panamá Province and the Darién, and although...

Feb 19, 2013 - Road Trip - Panama Style

Of all the interesting things I experienced in Panama, traveling around the country had to be at the top! So as I stated in my last post, I had my (heavy! coffee is heavy!) bags packed, said adios to my new friends at the hotel and made my way to the bus stop super early, just in case. I boarded the waiting bus at about 6:28pm, it was about half full, so I settled in to wait for what I expected would be a full 7pm departure...wrong! At 6:30 on the dot we were wheels up and on our way to David. Awesome! To give you an idea of what it's like...

Feb 10, 2013 - Panamá City

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND To make my writing go a little easier, I have copied some excerpts from the Lonely Planet – Panamá chapter on Panamá City: “The most cosmopolitan capital in Central America, Panama City is both a gateway to the country’s natural riches and a vibrant destination in its own right. A hub of international banking and trade, the city sports a sultry skyline of shimmering glass and steel towers reminiscent of Miami. The capital rides the rails of urban chaos, with no shortage of traffic jams, wayward taxis, and casinos stacked...

Feb 10, 2013 - Engineering Marvels and Ice Cream

Wow, so today concludes day 3 of my trip and my final evening in Panama City. What a nice and relaxing Sunday it turned out to be! I took my sweet ass time getting up and moving this morning (notice a theme here), had an awesome breakfast of eggs, ham, toast, fresh papaya and pineapple, threw on some clothes and hopped in a taxi around 11 to visit that engineering marvel that is the Panama Canal. For some reason today...maybe because of Carnaval, maybe because its the middle of summer...the place was packed! It took 30 minutes just to buy...

Feb 9, 2013 - Sweat and Sunsets

Day two in Panama began as languidly as day one...my room is right near the garden, so I am awakened around 0730 when the hotel owners, Hector and Jesus begin the breakfast preparations. I stretch and take my time coming fully awake...listening to the travelers come alive outside of my french doors. They talk of their plans for the day and share stories of their travels. It gives me ideas for my own adventures. We have people here from Germany, Canada, Venezuela, and of course the US. It is an eclectic group of folks who have found their...

Feb 8, 2013 - Butterflies and Stinky Fish

So for some of you this is your first journey abroad with me...for others it´s a continuation of travels that were on hiatus for far too long. Five years too long, in fact. Somehow that time just...passed...until one day a few months ago I said screw it, I´m going somewhere. That somewhere materialized as Panama and the planning commenced. It was with much excitement that I researched the country, her history and culture. And then suddenly it was time to leave and in a blur of packing and early morning flights I was on my way! So prepared...

Jan 6, 2013 - Palmilla to Panama (again!!)

We all set off together after a leisurely breakfast in the crowded minibus to Santiago. At least, it was crowded only to the next 'big' village - it has two mini markets and a bank, then we had the bus almost to ourselves. At Santiago we were all taking the Panama bus; I was going to whole way while Ulf and Annette were getting off half-way to go back to a beach resort for a day or two before continuing to San Blas. I had enjoyed meeting them and having their company. In Panama I had to pick up my main bag from the group hotel but first I...

Jan 5, 2013 - Return to Palmilla

One the way back there was a short stop for more snorkelling during which time I sheltered from the sun on the boat and read or chatted with Thomas the ‘captain’s mate’. The first part of the journey was fine but very hot and a wind got up for the last hour making the ride quite choppy with sea foam being blown from one side (my side) and soaking me. Again Loes did not disappoint as I had expected her to ask me to share my shower with the young couple as they were leaving directly after lunch. This would normally not be a problem but as...

Jan 4, 2013 - Coiba

After a quite good breakfast before a one-hour boat ride to the mangroves – more hunting for crocs and turtles which we did not see but saw quite a lot of birds. We then pulled in to a beach and a walk to the hot springs – which sounded quite sophisticated. On arrival they were just springs which were captured in concrete containers – one was very hot as a few dead crabs could testify. The other, further from the source was a good heat but not enticing to dip in to. We had passed the former prison on the way and I had asked if we could stop...

Jan 3, 2013 - To Isla Coiba

Up and ready for breakfast at 7am – which was a good start to the day. Coiba cabinsprovide nothing more that bed, sheets and loo roll – everything else has to be taken right down to the gas bottle so we had a fairly loaded little boat packed with plastic hampers and freezers, plus our bags. The night before I had taken out things I would not need and left them behind in my rucksack to travel even lighter. The trip took about two hours and was warm and calm. On arrival we five were given a cabin (or half a cabin) which was one room with six...

Jan 2, 2013 - Travel to Palmilla

Got up at 5:15 to have breakfast before going to the bus terminal. Everything worked fine. On arrival I went straight on to a bus leaving at 7am. It was a rather rundown affair. The driver had to push back in the trim which was falling off along one side of the bus. The back of the seat in front of mine also needed a push back into place and a few screws. Two little girls with their grandmother got on and sat next to me so I gave them an eraser each and some balloons. We had a quick comfort stop after two hours and I grabbed a coffee and I...

Jan 1, 2013 - Back to Panama City

Well, not many people lasted out till midnight. The few that did raved about 'the best fireworks ever seen' as each store outdid its neighbour with a spontaneous display. I slept! We left this morning on a slightly larger plane than my previous experience for Panama City. We had a splendid view of the canal and the Miraflores Locks - not much going on there as everyone must be taking a holiday. I have now seen this canal from land, water and air - all several times over so I think I can count it as 'done'. I dropped off at the bus station...