Pootling ’round Panama

16/5/23

One short day in Panama City 🎵

We woke up when we wanted, had a free hostel breakfast, and had a quick bachata in front of the pool before heading out into the day. We got a taxi to a park overlooking the Panama Canal and walked up through it to the viewpoint. It was nice up there, with views of the canal as well as the old town and new city merging together and meeting the ocean. There was also a big tree that had monkeys playing in it, which we watched for awhile. Then we headed on down, stopping to look at a couple of sloths on the way down! The first one was sleeping, and a family was staring up at it, but the second one was moving, and I spotted it, hauling itself up the tree, limb by limb!

We walked to old town, passing some big roads and dirty streets en route. When we got to the old town though, it was beautiful. We went for lunch in a French bakery and then had extremely good coffee in a speciality coffee shop, which was just as expensive as home, but oh so tasty!! We mooched back towards home via a road with recommended secondhand shops on it. We went into the ‘best’ one only to find a huge, hot, sweaty jumble sale. It was chaos and so damn hot! We spent a short while there before heading out. There were no signs of other secondhand shops, so we were just making a plan when the rain started! And it didn’t stop! None of us had a sim to call a taxi and the yellow cabs wanted to charge us ‘Johnny foreigners’ extortionate rates. Laura found a guy to ask to use his hotspot, and then we were sorted! Mission accomplished. Our driver had a huge 4×4, and when Laura asked about his work, he said he didn’t need to drive, he just did it, so he didn’t get bored sat at home!! What a work ethic!!

The girls went to a workout class and I showered, ate and packed ready for my night bus. When they returned, we said our goodbyes and I headed out. I got the 8pm bus to David.

17/5/23

It turned out that the 10pm bus is far too early to take a night bus as it arrived at 4.20am and the first bus to Boquete, where I was going, wasn’t until somewhere between 6am and 7am – different taxi drivers told me different things for this!

I had a couple of hours to kill outside a closed bus station before I could do anything. I spotted another woman clearly not in any rush to get anywhere and went to wait near her. We got talking (in Spanish!).

Ella era una madre de dos ninos, una dietética y ella era trabajando en San Jose por unos dias eso semana. Ella era tambien esperando por mucho tiempo en el terminal por su hermana. Ella tuvo cuarenta años pero ella se miro mas joven. Ella dijo este es porque ella come muy bueno y que es muy importante. Yo dije que enfermeras comen muy mal. Ella dijo medicas tambien! Este es verdad!! Ella me se camino a mi bus en seis en punto y dijimos adios. Ella era una mujer muy simpatica!

I arrived in Boquete at the crack of dawn, around 7am. The hour bus ride cost me less than a dollar as supposed to the $25 the taxi drivers had kindly offered me! I ditched my big rucksack at the hostel before heading out. First, I did a reccy of the town and then I headed to the cutest looking coffee shop in town for coffee, and had it alongside a slightly sad cinnamon bun I got from the panaderia – it didn’t taste as good as it looked! I stayed there for a good hour or so and tried to write my blog, but the barista, Rodney (a fine Larino name!!), was so chatty! The shop was also a speciality coffee place, and he let me smell a selection of fancy beans and then made me a free coffee using my favourite. It was good coffee.

I returned to the hostel around 09.30, and they told me I could check-in at 10.30 but couldn’t shower before this. I read my book in reception and waited. Once check-in was done, I first showered, then made pancakes (all the better for being free!) and then slept for a couple of hours. Afterwards, I went to see what I could do for the day. It was apparently too late for the day trips, so instead, I went to the local park suggested to me by Rodney, walked by the river and sat on a bench by the pond to read my book. Afterwards, I went to investigate massages only to discover they were nearly $100 for an hour! I abandoned that idea and hung out in the hostel for a little bit before heading out for an early dinner at a pizzeria recommended to me by an obnoxious white British/South African/Kenyan old man. Within 10 minutes of talking to him, he had already insulted me at least three times, so when he asked if I wanted company for my meal I politely, but bluntly declined. He did have a good recommendation for me though – the pizzerua was Italian owned and frankly the food was delicious!!

18/5/23

More pancakes! Apparently it was common for Panamanian hostels to offer pancake batter as ‘free breakfast’ – two girls in my room, Lea and Moluss, had been eating free pancakes for two weeks straight – apparently the novelty had worn off for them! I decided I was going to go to the waterfalls today. It turned out Lea and Moluss had the same idea, so we went together on the bus. There were three waterfalls along a very well maintained trail. It was just as well it was maintained as we’d each paid $10 for the trail! The waterfalls were pretty and we scrambled up to the third one before taking a swim near the second one on the way back down, having already negotiated the steep bit with rope assistance on hand! Where we swam was a haven for hummingbirds, and three or four flew around while we were there. We watched them dance in the air with the cascade as a backdrop.

We walked back down the rest of the way and then got the bus back to town. I was keen to shower and so headed back while the girls went elsewhere. Then I headed back out, squeaky clean, back to my new favourite coffee shop in town. This time, Rodney wasn’t there. Another guy served me and then a different guy came and introduced himself as the bean roaster. He asked if I would try a new coffee and take part in a coffee ceremony. A coffee ceremony is basically the whole process of making the coffee, but while tak8ng your time and appreciating each step. My two coffees and cake were good, and I read a little. Then I went to buy pasta ingredients for dinner.

19/5/23

San Jose here we come!

I knew I had a bit of a journey to do, but boy, it was long!! I set off around 09.30 and headed back to David. Unfortunately, the bus seemed to be packed full of retired bus drivers, and they all sat at the front chatting with the driver and ensuring he drove verrrry slowly! We eventually arrived back in David to find roadblocks around the station due to protests. The people of David wanted better transport.

When I asked where to get the Tica Bus from, the bus which was meant to go directly to San Jose in 5 hours, I was told by both people I asked to get the local bus to the border first. I did just that, and a couple of hours later, I was at the border. Immigration was fast, and I met two Spaniads in the queue behind me to get into Costa Rica. They had two weeks’ holiday from work. She was a psychologist, and he was a football coach for a second division team. They were also going to San Jose to pick up a hire car from the airport and then road trip about. We decided to battle the buses together. We bought our tickets for the next bus, an hour away, and then I sat in the AC while they exchanged money. Afterwards, we got drinks in a cafe opposite the bus stop. My strawberry milkshake was just what I needed in the sweltering heat! Yum!

We got on the bus and set off on what we hoped would be a five hour journey. It was not. It was eight, with a few long stops. My dinner plans with my parents were ruined, but thankfully, I at least found WiFi to let them know! I would be late. We got to San Jose at 9pm ish, and I parted ways with my Spanish bus chums. Then the fighting woth the taxis began! I eventually found one that wasn’t ripping me off the most and off I went!

A short while later, after scoffing tacos that mum had kindly ordered for me when they had eaten, we went to a bar for drinks. On the way in, we needed ID. I asked why and explained I didn’t have any. They waved me through but still asked both of my parents for theirs, which amazingly they had on they ready to go!! We caught up over very loud bachata, merengue and reggaeton music featuring graphic videos, but it was good! Good to catch up!