Panama

The jouney down to Panama was fine and we arrived, got visas and were out into the open in what seemed no time. The air was warm and humid again and was actually a welcome change. We jumped into a taxi and were whisked to our hotel, only to find they had upgraded us to the master suites for free. Bonus! King size bed, jacuzzi and the works for our first 2 nights - not bad. Needless to say we chilled, and enjoyed our surroundings for the rest of the day!




We got up early the next day and went out to explore the sights. Panama city is definately one of contrasts. There are remnants of its past in the old forts and city ruins but also a new business district complete with malls and huge skyscrapers just like NYC! It is also a place with much wealth in a few areas and lots of poor in others, whilst the residents descend from either Native indigenous groups, The Caribbean and the Spanish. Its quite a blend.

We first went to Casco viejo, the oldest part of what is now the new city. It is where the President lives and was built after the Old city was destroyed and raided by none other than a Welshman by the name of Henrique Morgan in the 1500´s. It was wonderful to walk around Casco Viejo and really get a feel for the culture, people and their history. We took many photos, enojoyed the views and went to the Panama canal museum.






Then we jumped on a local bus (which are old US school buses)and rode our luck to Panama Viejo (Old Panama city) which still bears the ruins of the first city which was sacked by pirates a long time ago. It was amazing to get an insight into the history and to still see what the place was like.




Moving out of the city we stayed one night by the Canal which is impressive to say the least let alone the massive ships that cruise down it. There was also a wildlife park close by which we visited and saw Jaguars, Parrots, beautiful Macaws, turtles and crocs plus lots more. Panama is definately a very wild place with thick jungles, forests, mangroves and ocean. Its quite stunning.




A night bus was the next adventure we undertook, heading east to the mountainous region of Chiriqui and the town of Boquette. It was very cheap here so we decided to chill out and relax for a few days enjoying the cooler climate and activities around town. The best things, perhaps of our trip so far was the tour of a coffee plantation. Casa Ruiz operate an extensive tour of their farm where you see the coffee plants growing (6 years until ready for picking!), learn of the different types of arabica beans and how and when the fruits are picked. Then we went to the processing plant down the road to see the selection process and finally the roasting area where we sampled a few cups and were left totally blown away by the work and skill and patience that goes into delivering a cup of coffee. In fact The coffee grown in the area of boquette has won the world title for the last 10 years and is considered the best coffee in the world, fact. Not even neighbouring Costa Rica comes close. It was a huge privilege learning about the coffee and something very special we will take away with us.





For the last part of our journey through Panama we are in Bocas Del Toro, Isla Colon. It is an island group in the north which is renowned for the great diving, surfing, spectacular beaches and the caribbean influence.



We spent our first 2 nights on Isla Bastimentos, a very small place, no cars and just a few cafes and beaches around. Beautiful. On our last day there we went to the top of the hill for a pancake and coffee breakfast which was a real treat but the following was...well kinda different. We noticed how there was a ´path´ heading to a secluded beach by the name of ´Playa Wizard´ and were told it was only a 20 minute walk, maybe 30 if its ´muddy´....





It took 1 hour, we were covered knee deep in shit, barefoot and extremely underprepared but eventually got there. It was unreal.







We cleaned up, recovered and got a water taxi back to Isla Colon. We met up again with 2 great french canadians, had some dinner, traded stories and planned our next few days...which as usual we ended up changing. And here is when I take all the blame for the what happened next...Instead of me going surfing and Shireen going for a dive like planned, I had the great idea to rent bikes and first explore the island a little. It started well, we saw some lovely bays, a few surf spots and kept in mind that 1km of the path further up may be muddy...those famous words again. So yes as you can imagine we were isolated, 5km from home and this time STUCK in the mud which was mixed with clay so it was extra tough and sticky AND with bikes that would not move because they were filled with mud. Good one Steven. Yes I misjudged it totally in my quest to explore and it took literally everything we had inside ourselves physically and mentally to get back. The relief when we got back to town was unbelievable. That night the good old french canadian boys gave us enough beer and rum´n´cokes to forget all about it which was much needed. Epic.