Crazy small world...

I have written about small world moments in previous posts, but yesterday took the cake.

Dan and I went on a day tour to the towns of Portobello and Colon, on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. Portabello has ruins of forts from the Gold Rush era, and a church with a black figure of Christ with a lot of legend tied to it ( http://www.coloncity.com/blackchrist.html). Near Colon, we visited the observation center for the Canal expansion work- pretty impressive. We traveled to these places by van, but to return, the tour included a scenic train ride back to Panama City, along the Canal.

So there we are, standing on the train platform, when a guy comes up to us to ask if we knew where a bathroom was. I was so focused on a) communicating, and b) helping a man in need of a toilet, that it wasn't until he had walked away that I thought: that man looks a lot like Tony D'Souza! When he and his girlfriend were next to us again, I asked, and it was him! Tony and I met  volunteering around the Bay Area years ago, and he and his girlfriend Karen live in Manhattan now. How random and cool to run into them on the train platform, in Colon, Panama!! It was fun to catch up during the train ride and dinner after.

The relative benefits of civilization vs. remoteness

Between spending three days in a beach town without internet and three subsequent busy days in Panama City, I have been remiss in posting. But, having spent three days in said beach town and three subsequent days in Panama City, I am now well-prepared both to report on the week's highlights and to compare the relative benefits of being in a tiny but beautiful remote town with those of a big cosmopolitan city.

Days 1 through 3: Santa Catalina

Highlights: ocean front cabin, spectacular scenery, horseback riding on the beach, surviving the boat ride to Coiba Island, seeing a sea turtle while snorkeling!!

Benefits: See highlights. Relaxation. Plus, we ate at the same restaurant each night- at the camp/hotel- which means no complicated decision-making or long transit times, and the abilitty to get to know the staff.

Drawbacks: No internet...i.e., no basketball scores! We were also very far from groceries, coffee shops, pharmacies, and medical care. One morning, Martin our guide told us if we walked to town, "about 1km", we could have a coffee at a nice cafe by the water. So off we went. We walked, and walked, and walked. Much farther than 1 km later, we reached the...well, town, I guess, but there was no coffee shop to be found. Nor was there sunscreen to be bought.  Nothing to be found, really, except surfboard rentals, a bar created by placing some benches under a tarp, a few homes, and a mini super with noodles and cleaning supplies. More seriously, a girl in our group got sick with a very high fever on Day 2. It would have taken 3 1/2 hours for a doctor to get to her. Since her fever had subsided somewhat by the morning, she decided to wait until we got to Panama City to see a doctor. Original diagnosis: "something related to Dengue"! Even though a subsequent hospital visit refuted this...she's ok and treated with drugs now...it was super scary to be so far from services.


Days 4-6: Panama City

Highlights: Seeing a huge cruise ship go through the Panama Canal, riding in a small boat IN the canal, seeing white-faced monkeys, randomly running into an old friend! (More on this next post!)

Benefits: a variety of food, a variety of people, easy access to medical care, treated water, shopping, internet everywhere.

Drawbacks: Striking income inequality,minor but present safety concerns, traffic.

I think civilization, especially civilization this close to white-faced monkeys!, wins in a close contest.

 

"Napa Valley" of Coffee

Boquete, in the highlands of the Chiriqui province of Panama, is called (perhaps by tourism campaigns?) the "Napa Valley" of coffee. Yesterday, we put this to the test! Our day started with a (really excellent) tour of a coffee farm, factory, and roasting center, followed by a tasting of three different roasts. Note, I didn't drink coffee at all before coming to Central America, but I was pretty excited about the tour. :) We learned that Panama doesn't produce a large amount of coffee, but growing conditions are excellent, and several brands have won international awards. Of the roasts we tasted, I liked the Latin Roast the best. I also found out that this company (Cafe Ruiz) makes a "natural" coffee, which is dried with the fruit still around the coffee bean, resulting in sweeter coffee. It wasn't quite ready to try as of today, but I'm going to look for that type of coffee at home! Mmm...

I finished off the tour by having an iced mocha ("not real coffee", but that's fine with me :) ), then we had sandwiches at a lovely cafe, and then went on a guided hike in Volcan Baru national park. We were in search of the elusive Quetzal bird (at least I was!), which we didn't find, but we did hike to a nice waterfall.

Heading to Santa Catalina today, where there is no internet...more in a few days!

Much better vibes in Panama

Well, we made it to Panama, by crossing the border on foot over an old railroad bridge, with several big holes in it. We are now in Bocas Del Toro, which has a MUCH better vibe than Puerto Viejo!  Children play in the park at dusk, locals eat in the restaurants, and the adorable old lady who ran my favorite shop spoke to me only in Spanish. We visited two different beaches, on two different islands in the archipelago, both absolutely spectacular. Tomorrow, we leave here for Boquete, in the mountains.

Y en espanol:
Bueno, hemos llegado en Panama, por crucer en pie a traves de un puente viejo de ferrocarril, con algunas huecos grandes. Ya estamos a Bocas del Toro, que tiene un sentido mucho mejor que Puerto Viejo! Los niños juegan en el parque al atardecer, la gente local comer en los restaurantes, y la vieja linda que trabaja en mi tienda favorita hablo conmigo solo en espanol. Visitamos dos playas, en dos islas de la archipiélago, ambas absolutamente espectacular. Manana, salimos por Boquete, en las montanas.

Caribbean Vibes

For two days now, we have been in Puerto Viejo, CR, on the Caribbean coast about an hour north of the Panamanian border. We have done some fun things-- yesterday we met a chocolate maker and I held a baby monkey at the wildlife rehabilitation center!-- but I'll be glad to move on. I've heard people say they really like the vibe here, but something (or things) about it feels weird to me. The skies are often overcast, with lots of rain showers. Like at Pacuare beach where I volunteered, there are very few sea birds, contributing to a sense of desolation. There is a lot of crime, which has limited the activities we've done here.  There's a drug culture and problem. The locals are fighting with the government over control over the local Cahuita National Park. Overall, it feels like a town desperately trying to get tourist business, given the limited other economic options in this area, and I feel like as a result, there are very few authentic interactions between locals and visitors. I don't like that rift feeling.
So this morning, we leave for Panama! We'll still be in the Caribbean, but hopefully with better vibes. More soon.

 

Dan is here!

Dan arrived safely yesterday! Today we went to a beautiful tourist trap of a place in the mountains near San Jose, where we saw lots of cool animals (but in cages :( ) and hiked a short trail past a waterfall. I admit I did enjoy having a toucan sit on my arm, though!  We also met the rest of our Panama tour group tonight...seems like an interesting mix of young beer lovers and well-traveled pensive types. Stay tuned as my perceptions of people get more refined! Interestingly, we are the only Americans. Tomorrow morning we leave for Puerto Viejo, on the southeast coast of CR- back in the Caribbean, but this time with electricity. :)
Y en espanol:
Dan llego seguro ayer! Hoy fuimos a un lugar bonito (para atrapar las turistas) donde vimos muchos animales tuanis (pero en jaulas :( ) y dimos una caminataa un sendero corte a una catarata. Sin embargo, admito que me gusta tener una sentada toucan en el brazo!
Tambien conicimos los otras en nuestra grupo de excursion a Panama esta noche...parece.un grupo interesante con jovens que le gusta cerveza y tipos pensivos y bien viajados. Preste atención ya que mis percepciones de la gente consigue más refinado. Manana por la manana salimos por Puerto Viejo, otra vez al Caribe, pero esta vez con electricidad! :)

Unexpected side trip

As I implied in yesterday´s post, I´ve arrived back in civilization after camping on the Caribbean coast and working with sea turtle conservation efforts last week.  I was scheduled to leave early Monday morning to head back to San Jose-- normally boats only leave the camp on Mondays and Thursdays unless there is an emergency.  But, there was a boat leaving Saturday morning to take four college student volunteers back to the dock, because they were on spring break and had to be back at school on Monday.  So, Margaret, a fellow volunteer from Colorado, and I decided to take the Saturday morning boat with them.  After the rainy week and long walks, our feet were very blistered and we needed to take care of ourselves a little bit.  Even though I needed to leave a bit earlier than planned, I am very glad I was able to contribute to the conservation efforts.

So yesterday, we took the boat to the dock, rode with the college students in their van to the town of Bataan, took the public bus from Bataan to San Jose, then decided to take another public bus to Jaco, an easy beach getaway from San Jose-- back on the Pacific coast.  Margaret has a friend staying here this week.  Our hotel is lovely, just the break we needed for a day (photo below).  We are planning to relax by the pools today, walk through town to check out the vegetarian cafe and organic chocolate shop, and meet her friend for dinner at the beach.  I hope to also repair my feet a bit. Tomorrow we will travel back to San Jose, where I´ll meet Dan to begin our tour into Panama!


Y en espanol:
Como implicada en la entrada de ayer, he llegada otra vez en la civilización despues de acampar a la costa Caribe y trabajar con los esfuerzos de conservación de tortugas marinas la semana pasada. Estaba programada salir temprano por la mañana lunes para viajar a San Jose-- normalmente, el bote sali solo los lunes y jueves excepto en caso de emergencia.  Sin embargo, hubo un bote saliendo sabado en la mañana para llevar cuatro estudiantes de universidad al muelle, por ellos estabaron en el descanso de primavera, y ellos tuvieron que estar otra vez a la escuela lunes.  Entonces, Margaret, un voluntario compañera de Colorado, y yo decidimos tomar el bote de sabado con ellos.  Despues de la semana de lluvia y las caminatas largas, nuestras pies tenían ampollas y necesitabamos cuidarnos un poco. Aunque tenía que salir un poco antes de lo previsto, estoy muy contento de haber podido contribuir a los esfuerzos de conservación.


Entonces, ayer, tomamos el bote al muelle, cabalgábamos con los estudiantes en su camioneta al pueblo de Bataan, tomamos el bus publico de Bataan hasta San Jose, y pues decidieron tomar otra bus publico a Jaco, un destino facil a la playa de San Jose--- otra vez en la costa Pacifica.  Margaret tiene un amigo quedarse aqui.  Nuestra hotel es bonito, exacto el descanso necesitabamos por un dia (foto de abajo). Hoy estamos planeando de relejarnos al lado de la piscina, caminar por el pueblo para descubrir el cafe vegetariano y la tienda de chocolate orgánico. Tambien espero a repararme mis pies un poco.  Manana vamos a viajar otra vez a San Jose, donde voy a encontrar a Dan para empezar nuestra excursion a Panama!