Bus Rides

Traveling on the cheap, as we are, means a ton of bus rides to get where we are going...Going all the way from Mexico to Panama you see a ton of different buses, and you start getting used to the shitty chicken buses, or being packed in like a sardine. But it is never easy to get on city buses that are jam packed with your giant pack and not make a scene...I would rather take a taxi!

The longest bus ride we took in Central America was about 10 hours, but here in South America, that is a small-distance ride. The countries are bigger and the buses have longer to travel, so getting used to 15-16 hour-plus bus rides (and usually overnight!) is not going to be easy.
Especially when taking a ride on a bus here is the exact equivalent of trying to sleep in a meat locker. I am not joking! They blast the air conditioning so much that it is just so uncomfortable. And we even come prepared-we change into long pants and bring a sweatshirt and socks. Last night, it wasn't enough...Instead of sleeping comfortably and waking up at your next destination- you go into hypothermia and just lay there shivering.

Not to mention that other interesting things happen on the bus rides. Take last nights' 9 hour ride, for example. First, the bus leaves late-and there were only 9 passengers...Then, about 30 minutes into the ride, the lady and young guy in the front of the bus turn around and ask Adrian if we saw a furry creature running around our feet?! What the Heck?! The bus lights are all off at this point, and all I can hear is Adrian say "A raton?" and I immediately start to get a bit grossed out. I have just been riding on a bus with a rat or a mouse crawling around my feet?! Yuck!! So Adrian gets out a flashlight and we start looking around our feet, and about the same time- I hear the translation- "You think it's a hamster?" A hamster?! This must be what they call mice in Colombia...So after some scuffle and looking around-the thing crawls by my feet and the young guy dives under the seat in the dark and catches it. It really was a hamster! A cute little orange and white guy!! What the hell was it doing on the bus?! This guy picked it up and asked all the passengers if they lost a hamster...No one had...So the two proceeded to put him in a purse for safe keeping, and feed him a cooked potato...He seemed pretty content in there. I had no idea what they were going to do with it but I just figured they would keep it as a pet. So after we watched the little guy eat the potato and wonder why he was on the bus, they decided to tie the purse closed and put it in the overhead compartment until we arrived. Needless to say the hamster chewed through the purse and is back loose in the bus somewhere, now in the overhead compartments! Good stuff...

We fall back asleep after we caught the hamster and wake up for the 2am rest stop. I go to the bathroom and come out, waiting for the bus to get going. I am standing outside the bus talking to this Australian guy we are traveling with, and we notice that Adrian is talking to some locals and has a little crowd gathered around him...We were so amused watching this scene-at 2 am, this little restaraunt in the middle of nowhere was packed and jumping and Adrian managed to enrapture a group of locals with who knows what...And we were sort of sleepy and wondering what he was doing. It was a really cool scene from afar- you could see them all asking questions, and every minute a new person would come over to hear what was going on-and there is Adrian in the middle, waving his arms around telling some story...So it turns out he was just buying a snack, and starting talking to the restaraunt owner, who asked about his trip, and they all got so curious about him, and us and they were asking him all sorts of questions. They were just so excited to talk to him, you could see it-it was cool. I think the Colombians are so far the friendliest people in all the countries I've been to. And I also think that they are really excited to see tourists in their country, after years of travelers avoiding the country because of the previous dangers.

To top it all off, on our second leg of the bus trip today-the bus broke down! Let's hope my first bus break-down is also my last...I slept for most of the time and only noticed when they turned off the bus and therefore the AC slowly died out and I had to strip off all the layers I had put on. One interesting point, I didn't hear anyone complain about the holdup (or maybe it's just because I was sleeping), but everyone just patiently sat and waited, knowing that they were trying to fix the bus. I'm not sure if that happened at home people would idly sit and wait like that...

So those are just some random thoughts about bus travel...It's weird, even though you may sleep alot, and are just sitting there-taking a bus ride really wipes you out! Time for bed...

Hiking to La Ciudad Perdida

So I just did my first trek!!! Yeah!!

When we were in Cartagena, we ran into a few other travellers we met in Panama and they told us about this 6 day trek to a place in the Colombian jungle called ¨La Ciudad Perdida¨. We hadn´t even heard about it before, but were immediately interested. We decided to tag along with a new group of people and go to the next city and check out this trek. We didn´t know much about it, but got into the city the tour was arranged from and realized that our friends booked the trek to start the next day! Mind you, we got into this city at about 9pm, and the tour was supposed to leave the next morning at 8:30...We talked to the tour operators and decided to go for it, even on the short notice. Who needs sleep before a 6 day trek anyways? We paid 30,000 pesos (=$150 US) and then immediately had to get supplies and pack our bags...and we still hadn´t even eaten dinner :)

The guide company supplied all our meals and water for the trip, so we just need to bring dry clothes, long pants, bug spray, toilet paper, extra shoes, plastic bags to protect our gear from rain, etc. We crammed all that we thought we might need for the 6 days into our small daypacks-the lighter the better.

On the first day we drove about 2 hours to the turnoff to the park, and from there we drove another hour up and down a horrible dirt, mountain road to a small town in the mountains that we would start from. After a lunch of stale sandwiches, we were off. There were 8 people in our group- a nice mix of a few Americans, a French guy, Spanish guy, Swiss guy and and Aussie dude. We were to hike a total of 22km to the Lost City, mostly about 3-5 hours a day, with one long day of an 8 hour hike on the way back down.

The first day was a bit rough, getting back into hiking after a while is always hard. Add in torrential rain and the fact that we were hiking uphill through mud canyons and basically a mud river at our feet. Oddly enough- it was really cool to hike in the torrential rain. Knowing that I had no choice but to keep going and plug on, I think made it fun to be out in the rain (and I was so excited that I had decided to put my dry clothes into a waterproof travel bag inside my backpack!). A strange thought, because it also meant that we would probably see a lot of rain on the rest of the 5 days! After the first days´ hike we made it up to a little house in the mountains where we were to camp, and we got into dry clothes and had some dinner. Our guides really knew how to cook-we had great food the whole time! We slept the night in hammocks and were off early the next morning...

The next couple of days were great hikes. I was a bit sore, but tried to do a lot of stretching to keep the soreness at a minimum. Oddly enough, I think the best remedy for the sore muscles was to just keep hiking! The scenery and the terrain was gorgeous throughout the whole hike. I especially enjoyed that the terrain changed frequently- we´d hike through the jungle, along mountain ridges, up mud canyons, alongside a river, through a river, by little shacks in the forests...We saw a lot of Indigenous families living way out in the middle of no-where. They were mostly very wary of the hikers, and not smile or say anything to us. The adults would mostly stare, while the kids were sometimes a bit more curious. The children were amazing...Wearing little potato sac dresses (boys and girls alike) with long brown hair...Some smart Indios even sold Gatorade at their little houses! If it was cold, I probably would have bought some :) The hike was such a great hike that I was excited to be doing it, even before I made it to the Lost City!

On day three, we finally made it to La Ciudad Perdida. After a pretty tough hike of about 4 hours, we got to the base of a stairway. The stairway looked like it just started right out of the river, so we waded across and started climbing the stairs...I have never climbed so many stairs in my life!!! There were at least 2,000 stairs to get to the city!!! And after already hiking the whole day-our legs were pretty shot. It was tiring, but a cool, mysterious walk up mossy covered stairs into the jungle...

We got to the top and were greeted by a small troop of the Colombian military...They all seemed friendly and amused at our exhausted looks of climbing all those stairs. The military was stationed there to protect tourists from any residual FARC guerilla activity in the jungle-which was fine by me. I was glad to see them instead of rebels...

We spent the next day exploring the city, founded by Tayrona Indians (discovered only in 1975). Our guide didn´t have the complete history of the place as we would´ve liked-but it was still really cool...They had basically built all these round circular stone terraces linked by tons of steps. Set high up in the mountains, it was such a spectacular sight.

The toughest part of the hike was the 8 hour hike down, which started with a descent of all those 2,000 stairs!!! My legs were wiped out immediately...But I made it to the lunch stop and the lunch gave me a second wind for the last 3 hours-whew!

So if you can´t tell, I really enjoyed this hike and was proud of myself for having done it...It wasn´t as difficult as I expected! Maybe that means there will be more treks in my future-who knows!

South America...via San Blas

Now doesn´t that look nice?! Yup, it was pretty amazing...That´s me relaxing in the beautiful water in the "Swimming Pool" in the San Blas Islands. Behind me in the photo you can see a handful of boats docked, and this is where we spent three days of our sailing trip from Panama to Colombia. It was a beautiful spot to swim, snorkle, and hang out on deserted islands.

We had heard many horror stories of these boat rides from Panama to Colombia: people getting lost for 10 days, people running out of food and water, or having a horrible captain...I am glad to report almost exactly the opposite of what we feared. We set sail on the Melody with Captain Marc and his wife Paola. We had a crew of 8 backpackers, 6 Americans and 2 Austrian guys. It was such a fantastic trip!! Everyone was cool and chill (a necessary characteristic for sharing the confined space of the boat!), and the captain really knew what he was doing. Not to mention we were well fed!! Marc´s wife, Paola, was a great cook- we were treated to meals us backpackers don´t normally get: lasagna, fish tacos, and even a turkey dinner! On the first day of the sail we made it to the San Blas Islands in about nine hours, and the seas were really calm. We even had a small crew of dolpins swimming alongside us for awhile. When we got to the paradise of San Blas- we knew we made the right choice instead of flying to Colombia! We were enjoying it so much we actually asked to stay another day at San Blas, which we did! It was hard to get sick of the beautiful surroundings we had...

The rest of the sail from San Blas to Cartagena was supposed to take 36 hours...That sounded pretty daunting to me...And the first day in the open waters was pretty rough, I must admit. The waves were pretty big and I did feel a bit seasick. So much for dramamine! I spent most of the first day trying to sleep and lay down in one spot. As soon as you got up to use the bathroom or move around you would feel sick almost immediately. The second day of sailing was much calmer and therefore a much better sail...We even caught some wind and a current and made it to Cartagena a few hours ahead of schedule. Even with a little seasickness-this was definitely the way to go!

We are now in Cartagena and enjoying the city. The city is surrounded by a huge wall built 500 yeas ago to defend against pirates. The walled part of the old city has these great old buildings and so much character...It is an interesting mix of old and new-you have one area of the city surrounded by an old wall, and then a few miles away you can see the skyscrapers that have been built to modernize the city. At night, the old city is so romantic, and just such a great spot to sit outside and soak up the atmosphere. What a great city!!!

Here´s one last shot of us amid the palm trees in San Blas...

Shoes...and other random thoughts...

I miss my selection of shoes (I guess this can also be applied to clothes)! But it's especially hard when we are in a cool, happening city like Panama City and we go to the clubs...I want to wear a sign around my neck that says, "I have cuter clothes and shoes at home-but I couldn't fit them in my backpack!" Not that I look shabby, I did manage to bring a cute top and jeans that is my standard going-out outfit. But you know what I mean...

I do have to note, I think Latin American women are born wearing high heels! I am a little envious at their ability to wear the tallest of high-heel shoes and walk around like their wearing running shoes. And they still manage to dance in these crazy shoes. I, as well as many people I know-would be limping around after an hour of wearing some of these shoes...And last night as I sat in the club observing this-not one woman was wearing flat shoes (and the club was packed)!

More about shoes...My favorite little black crocs are useless here in Central America during the rainy season. It's very strange, but many parts of the sidewalks that are directly in front of a store are tiled. Wet tiles are the enemy of any croc-wearer. You take one step and immediately start to slide, and if you aren't quick about it, you will end up on your butt. It's like trying to walk on a sheet of ice...You start taking baby steps and look absolutely ridiculous! So it seems that my crocs aren't coming back out until the rain stops, or people stop tiling the sidewalks...

Here in the city I started seeing a few sushi restaraunts and just knew that I had to have it...We love sushi, and haven't eaten it since before we left (over 6 months ago!). We were taken to this great lounge that served delicious sushi, and we were in heaven! It was SOOOOO good :)
To top it off, we found another bar that had import beer...SAM ADAMS - double :)

There are a few more random thoughts I have, but that will do for now.

It has been SIX months on the road!!

We have finally made it to Panama City!! It took us six months to get here from Cancun, but we did hit every country on the way down! Looking back on the past six months, it's been such great fun and we have seen and done so much! I honestly wasn't sure how I would feel after traveling for, let's say, even three months. But, I am really loving it. I think even more so then when I started. I have learned to chill a bit and not need be on the go as much as I usually am. Traveling on a budget certainly means that we are not taking expensive tours every day, but there is something else to be gained by slowing down and doing this a little differently. Being away from home and the people I love there is the hardest, but while I am still enjoying myself the road is still calling me :)

Here are some highlights that pop to mind over the last half year...

The whole country of Guatemala was amazing. It's such a beautiful country, and very cheap! I recommend anyone interested to visit there. Tikal, Semuc Champey, Lago Atitlan...ahh...

I loved seeing all the different Mayan ruins as we came south, and I have learned a lot about the Mayan culture...(even enough to question some elements of the movie Apocalpto)

Scuba diving has been completely amazing...and addicting!! It is so fun to be underwater and observe the world down there. My favorite place to dive has been in Belize, near Caye Caulker, where the water is crystal clear, making the visibility perfect. There were so many fish, and the coral reef itself was fascinating.

Having visitors!!! My mom and her friend Lyne visited us in Honduras, and our friends Gavin and Lilly visited us in Nicaragua. Huge props to them for coming to see us in these areas of the country where not many people have an interest in seeing. I know that we were the main draw, but I think they all enjoyed there visits, and in a place where they might not have normally gone to. I would not be surprised if my mom went back to the Bay Islands of Honduras, because they were just beautiful...If anyone else is interested-we would love to have you!

Boquete, Panama, was a great spot for us to hang for awhile...Since I just talked about it I won't blab any more about it.

Meeting great, fun, interesting people along the way.

Trying to learn Spanish...I am getting a little better, but is still intimidating to speak in front of Adrian, who speaks Spanish perfectly. Damn him! :) At least I get a laugh out of the silly things I end up saying by mistake, and I know am able to accept help from Adrian now instead of being annoyed...Watching the Olympics in Spanish gives me alot of new words!

There may be more, but that is what I have at the moment. Time has gone by so quickly! Time to go explore the city...

Back on the road...

So we finally managed to leave our cozy little town of Boquete. We left a little over a week ago. We first went to David, the closest city to Boquete and then onto Santa Catalina, a surfing village on the western coast. We went there on our first trip to Panama, and wanted to go back and stay a little longer this time.

Santa Catalina is a very, very small town, with not much to it except a few places to stay and some surf camps. There are two tiny little markets that run out of food towards the end of the week, one pay phone in the center, and no internet places!!! It´s definitely nice for a change to be away from everything, but I completely forgot how basic this town was. On the first day we got there, it was the end of the week, so the market shelves were wiped out. We couldn´t even by bread to make sandwiches...And because the place is so quiet, some of the few restaurants don´t open every night, or close as soon as they run out of food, which can be often. It certainly is a funny dynamic to adjust yourself to that pace and non-technology of a place. But, it´s a very quaint town that is very relaxing. We spent a day or two relaxing, reading, laying in hammocks, and going for walks. Adrian had another go at surfing as well, but this time I just cheered him on from the beach.

Last Friday we took a snorkling trip from Santa Catalina to Isla Coiba. Isla Coiba is a national park, about a 1.5 hour boat ride off the coast. It´s really interesting- they call it the poor man´s Galapagos, as the island never had any serious development on it, and it has a few species of animals that are only found on this island. Back from 1919 to 2004 the island actually served as a prison colony that was pretty brutal for its´ prisoners. Other than the few prison facilities, nothing else was ever built on the island so it remained a hotspot for birds and wildlife....

So, doesn´t it sound like an interesting place to visit? The boat ride out to the island was pretty spectacular. The coast line was mainly just rocky cliffs with a few isolated beaches sprinkled around. There were a ton of little rock islands that formed off the coast. We stopped at a spot and snorkled around, and then went on to the island. What a cool spot. I wish we had thought ahead to stay overnight there. We did a brief little hike to see some of the island. We didn´t see such spectacular wildlife on our brief walk, just tons of iguanas and some cool birds. If we had more time it would´ve been amazing to check out more of the island...If anyone is in the vicinity, you should make a point to get out there-it´s a great spot!

From Santa Catalina we came to Las Tablas, a small city on the way to our next destination. Our main idea was to come back to civilization, use computers- and I wanted to go shopping (which is a completely different/strange experience then shopping at home!). We are going to try to get to another remote island when we leave here (possibly this afternoon) called Isla Cañas. It seems like it will be an adventure to get there, so we´ll see!

Still in Boquete!

Here's my favorite little guy at the Paradise Gardens...Billy the Capuchin Monkey!!! He is only a few months old, and when we first arrived he had only been there a few days. He was so scared of people he did a lot of squeaking and running away from us. We really couldn't get near him...But, after almost one month, he is getting so brave! He now comes and sits on us and hangs out, pulls our hair and plays with us. He has learned a lot from his older monkey friend, Monty. It has been really cool to see him become healthier and less scared as we spend more time with him...

It's been very nice settling for a bit here in Boquete. It's been a month, and we will leave at the end of the week :( Volunteering at the gardens was the best move we could do while we here-we got to spend time with fun animals, and got to meet really great people! One of my favorite things about the gardens is that the people there are so nice. The owners, Jenny and Paul Saban, have created a truly homey community among the people that spend time there. When it's raining we all just sit around on the porch, drink tea, and chat (the owners are English, so our tea drinking has definetly gone up over the last month!). Since we have been on the move for the most part of the last 4-5 months, it is a different, enjoyable feeling to stop in somewhere and start to get to know people there. It will be sad to leave here, but there is more to explore of Panama...and then on to South America!