Panama Trip and the Proceeding Week or So

Apologies for the scattered blogs. I’ve been pretty busy with the holidays and with travel, but I should be back on track with my weekly blogs by next Sunday. One of the perks about serving in Costa Rica is that I am in a region, Latin America, that is both compelling and easy to travel around. Last year, I took advantage of some of my vacation days to go to Colombia, and exactly a year later, I went to Panama. My Colombia trip was solo, but I was fortunate to have my girlfriend’s company for this year’s adventure in Panama.

I arrived in Panama last Thursday, January 15th. I flew down there solo because although I’m on school break, my girlfriend, Keily, had to work through Friday. My first day in Panama I didn’t do too much. I checked into a hostel in Panama City’s colonial Casco Viejo neighborhood and ran on the Cinta Costera, an oceanside promenade and exercise path that was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever run. That evening, I dined at the famous Coca Cola Cafe, which opened in 1875, and claims it had the name “Coca Cola” long before the soda was first created.

The next morning, I woke up early and took a bus to the Miraflores Visitor Center to see the Panama Canal for the first time. I’m not super into engineering, but as an international relations buff, it was amazing to see a structure so transformative in global trade. I also really enjoyed the Morgan Freeman-narrated IMAX movie that came with my ticket. Later in the day, I checked into a new hotel in Panama City’s El Cangrejo (“The Crab”) neighborhood, which was much more international, bohemian, and residential than where I stayed in Casco Viejo. Then, I took Panama City’s really nice metro system about 35km out to the international airport where I picked up Keily before we metroed back to El Cangrejo.

Saturday was Keily’s birthday, which was an impetus for our trip to Panama to celebrate. We spent the morning exploring Casco Viejo. There were a number of beautiful churches and cafes, so we really enjoyed walking around and feeling like we were in a different era. We also returned to the aforementioned Coca Cola Cafe, which had a cheap, delicious, and authentic breakfast. In the afternoon, we walked around the Marbella area of Panama City, which is part of the city’s business sector, filled with skyscrapers. After spending the morning looking at older architecture, it was a really neat juxtaposition to admire both skyscrapers and colonial churches in the same city on the same day. That evening, for Keily’s birthday dinner, we went to a nice Italian-American restaurant called Frank’s Place, which was a highlight of the trip for both of us. 

The next morning, we traveled to Bocas del Toro, which is an archipelago off Panama’s Caribbean coast near the Costa Rican border. Although we both flew into Panama City’s international airport, to go to Bocas del Toro, we flew out of Panama City’s much smaller domestic airport in Albrook. After a quick 50-minute flight, we landed in beautiful Bocas del Toro. Upon arrival, we found a nice cafe on the main island, Isla Colón, where we had some Caribbean food and a piña colada to enjoy being in paradise. Later, we checked into our hostel, on Isla Carenero, which is a small island literally a 30-second boat ride (a $1 water taxi) away from Isla Colón. It was a really cool lodge on the water where we could hear the waves under our room. That night, we had a really fun dinner at one of the most iconic restaurants in Bocas del Toro called Bibi’s where I had one of the better piña coladas I’ve ever had. 

On Monday, our only full day in Bocas, we decided spur-of-the-moment to take a tour to another part of Isla Colón. The island is so big that we had to take a boat to one of the famous beaches in Bocas del Toro, called Playa Estrella. On the way, we endured some pretty rough waters, but stopped at the uninhabited Isla de Pajaros. Isla de Pajaros had 11 different species of birds circling around and looked like something straight out of a movie. Afterwards, we had a quick lunch on the beach and enjoyed Playa Estrella (or “Star Beach”). The beach is aptly named for the abundant starfish you can see through crystal-clear waters without a snorkel. That evening, we were pretty tired from the tour and didn’t particularly want to island hop, so we just ate at the hostel. However, around the hostel, there were tables set up for a beer pong tournament later in the night. We didn’t participate in the tournament, but since Keily hadn’t played beer pong in Costa Rica before, we enjoyed a fun intercultural moment where we practiced playing (with water). 

Tuesday morning, we took off in a boat for Almirante, which is the town in mainland Panama closest to Bocas del Toro. From there, we hopped in a shuttle which took us to Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. On the way, we had to cross over a pedestrian bridge between Panama and Costa Rica to pass through customs. Then, we spent the rest of a (rainy) day in Puerto Viejo. Keily hadn’t ever been to the province of Limon before (where Puerto Viejo is), which is one of the most culturally distinct areas of Costa Rica, so that is a big reason why we passed through there on the way back. For lunch, we had the classic Costa Rican caribbean dish called “Rice and Beans” which may be my favorite tico food. Eventually, that night, the rain subsided, and we were able to explore Puerto Viejo and find some pizza. 

Sadly, on Wednesday, our trip wrapped up. We were able to squeeze in a run and a lunch in Puerto Viejo before bussing back to San Jose where Keily’s parents picked us up at the bus station. We had a really great trip. I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel and to have had some awesome company in Panama and Limon. 

P.S. - The week prior I didn’t post any kind of blog. But, by nature of being on school break, I didn’t have too much to update. That week consisted of a combination of visiting the Peace Corps office, preparing lesson plans for the upcoming school year, and spending time with Keily and her family.