Christmas Eve was a good night, likely one I won't forget. I mostly kept to myself, talking with a couple friends and sticking primarily with my roommate from India. We met with some Scandinavians and I ended up befriending a 21 year old guy named Zachary who served in the Finnish army. Zach told me about his history and that Finland took things very seriously in this context being bordered with Russia. He said they were attacked in ww2 and severely outnumbered but held back the Russians. Meeting him gave me great insight as I told him a bit about my experiences and that I am really happy to have met him, Zach and I shared very similar thoughts/ opinions and it's nice to know that our thoughts are shared by soldiers of other countries.
My roommate and I made it over to a place called Aqua, which had a tight rope over water, multi level diving platforms, trampoline jumping into water, rope swings into water, swings and all kinds of seemingly dangerous activities you shouldn't have at a bar... it was like Christmas ! So many people were having fun - I decided I would not, as injury seemed likely. Instead I decided to climb on the railing to a second level overlooking the water. Aqua was across the water from our hostel, and from aqua you could see the entire front of Bocas del toro; it was beautiful. The boat rides we took that night were a dollar each, back and forth, but the views were priceless. I've heard on a still night in big enough water you can get complete 360 enclosure in stars- but I can't truly fathom it; on this Christmas Eve it was real close, the sky was illuminated heavily and the water was perfectly still, sitting on the corner of Aqua I had about 80% of my view illuminated by stars or reflection of stars and the other 20% was Bocas del toros quaint waterfront property lights. I stood there for at least an hour as Vedant and I got into some of the deepest conversations I've ever had.
We got back to the room and chatted for a while, I decided I needed some sleep and went to bed around 5-6, my roommate stayed up to see the sunrise with some other friends telling me to wake him up when I get up at 9 to go to a beach.
Christmas Day I woke up feeling great - after three full hours of sleep (that's 6 hours in three days) I went for a three mile run and came across what used to be a beautiful beach some time ago in history but now was filled with trash. I stopped there and ran on the beach, did some box jumps and yoga stretches and absorbed the beach... beautiful naturally, ruined by people. There were almost no buildings here, one would think there was an oil spill and the place was toxic or something in order to keep people away from it because it's so beautiful.
I met the tour manager finally; I confirmed that he had dengue and I wanted to assure him I was very considerate that he was sick. I asked him questions about dengue; he said it is really surprisingly bad - it takes all the energy from you- but after it goes away he believes it is over and no lasting side effects. I suppose that isn't the end of the world. I forgot his name- he was from Israel and we talked a bit about it, I wished him a merry Christmas and he corrected me - Hanukkah.
I had until 1700 to get on the water taxi, so I grabbed breakfast with Dan and the guys from London, we dove in and went for a swim while at breakfast because it was actually really warm. Sonja from Switzerland said (when we went to the island on Christmas Eve) that I had really good luck: it had been poor weather until I got here... today was downright hot and the dive in the water felt amazing, thank goodness for the place having waterfront property, a dock, and allowing us to strip down and dive in. We ate, exchanged ideas on what to do for the day, and I took off to wake up my roommate.
My roommate and I were on our way to Estralla beach. He found a way to get there for less than $5 whereas I found a way that cost $30, so we took his way (his way was by bus, mine was by boat, I did not know it was on the same island... turns out the island is rather huge, but the main tourist part is tiny). On the way to the bus we saw a guy who said he wanted to go with us- he said there was no bus and he waited for an hour. I told him I heard it was a minivan type bus and pointed to one half a block away in example of how common they were, he said that could be possible and decided to try again. The Central Park area where we were told to catch the bus had a minibus waiting to playa de drago (this is where the bus stops at) and we asked if we could ride. They said they were full but crammed us in after I said I would just jump on the top rack.
Once we got to the beach Vedant and I commented on how this was exactly what we were looking for. The beach before had too strong of waves which was a different kind of beauty but difficult to just relax. This beach had zero waves; it made me wonder how many beaches panama has... I guess you can find any type of beach. Estralla beach is supposedly known for starfish but truthfully Vedant and I didn't really look for them. I took off after about an hour and headed back to pack, shower, and catch my bus.
I packed all my stuff said my goodbyes and grabbed a pulled pork sandwich basically across the street at a place called toro loco. They had great service and were playing the warrior / cavaliers game (NBA). I really enjoy watching the warriors play, especially when they beat the cavaliers :) .
(Not in chronological order:) The food here in Central America has been amazing, the hostel had pollo Milanese - I would never have ordered it but the waiter recommended it so I just did it- I'm so hambre (hungry) here I will eat just about anything except seafood. Once I got it, everyone wanted some and a few people ordered it. The mashed potatoes it came with were cheese mash potatoes which made me think of Naomi's mashed potatoes from thanksgiving. The chicken was basically a type of schnitzel, we all kind of shared each other's food; people at off my plate and I ate off theirs, fries, hummus, breads etc.
(Back to chronological order:) I left toro loco and caught my bus. What a whirlwind it had been since I arrived; I would never have thought I would be leaving so fast, with such a full plate of good memories; BOCAS del toro was a special place, but it was time to leave. I kept to myself, played music, and enjoyed the speed boat ride back. Beautiful.
Once on land I was met by a shuttle. I let the women on first so as not to be rude and then they requested I let some other people on (I assumed family) and next thing I knew I had no seat. They flipped down a makeshift third "extra" seat on one of the rows, which took me about two minutes to figure out was for a five year old. I am not used to people giving me the child's seat: if someone is bigger than me I don't give them the small seat I give them the bigger seat, it's common sense. So instead of complaining I just made a space on the floor and passed out. I noticed the older guy looking at me funny and also noticed he had to stop and pee randomly. To myself I thought this guy is strange, but he looked so harmless I was even more confused; why did someone that looks so friendly act so strange ?
After the shuttle to "David", panama, we waited for an autobus to Panama City. I let the older woman go in front of me to be respectful and then realized she's getting tickets for 7 people. I mentioned, "siete? Estonia uno, aye yay yaye" and rolled my eyes playfully suggesting I should have went first instead of waiting for 7 people, we only had 45 minutes and needed to eat as well. I didn't complain any further and waited for them to take care of business; I think they got what I meant and called out hombre, giving me a spot in line to get my ticket. I got my ticket and went to find food, the family sat next to me shortly after which made me happy because they were locals, and there were a few places to choose from, I had chosen right.
My meal came to $3 and I got rice , mashed potatoes, and beef. Everything I've eaten here is freshly prepared and delicious - their version of fast food is like a military buffet line you walk down and pick out fresh food. I've commented a couple times how I appreciate that everything is hand made: chicken strips you can tell are chicken breasts cut into strips, hand breaded individually and fried. For some reason the food in America when I order it doesn't look like something I could make- often it looks too perfected or machine done, here it's all good I think I could make or looks like I would- tasted delicious as well. I hope it doesn't get globalized to the point that the authenticity of the food goes down..
Once the bus arrived I recognized it as the same type of bus I took from the Nicaraguan border to San Jose: a double decker. I always take the seats up top because I don't see storage above the seats on the first floor; I don't like storing my bag underneath when it's everything I have, it makes me want to get out each time someone gets left off and as I am the last stop, I don't want to do that... I just want to go to sleep. I went to the second floor, only 1/4 the seats were taken, I took an open seat and sat my bag next to me in the safest place, against the window with me in the isle seat. The bus has four seats, an aisle splitting them into two seats each side. The gentleman working the bus told me to either put my bag up top or down below. I put it up top. Apparently he didn't like it up there either and said it could fall down so I must put it underneath. All I heard was a scam artist and I told him no with the firmest military voice I could; I said even more coldly, "mucho autobus, no problemo..." he left and I thought to myself, why does every bus just want to hassle me, especially something so stupid. Apparently he went and told his manager as she showed up to say and extremely politely that I should sit my bag next to me in the seat against the window instead of on top. I did this (of course, this is where it was in the first place but I know better than to complain, basically I had just won) and she smiled, telling me to have a pleasant ride. I had some notes about the people on the bus but I'm running out of time and this is getting rather lengthy - one specifically was a young male in a soldier uniform, I am unsure if he is a soldier or police though. I've seen numerous people in these uniforms, but they have all been nice and generally seem to be happy people, making me feel more safe than anything so I say hola all the time and give them a friendly smile.
I slept the entire bus ride. I don't remember if it was 1 hour or 10 (it left at 10pm and arrived at 5:30am but I couldn't tell the difference). Once off the bus I asked the family I've been traveling with some questions about Panama City and they invited me to ride with them. Once I was in the car they invited me to their home to rest and spend some time as I had a lot of time until my flight. I told them I am very neutral - but I would go if they wanted me to. Their ride appeared in minutes and it was a large SUV much like the big Lexus Sophie has- except it was a Nissan (some weird name - nothing like my pathfinder- more like the Lexus).
Arriving at their home they were extremely kind and gave me their sons room; he was still in BOCAS del toro on his way to Costa Rica. I asked when they would awaken, brushed my teeth and went to sleep. My alarm went off at 9 am and I went to see if anyone was up, not a soul. I went back into my room and packed some of my stuff, washed my face, and started hearing everyone wake up. I got the backstory on everyone in the house, mostly sobrinas and sobrinos (nieces and nephews) that were visitas para vacacion a BOCAS. One niece was adopted (they didn't say this but I gathered) and they only had one son who was my age and also single. I told them why I was single and a little about me going to School, how important it has been, and encouraged the younger kids that it's very important, one agreed, the other I'm not so sure about. I saw in pictures that the older kids all graduated from university and I think by the house I can tell they can likely afford it- big house and very nice by my opinion. Big Tv's in every room etc.
I also found out the father had Alzheimer's and we ended up watching blade over and over again. It was really sad talking with him, he seemed like the nicest guy you'd ever meet and just wandered around the house repeating things over and over again. It reminded me of working out with my friends brother who is special needs, and how much work it can be but also how it gives a different perspective to life, their views and ability to smile and enjoy life are inspirational to me. He went everywhere with us and had a positive attitude, he even knew more English than anyone else in the house. He asked me where I was flying to several times, I wondered how Alzheimer's works, how does he remember who I am or that I am flying but not where to. The world is so complex.
We are a traditional breakfast, carne, yuca, and a Panamanian tortilla. I've never had anything like the yuca or Panamanian tortilla - yuca is probably a word for some common vegetable (that I've never ate) but whatever it is I greatly enjoyed it and the way it was cooked. The Panamanian tortilla was enjoyable, very different, quite plain which I usually like, but in this case it was just very interesting, my response is very neutral, not bad, not my favorite thing in the world but I would enjoy trying it again. The beef was delicious, and we had watermelon for dessert though I was the only one to eat it- was delicious- watermelon is my favorite.
After breakfast we watched some tv and let our food digest. We then went as a large group to Panama City, and it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be- holy cow. I can't tell how big it is compared to San Fran or Seattle but it has to be close... did not expect that.
Downtown there were more tourists than anything else, I saw hundreds of tourists and only a few locals. Traffic seemed very light, probably because it was the Monday after Christmas. We stopped by an helado (ice cream) store and I was excited until I saw they only had ice cream bars or popsicle things (whatever you call them, on a stick). These are my least favorite - I just like vanilla in a cup or pralines and cream if I'm feeling fancy. I ended up getting a blueberry bar because I haven't seen blueberries since I've landed. At first it seemed rather bland but by the end of the bar I was hooked. One of the sobrinas told me to try hers (strawberry banana) and I thought it was amazing, probably should have got that one, oh well. I recommended we take a picture, I saw that they had a lot of pictures in their house and thought it was really nice, so I wanted to take one with them too! We went to a couple more spots and dropped off one of the sobrinas, I assume that they had to drop him off anyway and made a tour out of it, it was very nice of them.
After we got back I helped Flor, la madre pull chicken for dinner, she said she was making a traditional Panamanian Christmas dinner: arroz con pollo y potatas salad (I don't remember the word for salad), which means chicken with rice and potato salad. I told her I've never eaten potato salad though it is common in America - but I will try hers- and that I loved chicken with rice so I was very excited; the chicken smelt amazing (olor muy bueno). We are as a family again and the chicken with rice was really good, I told her I could eat the whole thing and she said that was fine she made lots. I told her my mom taught me better than to help myself as a guest and she laughed, she insisted I ate as much as I wanted and I relented, I ate a lot, even the potato salad was good. She packed me two to go containers and took me to the airport herself. I was really heart warmed to meet this family, and I did my best to learn from them while offering just two bits of advice: university was very important to me, and Coca Cola was terrible for my health. They asked if I would ever return and I said possibly but not for two years; I must admit they make me want to return.
Once I got to the airport Flor told me it used to be an American military base. I walked in, the guy at the ticket counter said I had to check my bag, I thought to myself, everyone wants this damn bag but had no choice - had to check it and trust them. One thing I have to admit is that standing in line I saw women that looked like models off of a music video or something... I had to ask where they were from thinking they were Panamanian; all of them responded Colombiano, I just had to shake my head and tell myself Colombia had some oddly good looking women, I was surrounded by them and they were very friendly.
To board the plane we walked to the tarmac, the tarmac had a beautiful view of the city in the background, across what seemed like some water or flat land, it was dark and the tall buildings illuminated the skyline, the weather was perfect and our one plane was the solo airplane at the airport. I took a picture and thought this was one of the coolest memories boarding a plane... it's rare these days I find things that surprise me like this.
The customs line was rather long, I see why people were rushing off the plane. I helped an older lady carry a bag and suffered the consequences of losing 15 minutes in line - oh well. Once through customs I found the only way to get local currency was to use the exchange centers or people- which was a rip off... I decided to take the bus and pay with American - the bus didn't even know what the conversion rate was- very unlike each country I've been to so far. When the ticket costs $3 I don't mind paying $3.50... however someone exchanged my money for me and I got exact change back... I made the right decision.
The bus ride was interesting, a politician sat next to me. He showed me pictures of Panama- helicopter rides, yachts, great views, and high level Panamanian politicians. He said do not talk about this stuff with people in Colombia that panama was much safer.
Once I took a short taxi ride to my hostel - the taxi driver said that Colombia is not safe... everything closes at 10pm, but the neighborhood I was going to was "high class" and safe. He was really happy I was at the hostel I was at and didn't really stress over how much I paid him; I tried paying him with $20 but he said he didn't have change, then I put together a combination of Colombian pesos and US dollars with change and he took it without much argument.
I stopped by an ATM and pulled out 400,000 pesos, which is $133 - I got an extra $50 worth for a friend I had met on the way who paid me on venmo- his card wasn't working here (I understand this problem).
I saw a girl with a specific pair of shoes on that I remembered from the airport and stopped to talk to her... she laughed and said she wasn't at the airport, I asked what she was doing here and she said she was very angry, long story short she needed a few bucks for the taxi, and just like ometepe when I helped a guy get food, I helped her get a taxi, except unlike ometepe this girl could have been a model- very good looking and extremely appreciative. Interesting place, this Colombia.
So I have finally caught up on my blog... thank goodness. Good night from Colombia!! I fly out of bogota to Peru on the 2nd.
My roommate and I made it over to a place called Aqua, which had a tight rope over water, multi level diving platforms, trampoline jumping into water, rope swings into water, swings and all kinds of seemingly dangerous activities you shouldn't have at a bar... it was like Christmas ! So many people were having fun - I decided I would not, as injury seemed likely. Instead I decided to climb on the railing to a second level overlooking the water. Aqua was across the water from our hostel, and from aqua you could see the entire front of Bocas del toro; it was beautiful. The boat rides we took that night were a dollar each, back and forth, but the views were priceless. I've heard on a still night in big enough water you can get complete 360 enclosure in stars- but I can't truly fathom it; on this Christmas Eve it was real close, the sky was illuminated heavily and the water was perfectly still, sitting on the corner of Aqua I had about 80% of my view illuminated by stars or reflection of stars and the other 20% was Bocas del toros quaint waterfront property lights. I stood there for at least an hour as Vedant and I got into some of the deepest conversations I've ever had.
We got back to the room and chatted for a while, I decided I needed some sleep and went to bed around 5-6, my roommate stayed up to see the sunrise with some other friends telling me to wake him up when I get up at 9 to go to a beach.
Christmas Day I woke up feeling great - after three full hours of sleep (that's 6 hours in three days) I went for a three mile run and came across what used to be a beautiful beach some time ago in history but now was filled with trash. I stopped there and ran on the beach, did some box jumps and yoga stretches and absorbed the beach... beautiful naturally, ruined by people. There were almost no buildings here, one would think there was an oil spill and the place was toxic or something in order to keep people away from it because it's so beautiful.
I met the tour manager finally; I confirmed that he had dengue and I wanted to assure him I was very considerate that he was sick. I asked him questions about dengue; he said it is really surprisingly bad - it takes all the energy from you- but after it goes away he believes it is over and no lasting side effects. I suppose that isn't the end of the world. I forgot his name- he was from Israel and we talked a bit about it, I wished him a merry Christmas and he corrected me - Hanukkah.
I had until 1700 to get on the water taxi, so I grabbed breakfast with Dan and the guys from London, we dove in and went for a swim while at breakfast because it was actually really warm. Sonja from Switzerland said (when we went to the island on Christmas Eve) that I had really good luck: it had been poor weather until I got here... today was downright hot and the dive in the water felt amazing, thank goodness for the place having waterfront property, a dock, and allowing us to strip down and dive in. We ate, exchanged ideas on what to do for the day, and I took off to wake up my roommate.
My roommate and I were on our way to Estralla beach. He found a way to get there for less than $5 whereas I found a way that cost $30, so we took his way (his way was by bus, mine was by boat, I did not know it was on the same island... turns out the island is rather huge, but the main tourist part is tiny). On the way to the bus we saw a guy who said he wanted to go with us- he said there was no bus and he waited for an hour. I told him I heard it was a minivan type bus and pointed to one half a block away in example of how common they were, he said that could be possible and decided to try again. The Central Park area where we were told to catch the bus had a minibus waiting to playa de drago (this is where the bus stops at) and we asked if we could ride. They said they were full but crammed us in after I said I would just jump on the top rack.
Once we got to the beach Vedant and I commented on how this was exactly what we were looking for. The beach before had too strong of waves which was a different kind of beauty but difficult to just relax. This beach had zero waves; it made me wonder how many beaches panama has... I guess you can find any type of beach. Estralla beach is supposedly known for starfish but truthfully Vedant and I didn't really look for them. I took off after about an hour and headed back to pack, shower, and catch my bus.
I packed all my stuff said my goodbyes and grabbed a pulled pork sandwich basically across the street at a place called toro loco. They had great service and were playing the warrior / cavaliers game (NBA). I really enjoy watching the warriors play, especially when they beat the cavaliers :) .
(Not in chronological order:) The food here in Central America has been amazing, the hostel had pollo Milanese - I would never have ordered it but the waiter recommended it so I just did it- I'm so hambre (hungry) here I will eat just about anything except seafood. Once I got it, everyone wanted some and a few people ordered it. The mashed potatoes it came with were cheese mash potatoes which made me think of Naomi's mashed potatoes from thanksgiving. The chicken was basically a type of schnitzel, we all kind of shared each other's food; people at off my plate and I ate off theirs, fries, hummus, breads etc.
(Back to chronological order:) I left toro loco and caught my bus. What a whirlwind it had been since I arrived; I would never have thought I would be leaving so fast, with such a full plate of good memories; BOCAS del toro was a special place, but it was time to leave. I kept to myself, played music, and enjoyed the speed boat ride back. Beautiful.
Once on land I was met by a shuttle. I let the women on first so as not to be rude and then they requested I let some other people on (I assumed family) and next thing I knew I had no seat. They flipped down a makeshift third "extra" seat on one of the rows, which took me about two minutes to figure out was for a five year old. I am not used to people giving me the child's seat: if someone is bigger than me I don't give them the small seat I give them the bigger seat, it's common sense. So instead of complaining I just made a space on the floor and passed out. I noticed the older guy looking at me funny and also noticed he had to stop and pee randomly. To myself I thought this guy is strange, but he looked so harmless I was even more confused; why did someone that looks so friendly act so strange ?
After the shuttle to "David", panama, we waited for an autobus to Panama City. I let the older woman go in front of me to be respectful and then realized she's getting tickets for 7 people. I mentioned, "siete? Estonia uno, aye yay yaye" and rolled my eyes playfully suggesting I should have went first instead of waiting for 7 people, we only had 45 minutes and needed to eat as well. I didn't complain any further and waited for them to take care of business; I think they got what I meant and called out hombre, giving me a spot in line to get my ticket. I got my ticket and went to find food, the family sat next to me shortly after which made me happy because they were locals, and there were a few places to choose from, I had chosen right.
My meal came to $3 and I got rice , mashed potatoes, and beef. Everything I've eaten here is freshly prepared and delicious - their version of fast food is like a military buffet line you walk down and pick out fresh food. I've commented a couple times how I appreciate that everything is hand made: chicken strips you can tell are chicken breasts cut into strips, hand breaded individually and fried. For some reason the food in America when I order it doesn't look like something I could make- often it looks too perfected or machine done, here it's all good I think I could make or looks like I would- tasted delicious as well. I hope it doesn't get globalized to the point that the authenticity of the food goes down..
Once the bus arrived I recognized it as the same type of bus I took from the Nicaraguan border to San Jose: a double decker. I always take the seats up top because I don't see storage above the seats on the first floor; I don't like storing my bag underneath when it's everything I have, it makes me want to get out each time someone gets left off and as I am the last stop, I don't want to do that... I just want to go to sleep. I went to the second floor, only 1/4 the seats were taken, I took an open seat and sat my bag next to me in the safest place, against the window with me in the isle seat. The bus has four seats, an aisle splitting them into two seats each side. The gentleman working the bus told me to either put my bag up top or down below. I put it up top. Apparently he didn't like it up there either and said it could fall down so I must put it underneath. All I heard was a scam artist and I told him no with the firmest military voice I could; I said even more coldly, "mucho autobus, no problemo..." he left and I thought to myself, why does every bus just want to hassle me, especially something so stupid. Apparently he went and told his manager as she showed up to say and extremely politely that I should sit my bag next to me in the seat against the window instead of on top. I did this (of course, this is where it was in the first place but I know better than to complain, basically I had just won) and she smiled, telling me to have a pleasant ride. I had some notes about the people on the bus but I'm running out of time and this is getting rather lengthy - one specifically was a young male in a soldier uniform, I am unsure if he is a soldier or police though. I've seen numerous people in these uniforms, but they have all been nice and generally seem to be happy people, making me feel more safe than anything so I say hola all the time and give them a friendly smile.
I slept the entire bus ride. I don't remember if it was 1 hour or 10 (it left at 10pm and arrived at 5:30am but I couldn't tell the difference). Once off the bus I asked the family I've been traveling with some questions about Panama City and they invited me to ride with them. Once I was in the car they invited me to their home to rest and spend some time as I had a lot of time until my flight. I told them I am very neutral - but I would go if they wanted me to. Their ride appeared in minutes and it was a large SUV much like the big Lexus Sophie has- except it was a Nissan (some weird name - nothing like my pathfinder- more like the Lexus).
Arriving at their home they were extremely kind and gave me their sons room; he was still in BOCAS del toro on his way to Costa Rica. I asked when they would awaken, brushed my teeth and went to sleep. My alarm went off at 9 am and I went to see if anyone was up, not a soul. I went back into my room and packed some of my stuff, washed my face, and started hearing everyone wake up. I got the backstory on everyone in the house, mostly sobrinas and sobrinos (nieces and nephews) that were visitas para vacacion a BOCAS. One niece was adopted (they didn't say this but I gathered) and they only had one son who was my age and also single. I told them why I was single and a little about me going to School, how important it has been, and encouraged the younger kids that it's very important, one agreed, the other I'm not so sure about. I saw in pictures that the older kids all graduated from university and I think by the house I can tell they can likely afford it- big house and very nice by my opinion. Big Tv's in every room etc.
I also found out the father had Alzheimer's and we ended up watching blade over and over again. It was really sad talking with him, he seemed like the nicest guy you'd ever meet and just wandered around the house repeating things over and over again. It reminded me of working out with my friends brother who is special needs, and how much work it can be but also how it gives a different perspective to life, their views and ability to smile and enjoy life are inspirational to me. He went everywhere with us and had a positive attitude, he even knew more English than anyone else in the house. He asked me where I was flying to several times, I wondered how Alzheimer's works, how does he remember who I am or that I am flying but not where to. The world is so complex.
We are a traditional breakfast, carne, yuca, and a Panamanian tortilla. I've never had anything like the yuca or Panamanian tortilla - yuca is probably a word for some common vegetable (that I've never ate) but whatever it is I greatly enjoyed it and the way it was cooked. The Panamanian tortilla was enjoyable, very different, quite plain which I usually like, but in this case it was just very interesting, my response is very neutral, not bad, not my favorite thing in the world but I would enjoy trying it again. The beef was delicious, and we had watermelon for dessert though I was the only one to eat it- was delicious- watermelon is my favorite.
After breakfast we watched some tv and let our food digest. We then went as a large group to Panama City, and it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be- holy cow. I can't tell how big it is compared to San Fran or Seattle but it has to be close... did not expect that.
Downtown there were more tourists than anything else, I saw hundreds of tourists and only a few locals. Traffic seemed very light, probably because it was the Monday after Christmas. We stopped by an helado (ice cream) store and I was excited until I saw they only had ice cream bars or popsicle things (whatever you call them, on a stick). These are my least favorite - I just like vanilla in a cup or pralines and cream if I'm feeling fancy. I ended up getting a blueberry bar because I haven't seen blueberries since I've landed. At first it seemed rather bland but by the end of the bar I was hooked. One of the sobrinas told me to try hers (strawberry banana) and I thought it was amazing, probably should have got that one, oh well. I recommended we take a picture, I saw that they had a lot of pictures in their house and thought it was really nice, so I wanted to take one with them too! We went to a couple more spots and dropped off one of the sobrinas, I assume that they had to drop him off anyway and made a tour out of it, it was very nice of them.
After we got back I helped Flor, la madre pull chicken for dinner, she said she was making a traditional Panamanian Christmas dinner: arroz con pollo y potatas salad (I don't remember the word for salad), which means chicken with rice and potato salad. I told her I've never eaten potato salad though it is common in America - but I will try hers- and that I loved chicken with rice so I was very excited; the chicken smelt amazing (olor muy bueno). We are as a family again and the chicken with rice was really good, I told her I could eat the whole thing and she said that was fine she made lots. I told her my mom taught me better than to help myself as a guest and she laughed, she insisted I ate as much as I wanted and I relented, I ate a lot, even the potato salad was good. She packed me two to go containers and took me to the airport herself. I was really heart warmed to meet this family, and I did my best to learn from them while offering just two bits of advice: university was very important to me, and Coca Cola was terrible for my health. They asked if I would ever return and I said possibly but not for two years; I must admit they make me want to return.
Once I got to the airport Flor told me it used to be an American military base. I walked in, the guy at the ticket counter said I had to check my bag, I thought to myself, everyone wants this damn bag but had no choice - had to check it and trust them. One thing I have to admit is that standing in line I saw women that looked like models off of a music video or something... I had to ask where they were from thinking they were Panamanian; all of them responded Colombiano, I just had to shake my head and tell myself Colombia had some oddly good looking women, I was surrounded by them and they were very friendly.
To board the plane we walked to the tarmac, the tarmac had a beautiful view of the city in the background, across what seemed like some water or flat land, it was dark and the tall buildings illuminated the skyline, the weather was perfect and our one plane was the solo airplane at the airport. I took a picture and thought this was one of the coolest memories boarding a plane... it's rare these days I find things that surprise me like this.
The customs line was rather long, I see why people were rushing off the plane. I helped an older lady carry a bag and suffered the consequences of losing 15 minutes in line - oh well. Once through customs I found the only way to get local currency was to use the exchange centers or people- which was a rip off... I decided to take the bus and pay with American - the bus didn't even know what the conversion rate was- very unlike each country I've been to so far. When the ticket costs $3 I don't mind paying $3.50... however someone exchanged my money for me and I got exact change back... I made the right decision.
The bus ride was interesting, a politician sat next to me. He showed me pictures of Panama- helicopter rides, yachts, great views, and high level Panamanian politicians. He said do not talk about this stuff with people in Colombia that panama was much safer.
Once I took a short taxi ride to my hostel - the taxi driver said that Colombia is not safe... everything closes at 10pm, but the neighborhood I was going to was "high class" and safe. He was really happy I was at the hostel I was at and didn't really stress over how much I paid him; I tried paying him with $20 but he said he didn't have change, then I put together a combination of Colombian pesos and US dollars with change and he took it without much argument.
I stopped by an ATM and pulled out 400,000 pesos, which is $133 - I got an extra $50 worth for a friend I had met on the way who paid me on venmo- his card wasn't working here (I understand this problem).
I saw a girl with a specific pair of shoes on that I remembered from the airport and stopped to talk to her... she laughed and said she wasn't at the airport, I asked what she was doing here and she said she was very angry, long story short she needed a few bucks for the taxi, and just like ometepe when I helped a guy get food, I helped her get a taxi, except unlike ometepe this girl could have been a model- very good looking and extremely appreciative. Interesting place, this Colombia.
So I have finally caught up on my blog... thank goodness. Good night from Colombia!! I fly out of bogota to Peru on the 2nd.
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