I can’t get the internet to work for anything. Google keeps telling me it’s a problem with my DNS servers, but since I’ve tried all the other options it gives me, the only thing left is to restart the modem, and of course I can’t do that. So it looks like I may not have internet for the next 3 or 4 days, maybe more as I’m not sure if I will have it or not at my next stop.
So anyway, I am now on Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I had so looked forward to this place, especially since the parts of Costa Rica I’ve seen have been so disappointing. It’s okay, but not at all what I expected. First of all, even though I’m surrounded by ocean, I can’t get there very easily and can only see a snippet at a time. My hostel is about a block from the ocean, but I can only see it if I go to the 2nd floor and crane my neck over the balcony. Businesses and hotels are lining the oceanfront, but none of it is beachy.
Again, lack of efficient public transportation fails me. That was a big problem I had in Alueja and San Jose. I couldn’t go to La Paz waterfalls or Poas Volcano because of a lack of public transportation options.
I booked 3 nights here thinking the beach was right there (meaning walking distance). I guess I also thought there would be more to see than there is. I’ve pretty much walked the town. Two or three times.
This traveling alone thing isn’t working out very well. If I was with someone else, the taxi ride to La Gruta would only be half as bad. Food would be easier too. It’s really too hot to cook. In Europe my go to was bread and cheese, but here… the bread isn’t that great and 8 ounces of cheese is $5.00 (imported, I haven’t seen any local cheeses, here in Panama or in Costa Rica). My go to here is juice and cookies. It was bananas until I had 3 in one morning and I can’t do that again. So I eat what I can find for breakfast unless the hostel serves it (I’ve had hostel breakfast once out of 5 mornings). I sometimes eat lunch out if I can find a place that serves vegetarian. And afternoon snack/dinner is juice (or orange soda) and cookies. So healthy I know, but I don’t have very many options here. And even the “cook easily” options are limited to spaghetti.
It’s so insanely hot here. I don’t know what the temperature is, but I was literally melting when I returned from my hour long walk/sit in the tiny municipal park. I’m not sure if it’s hotter or more humid than Texas, but here, there is no such thing as air conditioning. You’re lucky if you get a fan. I’m outside in the shade right now and I’m sweating.
The place I’m staying is pretty interesting. It’s called Spanish by the Sea. It’s actually a language school. I knew it when I booked the place and it would have been cool to take a class (I’m actually watching a class right now). I didn’t book any classes though. Additionally, I think they start classes every Sunday (and seeing as I won’t be here on a Sunday, I suppose it wouldn’t have worked out anyway).
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| The hostel. Not a terribly good picture, but nonetheless... |
The airplane trip from San Jose to Bocas was an other worldly experience. I arrived at the airport very early by taxi. My flight was at 6.30. The airport is tiny. This one domestic commercial airline, NatureAir flies out of the airport. As far as I can tell, all other aircraft were personal or perhaps for cargo.
I checked in for the flight and was required to weigh my bag (14.86 lbs of the 15 lbs limit). And then I was required to step on the scale myself (with my carryon). My passport was kept. (I’m not sure why and it freaked me out, but they took everyone’s.) By everyone, I mean all 7 of us. Four were German, 2 were… Swedish? All were in their 20s I’d guess. After our baggage was hand inspected, we waited and waited. Finally, we were ushered through the security area. I wish I knew they didn’t care about liquids before I bothered zip locking them. Nobody cared about the extremely dangerous weapons in my shoes either. That was a joke.
The 7 of us, led by the pilot, walked out to the plane. It was tiny from the outside and even tinier on the inside. There were exactly 7 seats, including the 1 next to the pilot. The guy seated next to the pilot took advantage of the situation and filmed the takeoff and landing, and I’m pretty sure he took photos of himself seated next to the pilot.
I was expecting this to be the scariest flight of my life - I’d been dreading it since before I bought the ticket. But I also knew I wasn’t interested in sitting on a series of buses and water taxis by myself on a trek that would span 8 hours. The flight itself was nice actually, and I wasn’t scared like I was expecting. I even saw a volcano smoking fairly clearly from my larger than normal window.
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| The "baggage guy" unloading the 7 "checked" backpacks. |
The best part about the whole experience was that I could walk to my hostel from the airport. Airports are usually so far from everything, but this one is right there. People live all around it and there is a ball field at the south end separated only by a chain link fence.
The airport was under construction, but operations were as usual, which meant that we passengers simply walked through the construction to enter the airport. I was the first called into the immigration office. Yes, there was an office with one man sitting behind one desk. He asked me some questions. I answered and he carefully entered my answers into his ledger. He stamped my passport and I was back into the holding room where my luggage was hand inspected again, but this time both carry on and checked bags.
And finally, I was free, released into the wilds of Panama to explore and discover new things.
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