(lyric cred to Katy Perry)
A common theme during our time in Central America is the extreme climate swings from one location to the next as we bounce between what we love and new experiences. We went from the beaches of Costa Rica in Uvita which were #HOTAF to the mountain town of Boquete, Panama which certainly felt like the “windy city” of Central America. Before we get into Panama, we have to talk about the bus we took…
We got the most mint seats on our bus to Panama that it’s worth mentioning in the blog. As one of the more developed countries in Central America, Costa Rica had few chicken buses, instead relying on coach buses to transport people long distances. Some of these buses are even double deckers, with passengers on both levels and the driver on the bottom with all of the luggage. The best seats by far are the front-row seats on the top level which come complete with extended leg room and a large window, simulating the future of driver-less cruising. You guessed it; we’re the cool kids and we got those seats!
It was one of those moments where we checked the tickets several times to see if we had the right seats — would Coons really have that much leg room?! — and we couldn’t relax until the bus was in motion. But we did it; we achieved ultimate seat satisfaction!
Okay, now back to Boquete — the weather was much more bearable. It was sunny but cool. You know when your wardrobe is confused because you’re wearing a long-sleeved shirt and shorts? It was lovely. In the night, we listened to the whipping sounds of the wind. We stayed in a hostel up on the hill with a beautiful view of the city. Coons got to use his first non-stick frying pan since we started our trip, and we took the opportunity to cook salmon on Christmas to celebrate.
Before the main attraction of Volcán Barú, we spent an afternoon hiking through the jungle to find the tres cascadas esondidas (three lost waterfalls).
Of course, the warm sunny day quickly turned to overcast once we got into the mountains with rain starting once we exited the taxi. Determined not to let the rainy weather get us down, we zipped up our rain jackets and spent the next couple hours hiking the fairly well-maintained trails with waterfalls every half hour or so.
With the arrival of Christmas Eve, it was time for our final hike in Central America – Volcán Barú. While most people start hiking at 12am to arrive at the summit in time for sunrise and then hike back down, we decided to be different and sleep at the summit. Not only did we make use of the camping equipment that we’re lugging around, but with no pre-sunrise hike to the summit, Kourtney got to sleep in until 6am! The trail was easy to follow because the other hip way to see the summit involves not hiking the trail at all, but rather taking a Jeep 4×4 up to the top and back down. We agree you have to really suffer through the aggressive uphill for kilometers on end in order to earn this one (our budget agrees). Plus, from a vehicle, it’s harder to see these gorgeous trees
or this cute little Coati, who either wanted some love or to claw us to death — we almost got close enough to find out.
The clouds rolled in as we were setting up camp, so we missed the sunset, but we didn’t miss the howling wind at the top. Endlessly thankful for our gear, we remained cozy in our sleeping bag and tent. Sheltered by the towers at the summit, the next morning we enjoyed another gorgeous sunrise.
The unique thing about this summit is that it is the only place where on a clear day you can see both the Pacific and Caribbean ocean — we were lucky enough to see both!
From Boquete, we traveled across the country to Panama City. Despite the daytime heat, we knew we had to at least see the Panama Canal. The closest site to the city was the Miraflores Lock, the last piece of the canal before ships hit the Pacific.
Completed in 1914, the Canal and various sets of locks enable travel from the Caribbean to the Pacific, saving weeks of travel and millions of dollars for shipping companies worldwide. The Miraflores Lock allows gigantic cargo ships to pass through the Canal with only two feet of clearance on each side, costing an average of $125,000 in taxes and fees each way.
We watched in awe for an hour as five big-ass boats were pulled by locomotive “mules” down the last stretch of the Canal before they were free on the Pacific. Then we watched the oddest movie about the canal: more an amateur cinematic presentation from the viewpoint of children, spanning from the invasion of the Spanish to the liberation of Panama from Columbia, and the completion of the Canal in 1914. After, we visited the four-story museum which was much more informative. Coons marveled over the model dredger used to clear rock when the canal was just a pipe dream, and Kourtney enjoyed reading stories from the people who sacrificed their lives in order to make the canal a reality. Fun fact: when the USA had control of the canal, we only charged enough money to keep the operation running. It wasn’t until Panama garnered control that the canal became a money-making business. This was one of the coolest “touristy” things we did and an absolute must-see; the budget went out the window this day but it was so worth it!
With some extra cash in our pockets from family, we made reservations and got dressed up for a date night at a fancy restaurant. Kourtney put on make-up for the first time in months, and Coons wore pants and a shirt with sleeves despite the heat. Did we mention Panama City was stifling? At Caliope, we indulged more than usual with short ribs, duck, and a bottle of Chilean wine.
We’re still remembering the mouth-watering tastes of each course. Opting for liquid dessert, we visited a local brewery and a rooftop bar overlooking the city. What a lovely evening!
The next morning we set out for Puerto Lindo, Panama where we were to set sail for six days on the Wilson boat — destination Cartagena, Columbia! On this 46ft ship, we crammed in 12 strangers: 4 Germans, 2 Swiss, 3 Americans, Captain Erwin, Chef Danni, and one token Aussie.
We spent the first day anchored a short swim from a tropical island, lounging on the beach and snorkeling the nearby reef.
On New Year’s Eve, we visited the San Blas Islands where locals put on a huge BBQ/ dance party! Erwin told us he makes a point to shop locally in this matriarch society, and oftentimes families with a lot of sons will raise their youngest son as a woman to avoid the taxing dowry required of the man’s family when they marry. No one even blinks an eye. We ate freshly caught lobster and island-raised chicken, and we danced the night away!
To ring in 2019, we did something we have never done before and challenged ourselves. We spent 40 hours on the open ocean and the seas were ROUGH. It felt like you were on a bucking bronco as the ship rocked front and back and side to side. Sometimes it felt as if the ship might just tip right over on its side. We have never seen waves of this magnitude with swells reaching up to 10 feet. Captain Erwin kept us comfortable the whole time, and chef Danni made the most delicious food, always keeping presentation and taste in mind, even when his kitchen stove was swaying to and fro, and he was skating back and forth like a Spaniard Olympian. We’d like to personally thank the manufacturers of Dramamine as we were some of the few to not barf over the back of the boat!
You’d think that we would be happy to be away from each other after six days in such close quarters, but our seasickness quickly turned to lovesickness, and we met up several times for dinner and drinks with Team Wilson, enjoying local pies and pints, sitting and chatting on rooftop bars, and dancing salsa in the local dive bar until 3am!
We will really miss all of them, but that’s how it goes when you travel. We’ll always have our memories. Most of us are headed home, but Coons and Kourtney are saying, “Hello, South America!” On to continent numero dos!
