Panama

PANAMA (23.06-07.07)

After crossing the border of Costa Rica-Panama, we headed towards the somewhat cooler Highlands. It was crazy to notice the temperature difference during the incline in the last 1,5 hour of the bus ride. In advance, we were already looking at different tour possibilities around Boquete. Climbing the volcano Barú was our main goal. This is the highest point in Panama and the only place with the possibility to see both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (on very clear days).

During the day we rented a scooter to explore the surroundings. It was an amazing feeling to have total freedom while cruising through the mountains, and the landscape was beautiful. Tropical forests and cloud forest were surrounded by small clouds and idyllic villages filled the valleys in between.

 In the evening we were getting ready for the volcano hike. Pam slept 1 hour prior and the shuttle left at 11.30pm to bring us (a group of 13 people) to the starting point at the feet of the volcano. The goal was to walk through the night and make it to the summit before sunrise. Everybody was fully equipped with head-lights and torches, food and enough water. We were happy to finally make use of the two extra kilo of warm and water protecting clothes, which haven’t been unpacked since our traveling. Finally our first, proper hike to the top of a volcano.
The path was very rough, with small and big stones/rocks on the way, only a few meters of walking straight or even downhill in between the rather steep parts uphill. The hike up was 14km with an altitude difference of 1,700m (3475m above sealevel). It took us 5 hours to get to the summit. We were even the fastest of our group! What a feeling!! Pam did notice the altitude a little bit (slight headache and a weird nausea feeling, which went away when walking downhill again). It was really cold at the summit (around 0 degrees), with mist and very strong winds blowing around our ears. Luckily we were very well prepared, so we could sit on the very top and still enjoy the sunrise. Just stunning! Unfortunately, there were too many clouds to have the beautiful view of both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, but nevertheless – it was totally worth it!
The way down (again 14km) was supposed to be much easier and faster. However, due to lack of sleep and exhaustion, especially Sven was having a hard time! All in all, it was a hike of 30km and including the waiting for transport, we were back after 12 hours. Goodmorning, Goodnight!

We did allow our-self two more days of relaxing after the hike to the volcano, before we headed towards Bocas del Toro at the Caribbean coast. Bocas is known for its party life in town but also laid-back reggae atmosphere with an Afro-Caribbean flair, its nice beaches (e.g. Starfish beach) and dolphin watching. Unfortunately, already on the journey to the islands, Sven started to feel quite unwell with headache and a sore throat. The taxiboat that brought us to the island (Isla Colon, the main island) was the fastest speedboat we have ever been on. Here we could start feeling the Caribbean vibe already. Also the hostel was the perfect choice – a little out of town, hammocks and chill areas around, the beach right in front of the door, “Happy hour” with beers and cocktails for $1-2. The ideal place for chilling down for a couple of days. It was also the first place with AC-rooms, which we both have been looking forward too. However, timing was horrible, because Svens cold had gotten worse, with lots of coughing and fever. The first few days Sven had to mainly stay in bed, and we decided to prolong our stay to 6 nights. The last few days went somewhat better and we still were able to discover the nice beaches. The “starfish beach” really earned its name, with many starfish right at the shore. We did some snorkeling and although the visibility was not too good, we saw lots of lionfish and many more starfish. Also, we saw our first dolphin up close, crossing our boat. Bocas del Toro is a perfect place to relax and recover from heavy traveling. We were fit again to continue our trip.

Because we spend a few more nights in Bocas than planned, we decided to leave any other destinations in Panama and head straight to Panama City. We bought tickets for the night bus, leaving at 7.00pm. We arrived at 5.00am in the morning, and after some hassle we went to the Hostel Mamallena.

Basically the two most interesting sights in Panama City are the Panama Canal and Casco Viejo - the old colonial historic part of the city. The old town looks cute and lovely, but unfortunately we went there too early in the day so it was rather hot and not very busy. We later found out the best time to be there would be after 4.00pm, when the bars and restaurants are opening.

The trip to the Panama Canal was an adventure by itself. We did not want to take a cab, so we went by bus. It was quit some hassle to get the right tickets for the bus (chip card) and a good practice for our Spanish. The bus brought us to Miraflores Lock. This is one of the Watergates (locking of the ships) where tourists can have a great view. It indeed was impressive to see how those huge cargo ships are put though the lock. The canal is 80 km long and 35-40 ships pass it daily. The passing of the entire canal takes up to 8-10 hours. We took the bus back again but due to an accident (or at least a huge traffic jam), we were stuck for about 45 min within we moved only about 1 km. We decided to get off the bus and join some other people to walk back to the station. That was the first time for us to literally walk over the highway between all the cars - quite interesting!

The last day in Panama City we spent preparing for our next adventure: The sail trip to the San Blas Islands and to Colombia. We booked this trip through our hostel for the 8th of July. Overall this trip would take 5 days (3 days at the islands, 36 hours on open water). Since there are no roads between Colombia and Panama, our only alternative would be flying. We are not gonna talk about the expenses for that trip, but we both knew that if we wouldn’t do this trip, we would definitely regret this later…