CENTRAL AMERICA – WEEK 7

We crossed into Panama from Costa Rica after carrying our meagre belongings across this rickety one-kilometre long abandoned railway bridge.

We entered into a water world!  Isla Bastimentos is one of the nine main islands and many mangrove islets that make up the Boca del Toros Islands on the Caribbean side of Panama.  We arrived at the dock in the port town of Almirante to a scene of total chaos, probably because it was Saturday and the height of Carnival weekend on the islands.  There were people everywhere.  Javier quickly located a sixteen-passenger water taxi for us, and the 225-horsepower outboard soon had us riding high on the waves.  Forty-five minutes later we arrived at the Caribbean View hotel shown in the photo below.

The hotel extends out over the water, built on pilings.  All the traffic coming and going is by boat.  Everything and everyone uses this mode of transport and it’s interesting to observe how it works.  If you want a taxi, there’s no need to call; you just stand on the steps of the hotel and one appears magically.  It’s $3 for a short ride and $5 for a long one or for any ride at night.  The hotel wasn’t much more than a bunkhouse with an open dining area.  We had a few decent meals there and the people running it were nice, but the service was painfully slow.  The room was small but adequate, and we had air conditioning and hot water most of the time.  After I killed a large cockroach that had taken up residence under our bed, we enjoyed a most restful sleep our first night there.

Life on Bastimentos must be quite hard.  The small village consists of meagre dwellings on both sides of a street that’s nothing more than a broad sidewalk really.  Children attend the small local school until Grade 6.  Those that continue to Grade 7 and beyond must take the water taxi to Bocas Town.  Young people just hang around, with too much time on their hands and probably little hope for their future.  We were told not to walk alone, especially after dark.

We spent our first full day on the islands almost exclusively on the water.  The outboard picked us up at 9:00 and took us first to see a couple of dolphins.  Next, we motored to a site where Elva had her first real snorkeling experience.  I stayed close by to show her how to use the mask and snorkel and she soon became quite comfortable.  There were not a lot of fish to see, but the water was clear and warm.  She stayed in the boat at our second snorkeling stop, and then we had lunch at a thatched-roof restaurant perched out over the water.

Our afternoon entertainment consisted of a visit to Red Frog Beach.  To get there, we walked through the forest from the leeward to the windward side of Bastimentos along a beautiful sun-dappled path.  Arriving at the beach we were met by white sand, a nice on-shore breeze, and crashing waves.  The 30-degree heat made for very warm water and it didn’t take us long to get wet and begin enjoying the big waves.  In all the years I’ve known her, I’ve never seen Elva enjoy the water so much. 

After a full day on the water, we took a taxi to Bocas Town and watched the parade of devils, a local tradition that’s part of the Mardi Gras Carnival.  A dozen or so young men dressed as red and black devils strutted along a section of the town’s main street, dancing and carrying whips, daring anyone to challenge them.  I sure wasn’t about to!  We had a quick pizza and took a water taxi back to the hotel, exhausted after our busy day.

After spending a quiet, rainy day on Bastimentos, we boarded two taxis for the return trip to the decrepit port city of Almirante.  It rained hard just before we left, but we were lucky enough to avoid most of the bad weather.  From Almirante, we drove to Boquete, the next stop on our itinerary.  Here, we stayed at the Boquete Mountain Resort, definitely the nicest room we’ve had since our trip began.  The resort sits high on a mountain range that divides the Caribbean side of Panama from the Pacific side.  As we looked out from the restaurant deck, we could watch people zip-lining back and forth across the valley below.

We had one full day in Boquete and decided to rent ATVs.  We picked up our 125 cc mounts and were given a short lesson in the dos-and-don’ts by our guide, Felix.  Then, we headed out of town by a back road and were soon on a dusty, rutted track with numerous washouts.  Felix and Elva were in front of me, so I ended up eating a lot of dirt.  We climbed for several kilometres until we reached a pass and took in the beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and valleys.  We could even see the Pacific Ocean, 50 kilometres to the west.

On the way down, Elva had trouble mastering the brakes, but with Felix’s help, she managed to make it through the worst.  Once on the pavement, it was clear sailing to the hot springs where we had a dip and our lunch.  The 35-kilometre ride back was much easier for both of us.  While we enjoyed the experience, I don’t think we’d do it again.  It’s just one of those things we’ve wanted to do and can now check off our list!

From Boquete, we drove toward the Pacific Coast.  As we left the town, we passed several subdivisions with modern homes, as well as a golf course or two, sure signs that the Americans have discovered this part of Panama and have found it to their liking.  The climate is favourable, the people are friendly, and those who are buying here must believe their investments are safe.

It was 34 degrees when we arrived at the seaside community of Santa Catalina, our only stop on the Pacific.  Our bus dropped us off at the end of the road, and from there, we carried our belongings across a small stream to our cabins.  This is a surfers’ paradise, frequented by many young people who just want to chill out and spend time by the beach.  We could see why.  While our cabins were anything but luxurious, we were surrounded by sand, the cooling shade of palm trees, and a wonderful on-shore breeze.  After dinner with our group, we enjoyed a nice bonfire and slept like logs, serenaded by the sound of the pounding surf.

We spent our second day at Santa Catalina walking along the beach and just taking it easy.  As we sat on the front porch of the little cabin, we marvelled at the beauty and serenity of the place and the power of the ocean.  With all our senses on high alert, we tried to absorb as much as we could of this relatively untouched corner of the world.  How different it is from the places where most people from the north spend the winter months, surrounded by condos, asphalt, strip malls, and all manner of amusement.  I doubt we could spend more than a few weeks here, but we’re glad we came, and we do hope it stays just the way it is.

 

 

On our last day, off we went to Panama City and the end of our Central American adventure.  We stopped for a couple of hours to explore and learn about the Panama Canal, an engineering marvel well worth visiting.  We watched as container ships, freighters, and a cruise ship made their way through the Miraflores Locks.  Each ship must pay a toll of $105,000 to traverse the Canal!

Our last hotel turned out to be better than expected.  Too bad we would only spend a short night there.  We took a walk along the seaside promenade and took in the city’s impressive skyline.  It’s clear that Panama City has become the commercial centre of Central America.  We had our last group dinner together and said goodbye to our guide, Javier, and the thirteen other members of the group.  There were hugs all around and a few tears, especially amongst the young.  We extended open invitations to several people to come visit us on Prince Edward Island, and we hope they’ll take us up on the offer some day.

Now, it’s on to Florida for a couple of weeks.  We can’t wait to meet up with Sylvie, Ghislain, Samuel and Natalie at Disneyworld!

I’ll end with a few general observations on our Central American experience:

1.    Although we had our doubts about a ‘Basix’ level tour with Intrepid, with the exception of a few really bad hotels, we’re satisfied with what we got for our money and would not hesitate to do another ‘Basix’ tour again.  Besides, Javier was the best guide we’ve ever had on any tour.

2.    Thus far, of all the places we’ve visited, the only one we’d stay in for an extended period is Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  There were other cities we liked (Flores, Granada, Monteverde, La Fortuna and Boquete), but Playa has all of the things we’d look for in a several-month destination.

3.    There are places we’d definitely not go back to and would not visit except as part of a guided group: Belize, Honduras, Antigua in Guatemala, and the Boca del Toro Islands in Panama.  They’re either too dangerous or not that interesting.  On the other hand, Nicaragua turned out to be far better than expected.

4.    There is much poverty in Central America in every country we visited.  The gap between rich and poor is far more pronounced than it is in Canada; public services are poor or non-existent; and education, especially, seems far below our standard.  This does not bode well for the future.  Also, the drug trade, corruption, and extortion are rampant in the larger cities: Guatemala City, Belize City, Tegucigalpa, and Managua.

5.    While people seem generally industrious, too many are idle.  This is probably more a reflection of lack of opportunity than lack of ambition.  We saw and met many though who move with purpose, and who look like they’re going somewhere.  As Gerard Fitzpatrick once told me: “There’s two kinds of people in this world: steppers and shufflers.  You can’t go wrong by picking a stepper.”

6.    Sanitation is one of the biggest impediments to the development of a viable tourist industry.  Littering seems to be the national pastime in most of the countries we visited.  And, “Please do not put paper in toilet” signs are everywhere.  Quite frankly, the thought of having to put it elsewhere takes some getting used to!

7.    Listening to the millennials talk about their travel and life experiences has been quite informative.  Many of them have seen more in 30 years than I’ve seen in 60.  Yet, I wonder what it will take to keep them from boredom later in life.  Will marriage and child-rearing prove too dull?  Will work be stimulating enough?  What will motivate them?  Where will they find spiritual meaning?  Despite these misgivings that are mine alone, I love traveling in the company of young people.  They are bright, open-minded, and willing to try anything.

8.    No TV?  No problem!  No Wi-Fi?  Big problem!  While most of the hotels we stayed at had decent Wi-Fi, not many had good TV.  Did we miss it?  Not one bit, but we can’t survive without Wi-Fi.

9.    After six weeks in Central America, I cherish the simple things.  Luxury is defined as a hot shower and a toilet that flushes.  Relief is defined as a dry fart!