After the fun overnight bus we arrived around 5:30am to the dock where a boat would transport us to Bocas del Toro Island. Nothing like a 50 mph boat ride to wake you up first thing in the morning!! (No coffee required). Once we arrived we strolled around the island to see where we would stay the night. Since it was early, early morning no one in the town was really up and about. So we found a hotel that was serving breakfast to kill some time... then ended up staying at Hostel Heike. After dropping off our packs it was time to explore!! We grabbed a water taxi to take us to a neighboring island that boasted great beaches. Instead of paying $2.00 to take us TO the beach, we only wanted to pay $1 ... read more

There are three options for traveling from Columbia to Panama, although only two of them are popular :) Many people take a 5 day sail/snorkel cruise from Cartagena to Panama via the San Blas Islands ($375 p/p) or a direct flight to Panama City ($250 p/p). The third option is the much less traveled overland route involving boats, buses and planes, which skirts the caribbean coast of columbia crossing into Panama outside of the Darian Gap ($120). We were interested in saving some money as well as having a little adventure so we started researching the route but could find little to no detailed information. We stumbled onto a blog from the previous year that gave the details of a 5 day trip that ended with a flight from a military base in Puerto Obaldia, Panama. ... read more

San Gil Columbia was one of the most scenic and traditional towns we´ve been to. This area is widely known for the outdoor activities including white water rafting, cave swimming tours, hiking and $10 bungee jumping!! Haha!! After our 5+ hr bus trip from Bogota we were wonderfully welcomed by Shaun at Macondo Hostel. No wonder Lonely Planet tells travelers to see him!! The hostel was comfortable with incredibly friendly staff and with the perfect cat mascot!! The cat took care of all bugs who dared to venture into the courtyard. Also worth mentioning is the Awesome breakfast we had across the street at Santander Aleman Hostel!! A major highlight for us was Pozo Azul, a free swimming hole with wonderful waterfalls. We were there on a Sunday where so many locals were hanging out with ... read more

After another overnight bus, we arrived in Salvador de Bahia famous for preserving traditional Bahian culture, samba music, the martial/dance art of capoeira, Rastafarian religion and for the worlds biggest party known as Carnival!! We arrived early around 6am then took a cab to Hotel Estrela in Pelourinho, the historic district of town. Pelourinho means whipping post in Portuguese and the location was a major slave auction port outlawed in 1835. When we arrived we were greeted by an incredibly nice receptionist who had been working at the Hotel for over 14yrs and learned English by watching movies!! Due to the dreary rain I took a 3-4hr nap and John drew a beautiful church dome (Igereja da Misenicordia) that was just outside our bedroom window. The view from our hotel was incredible. From the terrace we ... read more

In a state of disarray, Chrissy and I had no idea we would end up in Paraty until our boat arrived back at the mainland from Isla Grande. We ran into Roey and Nero, Israli travelers we kept crossing paths with :) and they described a quiet colonial town on the Costa Verde (green coast) only a short bus ride from the port of Angra Dos Reis. Since we had no other plans it sounded perfect! Paraty (pronounced Para-che) is a historic town with fresh seafood restaurants, large cobble stone streets, and picturesquely restored Portuguese colonial buildings dating back to the 1500's. We found a quaint little place to stay, the Paraty Bed and Breakfast, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the hotel and its location just outside of the low lights of the historic ... read more